I was given a few ‘Surprize’ apples last week. Surprize is the variety, and although I hadn’t heard of them, they won me over as they are delicious and indeed do offer a surprise. The apple has lovely glossy orangey skin but when you bite into it the flesh is pink. It tastes ‘more’ than appley but I couldn’t really put my finger on what that extra flavour was. It’s super-sweet and juicy and smaller than a lot of apples making it perfect for lunch boxes.

A little research shows that it won 'Gold' at the National Plant Show in 2017 for best new variety and if picked now and stored well, it is still excellent for Christmas.

The blossom attracts bees, and at this time of year, any fallen fruit is eagerly eaten by thrushes and other ground feeding birds. The only slight drawback is that Bullfinches are apparently very partial to the spring buds.

Now that I am a fan of pink apple flesh, another variety I’ll be planting this winter is the new ‘Tickled Pink’. Described as a cross between an ornamental Malus and a productive apple tree with the merits of both, it can double as a pretty garden tree and a free fruiting orchard apple. The leaves complement the fruits, being a lovely, dusky purple, especially when young, and the flowers are rose pink. Let’s face it, that’s a perfect addition to any garden. The medium sized dark red fruits ripen for use a little later than other varieties too - in October - and the flesh is possibly more red than pink.

Whilst dry stone walling last week, I was in my element, working alongside a rural bridleway in the dappled shade of a large oak tree. Sounds idyllic – and it was, apart from the falling acorns. Whilst most landed around me, far too many hit me on the head. And they hurt, but amongst the head rubbing, I recalled the Chicken Licken story, which I learned in primary school.

If you don’t know it (or remember it), an acorn falls on the head of Chicken Licken, who mistakenly believes the sky is falling down. He sets off to warn the King, gathering friends like Henny Penny, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey along the way. They encounter the cunning Foxy Loxy, who offers to show them a shortcut. The animals follow him into a cave, which turns out to be his den, and are either eaten by the fox or manage to escape - with Chicken Licken living to tell the tale.

The moral of the story is described as, ‘A warning against the dangers of paranoia, mass hysteria, and believing everything you hear without verification.’

And it was written way before social media existed!

It seems that 2025 is a ‘mast year’ for acorns, and many other nuts and seeds. Mast years are basically ‘bumper crops’ and are nature's natural way of ensuring the survival of its beloved trees and the small mammals, which feed on the nuts. In a mast year, the trees produce more food than the animals can possibly eat and so the leftover nuts are able to develop into saplings, meaning new trees.

There are lots of crafty things to make with acorns, including wreaths and garlands and even littler acorn people and animals. They are actually edible too, but ONLY after removing their bitter, toxic tannins through a process called leaching. Once treated, they can be ground into flour or even roasted, like a nut.

But please note – if not treated, they are poisonous, and to dogs and horses.