I had to use that title, it's so alliterative
The house that I rent here in England is small, so small that I call it The Doll's House, it's about one fifth the size of my house in France and very, very expensive. I know, it's a little crazy, this situation, but it is as it is and for now it must be tolerated.
There are compensations.
Here is the principle one...
Welcome to the green...
As seen from my bedroom window which I keep wide open for most of the year, even in winter, so that I can sit in bed and gaze at the green
At four o'clock on a June morning when the green is shrouded in mist the dog and I are out early, too early for other walkers, we have the green all to ourselves.
I always try to walk into the mist and the mist always eludes me. I love that! Maybe one day I'll catch the mist.
In winter I sometimes wake with the scent of snowflakes in the air and I leap from bed and look out on this scene...
This is my favourite weather, I am addicted to snow and should probably live north of the Arctic circle.
When it snows we spend a lot of time on the green, of course.
Those trees are walnuts. When I first moved here I was delighted to discover them, partly because I am a faithful forager and in autumn I love to return home with my pockets full of walnuts, and partly because they are such magnificent trees.
Walnut trees are good for us.
And all parts of the tree are useful...
The leaves have laxative, astringent and detergent properties. They can be used fresh, when their oily aroma is delicious, or dried, seeped in water and drunk daily or applied externally. I have to admit that I haven't tried them, not being in need of them medicinally, but now I'm curious...
The bark can be dried and crushed and used as a purgative. I think not...
The nuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, B vitamins and antioxidants, they help to lower cholesterol and keep blood vessels supple and free of deposits. All of which adds up to wonderful mood-enhancing, brain-boosting, heart-healing goodness.
Walnut wood makes beautiful furniture, but years ago we British fell in love with mahogany and our walnut plantations were abandoned when we preferred to import that hardwood from the ravaged rainforests of its native lands. Mahogany makes strong, sturdy furniture but it takes a long time to grow, it costs a great deal to transport and it's felling causes a lot of damage to its forests. I think it's better to stay local, to grow the food, to make the clothes, to manufacture the goods, that a community needs, close to home.
If I had the means, I'd have a walnut plantation. I
wouldn't be able to chop down the trees, I'd be too sentimental, they'd
have to grow until I am no longer around and someone else would have to
harvest their wood. Which reminds me of my former partner in France and
the irony of a fate that brought together an unashamed tree-hugger and a
skilled and enthusiastic carpenter.
But science and sense aside, walking with the walnuts does wonders for my well-being.
I
can't even begin to describe how relaxed and happy I am when I'm out
there on the green, or how much better I am because I live next to it.
It's unquantifiable. Suffice to say that I am grateful to have found
this place.
So I adore the walnut trees
And I worry about them
Last year the weather was so wet and so cold that the trees succumbed to a nasty blight, the leaves rotted on the branches and fell much too early. And, having unfurled their flowers in the midst of a monsoon, they were unable to produce any nuts. Last year the walnuts suffered and I fretted...
This year winter held us in its icy grip for a long, long time. It was the coldest March on record. Some days it felt as if spring would never come. I watched the walnuts and I worried...
And then, suddenly, it was spring...
The tight little buds on the bare branches of the walnut trees burst open...
Delicate red/brown leaves unfurled...
The male flowers appeared...
And the small, yellow female flowers could be seen sheltering shyly in the tips of the branches....
And every day as I walked among the walnuts I watched over them, as anxious as a doting parent
And the sun continued to shine and the rain was light and infrequent, and the walnuts flourished and I breathed a sigh of relief.
And now the walnut trees are growing well in the sunshine that we've enjoyed for the last few weeks. The nuts are swelling nicely, the leaves are glossy and strong and I am content, although I still watch over my walnuts and I still inspect them during our thrice-daily walks.
Life isn't always easy and often it doesn't go the way we'd planned
Some years are good, some years are bad
We have to have faith that finally, tout serra bien
Last summer was not kind to the trees on the green...
This autumn there will be walnuts to gather...
.
