My earliest and fondest memory of trees would relate back to the Eucalyptus & Mulberry trees in the backyard of my parents home in the coastal suburb of Maroubra.
The eucalyptus tree was huge and was planted about a metre from the boundary. It made a perfect passage to climb up and across a branch and into my next-door neighbours house. Around Christmas time it would be filled with Christmas beetles. Kids from up and down the street would be in the backyard shaking the tree and collecting the beetles. Thinking back, I hope they where all released unharmed.
The mulberry tree was a fruiting machine. Both my parents are from the country and even though they are now city slickers, they have always loved the idea of being able to pick seasonal fruit. In late spring when the Mulberry tree started fruiting, as it did in abundance every year, the fridge was full of mulberries and dad made a years worth of his world renowned mulberry jam. Me, my brothers and sisters, and the local kids were more interested in the annual mulberry fight. Looking back, the days spent in the backyard are really the days that stick with you.
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