2026
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A Bird Both Mundane and Mystical
Last weekend I was due to attend a pruning workshop held by the National Trust over in Styal, Cheshire. The trip would have involved getting up at 5am, taking a taxi to Grimsby in time for the first train heading west and then a two mile forced march to make the start time. And then… Continue reading
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Down this Way Lies Wonder
Working for almost two evenings a week and pretending to look after apple trees can take it out of a soul so recently I decided to get away from it all. I booked a week in a reasonably priced cottage and set off for a holiday on Holy Island. There was a bit more planning… Continue reading
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Crab Apple Elegy
Quit your griping. I know my placeNeglected rosy stepchildToo generous for respectToo tart for loveBut come back when your horny trees are yearningWhen blossom proper’s long since goneAye, that’s me. I’ll still be here.Don’t forget to tip your waiter. Ok, fair enough; I’m not much of a poet but someone should write poetry about crab… Continue reading
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New Life by an Old River
My dream has always been to find apple trees in the wild and to transplant them somehow into my orchard near Louth. It would be nice to find a variety thought lost but the chances are remote and these days I’d be happy just to add a tree I think looks nice. There’s one near… Continue reading
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The Great Wassail Swindle
Wassailing is an ancient tradition that is enjoying a bit of a resurgence these days. In times of yore, groups of people would parade through towns and villages singing songs and serenading the Wassail Queen (some historians would have you believe it laid the foundations for what was to become carol singing). Eventually the bevvied… Continue reading
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First Cider Brew
Last year’s harvest felt at the time like a bumper crop. Spindly branches heaved with fruit, bending low to the ground and offering easy pickings to the local wildlife. I’m all for sharing the wealth but the critters would never finish one apple before moving on to the next. Frustrated, I enlisted family and friends… Continue reading
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A New False Dawn
Writer’s note: this post is a summary of all the nonsense that has gone before. Don’t waste precious time reading it if you’ve been around for a while. Some years ago, my dad took early retirement from the offices of the local district council with a decent lump sum and, I think it’s fair to… Continue reading
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About Me
I’ve been writing about orchards and Lincolnshire heritage apples for over five years and still don’t know my arse from my elbow. This blog is supposed to be an almost humorous record of my attempts to raise apple trees in a field just outside Louth. Mrs Toogood is just one of the lost varieties I probably won’t find.
The Appeal of Mrs Toogood 