Triggers

Memory is the most incredible thing- Trying to write my round-up was really hard, I had issues remembering what I had just thought about writing just minutes earlier. But when I took those Plum blossom photos last week I was reminded of a truckload of stuff.

I grew up in Dunedin and for the bulk of my childhood I lived in North Dunedin in the heart of the University of Otago. Blossom trees were in abundance...

• There was a cherry blossom tree in the garden of Knox Church. It always flowered early. I felt sorry for the poor little flowers delicate and soft in the cold Dunedin winter.
• There was a plum blossom beside the Leith river. It was beside the bridge at the northern end of the river section in front of the famous University clock tower building. The bridge is just a little walk bridge with the coolest wrought iron railing. The tree was on the other side of one of those fences with the mean looking fluer-de-lis spikes on top. You had to try and reach out over the bridge and sometimes also the river to pick the yellow plums in the summer... but it was well worth it!!
• There were also a truckload of ornamental cherry trees on the lawn in front of the clock tower building... which made an interesting contrast to the war that was held between groups (I think maybe two halls of residence) on the lawn and over the river. There was a mass of flour, and egg bombs people crossing the river and scaling the walls with ladders and such... awesomely fun stuff especially for a 7 or 8 year old me! One group did the full scottish kilts thing as well.
• My Dad lived at my Uncle Robins house and he had an ornamental cherry as well. Every year it produced a small number of the most annorexic looking cherries you have ever seen. I can tell you they were the most foul things in the whole world.
  
• His neighbours had one as well but theirs was the variety that grows like an amazing tree umbrella. It was about 5ft high and probably had gnomes, pixies and fairies living in the vacinity- amazing!
• When we lived in Mechanic Street we also had one and I used to just pat the petals on the blossoms- they are so incredibly soft and luxurious, like pink candy floss.

And all of these are the reason we now have our own Cherry Blossom tree that before long will have it's own mass of soft pink gorgeousness. I don't often fell homesick for Dunedin- there was so much crap that happened there... but if someone offered me tickets to go down for a visit in the spring I'd jump at the chance to just sit and inhale all the flowery goodness!

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