Missed Cherries

Megumi spent most of May back in Tokyo, sorting out various papers for her Portuguese residence permit and other chores. I left for Tokyo later -- on May 12. Unfortunately, that was just the time when the black cherries were ripening. As a consequence, of the dozens of kilograms on the tree, I only managed to pick some 5kg. As I was going away, the best I could do was freeze some and make jam from the rest. Too bad, really. They were so good. But at least our builders enjoyed them!

The good news is that we have another cherry tree -- a different variety -- that is ripening as I write. I've already collected some 4kg, and we've probably eaten another couple of kilos straight from the tree as we worked in the garden. This tree is not as large as the black cherry, but still harvesting from the upper branches is problematic. We hope to borrow nets and ropes later today, in the hope of being able to shake some down! Pruning is the long-term answer to the problem; we'll begin work on it once the season is over.