Still Life With Cider

A week or two ago I returned home to find a small cardboard box delivered to the porch, with no invoice or receipt inside, but only a box with this limited edition glass that celebrates "130 years of fine cider making" inside. Westons was founded by Henry Weston, a gentleman farmer who arrived at the 166 acre mixed Herefordshire farm The Bounds in Much Marcle in 1878. He turned to cider production two years later, using local orchards.

I had no idea why it had arrived, but now vaguely recall sending off some vouchers to a cider firm many months ago, and this must have been what I was to get. The contents of the glass are from my bottle of Jacques, which despite its French name seems to have been bottled by Scottish & Newcastle in Edinburgh. I chose it because its darker colour should make the engraving on the glass more legible.

The picture was taken on my kitchen table, where I do most of my reading and writing, and in the background you can make out my Sony digital DVD/amp unit and a portable Toshiba Regza TV which I acquired only on Saturday, set up yesterday and have yet to get a wall fixing for to attach to the fireplace alcove. In front of the amp is the magic eye, which lets me control the Sky+ HD set-top box that is upstairs in the study, relayed by cables to the living room and here.

Lens: Pentax 18-55mm