Before Nigel and Alice depart for Poole, the little fella wanted to pop by and see his beloved niece and nephew, to say hello and then a quick adieu, as well as letting them know that the school run would be in safe hands, as Darrell would be taking over until he gets back.
Then, as he was leaving, Iris asked him if he'd noticed the small tree growing in the large pot, just to the side of the front door ........
.... it was, she told him, the fruit of her conker collecting from a couple of years back, now ready, after being carefully nurtured, to go public and make it on its own. Nigel said it was a very emotional and sort of bitter sweet moment.
Iris, Bertie and he had all mourned the shocking and severe lobbing of their beloved, twisted "far away tree" and this year Nigel had really missed watching Iris excitedly collecting so many conkers that her skirt could hardly stay up! It had been part of their September tradition, since even before Bertie was born. This September marked the end of that era, especially with a new, revised way home, as Iris is now at Middle School, that is sadly devoid of a single horse chestnut.
Nigel said his heart beat loud and proud in his chest ....... the memories of autumns past are all still there, safe and sound, with this little tree a constant reminder of all that love and laughter. Oooooo, please excuse me .........I'm filling up now!!
2 comments:
Well done, Miss Iris! Great job!
I have just been reading a short piece on Horse Chestnut trees so I'm going to do a Mr.D and tell you a tiny bit about it. Said trees are not native to UK but were introduced in Tudor times and here is the is a famous song about The Chestnut Tree https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YayZyHOmn-8. It warms my heart that young Iris has fallen in love with such a beloved tree and is ensuring that as years go on they will continue to grow and flourish for many others to enjoy in the UK. Well done Lucy. JantheFan x
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