1. Tags: Brambly hedge, jill barklem, british, english, quintessential british, countryside, hedgerow, mice, crab apple cottage, winter, warm, cosy, cooking, fireside

2. Eurasian blue tit garden bird perched on the branch of a spring flowering crab apple tree with blossom - Bluetit stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

3. In the ancient herbals the crab apple was used as treatment for boils, abscesses, splinters, wounds, coughs, colds and a host of other ailments ranging from acne to kidney ailments.

4. Most of the other hedges are a mix of hazel, maple and ash, with here and there a holly, crab apple, Bullace or an oak, and an under-blush of dogwood, the hips of wild roses or the exquisite little pink berries of the spindle tree