Wow it does look pretty but not good for those who have to live with it and aren’t able to get on with their day to day needs.
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I’m really enjoying looking at these everyday photos. Many years ago (here in the UK for those elsewhere) there was a fundraising book put together of images taken by the public but all on the same day. This was before digital photography was a thing. It was aimed at fundraising for various cancer charities and was called - “One Day For Life”.
I have a copy and look at it from time to time, it’s a great record of everyday life at the time, I’d recommend having a look if you’re interested in social history or photography.
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I’m a little late in joining this but as @Bobbi tagged me, here are a couple of pics from my garden this weekend when I was sat in the sun. I actually managed to get my bare feet on the grass for a short while - it was lovely!
This is my snow drops and crocuses coming up
And here’s my daffies coming up, with a background of other things that have died off for the winter.
I’ve been enjoying looking at all your photos too 
Anna
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Awwww spring is definitely on its way. 
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Photographic challenge.
Unfortunately there are no prizes for taking part in this distraction, diversion.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the activity.
I hope you enjoyed the experience.
It is great to share isn’t it?
Not everyone submitted an image this time but I’m sure some will have enjoyed just taking a look at our efforts.
Shortly I will open a new thread and propose another challenge hoping it will also get a good response.
Again, thank you for being an important part of my life.
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It is great to share, @Bobbi, and I enjoy having an excuse to share a photo or two. Thank you for setting the challenge, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
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Thanks Bobbi for having this great idea and thank you to everyone who posted a pic or a comment. I loved looking at the photos and I loved seeing the snow. The wonderful thing about our weather and the Seasons is that they are always changing and the signs of change are out there waiting to be spotted. So thanks to everyone and Goodbye to Winter, Hello Spring 
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Wow, looks like you have had as much as we have. Are you in UK? I am US.
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We’re in rural Scotland and this year has been exceptional. It was so pretty to look at but it meant the carers couldn’t get though.
Stay warm and safe. I’m sure winter isn’t finished with us yet!
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I know the thread has finished now, but I thought I’d just send these 2 photos in. This is an afternoon walk across the frozen lakes of Toronto today for my son and his family. It seems a usual thing in Canada to skate or walk on the lakes. The other photos of snow is actually covering 2 cars. One is my sons and the other is his neighbours buried waiting for them to dig the cars
out !! And they all carry on with work and school !
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Thank to @Sue22 for sharing your pictures.
Once every thirty years or so we get to experience such extremes. Usually the climate here in the UK is mild so when something extraordinary occurs we are caught off guard. We have little or no preparation or planning.
Winters are wet and cool occasionally frosty, and summers are warm and often wet, with a heat wave we are never ready for once in a while.
We love to holiday abroad to experience the hot and the cold but are quite used to our unremarkable days here at home.
The picture sharing is never over but I will soon post another thread with a variation that I hope will stimulate interest for those taking part either by submitting images or by taking a look at the different offerings.
Thank you. 
keep on keepin on
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Rupert - I finally managed to prune my apple tree. I did it on Saturday, a bit later than I had hoped but I was otherwise occupied.
I am not sure I have done the haircut as you had suggested and it was difficult as the tree is very tall and I was using a saw to cut off the branches. I managed to cut off the very big branches and avoided accidental damage to the fence and also apart from a few scratches I came out of this unbruised.
I attach a few photos before and after of my handiwork
I think I should trim back a bit more but I didn’t want to stress the tree and I forgot to ask permission to trim. I feel bad about that as I am sure the tree will have been shocked when I started hacking away 
I am hoping to pick out a few branches that I can season with a view to making a walking stick or two.
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Not on a Saturday 
! Never prune an apple tree on a Saturday. Oh, I should have forewarned you. Saturday? Oy vey 
. Okay, that should be fine, Saturn is the god of agriculture, among other things, so you should be alright.
I see you’ve taken down the leaders. The big tall ones. It’s an old tree it seems with lots of whips that have formed leaders. I would be gentle with it from herein. Next year, take those leaders right to the joints, leaving the outward branches to strengthen up. I suspect it is a tree that is overshadowed by the neighbour’s tree? That’s why it is possibly shooting its leaders up so high?
There’s a few crossovers that are pointing towards me that you have pruned that should be pruned to the base of the branch as they are coming into and across the centre of the tree. If you have the hwyl, do those now or just leave it until next Winter.
Next, some Summer pruning will invigorate it but I would see how the blossom is this year before doing that.
I see it is restrained by twine. Is that because it wants to lean toward the fence?
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I am sorry - I was not aware that Saturday is not the day for pruning apple trees. Maybe that is what happened last time - we pruned the tree and it went into a sulk and we had to wait a whole year for it to cheer up again, but it did forgive our foolish ways and rewarded us with a bumper crop the following year which was all gobbled up by our resident squirrels which have now sadly disappeared
I think I follow what you are saying, but this terminology of leaders and whips is new to me and so I am trying to digest all this information.
There are trees in the neighbouring houses which may be affecting our apple tree and may support your suggestion of shooting its leaders high.
I was not aware of the crossovers - to me they are all branches but as I understand it, these need to be pruned back. I’ll note this and if I can do it I will.
Summer pruning - again, noted.
Twines - I think you are referring to the washing lines that I have hung up. I am sorry of using the apple tree for tying washing lines is another faux pas on mother nature but that is what the twine are,. They are not trying to guide the tree, though as it is at the fence we have tried to guide it more inwards to our garden and hence there is a slight lean
Thanks for the tips.
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Washing line 
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Hi Rupert - What advice would you give for this?
There are some “saplings?” at the base of the apple tree and also near the fence an offshoot from the trunk.
Should I keep these or will they affect the main tree?
I am wondering if I should let them grow this year and then maybe cut down the old tree next year, though I am reluctant to do that. I don’t know what the lifespan for apple trees is, but this tree is possibly over forty years old and it actually been replanted - we took it with us when we moved houses.
The haircut doesn’t seem to have stressed it and it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
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These are suckers, get rid. The one on the right however can be carefully cut out from the root and it should have some roots attached. Technically, you could pot it and cultivate a new tree from its mother but may not be the same type of apple depending on the rootstock used for the mother tree.
Will they affect the main tree? Aye, they will suck life from it as they compete to grow.
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I think it might be useful to have a gardening thread. I can’t get in a position to do that myself.
addendum
looks like I did though
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Sorry Bobbi - this is my fault. I should know better
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There is a gardening thread, I started it almost five years ago.
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