A Tree to Remember
1st of September,
Spring in Australia
thinks it’s summer.
Birthday tree,
sapling Norfolk Island Pine
begins the journey
to remember
my late mother,
treasure in my eyes.
Rain, wind, salt and heat
pray on hard scaly leaves,
majesty in growth.
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Dear bloggy friends,
Yesterday was the first day of spring (and my late mother’s birthday) here in the sub-tropics of Australia, and we finally got around to planting a conifer for her. This is a sapling Norfolk Island Pine – a tree that gets huge if the conditions are right.
I hope it grows tall and strong and lives to a ripe old age.
Happy birthday Mum.
It was also father’s day yesterday – so happy father’s day to all the Dad’s out there (including my Dad and my husband Andy the Great, my brother’s Daniel and Peter, and Andy’s Dad Des and brother Nigel).
Yours cheerily
A scaly leafed specimen XXXX (registered trademark 😉 )
Gabe Feathers McGee 
Here wishing you a fine start to springs and my you tree grow strong for many a year.
thanks Charles (it was Mum’s birthday too yesterday – I just edited my post to include that)
It’s a lovely start to Spring, isn’t it! What a gorgeous thing to do in memory of your Mum, too. I hope it grows tall and beautiful 🙂
Thanks Carrie 🙂 It was a lovely spring day – the heat turned on overnight – right on cue.
1st November? Or 1st September?
May the tree in memory of your Mum grow strong, grow old. Lovely.
haha – I’m definitely losing it bb 😉 thankyou
This is beautiful Gabe…
thanks Graham 🙂 may we all plant trees for each other when we die – and then the breath of life continues in the oxygen exhaled
The Norfolk Island Pine is a local favorite of mine. They are something delightful to crane the neck up into from underneath beside the beach as the lorikeets battle and squawk for their perches over the sound of the surf. They drop such wonderfully fractal-like foliage too – one can’t help feeling that even if they die too young they’ll always have known where they came from.
would have to be one of my all time favourite trees too Brad 🙂 and you do get a lot of parrots perching in the ‘fractal-like foliage’ – which is always delightful
alovely way to remember your Mum and a lovely start to spring!
Juliet
http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.com
thanks Juliet – it went from cold to hot overnight (literally) 🙂
beautiful tree—looks like it has plenty of space and sun to grow majestically—blessings on the new tree and on you and yours
thanks tipota 🙂 yes, there’s plenty of space for it – I’ve been waiting for the space needed to plant such a tree, and now we have it!
What a fabulous way to celebrate, Gabrielle.
thanks Kate 🙂 next year when it’s bigger I’ll put balloons all over it for her birthday
I love your idea in response to Graham’s comment – may we all plant trees for each other when we die – and then the breath of life continues in the oxygen exhaled.
That is such a beautiful thing. I am going to think of something to plant for my late mum, dad and sister. Tears are now spilling on to my keyboard.
thanks Helen – I hope you do plant something for your mum, dad and sister – such a lot of loss you’ve experienced 😦
A wonderful living momento for your Mum. We. too planted a tree for our child we lost early in pregnancy many years ago – a beautiful living reminder for our loved ones.
Best of luck with the tree, hopefully you’ll post an annual photo?
good idea Mark – I will 🙂 If it dies I will be very pissed off (but will just plant another one – maybe a different type – we’ll see how it goes)