An early childhood memory from Butterwell Farm ,was of hearing a series of loud explosions as one of the bottles of ginger beer my parents were making, exploding and setting off a chain reaction among the other bottles. In those days we only had glass bottles.  I have never tried my hand at this before but, with the elderflower champagne and cordial season and nettle beer season now almost upon me, I thought I’d also give it a go. I am now working on my ginger bug plant as you can see below.

I made a stack of jams last year: strawberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry, damson and marrow & ginger. And now we are down to the last jar. The fruit trees and bushes are looking good for this year and the strawberry crop is going to be absolutely enormous. But we are now down to our last pot of jam, as you can see below.

I preface this by condemning the Russian invasion and President Putin. I am no apologist but I am a realist. I ask you to consider the real and proportionate scale of losses in this war, if you are happy being lied to by Ukraine as well as Russia and if you are happy to keep writing blank cheques. Finally I offer a scenario by when after a few more blank cheques and much more bloodshed, the West forces Ukraine to cave. Will you consider that money and blood well spent?

I have covered the career of left wing journalist Carole Cadwalladr on this website for many years, starting with her bogus claims of achieving success despite educational disadvantage, moving on through all the hoax stories which earned her an Orwell prize and then onto her libel case with Brexit bad boy, Arron Banks. Today Cadwalladr faces bankruptcy as she has been ordered to pay 60% of Bankski’s costs plus 100% of her own costs plus some damages as well. If she cannot find more than £2million she should be made bankrupt. Hooray. For Cadwalladr is a dangerous and unpleasant fantasist.

UK Government borrowings are now at almost 100% of GDP. That should be a sort of ceiling if we do not want to go down the Greek path to bankruptcy. So if the state wants to spend more it must raise taxes which are already at a 70 year high. One group of public sector workers who think they should earn more, paid for by folks who – on a mean average basis – earn far less than them paying more tax, are the junior Shipmans. Meet James who is 28 and explains his financial woes to this week’s Investor’s Chronicle as you can see below.

I noted the other day how those in the liberal political and media elites have, for years, sneared at anyone flying the  Union Flag. Indeed, I think, the term flag waver actually became a term of abuse at some point amomng those who tend to have #FBPE in their twitter handles. But at least the UK does not spaff taxpayers cash on a “Flags team.” Unlike …