Bathory Syndrome.

So, here’s what happened.

I had every intention of writing the Big, Serious Animal Post today. Fate is no respecter of intentions, however, and circumstances – some foreseen, and some not – kept me very busy until late. I started the BSAP, but it’s proving to be rather long and I intend to finish it tomorrow. The best I can hope for, given the way it is at the moment, would be half a dozen comments carrying infinitely inventive variations on the general theme ‘Sorry. Couldn’t get past the first seventy five paragraphs.’ I think I would be quite pleased with that.

But there was one big, spooky coincidence today. Remember that unsettling business with the broad beans? Well, I also planted some runner beans, far earlier than is recommended, in the greenhouse, and they started to push through today. I wondered whether I should risk googling 'Runner Bean.' Risk? My middle name! So I did. This is what Wikipedia had to say.

‘The runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) has many culinary uses, as well as excellent nutritional value. It is especially recommended in vegetarian diets. A word of caution has to be given, however, since it is also known to have hallucinogenic qualities. The nature of the delusional psychoses it produces vary from person to person, but the one most commonly reported is the conviction that bathing in the blood of virgins prolongs, or even re-establishes, youthful good looks. This is known as Bathory Syndrome, after a notorious 16th century Hungarian countess who was eventually arrested...’

Well, it didn’t actually say that in as many words, but given my luck, I’ll bet it says something like that somewhere.

The radishes are growing well, too. I wonder what they do. Did they have radishes in Twilight?

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Finally, and this has no relevance whatever to the silliness above, I would like to say hello and welcome to Jen Kach. Who are you, Jen? Clicking on your avi produced no evidence of a blog. Do you have one?