Just spent five days wandering New York and Brooklyn. Some days it rained all day. Other days were sunny and freezing, with winds that blew us off the street. But one or two days were astonishingly warm, and we joined slightly dazed New Yorkers wandering the streets in t-shirts and soaking in the beauty of Spring blossom. The first photo features the “Survival Tree” at the 9/11 Memorial site. According to our walking tour guide this tree survived the collapse of the twin towers after the terrorist attack. It was moved to another site off Manhattan, but wasn’t thriving. So when the construction of the memorial and new World Trade Centre was complete the tree was moved back onto the site. It is thriving, and on our visit was in full Spring bloom, a soft white. I last visited New York 18 years ago on my honeymoon. My husband and I went up to the top of the World Trade Centre. We were living in PNG when the towers were brought down. I wasn’t sure if I would be affected by the memorial or not, but I found it incredibly moving.