Glorious irregularity

Nine apples from a tree (Squire)
Nine apples from a tree (Squire)

Nine apples from a tree. Not that old, planted around 1995 as a 4-foot whip – a seedling ‘crab’ but not one of the wild ones, more an improved form, not grafted, but now 20 years old next year and a tree …

… and for the last 10 years, yielding at the equinox a mass of fruit, no two apples the same, some fairly symmetrical,  most a bit skewed, some easily bruised on the fall, yet none wasted, all eatable raw but better stewed for 10 minutes and then eaten straight or with grated nutmeg or immersed in custard – an earthy, apply delight, what apples should be.

Ps. The Cairn o’ Mhor winery and cider makers, based on the Carse of Gowrie, are looking for apples  this autumn. If you have any spare contact them, details at http://www.cairnomohr.com

Fiberoptic 2

Water-image of bamboo weave, Inle, Burma (Squire)
Water-image of bamboo weave, Inle, Burma (Squire)

Reflection in water of bamboo matting on the wall of a stilt house, Inle Lake, Burma (Myanmar) 2014. ….. first you grow your bamboo, then cut it into near-flat strips, then weave it into a tough fabric, then fix it to wooden or bamboo poles to form a screen or wall … on a house, built on bamboo poles, driven into the mud of a lake. See also Fiberoptic … Fiberoptic 3