An apple a day

So we should be eating more than five portions of fruit and veg a day. That seems to be the latest thinking. Seven? Ten? Sounds like a policy dreamed up by a greengrocer. Pass me an apple ...

This is where it starts. After a very wet spring, the garden apple trees are lush with blossom. It is so pretty and I love watching the fruit swell as summer progresses. Come autumn, these delicate flowers will have morphed into crunchy red apples.

Briefly vacating the office today for a breather in the garden reminded me of a verse that was a favourite of my green-fingered mum.

The kiss of the sun for pardon
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else in earth.