Is it justified to label Leanne Wood ...

... as being ".. rude and bigoted" because of her very personal and shared republican values.

I don't know, but to understand the values that Mr/Mrs/Ms Watkins has I have replicated her letter written to the editor of the Western Mail, published this morning the last day of April 2012 :

SIR – I write as a Welsh-speaking Welsh woman whose roots lie deep in the culture and history of Wales, but I think of myself not just as a Welsh person but also as a member of the United Kingdom, of which the Queen is the constitutional head.

The Welsh are a race of warm, hospitable and tolerant people and as a race we must feel ashamed that the leader of Plaid Cymru was so rude and bigoted as to refuse to attend the Service of Thanksgiving held on Thursday to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

The Plaid Cymru leader was just invited to attend a service, along with 600 other people, to pay tribute to a lady who has worked for 60 years in a job that she did not actually choose to do and which she has fulfilled in an exemplary fashion. She has won the respect, loyalty and, indeed, love of people not just in Britain but all over the world.

But suddenly, in Wales, Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru for less than 60 days, could not show respect for a lady who has served her country for 60 years.

I feel ashamed and embarrassed on behalf of all the people of Wales.

M WATKINS
Marine Parade, Penarth

... the original letter can be viewed here at walesonline.

Myself, the freedoms of speech and expression are too valuable to jeopardise because we might object to a viewpoint.

So Mr/Mrs/Ms Watkins, share your disgust, or shame, or embarrassment, with all the peoples of Wales, but lets not deny an alternative point of view.

Myself, I took the Queens shilling when I enlisted in the British Army so many years ago, and still feel an affection for our Monarch, but those "Freedoms of Speech and Expression" are far more important than the actions of a politician who is by definition a transitory beast ....

3 years ago you needed £800 million ...

... to get in the top 50 of The Sunday Times "Rich List", now the top 50 have too amass a minimum of £1,400 million to sit at the top table.

If during the past three years these fortunes have increased by over 40%, why are there so many people unemployed, why did 128,687 people need help from Trussell Trust food-banks last year (2011-2012), just wondering ......

...... after wondering about such a thought provoking question, I needed a little music :

A tea party, or café para todos ...

... (coffee for everyone), and a hat tip to "labour uncut", the full story here.

The story of Spanish devolution is not well known outwith Europe and those organisations that would separate its regions into countries via independence.  It's that well trodden path of small fish needing its own pond, couple it with left wing economic models, then the use of smoke and mirrors (it's very rare for a separatist movement to be anything other than left wing, could there be a principle in there somewhere);  and of course, that ancient mantra of the separatist agenda everywhere - "the grass is greener over there.........".

The origins of Spanish, and devolution throughout the world, is that "local needs" should be addressed through "local channels", on the face of it a reasonable aspiration, in reality it has been the lazy way out, an admission that centralised government can often fail those citizens that are remote from the seat of government, or who have peculiar traits that are ignored as unimportant in the grand scheme, language variation being a prime candidate.

If the time-line of the European separatist movement is examined its start date coincided with today in 1773 the British Government passed the Tea Act followed by "The Boston Tea Party", the origins of the separatist movement.  This event is remarkable in that it demonstrates to the world the only legitimate reason why separatism should be enacted, it is when government, deliberately, gives an advantage to one section of society to the detriment of another.  footnote .... the argument that the act was to counter smuggling is superficial to say the least.

So where might Spain go from here, it seems that one regional government leader is proposing a winding back of its devolved administrations to gain economies of scale by streamlined regional spending, the spokesperson of this proposal is the leader of the seat of government for Madrid region, which by coincidence is also holds the capital the Spanish capital city of Madrid.  It might be prudent to ask how many jobs would be lost to Madrid if the regions relinquished their various administrations to central government, and how many jobs would migrate to the centre of government.

The Spanish crisis is an opportunity to re-model the governance of this ancient country, an opportunity to present a level of fairness through less government, to allow the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain to determine exactly which "Café para nosotros" is appropriate.  No longer are the words "you can have anything you want, as long as I want to give it" appropriate in the 21st century, regions should be allowed to make their own mistakes, they should be allowed to fail (just make sure the other regions are not underwriting their borrowings).


The crisis could also be the catalyst for other countries throughout the world with distinct regions to create a form of devolved governance that conjoins "separate" with "together", my guess is it closer to the USA model than to the China model.  There might also be a recognition that occasionally a separatist movement might gain a critical mass of such magnitude that mutual separation is the better course of action, Belgium is a prime candidate in this 21st century Europe, Scotland has become a close candidate, as do one or two Spanish regions, China has a peculiar problem with Tibet; a common cause of dissent seems to be a perception of unfairness ........ I am sure this particular hot potato is not beyond the wit of humankind to solve.

It’s time to let Scotland go ...

... a Spectator debate at the Royal Geographical Society Wednesday 27 June 2012, if you want a seat book on-line here.

The questions to be addressed are :

1. Can Scotland survive on its own? 
2. Are the cultural bonds too strong to break? 
3. Will English tourists be met by border guards? 

The speakers are :

For

.......... Kelvin MacKenzie, find him at the Mail

Against

.......... Malcolm Rifkind, loitering at Westminster.
.......... Rory Stewart, lurking on the right of the image.


The answers from this part of the world :

Obviously ?
What culture ?
Do people visit ?

The bottom line is, the majority of British couldn't give a hoot, myself, if only I could get to the debate!

