Gave mad max a work out

[Basher]

@basher I lived in London up until 20 years ago, I now live one hour west of Bristol in a little village looking out into what is called the Somerset Levels


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That’s beautiful country Ron. I have a strong connection with The Forest of Dean.
Turned 18 at the Lydney rugby club.


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[Sir Bill]

@basher Yes it is a very beautiful part of the world. Here is the view from our Orchard to our village 12th Century Church with our four Labradors wandering around.

[tekobo]

Gosh @Ron Hixon, our cats would love that freedom!  Lovely view. 

I reckon you are about 2.5 hours from where I live near Portsmouth.  Happy to introduce you to a real live KK - either my old ones on their own or my new ones as well when they arrive.  

[Sir Bill]

Just now, tekobo said:

Gosh @Ron Hixon, our cats would love that freedom!  Lovely view. 

I reckon you are about 2.5 hours from where I live near Portsmouth.  Happy to introduce you to a real live KK - either my old ones on their own or my new ones as well when they arrive.  

@tekoboI used to work in Portsmouth a lot as I worked for IBM and they were based out of North Harbour for many years - I know it well

[Sir Bill]

2 minutes ago, tekobo said:

Gosh @Ron Hixon, our cats would love that freedom!  Lovely view. 

I reckon you are about 2.5 hours from where I live near Portsmouth.  Happy to introduce you to a real live KK - either my old ones on their own or my new ones as well when they arrive.  

@tekobo Also, I should have said thank you for the kind offer, which I may well take you up on

[tekobo]

15 minutes ago, Ron Hixon said:

@tekoboI used to work in Portsmouth a lot as I worked for IBM and they were based out of North Harbour for many years - I know it well

Small world!  You would be very welcome.  

[Basher]

I could easily settle in to scrumpy country.
Ron have you made your own cider?


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[Sir Bill]

I could easily settle in to scrumpy country.
Ron have you made your own cider?


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I made some 10 years ago, bought a press and what is called a scratter (a hand driven machine to chip the cider apples as a mush cannot extract the juice) and a day’s effort later produced 5 gallons of cider - so after all the effort I could bought this for £10 - do have all the kit and never did it again


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[tony b]

It's like many things - beer making, bread making - it's not about saving money so much as it is about control of the ingredients and the satisfaction of making it yourself. 

[Sir Bill]

6 minutes ago, tony b said:

It's like many things - beer making, bread making - it's not about saving money so much as it is about control of the ingredients and the satisfaction of making it yourself. 

@tony bTo be fair, I agree, a big reason for not making cider again is that I live in Somerset, UK, where I am surrounded by small volume cider makers who make brilliant ciders.

[tony b]

Understand that completely.

I started out brewing beer before the "craft beer" wave, when the selection of "good beers" was very limited, especially where I live. And, what was available was very expensive. But, even now when I can buy all sorts of amazing beers, both at the store and at local breweries, I still brew my own,  just not as much as I used to. Now, it's more about experimentation than trying to clone a commercial beer. New hops and yeasts coming out all the time. I have a new, small brewing system coming that will be more tailored to experimenting with than my current system, which is geared toward making "standard size" batches of 5 gallons. 

I've enjoyed exploring ciders and meads, as well. Sourcing different ingredients and seeing what I can come up with? A few "winners" and a lot of so-so batches. Similar to concocting your own BBQ rubs. Lots of good commercial ones out there, but nice to tailor your own sometimes. YMMV