We went up to the land for another picnic supper yesterday afternoon/evening. We got up there around 5 and decided to walk down to the “orchard” area to see the trees before we ate. We walked down the path through the greenhouse area, which is lush after all the rain we had this season:
It was sunny and warm when we started out, but it was starting to cloud over by the time we got down to the orchard. Here we are in front of a Gravenstein apple tree Andy planted. It’s already a lot taller than we are, but it’s not very full.
Here’s a picture of Andy by the cherry tree. It’s not as tall, but quite full, and we’re hoping to get a cherry crop next year.
The sky was starting to look threatening by the time we left the trees, but we decided to walk over to say hi to Beate and Tim before we walked back up. We didn’t stay long because we started to hear thunder, and sure enough we got drenched in rain and hail before we got back to the house. We weren’t about to complain — at least we didn’t get hit by the lightning. It was cloud-to-cloud, but the thunder was loud enough to encourage us to walk fast!
It all stopped right after we got back to the house, of course, so we ate and were getting ready to leave when Beate and Tim arrived with a backpack full of dry clothes. How sweet was that! I was touched. As I’ve said before, we’re lucky to have them as neighbors.
August 29, 2015
Yes, such good neighbours make all the difference when you are out in the boondocks. And, the ‘orchard’ has indeed stabilised. Good work there.
This was the third season for both the apple and cherry trees.
they’re just the best!
what an adventure! and hey… i like your hiking get up!
let’s see… i need to use at least one more exclamation point. LOL!
there we go.
xo
😀 I’m photosensitive, so I wear sun protection.
It’s very satisfying to see new trees gradually maturing. We have a couple of new rowan trees in our back garden and slowly but surely they’re getting bigger and taller.
Yes, Andy loves growing fruit trees. It was heartbreaking after all the trials and tribulations growing the old ones (I lost count of how many he had to replace for various reasons), they were finally doing well before the fire incinerated them.
Oh and we have a seriously HUGE eucalyptus, planted by the previous house-owners. It grows by leaps and bounds every year. It must be a good 50 feet tall already.
I love eucalyptus. We used to have them around my grandmother’s house and the smell always brings back memories.
Wow! It looks so green!
And the trees look so full.
My new ones are barely more than twigs.
Is that you in the hat? I can’t make you out at all!
Darn it. 🙂
So glad that you didn’t get hit by lightning!
How scary.
You really have fabulous neighbors!
I don’t care for any of mine. I did like the ones to the north of me but recently I’ve noticed that their poor dogs are being confined to a small mud covered area when they are let outside. Yep, that totally changed my opinion of them. Kinda hate them now but since the dogs live inside the majority of the time, there’s nothing that can be done. 🙁
At least the dogs are inside most of the time, rather than being confined outside with no human contact. Hopefully they’re not mistreated. But I’m with you, it breaks my heart to see/hear of dogs being mistreated. I read a book about an army vet with an assistance dog. The dog loved to play ball, but he rarely had a chance to play, that wasn’t his role. The fellow was sorry about it and dreamed of having a place out in the country where the dog could run and have some fun — he told the dog that, maybe in ten years…. By then, of course the dog would be too old or have already passed away. I get tears in my eyes every time I think of it.
Oh that story breaks my heart too.
I used to talk to that neighbor. He’d be in the yard all the time and we would chat. He’s never outside anymore.
Some day the day will come and I will say something, what I don’t know.
I have to be careful as I have my own pets welfare to worry about.
I certainly don’t want to alienate him enough that I have to worry about that.
For now, I’m handling it in my usual passive aggressive style.
When I see the dogs outside, I go to the fence and stare at them with my hands on my hips and frown.
Then I look up at the different windows of their house and I look back down towards the dogs. So far every single time I do this, I then walk towards my front yard and I hear them open the door and let the dogs back in.
Still, I think about all the times that I’m not around.
Thank god we’ve had such a mild summer.
looking good
Yes. 🙂