A cool wet summer
expelled our usual drought
to the disgust of those
preferring baking
temperatures, bright blue
skies, blazing sunshine.
Now in icy winter
the neighbours’ mandarin
tree at our fence
surprises us with a
heavy crop of little
juicy orange citrus gems.
It used to sprout these
little fruits randomly under
its leafy canopy. Green leaves
would quiver, flip upside down
as green silvereyes dived into
its orange clusters for a
succulent feast of insects
and iridescent ladybugs.
Now the silvereyes shelter
from icy winds and freezing
rain while we harvest this
bumper crop as best we can.
Previously posted July 2017.
lifecameos 
Oooo, I love the distinctive taste of Mandarins. But they don’t appear in UK shops anymore.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s sad. I love them and we get them here – but only in season.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember the Mandarin season when I was a child, back when we had proper greengrocers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our real greengrocers are scarce now, but we can get mandarins in the supermarkets during the brief season – or from our gardens.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have not tasted mandarins. Are they sweet? How has the crop been this year?
LikeLiked by 2 people
They are sweet – like a mild citrus flavour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just looked it up. We see them in the market but we don’t buy them because they are not as tasty as the Nagpur oranges. But I just read that Nagpur oranges are a variety of mandarins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagpur_orange
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes they are a mild citrus flavour so it becomes a matter of personal taste as to whether they are chosen. They fruit here in July and August so I do not know how this year’s crop will be.
LikeLiked by 1 person