I wrote about the tree that owns itself and just learned about the tree that saw everything… Some trees really seem to get around. Or perhaps it’s more that they are where they are when something happens.

I was telling a friend who lives in Amsterdam some tree stories when she asked if I had ever heard of the tree that saw everything (actually, de boom die alles zag). This tree, a grey poplar (Populus x canescens), had the misfortune to be an unfortunately near witness to the crash of El Al Flight 1862 in 1992.

According to Wikipedia: “The tree was damaged due to the crash and fire, and lost a part of its roots during the subsequent clean-up of the soil. This made it necessary to support it with two cables attached to neighbouring trees. The soil under it was replaced in 2017 to stimulate root growth. Its condition improved in 2021 according to pulling tests, but the tree is still supported by the cables to prevent it from falling.”

You can read more on Wikipedia among other resources (many in Dutch.)
(Image credit: By User:Willem_90 – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7965357)

I had planted a couple apple seeds in one of the pots I keep on hand just in case I want to drop a seed in and see what happens. And, after a week or two, something came up. But, I actually don’t know what a sprouting apple seed looks like and this looked suspiciously like a weed to me. Which would be totally believable since the pots I use in this way have been around, so to speak. Weeds are not uncommon companions to seeds I put in the pots on purpose.

A quick search on ‘apple cotyledon’ (the internet is VERY forgiving if you misspell cotyledon) turned up this website. Of course, the internet link went directly to the page with the anatomy of an apple seed… which showed the cotyledon still packed up in the seed. Further internet investigation did indicate that what has come up in my pot is indeed an apple seed. Of course, what kind of fruit will be on any tree that should grow will be anyone’s guess, apples being apples.

Having answered my initial question (weed or apple) with reasonably high certainty, I dove back down the rabbit hole of a website devoted to apple parers. Mike Viney is responsible for this fascinating (and well-documented) trove of information on apple parers, including any number of images of antique devices, I believe from his own collection.

So, get out an apple to munch on (peeled or not), and spend some time learning more about apple parers.

March 2nd is World Book Day. Can’t go wrong with a day like that. We should all spend the day in bed reading. And if you live in (or can get very quickly to) the UK you can go one better than spending the day in the privacy of your own home reading. This great read from The Guardian profiles “10 great UK places to stay for book lovers.

This one is my favorite. Not only are there lots of books to read but also there’s a private garden AND access to an arboretum. I only regret that I can’t just move in and stay there forever.

“Close to Peebles, on the Neidpath castle estate, Barns Library is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment set in an old stables courtyard. All on one level, with a private garden and direct access to a 200-year-old arboretum, it’s a romantic spot. There’s a four-poster bed fringed with silk, an intricate frieze to gaze at from a clawfoot bath, textiles in warm, earthy colours and a wood-burning stove. The name hints at the biggest draw for visiting bookworms: between the dining area and the kitchen a run of bookshelves is ready stocked with holiday reading. For further inspiration, Abbotsford, Sir Walter Scott’s former home, is 40 minutes’ drive away.
Three nights from £330 for four people, self-catering, neidpathcastle.com“