ouch

Got to meet an old enemy from my childhood today. And he has been under my nose for ages.

Growing up in the 1970s in Northern Australia was pretty cool. Very simple, and very much outdoors. We never wore shoes while we roamed the neighbourhood in search of adventure, and this is what my old foe would take advantage of.

We called them goats heads mostly, but there was a variety of names.

When they were not in flower (a small yellow one), they were pretty hard to distinguish from ordinary weeds. You sure knew about it if you stumbled over them. They hurt, and if you had run into a large patch you would have to gingerly tip toe your way out as if navigating a minefield.

I often get up from my desk at work and just go outside for a couple of minutes regularly during the day, and today, there they were. A huge patch growing in the car park.

Not today my spiky little nemesis.