it's all in the processing

Shish is turning into an apple-processing factory. Her and her dad have the dehydrator running full power at all times to make dried apple rings - something very yummy that everyone loves - once you've eaten Spitzimixi apple rings, there is no going back to those horrible shop bought ones!

Yesterday and today, within 24 hours (some of which we spent asleep) we picked (by hand) 3 tonnes of apples. We're all a bit tired now. We were very lucky as we got ours sold just in time, the cider presses are more or less refusing to take apples now as they can't keep up - this year there is a bumper crop due to there being perfect weather for every stage of the apple growing process since the harsh winter, through to the mild spring and no late frosts, the plenty of rain and sun and then 16 days of pure sunshine right in the ripening period - we not only have loads of apples; we have loads of GOOD apples!! We're reckoning with a crop THREE times larger than our average!!!

Once the apples were picked and on their way, I hurled myself off into the shower and changed from sweaty, dirt-covered thing to person-who-can-be-seen-at-posh-event-in-castle and headed off to Germany and the island Mainau for a European environmental prize. I get invited every year but this year was special as someone I actually know won it. So it was very nice to do plenty of clapping and to congratulate him afterwards. On the way home, I wondered if I could ever do something worthy of winning a prize like that....and then I realised that, if one is going to do something amazing, one has to really believe in it. And as I believe in nothing, I'm never going to have that kind of campaigning spirit that will have a room full of people clapping as my life's work is honoured. Bit of a bummer that.