Cherry blossom

n the cycle home on Friday evening, after sitting in on a recording for Radio 4 in town (it was much funnier than that sounds... The Museum of Curiosities), we passed around the outer circle of Regent's park heading towards the bright lights of Camden Town and our ultimate destination - KT. In the gloaming (there aren't many street lights on that stretch) we spied a fallen branch of Cherry tree. I came to a screeching halt (okay, not a screeching halt - I wasn't going very fast) to pick it up and strap it to the back of my bike. Dan laughed at me but shepherded me and my wavering branch home so we didn't get hit. I spent a few happy moments on Saturday poncing about with the camera taking silly photos. The blossoms have faded now, a bit like me - I'm exhausted from the stress of helping to get the bosses deadline met the last couple of weeks. Back on the thesis at home now...

'm not a pink girl in any way - I can't bear to wear it. Cherry blossom is the exception that proves the rule. I have a deep seated love of cherry trees, especially the pink ones, from childhood. When I was little we had an old large cherry tree by our back gate whose branches spread over the wall onto the street. I used to climb up and lie along the branch amongst the leaves and blossom and watch the people walking up and down the road. In the spring, if the weather was right, it would carpet the road and gutters with pink blossom. This tree was cut down by my Dad so the gate could be widened in order to fit in some new vehicle or other. I was devastated, my Mum promised to buy a new tree to put in exactly the same spot (albeit a couple of feet to the right) to help stem the flow of tears. A few years later we took a trip to the garden centre together and picked the tree and planted it together.

he best blossom trees in London are found in a small graveyard in Fulham, off Munster Road. Dan and I both lived in close proximity to this spot and spent a happy spring day there once. I've not been back since we moved NW, but if anybody who might read this is in the area over the next few days, now would be a good time to find the spot.