Apples, apples, apples.....

We are in the Alsace, France again for only 9 days and now there are 3 days left before we return to Scotland.

After having worked out how much fabric I need for my latest commission, a twin baby changing bag, I could not think of any other excuse in order not to do certain things.

Alan is busy getting the garden ready for spring, covering plants, cutting back trees, etc. and he collected loads of apples which he wants to keep for next year! Obviously, we can only keep the very best in the cellar and hope they will stay okay there. All the rest will have to be processed into apple sauce which can be kept in the freezer. As Alan is doing the garden, the processing is left to me! I processed a large pan yesterday, am still processing one today and there will be another one tomorrow and that will, hopefully, be it!

Apples to be washed

and peeled.

The simmering

The filling into plastic bags

the sealing of the bags

and the next lot waiting!

I don’t really like this job – I’d rather be sewing any time. However, touching these apples reminds me of my father. We bought the tree, a bramley, as a very young tree in North Yorkshire, 3 weeks after my father died. Took it back to the Alsace, France and it is now so large that it needs cutting back. Now, every time I process  the apples, I have to think of him as well as my mother, who at that time, we convinced to come with us to North Yorkshire.