A birthday experience

When I was a child I could never understand why adults "didn't bother" with celebrating birthdays. As I have got older, I still don't understand it. Today was my birthday and it was a quiet affair, but this evening was joyous. I got to go berry picking.

Now I picked bush berries as a child. We went brambling at our caravan on the N. Yorkshire moors, and dad had gooseberry, blackcurrant and raspberry bushes. He also planted redcurrant, which are a real pain to pick. So, I know how to pick berries, but as a child, it was a little bit under duress; I would have preferred curling up with a book or playing with friends.

This evening, I picked blueberries, which until recently were only in my memory box marked "Canada". My great aunt, who emigrated there before WW1 was making blueberry pies for 70 years. I still remember being knocked over by how different they were to the berries of my Yorkshire childhood. They definitely like a warmer, drier climate than could be provided in soggy Yorkshire!

Our neighbour grows organic berries. He has about 2000 bushes and he and his wife tackle them all themselves. But this evening a neighbour invited me and about a dozen others to pick for lunches over the next couple of weeks. It was wondrous.

It is such a privilege to live in this valley amongst friendly neighbours and delicious items for pies!