Over the last few weeks we have had free apples, mostly cooking apples but occasionally eating apples as well. Consequently we have had apple pie and apple crumble for dessert most weekends. I’m on the lookout for the people who live in a house on our regular walk round the village, the people who leave bags of apples on their garden wall, with a notice: “baking apples, please take!” I should like to thank them.
They did the same thing last year but this year it has happened more frequently and the last few times the bags have been slightly bigger. The apple tree (trees, as they provide two types of apple) in their garden must be producing a bumper harvest.
In fact I have read that the National Trust reports a bumper harvest of apples of all kinds and of pumpkins on their various properties. It seems that most fruit has grown and ripened earlier than usual this year because of the long dry spell. In fact the wet autumn and winter encouraged growth and then the long dry spell brought everything to maturity early. That was certainly the case with blackberries around here. The National Trust reports that at first they thought the apples would be smaller than usual but the recent break in the weather, bringing rather a lot of rain, made them swell up nicely. It’s another climate change effect!
It remains to be seen whether the glut will bring the price of apples down in the supermarkets - and the price of cider for those who enjoy cider, for I hear that cider makers are also looking forward to a bumper year!
Another crop that has been affected by the odd weather is horse chestnuts, aka conkers. They have been ripening and falling from the trees sooner than expected. This is having a knock-on effect on the World Conker Championship. Yes, I too was surprised that the playground activity, now banned in schools because of health and safety concerns, had a championship. My first thought was that this must be a relatively new idea but no; the Daily Mail reports that:
“Every October since 1965, hundreds of expert conker players have gathered in the village of Southwick, Northamptonshire, to battle it out at the world championships and raise money for charity.
A whopping 2,500 fans are set to descend on the small village for this year's World Conker Championships to watch 256 players fight for the title of Conker King and Queen.
However, organisers fear they will be forced to axe the event - which has raised over £420,000 for the visually impaired since it was founded - after a series of heatwaves caused this season's conkers to be smaller than usual.”
It’s all to do with being able to drill a hole through the conker to put it on a string. If the conker is too small it might split!
Last year’s Men’s World Conker Championship winner, David Jenkins, at the venerable age of 83, was almost disqualified when he was accused of replacing his actual conker with a metal copy! (Cheating is not new. I used to hear of schoolmates who soaked their conkers on vinegar to harden them!) What a shock at world championship level! However, he proved his innocence and kept his title.
But who knew that such championships existed? I think back to the playground games that cycled round at different times of the year every year in my 1950s childhood and wonder which of those will turn up in the news. Skipping, with obligatory rhymes such as “on the mountain stands a lady”? Hopscotch? Hula hoop? Whip and top, with a special category to judge whose top was most artistically decorated? Doing handstands against the wall? And that’s just the girls’ stuff.
We have been known to organise paper aeroplane competitions in our garden in the past. Maybe that too will catch on.
On a more serious note, Donald Trump has been announcing that taking Tylenol, aka Paracetamol, during pregnancy may be one of the main causes of autism. He is also reported to have said that in Cuba they cannot afford Tylenol and consequently have very few cases of autism. Incorrect! As is the statement that taking Paracetamol causes autism. But making that announcement creates another stick to beat mothers of autistic children with.
I have also seen reports that Jacob Rees Mogg believes we need Mr Trump as prime minister of our country. Is it not enough that some people think we should have Mr Farage and his rather frightening plans to deport longstanding immigrants who have Indefinite Leave to Remain?
The mind boggles.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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