Where have all the cherries gone?

It has to be said, first off, I'm not much of a gardener - my fingers are very "un-green"!

In my head I have a beautiful cottage garden full of lupins, delphiniums and hollyhocks, as well as a vegetable and herb garden and a veritable cornucopia of fruit.

However the reality is that I'm struggling, not helped by the fact that the builder is far too busy during the summer months with cricket work and therefore any heavy work, or rearranging - and there is a lot of that to be done - goes unfinished; or more accurately un-started.

The lawn is being kept down by two very hardworking guinea pigs right now, doing a sterling job. You see we only have time to get the lawn mower out between October and March - you're starting to see the problem aren't you?

We have several fruit trees in the garden, which don't produce much fruit, well except the pear trees, they manage to survive anything and produce more fruit than we can manage. And what fruit are the kids not keen on? Yep, pears!

We have a lovely apricot tree which had 2 years of producing tons of fruit, then never produced a single one since - probably nothing to do with the "trimming back" I gave it.

But the last two years our cherry tree has started to produce little buds of fruit, however the birds got to it before we could and we've not managed to eat a single one yet.  This year though I was on the ball, a large net was purchased which I threw over the tree. Now that may sound easy but I almost secured myself to the tree in the process, I eventually covered it whilst knocking off three quarters of the fruit. A few cherries would be better than none though. Not being a very well equipped gardener I fastened the net with gold and silver ribbon from the Christmas wrapping supply - looking good I thought.

I kept an eye on the tree, fruit turning pink and looking delicious. Then for a couple of days I couldn't see the fruit from the window, maybe it was dark and ready to pick, blending into the foliage?

I went to investigate, ready to pick and eat. Can you see the fruit?

 

 

Go on, look closely, can you see the cherries?

 

 

No neither can I!

 

But look, can you see what I can see.....

 

 

A lot of pips on stalks!

 

So where in the world did the cherries go?

No bird could have navigated it's way in and out of that net.

There was only a little space around the trunk, what do you think? Mice??

 

So off to the supermarket I go, we need cherries!!