Mango Tree

I know I’ve discussed the Mango tree before, but it’s been a long time now and I’ve never quite managed to get around to this part of its story, but I had to at some point.

I bought Caroline a Mango tree quite some years ago now, because she likes Mangoes and when I saw a real Mango tree I thought, wow that would be great to sit and drink beer under in the back yard. I had no expectation that any Mango tree would ever produce fruit in our back yard, but the drinking beer under it thing was quite appealing.

And so we planted the tree in the garden and nurtured it and protected it (including keeping shade cloth around it for some 2 years or so until it was tall enough and strong enough to stand on its all, live long and prosper.

It survived those times tough times like when my boys stripped large leaves from it and again when they decided to play ninja’s with it and nearly ring-barked it (yes I have photographic evidence).

Despite those trials, the tree managed to survive to the point that the first time that I thought we’d be leaving the house to go and live overseas, I pulled up a chair and had a beer, sitting under the leaves that barely cleared the top of my head. And then it started to prosper. It was actually taller than I am, well watered and growing all the time.

When we weren’t going overseas, I thought I would yet get to sit in the true shade of the mango tree for a quiet beverage one day as the child raced, chaotic and child-like about the back yard.

Then we had a visitor. I came home one day to be informed that there had been an ‘incident’ with the Mango tree. A friend’s son had decided that it was the perfect height for him to swing from. Of course, such childish ideas never take into account that whilst the tree might look tall enough, there was no way it was ever going to be strong enough to support that small boy’s weight. And when I made my way to the yard, already crestfallen as I’d been half informed, it was clear to me that that was the end of the mango tree.

It was that day that I gave up caring for the mango tree. Caroline is a little more persistent than I am and so the tree has been transplanted, hoping that the one shoot will flourish, but without love and care (and possibly without a dedicated watering point) recovery over the time since this incident has been slow. Its still a stunted looking thing that struggles to reach to my waist and I just can’t bring myself to care anymore.

But I don’t hold a grudge …