Gavin joined us this evening for what turned out to be ride of revelations for Michael. While riding on the lane to Barkingdon Gavin suggested that we had just passed under a cherry tree that was loaded with cherries. Now Michael, who hadn’t seen a real cherry until he was in his twenties and even that was only on a tour to Norway, had no idea that cherries grew wild in the UK. To discover real cherries on a road he has ridden hundreds of times made him think he had just transferred to a parallel universe.

Most of the cherries were way too high for us to reach, but we managed to pull down one of the lower branches and got quite a feast from it before pressing on to Broadhempston. Here there was some new equipment in the play park that provided some entertainment and photo opportunities.

Returning home via Ron Greet we passed a cultivated cherry tree loaded with red cherries and another wild cherry, as if to make certain Michael had caught up with reality.