Basher Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 @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 LevelsSent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That’s beautiful country Ron. I have a strong connection with The Forest of Dean.Turned 18 at the Lydney rugby club.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bill Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 @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. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 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. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bill Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bill Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekobo Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basher Posted September 4, 2020 Report Share Posted September 4, 2020 I could easily settle in to scrumpy country.Ron have you made your own cider?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bill Posted September 5, 2020 Report Share Posted September 5, 2020 I could easily settle in to scrumpy country.Ron have you made your own cider?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 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 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Bill Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted September 6, 2020 Report Share Posted September 6, 2020 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 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
