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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Today is the first day of spring (and my late mother’s birthday) here in the sub-tropics of Australia.
Last year I planted a conifer for her, a Norfolk Island Pine – a tree that gets huge if the conditions are right. It has tripled in size – growing well (unlike most of the plants around here – the drought is taking it’s toll).
Happy birthday Mum xxxx
Here is the tree last year (when I planted it).
Mum’s Norfolk Island Pine
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Gabe Feathers McGee 
Hi Gabrielle. It is lovely to see your mum’s Norfolk Island Pine doing so well. My thoughts are with you.
thanks Helen – I’m surprised it’s doing so well, given we are not that close to the coast (and it needs the salty air apparently).
There is a bitter sweet memory in this post…but the tripling in size of the tree seems to express the love you have…be well my friend.
thanks Charles 🙂
A lovely way to remember & honour your Mum. A toast to you both on this special day.
thanks Jane 🙂 I’ll have to crack the champers – any excuse will do – hahaha
lovely way to remember your Mum, good to see the tree doing well
Juliet
http://craftygreenpoet.blogspot.com
Thanks Juliet – I am very happy with the tree’s progress!
A lovely reflection/commemoration, Gabrielle.
thanks Kat 😀
It is such a lovely thing to do in remembrance. I still have my Dad’s ashes and plan to plant them under a magnolia soulangeana one day (he died in 2002 :-))
that will be beautiful bb 🙂 just out of a morbid interest (and because I always wonder about this type of thing for practical purposes) – would you leave the ashes in a container or just pour them in the ground?
I thought a lot about that, too, Gabe, particularly because I worry about moving and not being able to take him with me, so to speak 😳, but nevertheless my choice would be to pour them straight into the ground. It seems more natural that way, somehow…
thanks bb – it’s a difficult decision!