The Old Apple Store

Saturday was the first day of my trainee ship at Norton Conyers and it found me back at work along the iris border. Last July the WRAG girls helped to divide and replant one side of the border and so this time we tidied and cut back the other side, it soon became a very unseasonably warm day but Alyson Nikki and I persisted until the job was done. Alyson and I did have an hour off mid morning when we helped Lady Halena to plant dwarf tulips and violas in the pots in the courtyard, they smelt heavenly in the warm sun. In the afternoon we picked apples, both cookers and eaters, Giles who is by far the tallest amongst us climbed up into the trees and dropped the best fruit for us to catch. These we laid out on the racks in the ancient apple store. We eventually went three stories high which should be plenty for the house to use. All too quickly the day passed but I confess to being relieved when it was time to leave, it had been so hot I was looking forward to a cold shower, who would have thought  that the first of October would be hotter than August!
Pics- Sempervivum oozing off an old stone pillar. The last pic has given me the inspiration to run a series entitled 'gateways and vistas of Norton Conyers, so look out for plenty more in the next few weeks.

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed"
Robert H Schuller

"Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love"

Song of Solomon