This man

 Dear Reader,

I thought I knew which apple was which and which ones I liked eating most.  But I have been proved wrong this summer.  I thought I was partial to Cox's apples but they didn't come up to my expectations, they were too sour. And then I tried Granny Smiths but I couldn't chew the skins and they were too sour too. So I tried something new.  Pink Lady.  And they are delicious.

In 200BC. Ancient Romans planted apple orchards in Britain.  The Romans discovered apples growing in Syria and were central in dispersing them around the world from there, using the Silk Road as a means of transport from East to West.  The Romans practiced the skill of grafting - selective breeding apples they wanted based on their size and taste.  

Victorian gardeners in England took pride in cross-pollinating and cultivating new varieties.  Often large country estates would compete with one another to present the best fruit dishes on the dining table.  In the walled gardens apple trees were pruned in many unusual forms such as espaliers, cordons and goblets.

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From Francis Kilvert, September 6th, 1875, in Wiltshire

'The morning suddenly became glorious and we saw what had happened in the night.  All nigh long millions of gossamer spiders had been spinning and whole country was covered .....The gossamer webs gleamed and twinkled into crimson and gold and green, like the most exquisite shot-silk dress in the finest texture of gauzy silver wire.   I never saw anything like it or anything so exquisite as 'the Virgin's webs' glowed with changing opal lights and glanced with all the colours of the rainbow.'

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This man

loved blue

it was a ship, a blue ship

that he sailed in

it was his power

made his heart beat faster

drove him along life's waterways

but he sailed away

came adrift

became shipwrecked

no power no heartbeat

this man

had lost the blue

but I made a small ship out of wood

gave it sails of the finest silk

an engine fired with love

now he sails again

his power came back

and I painted the ship blue

for

this man

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With very best wishes, Patricia