ONCE EVERY YEAR!

SPLENDOUR ON THE GREEN.


Last Saturday evening we drove to Harrogate, a pleasant spa town to the south-east of the Yorkshire Dales, famous for its tea shops (like Betty’s), flower shows, Turkish baths, antique shops and gardens. A very 'oldy worldy' place with a particular atmosphere.
Once a year in this huge green, the rows of trees lining the paths explode in splendour, the cherry trees. They criss-cross the lovely grassy field.
The first time we came across them... we were too late.
The next year... some trees had been chopped because of disease, leaving huge gaps...
The next year we forgot...
The next year it was a dreadful Spring with late frost, the blossoms hardly came out, a merciless storm threw them to the ground...
The next year we kept hearing on the news that although the money had been raised and the young trees planted to restore this visual feast, some vandals came and cracked the saplings...
Last year we forgot again…
This year, WE MADE IT!!!
The sky had been a milky soft box the whole day, but I sensed a glimmer of 'more', as everyone went home, the 'sun' came out gently for a while.
It was wonderful, the tender full blossoms ever so gently swaying in the warm evening light, walking in wonderland, so beautiful… so fleeting.
Today it is windy, across our house; the neighbours have a Cherry tree… most of the petals now a pink carpet on the ground… I feel another photo-mission coming on… grab it while it's there!

A 'detail' of the opulence with which I was surrounded, what a feast for all the senses.

Have a glorious day and thanx, M, (*_*)