Apple blossom

 

There are so many points in nature's ever turning wheel of the year that I look forward to, after all, each season offers up so many gifts. Few gifts though are as fragrant as apple blossom in spring sunshine, it's a heavenly scent, dreamy...it's easy to see why they're associated with love and sensuality.  The Common's apples are just edging into blossom now, with the very first flowers opening up to the sun. Catching their fragrance is a real joy, a joy that over the last decade has grown in abundance as several new apple trees have appeared and burgeoned around the Common. 

Blossom

My favourite of the Common's trees are the apples, there's a about half a dozen of them, all eaters, and all as far as I can see neglected. I love their heady scent when in blossom, their fruit's not to shabby either. Still early in the season the blossoms are yet to achieve their full potential, though had enough scent to them to stir your senses. I think I'm possibly the only one to eat or use the  fruits of these trees, tough skinned though succulent eating, they're a valuable local resource.  On resources, I collected some lovely fresh rhubarb from the lotty this afternoon, I intend to utilise everything mother nature has to offer cultivated and wild. Now's a perfect opportunity to practice your cultivating and foraging skills.

Bloomin' nice

The blossom's out all over, though none more so than along the banks of Red Rise Brook. It's a riot of bright white flower blossom along there at the moment, swathes of blackthorn are putting on a proper show. It's a really good year for blossom in the forest too. Amongst the sea of white a beautiful apple tree coming into blossom, there's something special about the the scent of apple blossom, something heady and magical; I can't pass apple blossom without taking a moment or two to breath it in. It smelt lovely too. Just one of springs little pleasures.

twilight blossom

30 years ago when we first started coming to Creepy Woods there was an already  neglected and overgrown walled orchard, many of the fruit trees had gone, though 4 apple trees survived. We cleared their part of the orchard, including stripping the trees of invading bramble, and for a few years we collected the fruits of our labours. Then the wheel turned, our visits became less frequent, and finally, again neglected, we ignored the the trees, abandoning them to their fate. Now, some years on, only one apple tree remains, I'd imagine that too is living it's twilight years. Fallen, with most of it's roots truncated or exposed, and slowly disappearing beneath the undergrowth, this solitary tree keeps on flowering. Respect.