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output += ''; output += 'Baltic
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We wiz over in North Germany the other week, compers hold yir water, I didn\'t take any comp pictures. Shleswig Holstein, nobodies been there anyway and you\'re not going either. I just happen to have a friend near Flensburg, on the Baltic coast, it\'s a short story but I\'m still not telling you. Whilst there, we visited a couple of family owned apple juice, pressing operations. Both owners were clearly very proud of their well established, high tech, factories and very kindly gave us the full tour and answered all our cheeky questions.For fruit they depended entirely on people\'s appleziz brought in from their own gardens and whatnot and in return the bringerinners got money or discounted juice. We\'ve started a similar system for apples at the winery here, taking in a variety of apples from all over the countryland, pressing it, bottling some as \'Carse o Gowrie\' apple juice and turning the rest into cider and wine. Sgood. If you hiv any spare apples next year. gies a shout.
There is a phenomenal wave of interest in apples and orchards all over Europe at the moment, he said possibly exaggerating, I dont know why? but I myself have been infected by this groundswelling current of grassroots interest to a point of mixing metaphors in combinations erstwhile considered beyond the pale. Many a walled garden i have strolled, apples bitten. The apple of all fruit has attained the paramount \'symbol of health\' status; Once it used to keep the dentist away now tis the doctor, maybe one day the taxman, who knows. What the apple is to health the banana is to fitness, I\'m sorry half time orange,too sour sometimes. Witness the spectacle of banana skins perched on hilltops and cliff edges, little practical jokes left behind by the incurably fit, the spoor of the orienteer.
The new improved Berry Xmas is out now as is the Mulled Elderberry, (much better for you than apples methinks)
Incidently I\'ve discovered the Mutiny is at its best with food, beef in particular and the \'Cheery Currant\' is great with cheese noatcakes.
Ron
'; output += ''; output += 'NEW EASY PIC 1 now online
'; output += ''; output += 'The new \'easy\' competition picture is now online.
\' Lou661 \' guestbook entry 986 is the latest winner.
Picture no.1 is the easier entry level,
and only for those who have never won before.
Once you have won, you must then move onto picture no.2,
The hard one for any future submissions.
'; output += ''; output += 'Basically
'; output += ''; output += '
Now where was I before I was so rudely interrupted (Lachlan)
One of the painful parts of my job is the writing of tasting notes.
People nowadays expect some kind of explanation and description before they buy wine,
to give them some clue as to whether or not it might be the sort of thing that they might like.
Seems fair enough on the face of it although it\'s rarely asked of jam or, er sauce.
How useful this information really is, is debateable,
the boy\'s trying to sell you something after all.
You\'ll find this carry on, particularly with grape wines possibly because there are tens of thousands of them, many tasting much the same.
The challenge for the winemaker, then, is to try and find some angle that\'ll make the punter choose there plonk over the next guys.
They cant say it tastes like grapes so they have to say it tastes like something else.
So why do I have to bother?
I could be spending more time on my hammock if it hadn\'t been blown half way to Dundee.
Anyway I\'ve had a go; look to the shop for the new Mutiny and Cheery Currant.
Cheers
Ron
'; output += ''; output += 'Lachlan
'; output += ''; output += 'Just a few weeks ago I took a step to the side and had a look at our life here and thought, this is not bad;
despite the daily struggles, we\'ve got a good going wee business here but more importantly a healthy family, three happy kids that get on with each other, like each others company and are great friends to their mum and dad.
Lachie the oldest, a great academic achiever, ended up joint dux of Perth High School and also Head boy.
He was popular too because he was a funny and sociable young man. He knew how to enjoy himself. He left school in June. We had some fun for a couple of weeks out on the bikes and learning to drive.
He was to take a year out and go and stay with a friend of mine in Germany for the first couple of months of his freedom and get a job there. Lachlan got the offer of a ticket for T in the Park and went off full of excitement. Something went wrong there. He got hit by a lorry and didn\'t survive his injuries.
He was only seventeen years old.
The sky came crashing down.
I wrote this about my son.
Lachlan 17 Lachlan 17 Lachlan 17
Lachlan 17 Lachlan 17
My son died, Lachlan 17 he was hit by a lorry.
My great companion,
my handsome laddie.
The very thing that
Every parent dreads and hopes
Wont happen
But it happened to us, him, me
What a star you should have seen him
You should have heard him.
