10 November: Wheat Day

Today is Wheat Day - so here are 10 facts about wheat.

1. Wheat is a member of the grass family which was originally native to the Tigris and Euphrates river valley - present day Iraq.
2. The scientific name for the most common variety of wheat grown by farmers is Triticum aestivum.
3. Wheat is grown in 42 of the 50 American states. 63 million acres of land there is dedicated to wheat production. The top wheat producing state is Kansas.
4. The country which produces the most wheat, however, is China, although the most productive wheat farms in terms of production per hectare are in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand and the UK. Worldwide, 544,6 million acres of land is used for growing wheat.
5. World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined.
6. Wheat is a cereal crop. The word cereal comes from the Roman goddess Ceres, who was the protector of the grain.
7. It takes wheat between 110 and 130 days from when it is sown to grow and ripen ready for harvest. This means two crops can be planted and harvested over the course of a year.
8. Most varieties of wheat grow to between 60 and 120cm (2-4 feet) tall, although there are varieties which can grow to 210cm (7 feet). The roots can reach as much as 2m deep.
9. A combine harvester can harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of Bread in just nine seconds.
10. Wheat is a good source of protein, fibre, B vitamins and manganese.

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Golden Thread

Terry Kennedy is inexplicably and inexorably drawn to the small town of Fiveswood as a place to live and work after university. He is sure he has never visited the town before, but when he arrives there, it seems oddly familiar.

Fiveswood has a rich and intriguing history. Local legends speak of giants, angels, wolves, a local Robin Hood, but most of all, a knight in golden armour. Fiveswood's history also has a dark side - mysterious deaths blamed on the plague, a ghostly black panther, and a landslide which buried the smugglers' caves.

Terry buys an apartment in The Heights, a house which has been empty for decades, since the previous owner disappeared. Now he has finally been declared dead, developers have moved in and turned it into six flats. Terry has the odd feeling he has lived in this enigmatic house before. But that is not all. Since childhood, Terry has had recurring, disturbing dreams which have been increasing in frequency so that now, he has them almost every night. To his dismay, the people from his nightmares are his new neighbours.

Except, that is, for Eleanor Millbrook. She is refreshingly unfamiliar. After Terry saves her from a mysterious attacker, they become close. However, Terry's nightmares encroach more and more on his waking life, until they lead him to a devastating discovery about who he really is.

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