Cherry Blossom Day at Lynsted

 

I've always loved the idea of Hanami , the Japanese festival celebrating the Cherry blossom season.  There have been blossom tours here in the past but they seemed to have died out, now there has been some development of the idea again and in the village of Lynsted there was a Cherry Blossom day on Saturday.

A lot of orchards have been grubbed up in Kent, we saw another orchard just left as large uprooted tree stumps on the way to Lynsted. I always feel sad seeing such sights, but in Lynsted the local community have taken over the management of the old orchard. Their website here


It was lovely to see families having picnics under the trees and walking around enjoying the sight.

There was music, beer and cider and tea and cakes, so a perfect day out for those who love trees and cherry orchards.

 

 

 

I was struck by how large some of the old trees are, though many have lost branches and are split along the trunks.  They do provide a habitat for bats and other wildlife though, and sheep graze in the orchard during the summer.

As well as taking photographs, I have been inspired to do some sketches and paintings of the trees.