Clever and funny, confident and kind
Dux of the school and head boy
He left at the top of his game.
We walked together, we cycled together
We laughed and we talked
Where am I going to go now
I cant go anywhere
we went everywhere
What am I going to do now?
I cant do anything
we did everything
Apart from fishing, he didn\'t like fishing.
Fortune telling lady
Who didn\'t look me in the eye on the way to her car
Did you know?
And couldn\'t tell?
Some teller
Did you know that I knew
you didn\'t know anything?
Fear runs down the front of my arms
Like rolling sunburn
Drains out through my fingertips
Why fear?
What fear?
Fear of something that has happened? Yes
Sitting in the front row,
I thought the box was going to be blacker
My body got up
Lift the hymn book
Half way through shepherd
And I crack
Tears puddling into my glasses
Good turnout though Lach
You would have been pleased
Busiest the church has been for years.
So like, in your face, other dead guys
Michael Jackson would have been there.
If he hadn\'t just popped off the week afore
You\'re away, but you\'re aye here
But never here enough now
Son
The very thing I told you not do
Was the very thing you laughed and said
that you would never do
was the very thing you did.
It was just a mistake
It was just an honest mistake
It was just an accident
It was just an unfortunate accident
These things happen
These things happen every day
Every day
They say we should focus on the good times
And not think of the things we never did
But I wasn\'t finished with you yet
Oh Lachie
Up ye get
O.K. so that\'s it, there\'ll be no more about it on this website.
Thank you very much for all the messages of support they have been a great help to us.
Ron and Judith
'; output += ''; output += 'Signet Ring
'; output += ''; output += 'I would say I could pinpoint the day that freedom died in this country was when you were no longer allowed to eat a hot steak and gravy pie whilst driving a transit.
I dont even know if that\'s true.
I wrote to Kenneth Mcaskill on another matter as I felt I ought to. Fair enough I got a prompt reply, although it could have been a stock answer from a flunkess, reminding me of something or other that I can read about any day of the week in the Courier. It was a figurative short wagging finger of a letter complete with a gold signet ring, but what\'s it doing on that finger?
I must be getting on a bit, my lassie was scribbling at something the other year and I says, what you up to?
She says, writing a list of presents i want for my birthday,
But surely sweetheart, it\'s only one thing for birthdays,
Oh dad, (patronisingly) that was in the olden days.
My oldest son\'s just back from his first foreign holiday with his pals in Crete still boasting about getting mugged.
Weather? as hot as Scotland.
I\'m thinking about picking some meadowsweet next week.
'; output += ''; output += 'thereforemoroeovernotwithstanding
'; output += ''; output += 'Over a hundred punters turned out for the Cairn O Mohr World Bottle Smashing Tournament on Sunday preceded by the curry night slash bunch of animals party night, the night before which was processed to a raucous bulldozer of sound as delivered by Joon Broon and her \'Readers Wives.\' Once I finally got around to my turn in the curry q earlier I had to fish around in the flooded pools of sauce for the one last lump of meat that there was, because all the greedy early bag storers had created mini munroes of miscellaneous savoury chunks on their plate with a slotted spoon. Even then how could i enjoy what there wasn\'t, when i blundered into an unscripted interview with my neighbour, who I had invited, right enough, and who has a cafe just along the road from us, and thereforemoreovernotwithstanding, my latest business plan (howsoever ( a cafe) is an unwelcome development that will trail the eviction of them out onto the Errol station road with their new born babe. Sorry neebur but I didn\'t think it through. We didn\'t have time. But it\'ll probably be alright ,maybe.
Over a hunner punters turned up for the Bottle Smash on a glorious day of hot sunshine which inadvertently, for him, had the effect of softening both rock and bottles such that many of the bottles that were on target stotted off the rock unharmed. It was an enjoyable competition but i flinched at every unconsummated strike with captain disaster standing at my back right hand corner with his smart white hat and sneer. Someone on his first go failed to convert and blurted out \'This is a rubbish game anyway.\'
And i the inventor wondered, is it? People say that of golf all the time and then look around them at everyone else and realise that it cant be.
In the end the star from last year got beat by a big speccy kid.
Ah sweet.
