Amaranthus, "Love Lies a'Bleeding"

There has been a helicopter circling overhead all afternoon. I have no idea what it is doing, but I hope it stays up where it belongs as it sounds quite low over the house. I was attempting to take a picture of the amaranthus in our patio, there being very little of a flowery nature left in the garden as we move into autumn,  but every time I looked up for the noisy helicopter, all I could see was two or three vultures circling lazily over the field behind the house. I couldn't help musing about the origins of the common name of this curious plant..."Love Lies a' Bleeding"....

My friend Tobi and I were having coffee  this morning and comparing various aches and pains accumulated whilst working in the garden...this after accumulating a few more aches and pains in class. I told her the ultimate insult for me was getting gouged by a rose thorn and being told that the resulting wound has now turned into a squamous cell carcinoma and will need to be removed. The fact that it is on my shin and cannot be stitched means I will have an open wound for weeks while it heals by "secondary intention" .I'm not exactly clear how this can be, since I'm pretty sure that rose thorns do not cause cancer. I suppose I will have plenty of time to find out while the offending growth is being removed on Halloween.

Matt and Claire are flying up for a quick weekend visit and we are mustering the sibling troops for a barbecue. I am making Nigella Lawson's "Moonblush Tomatoes" with the last of the garden tomatoes. This is one of those recipes that has very few ingredients, yet far exceeds the sum of its parts in deliciousness. It's a great way to cook tomatoes that are a bit past it or, alternatively not quite there yet, and the result is so delicious on top of pasta with a little freshly grated parmesan that I'm passing it along.

MOONBLUSH TOMATOES
Cut 500 grams cherry tomatoes in half and place on a rimmed baking sheet or ovenproof dish, cut side up. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon  sugar, 2 teaspoons of Malden salt, and 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/gas mark 7/450 degrees F.
Put the tomatoes in the oven and immediately turn it off. Leave them in the oven overnight or for a day without opening the door.
Enjoy!