damson blossom buds in spring

Originally uploaded by stephen_hanlon

I took this picture about a week ago, because seeing these buds suddenly made me feel very optimistic and happy about the next few months.
Last year, the damsons basically failed – we had about 12 plums off both trees, which was apparently a national problem. This year, the trees are covered in blossom, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this turns into a bumper year and we can stock up on jam for a few months ahead!