We had pound after pound of cherries this week, all picked from the tree in the back garden. It was supposed to be a dwarf cherry, but isn't. We always have beautiful blossoms, and occasionally cherries. The birds get them all. But this year the birds arrived late, after the tree was full of ripe cherries, and we picked the lower branches. The birds took those in the upper branches - quite reasonable sharing, I think. I have no intention of climbing trees to pick anything. They're eating cherries, not cooking cherries. I gave about half away and tried a couple of recipes - one for cherry muffins. Boring at best. Then one for a cherry crumble, and that was good. My basic crumble mix:

Rub together:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup soft butter

Add:

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts.

Boil the fruit (cherries, in this case) with sugar, about a tablespoon of cornflour, some water - enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Let it come to a boil then simmer until it thickens. Put in ramekins, or a small deep casserole dish. Sprinkle on the crumble mix and bake at about 350F until the crumble topping is light brown.

I pitted four cups of cherries for the first crumble. Then, I had some peaches in the fridge and peeled and sliced those. I didn't bother boiling them, just tossed with  mix of sugar and a tablespoon of cornflour. That made two individual sized peach crumbles.

Today, I worked a couple of hours on the allotment and picked red currents. Red currents are tedious to pick and prepare. Tiny berries on an arching stem: pick the stem, then continue picking at home. The birds usually take the red currents as well; this year, they took the top branches but the lower branches are untouched. I got a couple of cups and made another crumble. There are a lot of red currents left to pick. One year, I made jelly. It was beautiful, clear ruby red, shimmering in the jars, and tasted very good.

The raspberries are ready to be picked. I hate picking raspberries and gooseberries thorns. The gooseberry thorns are especially vicious.  There are white currents to pick as well - the birds don't want them. They don't like black currents, either. Birds are actually a pretty good indicator of what's tasty.

The courgettes are doing well. The tomatoes plants are full of green tomatoes. pumpkins are small green globes at this point. The onions did miserable. I've turned over a couple of potato plants and they seem small.

Two things on the allotment have done very well: weeds and roses.

I haven't noticed a lot of slug damage - it's been strange weather. A very hot spell, then a very cold spell, with temperature below freezing for several weeks. Then very hot again, and no rain. I had trouble digging with a spade, it was such hard ground, dry to a spade's depth. Then it rained. Very hard rain for several days, and the ground was good to dig and the weeks thrived.

Another kind of crop matured as well. It's university graduation. My husband has gone to Canterbury Cathedral in full academic robes to see his students graduate. One of his students got her PhD Thursday night and there was a dinner at a local Greek restaurant afterwards. I was invited. Her family came over from Greece and her best friends were there. Our group took up one wall. Another group, of Italians, took up the opposite wall. The owner/cook was in and out; he knew the student well. We ended up dancing, just like Zorba the Greek, and the Italians and Greeks combined. Mediterranean peoples know how to have a party. His Greek student had another party Friday night, a barbeque, and there was belly dancing.

My friend Christine went to Norwich to her her son's graduation. She said the ceremony  wasn't as impressive as Kent's - they use the auditorium; it's hard to beat the class of a thousand year old cathedral as the location for handing out degrees. But it was more fun. A crowd of Ghanians had come to watch their boy graduate. Afterwards, they danced on the lawn with ulalations and  cheering.

Another academic year ends. Last year, two good friends retired. This year, one. I don't know very many people in the Department at Kent anymore.

Allotments and universities have a lot in common. There's a rhythm to both; something appropriate for each season.

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

(Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 8 - King James Version of the Bible)

I'd heard those eight verses of Ecclesiastes, of course - like every one else.  Today I looked it up and read the whole thing - this is a very pessimistic  bit of the Bible. Let's read a bit further:

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

(Ecclesiastes 3: 16 - 22; King James Version of the Bible)

If I looked at an exegesis, I'm sure I can find a Biblical commentator that puts a spin on this - a nice, happy clappy understanding that emphasizes that the Works of God endure (part of verses 9 - 15 that I didn't copy) and that ignore the question mark after verse 21.

One can cherry pick the Bible and ignore the pits as one does so. One can proceed with a nifty plastic gadget, very cheap, which I bought in California that pits both cherries and olives. One can ignore the distinction between cherries for eating and cherries for cooking and make cherry muffins. One can ignore the odd remaining pit, as long as it does not break a tooth.  Frankly, I think that an unbiased, full reading of Chapter Three of Ecclesiastes leads one to conclude "we're screwed." Sort of gather ye cherries while ye may for the birds are soon a'comin'.

There's a pleasant little riddle: What words bring despair at times of joy, joy at times of despair?

This too shall pass.

Enough of the pessimism of an ancient Hebrew poet. Today, I'm going to enjoy my crumbles and the long days full of light. There's another Biblical quote:

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. " ~Matthew 6:34

I rather cherry-picked this; the concluding sentence of the verse: "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."