Another wonderful aspect of living in Vancouver is the abundance of fresh, local berries here in summer.
Blueberries 
Blackberries
Lately I have been taking great pleasure in buying blueberries by the scoop at the local grocers for $1.99lb. I have been buying more than I can eat but I just can’t help being a little greedy as I never get to buy berries in bulk like this back home in Australia.
This week we have discovered all of the blackberry bushes growing along the road, around parkland and the school oval where we go jogging. I have even found blackberries growing down the laneway that runs behind our apartment. Happy days! I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed the bushes before but I suspect that the berries have only just popped up as the weather has started to improve here. A lot of the berries are still green, but they are quickly ripening every day. When we found the first patch of blackberries, I was sure that someone was going to come along and pick them all before we would be back to enjoy some. Now that I’ve realised they are everywhere, I can relax as there are enough to go around for everyone wanting to enjoy a few while out and about.
Blackberries remind me of my childhood; my sister and I would dress in our long sleeve shirts and take buckets down to the paddock to pick the berries when they were in season. Mum would make all sorts of yummy treats with these berries – from jam and pies to ice-cream.
Blackberries were and still are my all time favourite berry so you can imagine the joy I am having at the moment walking down the street and being able to now stop and pick a couple to eat whenever I want!
Discovering something new, particularly something so simple that is right in front of you, is always a pleasure. It reminds me to keep my eyes, heart and mind open to receiving the next surprise from the universe!
