Home-made apple picker and More Fish

Afternoon Each
The weather can't decide what to do today. We have had sunshine and downpours throughout the day so I have been picking stuff from the garden, then in to do indoor jobs and then out again.....
 Below is a picture of D's second largest pollack from last weeks fishing. This weighed nearly 6lb. His biggest was 7 and a half, but I didn't take a picture. In the next picture my friend J. looks as though she is about to start filleting doesn't she ? Actually I do all that and she feeds me cider while I do it! Well, we are in Cornwall, which makes some pretty good cider.

 Some of the apples are ready and many are being blown off the tree BEFORE they are ready by the gusts of wind we are experiencing today. I shall make some sort of jelly with the windfalls. I shall also add them to the chutneys I have still to make. And of course the rabbits and chickens love them too, so even the windfalls won't be wasted.
Talking of apples I thought I would share my apple picker with you. it is a lot safer to use than teetering on the top of a ladder to reach the odd one up high.
The body is made from the top third of a drinks bottle (Lidl orangeade in this case, though that is of no consequence) Cut a small, say one inch deep by half an inch wide, hole in the rim. cover this and all around the rim with gaffer tape or insulating tape. This ensures that there is a soft edge that will not bruise or cut the fruit and is easier to see.

 With your tape attach the top of the bottle to something like a washing line pole. If you have one with variable lengths, so much the better. If you find that the pole goes all the way into the bottle, cut a piece of cork or some  "blu tack" and press into the neck, so that the pole doesn't shoot through or stick into the fruit.

Place the "bowl" under the fruit to be picked, with the groove underneath and up to the stalk. Push upward, while giving a little twist. If the fruit is ready it will fall into the bowl and you can carefully lower the pole and take out the fruit. Voila! Happy Picking.
It  is sunny again, so I am going out to pick some tomatoes and red pepper and have a go at Chelmarsh Chunterings  Sweet tomato pickle.

Tonight I shall be papering the wall behind the old fridge. We took out the old fridge and the back wall was disgusting! So I shall clean it all up and repaper and paint before the new fridge goes in. WHICH MEANS... that I shall be re-decorating the kitchen a couple of months earlier than I had planned !!
Hopefully I shall be sat down in time to watch a some telly and do a bit of embroidery that has been hanging about.
See you soon
Gillx