Friday 22 August 2014

The Plum Tree Exposed to the Time Vortex

There's a new Doctor Who series starting tomorrow and we get to see Peter Capaldi taking on the mantle of the time traveler.  Yes, Doctor Who has regenerated again to cheat death.  If only that could happen in real life, eh?

Well, on our allotment plot we might have a plum tree that, like the good Doctor, has been exposed to the Time Vortex and can regenerate when it is time to meet its maker.  And meet its maker is exactly what it has done this summer.  It was lush and green in the Spring, flowered profusely, fruits appeared and then suddenly one weekend its looking like this:

The leaves have shriveled, turned brown and dropped off.  The fruits remain and are slowly rotting on the branches.  We thought it had been weedkillered (which is a bit odd as we're organic so don't use weedkiller) but raspberries and brambles around it are still fine.  Whatever has afflicted it, this tree is a goner.

Except it has started on its own regeneration.  Yes, like a Time Lord, this tree is cheating death by regenerating.  Just a little way away from the scene of death and destruction is this:
That's a little new plum tree.  There are no other plum trees close by so this is almost certainly coming up from the roots of the dead tree.  In its dying breath it appears to have pushed up into new life!

However unlike Doctor Who, this new plum is in the middle of a path so its going to have a very short regeneration....