The year has turned. This weekend is the Celtic festival of Lughnasa, the start of the quarter that takes us from harvest into autumn. When I moved to Ireland I thought it odd to have a new season starting in early August, but seeing it as the start of harvest makes sense. Fruitfulness and abundance can now be seen everywhere in the Garden; it is a lovely time of the year.
In the Imbolc garden the tree fruits are ripening - plums, pears and lots of apples from old Irish varieties. Until March these trees were bare; then the leaf buds opened, followed by a cascade of beautiful blossom. Slowly, the base of each pollinated flower swelled into the fruit - sour yet, but turning sweet in the next few weeks. And, of course, the fruit contains the seed out of which new plants can grow.
The cycle of life in the Garden is made up of thousands of small miracles, and apples are one of them.
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