At home in the treetops

When I mentioned in my first post that sitting on the deck was like living in the treetops, this is what I meant.

Cherry Cheer!

This is the cherry tree which lets us, our neighbours and passersby truly know that Spring has arrived.  As you can see it's a large tree, far too large when it's time to pick the cherries, and definitely far too large to be standing only six inches away from the driveway.  It is the result of a casually discarded cherry pip many years ago, and I've always declared that one day it was 30cm high, and the next day it was 2 metres high and too big to move!  But when in blossom it's a magnificent site, and on a sunny day the bees are almost as prolific as the blossoms.

As well as providing delicious fruit it shades the loungeroom from the early summer sun, and in the autumn it brightens the garden with its large, yellow leaves.  Cherry trees in orchards, which are pruned to keep them to a manageable size, generally produce 14-18kg of fruit per season.  Three years ago we were very pleased with the 33kg we picked and bottled.  However that was well and truly surpassed this season with over 50kg, with at least another 5kg left on the tree for the birds.  Fortunately they are very quick and easy to bottle; although this time I really had to scrounge for enough bottles, mainly because we hadn't eaten all the cherries from previous years.

Spring has 'sprung' and so have the blossoms.

The crop looks sparse but those large leaves hide most of them.

Autumn colour before becoming compost.

Some of this season's crop.

A new beginning?

My original blog, A Growing Delight,  ( http://heathhill.blogspot.com) seems to have stagnated for some months and now that I've changed my ISP and login name, etc.  I can no longer access and work on it.  So that seems like a good time to begin another one, and hope that I can post a little more frequently.

As mentioned in my header, our garden, which to us was A Growing Delight, continues to grow and develop and we now find ourselves enjoying a more mature garden, although it isn't finished yet even after all these years.  There are several places that are very inviting for a cup of tea (several times a day), either in a sunny spot or more often a lovely shady one.  We often sit on the deck where the outlook gives the impression of living in the treetops.

These photos were taken in mid-December.  (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

This is an entirely new blog program to me and I'm having a bit of a frustrating time learning the ropes.  I'm sure the layout will change in the coming weeks as I decide which bits I like and which I don't.  Some aspects I find easier than the old program, but others require a little more patience and a lot more determination.  Please bear with me as I muddle through!