I don’t tend to celebrate my birthday – losing two family members in the week running up to it as well as a much loved moggy makes the whole thing rather bittersweet and as such I try to ignore it as best I can.

It was Mark who actually persuaded me to start marking them again. For him, each birthday passed marked another little victory against the cancer which he battled with for the last 8 years of his life. I guess in that sense the timing of his passing was somewhat ironic.

I had the day off today and although the builder was supposed to be here, he was unable to make it so I’ve had the house to myself (and the cat of course!). All domestic chores done (bar the ironing – just realised that’s all still in the pile in the lounge!), eBay parcels all packaged up and dispatched, and a weekly dose of Tai Chi before heading over to see my parents. Although they don’t live that far away, what with my working and them being away a lot, we don’t get to see each other quite as often as we ought to.

Despite my lack of interest in the birthday part of today, they got me a citrus plant which fruits. Woohoo! I’ve grown a number of citrus pips in the past, but I can only assume they require a ‘mate’ in order to pollinate the flowers as they’ve all steadfastly refused to bear fruit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was one of the bizarre things that Mark and I shared. When we first met, I had a house full of plants including an orange tree, grown from a pip. In contrast, Mark had no house plants save for a Grapefruit tree he’d grown from a pip. His eldest brother now has the Grapefruit and all family members inherited one of a number of lemon trees. I’ve grown a few from seed too although they’ve never really done that well.

We never managed to grow a lime tree – it appears they’re produced sterile in the shops, but that had always been the aim. Perhaps I’ll buy one of those one day, in memory of Mark.