Glut. The fruit trees in Abthorpe are absolutely loaded this year. The branches of our apple, pear and plum trees are groaning under the weight of fruit. We have been squirreling away lots of our produce. Joyce my wife concentrates on stocking the freezers whilst I concentrate on making jam and bottling fruit.
Nowadays the advent of jars with pop-up safety buttons has made the whole process very easy. After stoning the plums, we pack them into a clean jar and pop them into an oven heated to 110degrees for 35 minutes. Once they’re cooked we remove the jars and using a hot sweet solution made of 8oz sugar to every pint of water, cover the fruit. The lid is placed on the top of the jar and then after two minutes or so it can be screwed down tightly. As the contents cool the safety buttons will click to tell you that a seal has been made.
The fruit keeps very well. We still have some left over from last year and it’s in perfect condition.
Once the winter comes and we’re sitting in front of the fire, we love opening a jar of our home preserved fruit and serving it up for pudding along with custard or dairy ice cream. It’s a real reminder of summer.

22nd August
Operation HNB. 
The village was scoured for volunteers to take part in an operation to the far north. At an early stage in the planning of the potentially hazardous mission it was gallantly decided that the group would be men only. 
Villager Steve Andrews, with experience of serving his Queen and country far behind the iron curtain where he continued to send important signals back to the UK – was to be in command of the expeditionary force. 
At 09:00hours on the appointed day the 13 volunteers were full of trepidation as they gathered at base camp in the pub for a final briefing session. Steve, believing that an army marches best on its stomach, had arranged for Andy Houghton from base camp’s catering corps to serve up a substantial breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, tomatoes and toast that would surely energise our boys. 
At 10:00hours precisely transport arrived with SMS emblazoned on the sides – surely meaning Steve’s Militia Services? After mounting, the vehicle set off for the far north – of Oxfordshire where the target of operation HNB was located. After a quick recce the volunteers split into two platoons for the final strenuous push to the summit of their desires – The Hook Norton Brewery. 
The experienced professional guides soon explained the history of the brewery that was founded in 1849 when young Queen Victoria was on the throne. England had endured Magna Carta, the Wars of the Roses, the Reformation, Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians, the Restoration of the Monarchy and was well into the Industrial Revolution when John Harris set up his brewery in the village of Hook Norton . After centuries of tempestuous history the locals were ready for a few decent beers. Our boys, by the time they had completed their examination of such a fine example of a Victorian tower brewery, sampled each of the beers the brewery produces and looked at the draught horses, their energy levels were drained. So a strategic retreat was made to the Sun Inn for lunch. Refreshed the mission headed back to cross the border into Northamptonshire. After such an exhausting day there were doubts whether our intrepid adventurers would make it back to base camp without further supplies. Steve had anticipated this and had arranged a stop at Hooky pub the Three Coneys in Thorpe Mandeville for further refreshment. 
One villager who saw the volunteers quietly return stated that they were obviously tired but elated by the success of their mission.
Debriefing took place back in base camp and it was unanimously decided that Steve really could organise a booze-up at a brewery and that he deserved a medal.

We look forward to welcoming Paul and Sue to our community and thank the clergy and lay people who have worked so hard to keep things going during the long interregnum.