Autumn has come and she is beautiful. It is still warm enough to not be uncomfortable, but cool enough to rug up in your favourite coat and scarf. The soft gentle rain and the low cloud make these days dreamy. It was the perfect day to check up on our secret pear tree.
I tried to find the secret tree weeks ago, but it was so secret I had forgotten where we left it. Fortunately for sensible men, Ro found it and dropped a google maps pin for me. I now have no reason to ever lose my secret pear tree again.
It is such a beautiful thing to do with your children. To go on an adventure, to find food on a run down bridge on an obscure country road. To be able bag yourself a stash of free pears, the best we have ever tasted. To return there year after year, say hi and thank it for yet another awesome supply of autumnal treats.
I love more than anything to watch the girls laughing and smiling at the pure joy of finding another pear they can reach. Popping it in their bag. Kissing caterpillars with rain drops on their noses.
This is our season. These are the experiences I now long for each year. I feel so insanely lucky my kids grow up knowing this as their childhood. I hope they visit this tree every year, forever. And maybe their kids will too.
OK, let’s make pie.
Base
(I use Maggie Beer’s Sour Cream Pastry, it is SUPER EASY and doesn’t need heaps of chilling time in the fridge).
Filling