Pears

Hi,

So I have a pear tree I inherited when I bought my new house last year. Last year it was terrible, about 3-4 pears and they stayed small and never done anything.

This year with a bit more love in the garden I have a pear tree that has gone banana's (Or pears)

However I have no idea when I am supposed to be picking them, some of them have gotten really big now, and Ive heard you should not wait for them to drop. They should always be picked. Then ripened indoors.

So if you are picking them when they are not ripe, how do you know when they are ready?

Second question is pruning. My Pear tree is quite old I think as its rather large and the trunk is also very meaty. I had lovely flowers blossom this year and from what I can see alot of new growth. I must have about 50 branches all shooting upwards in the air.

So what do I do with these now? Cut them all back/Half of them/Leave them?

Any help would be great as I know very little about pears, regardless of the fruits produced this year.