Solitary Scabious

The last scabious flowering in the ARK. More might come I suppose but it is mid October now so it's unlikely.

I've been dealing with the apples again. Crumble (of course), a batch of apple scones (not too sure about that experiment) and what feels like a ton stewing away now to go into the freezer. There's another pile of windfalls in the trug and lots still on the tree. The fruit's been bountiful this year.

As I peeled and chopped apples I listened to the re-run of Any Questions on the radio. It was broadcast last night from the Barracks in Stirling. I could have gone along to be in the audience. I'm sure it would have been covid safe but it felt like a risk I didn't have to take so I wasn't there. The entire programme was devoted to the awful murder of the Southend West MP David Amess. I used to live in that constituency. Sir David (and the MP at the time I was there, of the same party) and I wouldn't share political views but that's beside the point. Public service of any kind is so denigrated and politicians in particular are held in such contempt that encouraging people to take up the role must  be getting harder. I don't know if it's my age but it seems to me that we have so few politicians of conviction, ability, stature and a sense of honour when not so very long ago they existed. Here was an MP holding, and murdered at, his public surgery. He was doing his job. I worry for democracy, already with a huge deficit, in this country.

Saturday is turning out to be a quiet day for me with, apart from apple peeling,  a good sort out of various piles of stuff. Satisfying work.

Edit: while I was writing up my blip entry Flora stole and ate a scone (she appears none the worse) and an unattended pot of stewing apples burned dry. Drat.