New t shirts and caps out. I\'ll get them on the website soon. Message on the t shirt is michty
'; output += ''; output += 'Actually Again
'; output += ''; output += 'Michael Marra went down a storm last Saturday night at his sell out concert at Fort Bob, which was sold out , the Cairn O Mohr venue. People were laughing like mad and sometimes crying a bit. You can hire Fort Bob by the how; you can get sixty folk in.
Here\'s a picture. 
Officially there\'s only toilets for 20 so if you could go before you come I would appreciate that or bring someo thae doggy bag things oot wi ye. Now where was I before that impertinent interruption. Actually, again, It\'s Saturday evening and I\'m going up to the Smiddy for a pint, there\'s a surprise pairty up on the Fort Bob, at least I didnae ken anyhing abootit, and the bands playing Crazy Horses, remember when the Osmonds had a go at kicking ass, watch out for these cars boys yil mibbe git runower. So, that\'s right I had a couple o pints and returned to help oot abit at this party. The band or duo but sounded like a band, were very good actually,again; \' Nanobot,\' Go and see them if you hear of them and marvel at their wacky space suits with flashing specs. We\'ve got some of that mutiny wine out, the wine I made for that programme \'The Woman Who Ate Scotland\' It\'s called Mutiny, I\'ve probably told you already. There\'s only a puckly so we\'re just selling it in the shop here. Also the bottle Smashing event is imminentish Sunday 31st May preceded by A curry night and band \' Joon Broon and Readers Wives\'on the Saturday night. Tickets for the party night are £15 and must be got in advance but you can just turn up and register for the Bottle Smashing. Here\'s the fliers
There\'s cruelty in wit
'; output += ''; output += '
MICHAEL MARRA IS PLAYING AT THE WINERY ON SATURDAY THE 2ND OF MAY.
THERE IS STIILL A FEW TICKETS LEFT FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO COME ALONG. £12 FROM THE WINERY SHOP OR OVER THE PHONE 01821642781
THERE\'S CRUELTY IN WIT, IS THERE WIT WITHOOT? THERE\'S ALWAYS A VICTIM AND DOES THE VICTIM EARN IT OR IS HE JUST THE HAPLESS TARGET OF A PASSING BULLY.
I ONCE EMAILED THE COMEDIAN BILL BAILEY WHO WAS COMING UP TO DUNDEE TO PERFORM AT THE CAIRD HALL AND I ASKED HIM IF HE COULD MAYBE POP IN AND OPEN MY NEW WINERY ON THE PASSING SO TO SPEAK. MY MESSAGE WAS IN A RESPECTFULL AND REVERENTIAL TONE BUT I DARED A BIT OF LEVERAGE SUGGESTING THAT GERRY SADOWIZCH WHO WAS DOING A GIG IN PERTH WAS ALSO A FINE COMEDIAN. I GOT NO RESPONSE AND JUDITH AND ME WENT ALONG TO BILL BAILEYS GIG ANYWAY.
NOW I KNOW WHERE THEY GET THEIR MATERIAL.
I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND THAT HE HAD COMPOSED A LITTLE OBLIQUE REFERENCE TO MY CHANCING REQUEST INTO HIS SOLILOQUOY WITH MENTION OF THE DUNDEE AREA BOASTING A FRUIT BASED ECONOMY (IT WAS FUNNY THE WAY HE SAID IT(APPARENTLY)) AND SOMETHING ELSE AND FOR A MINUTE I FROZE AT THE PROSPECT THAT I WAS ABOUT TO BE EXPOSED AND HUMILIATED IN A CROWDED ROOM. AS IT WAS HE DROPPED THE TOPIC WITH A DANGEROUS SOUNDING "YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE." I FELT AS IF I WAS GLOWING IN THE DARK.. THIS, I HAD THOUGHT, A MAN WITH WHOM I WOULD ENJOY HAVING A DRINK WITH IN A BAR. MAYBE NOT.
SO SORRY TO ANYONE I MAY HAVE OFFENDED WITH THIS SOMETIMES CAUSTIC BLOG APART FROM MY ENEMIES IN WHICH CASE GET STUFFED.
