Something beautiful lay dormant in Lescure’s tangled forest of bramble during its dark decades of abandon.

A fairytale prince wears many different faces and in this story we have valiant explorer Thomas. Years ago the day right after the purchase, we wandered around the estate with friends, excited and dazed in equal measure, trying to come to terms with what we had done. It was hard to see past the overgrown grass and thorn bushes, but there in the unkempt woods was a small orchard that we didn’t know about. Like the big fruit garden higher up on the grounds it had fallen victim to neglect and was being smothered by weeds and ivy. Just months later, our Prince started to penetrate the merciless underbrush armed first with a scythe and fearless resolve, then with a tractor, crusher and large pruning sears. Some fruit trees, wild cherry mainly, were suffocating others and went the way of the chain saw to make room for light and new growth. And then one day, what a sight to behold. Sleeping Beauty. The old gnarled apple tree.

This spring, Sleeping Beauty has truly awoken. Sturdily built like an antique oak, she spreads her long horizontal branches over a low crumbled wall. Her skin is rugged, grown hoary with mosses of age, but she’s laden with blossoms as tender and delicate as first youth.

Trees can tell stories besides giving fruit. Branches and roots hide ancient wisdom in the silent woods. This tree carries the secret to embracing the beauty of ourselves at every age, knowing that it’s never too late in life to pursue what speaks to us from inside. Anyone at anytime can be awakened by the Prince’s kiss and blossom.