Category: Folklore

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Have you ever wondered what’s around you? I don’t mean the local pub or a nice walk. What remains are to be found around you? What history does the place hold, hidden away that you can’t see?

Stories, folklore, and much more can give us a real glimpse to what has been around. Sometimes we need to read between the lines, but there is also so much truth to be found within these. If we listen and look.

So when I read through your adverts to go and visit the land of the giants, the land where those who could walk across a village in a couple of steps. I couldn’t wait. This was the land that only a few would normally be allowed to go.

As a youngling, I had been brough up to hear the stories. We all had. How the guardians and gone off to keep the dangers that threatened us away from our borders. So when the news came that some had gone out there to explore what was there now. To see what they could find, then to hear the news that they had developed the areas for others to follow and explore, well I was not one to hide away.

It was an amazing point and I wanted to be able to be one of the first to get there to see it before everyone else came. I re-read all the stories that I could find. From those that everyone was given when they had a baby, but also to the stories that were kept away to stop the younglings from staying awake at night.

I even managed to find some of the stories from those who came back from the border wars and how they described what they found. Even with my 6 months of research, I made sure I booked up every tour I could find from your website, and I was delighted to find that there was even a selective tour for small groups to go and explore the legendary giant’s cave. I could not believe it, I was going to be able to stand where the last known Giant King was killed in battle and the start of the end of the Giants Wars had begun.

To be able to stand where the legends had once explored. To look over the cliff of torment and see what they saw. To be able to catch sight of the never-ending forest of the tall trees and mighty falls where the retreat settled to create a watermill to power their mills from one water fall by itself.

In case you can’t tell from this review. I was a fan at being able to explore past the boundaries of the Kingdom and explore the Giants Way.

I would like to attach just one phone. This was not the first one I took, but it was the last one I took. I feel it summarise what was billed to be an in-depth tour of the closing days of the last Giant King. Knowing how far away the troops had to have travelled, knowing how far long they were away for, I was shocked when the cave was only 2 days travel away from the Kingdoms borders. Even without modern travel ability, we were not even halfway there.

To the younglings of the Kingdom, I am sure that this will fit them happily. But to those of you who know the stories, to those of us who are keen of find out about the history of our Kingdom and the dangers that we have gone through to be safe as we are today. This is a joke.

However, I do guess there are two lessons those who are looking to go there. The first is to check the small print when reading what you are ordering. But I guess the real lesson is, when you leave the safety of our Kingdom, people can pass things off as whatever they want and not have to worry about the truth.

And in case you are wondering, this is apparently a giant’s hand outstretched before being buried by the soldiers in battle. Having never heard about such an event in any references, not a single line, I was surprised that you were trying to suggest we were standing on the shoulders of giants!

I give this attraction, not a historical site as you try to call it, half a star. And I only give half as I must give credit to the display boards on the history of the Giants Wars.

What is the origin of the lemon?

Ever wondered why they are shaped the way they are? Why there is such a thick layer of pith between the tasty lemon juice and the peel on the outside? Why each lemon comes basically the same as the other?

This did not happen overnight. In fact they were made that way. Not by some all-powerful being that designed it all, although some may believe this tale. But it was by some of the little people, don’t worry, you don’t tend to see them. They also hide a lot. Now before you start to wonder if we are being rude about their name, we only call them little people because, well, they are little and seem to be like people. They have different names in many cultures but, unlike those stories, these little people are real and when they see big people, they understand the term we use today.

But like all creatures, they are sometimes a little clumsy. They found that they needed to find a method to protect their heads when running around, this can be in sports or just going into fields to collect food. It is a very dangerous business hunting for berries, fruits or, should one of them try, there is also hunting squirrel. Those nuts make their teeth very sharp indeed. Protective head gear is definitely needed at those times.

So eventually, one of these little people looked around for a way to protect themselves.

They looked to the apple. Too soft. The skins on the apple broke too easily and went brown and smelly far too quickly. They found peaches and plums but they were too weak. Also many of the plums got eaten making them useless as defensive gear as they didn’t last that long to even be tested against squirrels.

Then one day, one of them, they can’t remember which one as who writes down names, looked to a lemon and the orange. The orange was too big to be able to protect them without being tied and manipulated. But the lemon sat on their head. Snugly.

Over time they got very good at choosing the best ones and looked to only pick the ones that were tougher and thicker. These worked best to protect their heads while also keeping berries safer when being transported, an accidental but helpful by-product. But they never found any use for the seeds. They were simply extra. So they would toss these to the side and never thought about it.

Over time, this meant that only the lemons that had a thick pith and a strong taste were harvested. The lemon trees that didn’t produce the right lemons would slowly be cut down and overrun by those that grew stronger lemons.

So the next time you pick up a lemon, look back into the insides and think about the head that would fit in there. Why the thick layer of pith is perfectly formed to create a cushion should something fall on that head inside the lemon. Then also consider how many lemon trees were chosen to help farm the right size and shape of lemon.

But like most, I am sure you will just notice the strong taste in your drink or the juice over your food.