I spent much of my childhood playing amongst the trees in a small but treasured orchard. This was thanks to my very smart working-class dad. ‘The orchard’ was his pride and joy. He created and nurtured this enclosed area in the garden of our family home – a feat of hard physical work, imagination, and love. The abundance of fruit was generously given to friends, relatives, neighbours, and any visitors to the house.
Cherishing simple important formative times and values which have stood me in good stead in running my business and life generally. The values remain at the heart of what my company does and how it does it.
This message comes in the Autumn apple season. There was always an abundance of both dessert and baking apples. But there was so much more…
For a fuller picture you can imagine the other fruits of Dad’s labour in his orchard: plums, damsons, greengages, pears, crab apples, gooseberries, blackberries, blackcurrants.
With trees, bushes and brambles galore, for me it felt like a wonderland of adventure and sheer delight!
Happy Autumn half-term holidays.
by Dr Julie Charlesworth 24/10/24
[Photos taken by my hubby-to-be on a return visit with me in my early 20’s.]