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.

The last time West Ham were in a cup final (2006), I was there. The less said about that match the better. The only bar we could find afterwards near the ground in Cardiff not packed with joyful Scousers, in which to drown our sorrows, was a gay bar. We had real sorrows to drown.

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 …

The starting XI of the Lionesses which won the European Championships last year was all white. There were folks of mixed race or of colour in the Squad but not the starting line up. And this is just unacceptable say those in the liberal media establishment.

The Coronation weekend is over but as I drive around the villages around Wrexham and Chester I am struck by how much of the celebratory bunting and flags stay up. Even here on the Welsh side of the border, the red white and blue of the United Kingdom cannot be dodged. My Indian born parents-in-law, old enough to have been born under British Rule, still fly their Union Flags as do so many others.   But for years flying such flags was expressly frowned upon by the liberal establishment that runs the media, academia and most of the political class.

I am pretty sure that I will not be watching the coronation. That is partly because I am a lifelong Republican but largely because I am in charge of my two year old daughter Jaya this weekend and she would describe it as a “boring daddy programme” and demand loudly and repeatedly that we switch over to Peppa Pig. So as my neighbours are glued to the goggle box, Jaya and I shall be planting rhubarb, broad beans and carrots in the garden which she greatly enjoys.

You may remember that last August the Mainstream Media flocked to Lake Vyrnwy, here in North Wales, to show an old village (Llanwyddyn) appearing as the waters fell and, as one, warned that this was a portent of things to come thanks to man made global warming. With data and a site visit I have shown several times on this site what total tosh that was! Now we have the latest data from United Utilities and, well, guess what?

If you believe in the bogus religion of global warming there are a few chants you must break into if you meet someone like me, a sceptic or, put another way, someone who looks at actual data. You must chant that “the Maldives is drowning” (of course they are is not), that water shortages in South Africa are caused by global warming (they aren’t), that Pakistan is seeing more flooding ( it is not) and, say it loudly, that the Great Barrier Reef and other corals are being destroyed by warmer seas caused by man made global warming. Among those shouting about corals the loudest is Prince William.

Here in Britain, we are constantly fed the narrative that Ukraine is on the verge of winning, spring offensive, just another billion bucks in aid and some Chieftain tanks yadda, yadda yadda.  From what I can see the jury is out on that narrative and the media, in war – even when it is not your war – is always wrong. So, try out this twitter search and see what you think.

The first guests are completing their stay at the Hovel today and are gushing with enthusiasm. Then after a week’s break the next ones are due and from then it is pretty fully booked up until late September. The pool will be warm by May and will stay warm until late October so the smart holidaymaker still has six weeks of off peak bookings available and here are direct flights to Kalamata throughout that period.

The table below has the answer. We all know, becuase the media Groupthink and the politicians all tell us, that Russia is pure evil and the Ukrainians are white than the drven snow that President Zelensky is alleged to have rammed up his nose. So…