Our flowering cherry bids celebrates the start of the gardening season each year with a cascade of blossom, and at this time of year bids a final farewell to the season with a fiery display of red leaves. With such bookmarks at the beginning and end of the summer season I can forgive the muted green leaves in-between. This small tree does contribute to winter though – from mid-December it bears a display of twinkling Christmas lights, seasonal cheer for anyone passing along the Lane after dark. The lantern was installed soon after we moved in. It was December, with long dark evening, and visitors to our new home, on the unlit Lane, would see nothing to aim for until that saw our cars on the drive, braking sharply before turning onto the drive, We had a few near misses as the driver of any car behind our visiting family and friends was taken by surprised. We installed the lantern, with its gentle subdued glow throughout the hours of darkness, on the tree stump in front of the house, visible from the top of the Lane. Visitors could now judge the distance to our home, and give due warning to any vehicle behind.
