Heroes Not Zombies

I got a lemon tree for my birthday last June and it took a while, but, in the autumn I enjoyed two lovely, large, juicy lemons which it produced. Like so much in the garden the lemon tree has been pretty dormant throughout the winter. I’ve lifted inside for a day or two during the days where the frost has been most severe (although I don’t think we’ve had less than minus four centigrade), but brought it back outside again to get maximum sunlight as soon as possible.

Today I see there is a little bud. Do you see it? In fact, there are two, close to each other. I know I had some kind of fantasy of a lemon tree laden with lemons all year round, but, hey, sometimes scarcity and having to wait just adds to the sense that you’re having something special, when, eventually the fruit matures.

This little bud gives me hope. I’m never very sure about a lot of the plants in the garden over winter. The fig tree and the walnut tree I planted are reduced to little sticks for the season, but, last year, once Spring came, they produced green leaves and started to grow again.

It might not seem like much, but, psychologically, in the midst of a lot of global news which can be rather dispiriting and demoralising, I find it really helps to be able to stumble across something like this and feel the sensation of hope and brighter future starting to stir in my heart.