On a mission
Dad is on a mission. He is planning ahead for what he can do when he retires. He’s got it into his head – ok to be fair, Mum put the idea there in the first place – that he will make cider. It’s a long term plan. For a start he needs the apple trees. Whilst there are some already in the new house, he wants to plant some more. No, that’s not completely accurate. I think he wants Mum to plant them and look after them. They will take a few years to be ready for him to use the fruit. In the meantime it seems we have to prepare things for when he does eventually decide to retire.
All I can say is that I hope he doesn’t go off the idea. It would be a shame for us to put in all the work and then it not happen.
A point of concern
I do have one tiny point of concern in all this. Cider apples don’t taste as nice for a dog as some of the others. Now, the Gala apples are my favourite. Sadly, they are Mum’s favourite too and she complains when I take them off the tree. I don’t think it helps that there’s usually still a branch attached when I pull them down, but that can’t be helped.
I’ll eat the cooking apples at a push, though we have all learnt that eating them when they aren’t ready can lead to tummy ache. Don’t misunderstand, that doesn’t actually stop us, we just have to put up with the tummy ache.
Another complaint
Dad has also said that we can’t try the finished product. I think that’s mean. If he’s making something nice then his beloved dogs should be able to try it. Mum says don’t bank on it tasting nice to begin with as he will need to learn. I wonder what will happen to all the batches while he gets the hang of it.
Love
Wilma