Cotehele’s orchard blossom spectacle sent me on a journey of nostalgia. I had missed the organised tour, but roaming from row to row on a balmy day and breathing in the delicate scent was magical.
I couldn’t help thinking how different it was from the Apple Blossom talcum powder I received as a Christmas present when I was a child. Although pleasant and impactful, the cosmetic has a deeper and sweeter perfume, but nothing like the real thing, which is divine.
So back to Cornwall’s Cotehele’s bountiful groves, growing dessert, cider, and cooking apples, not forgetting pears and cherries, offering a haven for bees and butterflies, who are attracted to the millions of white-blushed to rosy-hued flowers.
Children gathered under a candy coloured gazebo in the Mother Orchard, where they made crafts and took part in games. There are plenty of activities going on over the next couple of weeks, and I would have loved to listen to Cotehele’s poet-in-residence, but alas, I will be away over the May Day bank holiday.
‘In the Pink’, an old English idiom dating back to the 1500s, kept popping into my mind as I wandered through the orchards. A reminder of the World War Two letters written between my great uncle and folk back home. Sadly, he never returned, but his words live on. Great Uncle Frank often wrote that he hoped the family were ‘In the Pink’.
The rest of Cotehele’s grounds are an explosion of joyous shades heralding the summer, but pink is most prevalent and uplifting, brimming with warmth and positivity.
Until next time,
Sue. X