MICHAEL MARRA IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SINGERS AND WE ARE VERY LUCKY THAT HE IS COMING OUT TO THE WINERY TO PERFORM FOR US. WITH HIS TRADEMARK DEEP CROAKY TONES, HE SINGS, IN THE DUNDEE PATOIS, SELF PENNED SONGS FULL OF WIT AND POIGNANCY WHICH I\'M SURE IS A WORD HE WOULD NEVER SAY AS IT IS THE SOUND MADE BY AN OVERWEIGHT MAN WITH A HAIRY CHEST AND BRACES FALLING ON TO A AN OLD SPRUNG BED BASE AND GETTING TANGLED UP DOWN THERE WHILST BOUNCING BRIEFLY, AS EVERY ONE KNOWS. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APOLOGIES TO ALL STOUT, BRACES WEARING ,GENTLEMEN EVERYWHERE IF, ACTUALLY, IT WASN\'T FUNNY AT ALL.
ALSO REMEMBER THE BOTTLE SMASH COMPETITION COMING UP ON 31ST OF MAY
'; output += ''; output += 'M8
'; output += ''; output += 'I don\'t like getting called mate and particularly m8, there\'s no need,if you\'re in a hurry don\'t write it at all because I don\'t like it anyway. I\'m sorry Andy if you read this but you might as well know. You even know my name and we are mates anyway and if we\'re not then shut up. I\'ll let you off since you spent some time in England.
It\'s big in Australia and there was one guy in particular in Queensland who had it bad, \'Yis mite\' this and \'Yis mite\' that. There was never a \'Yis\' without a \'Mite\'. More of a tick, (like it, like it)
The obnoxious DJ, Peter Powell started calling callers it on the radio in the eighties because he could never remember anyone\'s name. He called everyone mate and now everyone\'s mating left right and centre, one big happy family of mateyness. On the face off it,it seems harmless enough, what grumpy old git could object to an assumption of friendship suggesting fighting it out back to back in the trenches of Passandale in another time. Well it could mean that, depends how it\'s said, it could be menacing, it could mean a lot worse .
We don\'t know what the tone was by e-mail. Use names by e-mail, that\'s friendly, o.k. \'Min\' ,(Perthshire) \'Pal,\' pronounced paul, (Fife) \'Son\' (Lanarkshire?) used to be \'Jimmy\' but probably \'Big Man\' now (Glasgow) and my favourite, \'Chief\' (Dundee) If you disagree with the regionalities of any of these casual appellations or have any of your own, I\'d love to hear them. Send them to the guest page.
We\'ll probably have the \'Berry Up\' out again soon, it\'s a popular one. I\'ll need to go and taste that \'Mutiny\', see how that\'s coming along.
'; output += ''; output += 'We laugh at recession
'; output += ''; output += 'This being the 250th anniversary of the birth of Rabbie Burns raises the opportunity for some shameless exploitation. I am a fan of the poet myself, of course. Mr Burns\'s words were usually well selected and arranged and his timing impeccable, particularly the timing of his annual supper, a lifeboat to swim to after sister ships Christmas and New Year have sunk beneath the waves. In response to rumours of economic rapids ahead, maintaining the watery metaphor, although shifting the ships above the turbulence, whereas they would normally be found below. Lake Chad comes to mind, we\'ve come up with this new commemorative wine. A Burns supper is a uniquely scottish meal and many jupiters ago I spotted a gap on the table near me and another one near you needing filled wi a bottle of Cairn O Mohr but one that would need to be particularly designed to flatter a Haggis
Much research has gone into this centuries old problem, much of it in my own hoose and a subtle approach was required to snare the beast. In the end we took a Bramble and with carefull blending turned down the treble and upped the bass a bit. That did it. We\'re just calling it \'Gings wi Haggis.\' (we laugh at recession for the imposter it is, ha ha !) I wrote this little poem.
Monies a Burns nicht has seen me scunnert
Quaffin boattles by the hunnert
One big problem returned tae nag us
There\'s no a Cairn o Mohr that gings wi Haggis
The Bramble seemed tae hae an affinity
No right there but in the vicinty
They foucht a bit wi me in the middle
Jerkin like a Shetland fiddle
I had a feelin in ma jeans
That wi a tweak they could be freends
We folded in some Oak Leaf wine
Which broucht the twa tae gither fine
So raise a glass of Cairn O Mohr
We\'ve nivver made this one afore
A the fuss aboot the bard, writin poetry\'s no that hard.
Gangs Wi Haggis is available online. There\'s a couple o deals as well
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