There were indeed a lot of them, and I am still surprised that I had so many in such a small area . I think that I can remember all of them , except for the last one in the raised area along the eastern boundary . It might well have been an apricot , but it never got round to producing fruit , and though I have a clear picture of it in my mind , I simply cannot put a name to it .

Entering the orchard through the Queensland gate which I had built into the southeastern corner ( I had had to build a steel post and chicken wire fence round the area in order to discourage the kangaroos and hares from eating the young trees ) the first tree one saw was a Macadamia . They take a while to begin to fruit , but we did get some . To its left was a Pecan near to a Persimmon . Pecans attracted possums , which no fence could ever bar , and though I got quite a lot of persimmons they nearly always fruited while I was in Sydney . Along that fence grew two Passionfruit vines, a Rosemary and a Lavender.

All the near space around there was taken up by the citrus trees , except for one very tall Cherry Guava , but downslope from them was a Nashi Pear , three different kinds of Blueberries , a Strawberry bed , a bed that held Turmeric and Ginger and just north of that a large Bowen Mango . Right down at the south western fence corner was a big stand of Pineapple Sage. Northwards along that western boundary the two major trees were two Mulberries, a very prolific white Shahtoot Mulberry , and a Hick's Fancy black Mulberry . Between them , struggling a little but surviving , was a Pomegranate,

Moving up the northern boundary and here were planted more of the citrus , and standing among them were two white Indian Guavas , Then came a big area containing herbs : Lemon Grass , Thyme , Sage and Arrowroot . There was also a small Bay tree , and along the fence itself grew Boysenberries and Raspberries . There was also a small trellis for Grapes . Right in the middle of that area were three Banana trees , an ordinary banana , a Cavendish and a Lady's Finger.

In Australia there are strict rules about the growing of bananas and their transport for planting from one area to another , but I was told that some Anglican nuns further round the road from my block had some , and they kindly presented me with settings from the three types . I did the right thing and donated some cash in return, despite their reluctance .

Just a little way from the banana patch I had planted a Feijoa . Making long flat strips of feijoa paste was an interesting experiment when that very prolific tree delivered itself of a massive burden of fruit . Tasted nice too !

That was the sum total of the trees that grew round the boundaries of the orchard , with the exception ( on the eastern side ) of that putative Apricot , a Tamarillo , and a Papaw.

The rest of the trees were scattered through the centre of the area. Among them were a Black Genoa Fig and a Brown Turkey Fig , and a Newcastle Early Peach , chosen as suitable for the climate.The peach had an interesting series of minor disasters : possums again , and a small red beetle with black spots , but I got some good crops .

Scattered at various points through the rest of the area were small beds that held such things as Rhubarb crowns , both types of Artichoke ( the Globe and the Jerusalem ) , Garlic , Chives and any vegetables that I felt I could economically use . Zucchini of all shapes and colours flourished .

One day , somebody , or some bird perhaps , must have dropped a Tiny Tom tomato seed . In time , they self seeded , proliferating at such a rate that I was never short of tomatoes for my salads. They were delicious.

On another occasion I deliberately planted some Nasturtium seeds for salad use or for making imitation capers , for their sheer colour , and for attracting bees . They were beautiful and blossomed and blossomed . I thought too that I might drop a few Sunflower seeds to use the plants as soil binders and later as green fertiliser . Little did I realise that while I was away in Sydney they would turn into a dense two meter high jungle . They took a lot of chopping down and chopping up but they did make a good mulch ! I sowed a lot of marigolds in empty spaces too. All the good garden books declared Marigolds with everything as companion plants and bug repellers.

Outside the orchard , near the compost heap , I tried my hand at growing Gourds in one season , and Pumpkins in another .Both were successful , and I still have some of the gourds , dried and varnished . They make great holders for bird nests , strange percussion instruments , or wife beaters.

My only dislike about the orchard was setting in and maintaining the irrigation . That is an area that I would rather forget about . There is nothing more frustrating than unrolling , laying , cutting and joining black agricultural pipe -- together with inserting their taps and sprinklers .

Apart from that I found it a highly stimulating occupation , healthy and a subject for all those adjectives that one feels one should apply to a rural life.

I really miss those trees .