apple scruffs

The batch of apple cider that we brewed up a few weeks ago turned out to be a dud. All the signs were OK as it went through, including taking longer to ferment than a standard beer recipe. But it is flat and somewhere between tasteless and bad tasting. The problem is that there are so many variables in the home brewing process that I can't immediately identify a cause.

Mrs vvb was quite upset as she had been looking forward to it. The question now is whether to try again or just make another batch of beer, seeing as we have reasonable quantity of ginger beer on hand but my ordinary ole quaffin' beer, she is almost finished. Plus the brewing area is bloody cold, making it hard to keep the batch within the temperature range for a successful brew. Toil and trouble, etc.

Speaking of Mrs vvb being upset, her reaction to the loss of potential cider was nothing compared to her reaction to Mal Brough on 7.30 Report tonight. Mrs vvb works in the area of delivering services to the disadvantaged and knows only too well the difficulty in getting it right where the recipient isn't just a bod from the 'burbs. What got Mrs vvb's blood boiling was the obvious disconnection between the words and the reality. All pollies - you get these words, and they mean nothing. All English, all connected, usually grammatical - but they exist in a parallel dimension, as Mrs vvb accurately put it.

Anyway, it was extremely heartening to see Red Kez discover his long-forgotten backbone and actually hold a Minister to account by trying to make him answer the question. Brough's attempt to turn the question around was so amateurish that in truth there should have been no question that a proper journalist would say, "Now hold on a minute (with greatest respect, of course)...", but Kerry's been somewhat emasculated of late. It'll be interesting to see whether he's allowed off the leash again or whether the new ABC bias blocker gets deployed.

But enough of that. Tonight's picture is the next phase in the pool cleaning in Pakistan series. It's important to ensure that the pool floor in very shiny and this is how you do it. I reflect back on these days and essentially come to the conclusion that most of us must had been out in the sun too long.