Black Doris Plums
In my book, Saracen, the setting was mostly in the backyard of Saracen's Gran's House. Saracen's gran, Mary, in this book is a prolific gardener and with help from Saracen's 'imaginary friend' Seth, they created a beautiful flourishing garden of fruit trees, vegie gardens and flowering shrubs and plants.
The influence here is from my grandparents garden, a quarter acre section in the middle of the suburbs. They lived in a big old house for 50 years planted many fruit trees and shrubs and overtime created an almost self-sufficient lifestyle. When they died the house was sold to an organic gardener who used the land as her business reaping what my grandparents had already sowed as well as adding her own edible plants, selling the produce to a local organic store.
Then the organic grower struck money problems due to a relationship break up, and the house and land was sold to a developer who bulldozed over every living thing to build an ugly house on top.
My grandy's old wooden shed that used to be filled with well-made tools was flattened, the fence that ran between the vegie garden and the lawn was collapsed and the old fruit trees killed and treated like they're a dead entity.
The one heartbreak for me is the old Black Doris Plum tree. I remember it as a child, half of it was rotten the other half produced the most deliciously sweet and juicy black plums you will ever eat. These are an old variety of plum, nothing commercial compares and now it's gone forever.
Rant begins here: I understand there is such a thing as progress and more houses are needed be built to home the ever rising population of people, but if we treat plants and the planet like it is something we take from or make money from, then the planet will oneday soon be unable to give anything sustainable or life-giving, and we animals who live on this planet will surely wilt and die.
This is why I champion characters such as Seth who don't hesitate to flick the odd slug or kill the odd cat to keep the eco-systems within each small and large cluster of plants in balance. Rant Over you are free to go.
# Please note. I do NOT condone the killing of cats. I love cats as I love all animals, but the character Seth does not love cats as they poo in the garden and kill the birds and the frogs.
#If you are interested in reading more about the book Saracen please click on the book below to be transported.
