Dry toast, warm cider, a song, and a jolly good beating with a stick were on the menu last night.
For the apple trees.
Tradition dictates that the oldest apple tree should be wassailed on 6th January, to ensure a good crop in the following autumn. We wassailed five of our apple trees - the oldest one, two young apple trees in another part of the garden, both young and not doing especially well, plus two newly discovered apple trees in Owl Wood.
They are about 40 years old, but had been completely overtaken by all the other trees, so much so that they barely got any light, yet somehow they managed to survive, they just didn't look like apple trees, and nor did they bear enough fruit to be noticed.
The year before last we had to have some trees, which had become unsafe, taken down. It seemed drastic action at the time, but the positive impact on Owl Wood has been wonderful.
Access to the sunlight and energy, for the first time in many years, gave these two apple trees and several others, the chance to produce some very nice fruit. I decided they both merited a bit of extra help after all their years of struggle.
At the last moment we decided to include a crab apple tree which has endured a similar struggle ...so that made six!
Stretching a point, perhaps?
I felt sorry for them all! They were all given a piece of soaked toast, a hefty sprinkling of warm cider, a bit of a beating with a stick, and were then serenaded with the wassail song. I hope they enjoyed it.
The neighbours think we are barking mad, and so we are!
The garage is really coming on now, the back of the roof has been completed, so has the front.
It has been a bit of a slog, but it is getting there. Whether or not our daughter and son-in-law ever actually park their cars inside is another matter!
I have noticed that they keep calling it a barn, rather than a garage...
Three bays, two for them, one for us, plus a log store on either side.
The local schools went back today, so childcare duties have begun again.
Here is our oldest grandson waiting for the school bus. He used to enjoy throwing/catching/juggling beanbags about while we waited. It seems that he has caught the reading bug, at last!
His younger sister stuck with our game of catch the bean bag, enjoying the extra attention.
