Cherry baby

There are moments in spring when life is truly beautiful.
Cherry season, the wait is worth every breath.
It only lasts a few weeks, but I dont want to eat them any time outside
of their deliciously short season.
Every year, just before christmas we have boxes of organic cherries for sale.

One year R brought a box from us and took it to Moscow.
She shared them with her Russian family in Gorky park,
letting the tiny fruits stain her fingers like blood.

I often think 'what a perfect christmas gift', if you're so inclined.
Tony's dad always buys a box of mangos for everyone for Christmas.

When I was young
camping with my family in our 'camper van',
we stocked the cupboards,
the doors of which
as we drove around corners
would occasionally fly open,
with canned goods.
Our dessert would often be a can
of SPC fruit salad.
My God we loved it!
Once my Dad sent us into a
frenzy of excited can opening
due to the promise of cherries in the salad.
We were easily amused!

Camping in an area with history of bushrangers
and the promise of C H E R R I E S
How wonderfully exciting!

But much to our disappointment
SPC ( brought for the namesake
my mothers initials are S.P.C)
fruit salad contained
one sole cherry.
ONE! There were four of us!
We were a family that, when Dad brought fish and chips
on one of Mum's nights off,
he would bring home four different chocolate bars
and we cut them up and shared them,
so we all got a bit of everything!

In our mustard coloured tupperware bowls
we divided yellow and white cubes in sloshy juice and
ONE CHERRY!

I kid you not.

This morning as I started work
Tony cut up nectarines, plums, apricots
and cherries, and served me a stone fruit salad!
( Which, in order to eat easily while working,
he had pitted all the stones)
As I tucked into my delicious breakfast
the halved cherries sent me straight back to
Melville Caves and my families camping cuisine.

Today I ate my fresh delicious organic fruit salad
made and served by the person
who is my family,
my work, my X boyfriend all in one.
Yes indeed, I thought,
Life is truly beautiful.