Plaid have been sold a pup ...

... by the supporters of community councillor Leanne Wood (aka Plaid Cymru Party Leader), she just doesn't have the polish that the First Minister has in abundance.

When she failed to trap Carwyn Jones into criticising his own Labour politicians in the Rhondda, a local issue for Woody (she's a Rhondda girl), he wanted to out Plaid's indifference to the plight of working men and women throughout Britain .... but he changed tack, from his list of "questions awkward" came his killer stroke to send her to the back of the class with a dunces cap firm on her head .....

“Does she (Leanne Wood) have full confidence in Neil McEvoy (extreme Plaid of Cardiff), someone who she’s condemned in the past?”

Her response was ....

"I’m not responding to that !"

... with crossed arms reminiscent of "Brian's" mother in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

 

Carwyn voiced the sound ....

"Aaaaaaah"

 ... laughs all round (the debating chamber and hills of Wales).

Dutch courage, the French connection and California ...

... will plough its own furrow in the greatest melting pot since the Roman Empire, Scotland on the other hand has sent a member of its administration to have talks with "Parti Québecois" the Quebec separatist party, the brief was "learn how not to gain independence".

In Europe the realisation that government spending has been out of control for decades is now "de facto economics", the German political powerhouse is setting its own economic standards as the European model for members of the Euro club, Germany takes 40.6% of GDP as taxes and currently spends 43.7% of GDP, it borrows 3.1% of GDP (figures from the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom).

The Netherlands currently takes 39.8% of GDP as taxes and currently spends 45.9% of GDP, it borrows 6.1% of GDP.  Its Prime Minister resigned from Government yesterday because the elected representatives chose not to support measures to reduce government expenditure by 16bn Euros.  At stake is the prized AAA credit rating status and the low yield on government bonds.

It's not all rosy in garden across the pond in the USA, the US government takes a tiny 26.9% of GDP as taxes and currently spends 38.9% of GDP, it borrows 11% of GDP, so whilst the tax take is very modest the spend is probably dishonest, I'm sure a more balanced revenue stream could be calculated, but better the USA than the Netherlands or France, which brings me to the European bag of ferrets ....

France currently takes a massive 44.6% of GDP as taxes and currently spends a huge 52.8% of GDP, it borrows 9.2% of GDP, it taxes its citizens until they squeak and then borrows more to fund the most generous welfare system (probably) in the world.  To cap it the current presidential elections is a two way race between the poltroon socialist Francois Hollande who declares his true enemy to be "the world of finance", and the current president Nicolas Sarkozy I'm guessing he could make it big in reality TV.

To put France into perspective its borrowing is projected to be double the borrowing of the UK for years to come whilst the UK borrowing will fall, if we consider the promises being made by the mad-cap president elect Francois Hollande France is probably hypnotised by the abyss of Friedrich Nietzsche, is the 5th republic about to spawn another French revolution as a precursor to a 6th republic.

No matter, my money is out of the Euro zone, even with the German economic model underpinning this experiment, it really is a basket case, my money stays with the London Stock Exchange, New York, and the emerging markets.


In California the people are to be asked whether they want to abolish the state's death penalty law .... I am glad that I am not a resident of "The Golden State", I am not at all sure which way I would vote, one side tells me we must rise above the barbarism of execution whist the other calls for retribution for the more Heinous acts perpetrated by people, I would probably vote ...........

........ to send Scotland packing, separatism is for me little political fish wishing to appear large in a shrunken pond, this sums up my feelings about Scottish separatism, the likes of Alex (little but large) Salmond is not about to go away, the UK only caused the union with Scotland because Scots rulers were unable to manage their affairs, time to kiss our neighbours a fond yet firm farewell, David Cameron might consider joining the SNP crusade in its march towards the setting sun, he would do us all a service by setting them free unilaterally, that would be novel and a message to all the other political misfits across the world, but has he the balls ...........

McDonalds have a lot to ...

... teach our home grown politicians, because no-matter how you view their food, and the Chicken Legend with Batavia lettuce and Spicy Tomato Salsa in a bakehouse roll makes a mouth water, they know how to get things to the customers ............

In Wales, like so many parts of the world, we have a housing crisis, at least that's how politicians refer to it ......... crisis ..........we should have a solution at hand, there are enough politicians across the political divides of our green and pleasant lands, there are ...

Plaid Cymru, the home-grown separatist party without an original idea that can be shared, it said :

It (Plaid Cymru) wants to devolve primary legislation to housing, and pledge more affordable housing over the next four years.

Liberal Democrats, the mishmash of liberal tolerance that they couple with a we know best relationship with the world, it said :

They (the Welsh Liberal Democrats) place emphasis on bringing empty homes back into use, bringing more private money into housing and protecting any new social rented housing from being sold under the Right-to-Buy scheme for a minimum of 25 years, in areas where this is needed.

Conservatives in Wales on the other hand seem to have lost the plot completely when they were reported as saying :

The Conservatives pledge to tackle the problem of 'garden grabbing' and halting inappropriate development on flood plains in the countryside.

The Labour Party come to the rear of this motley crew with help upgrading the insulation, bathrooms and kitchens of those living in social housing :

They (Welsh Labour) say it remains committed to a strong mix of social and private housing, and promises a further £1.2bn to deliver the Welsh Housing Quality Standard for all council and housing association tenants across Wales.

Now to be fair, the current Welsh Assembly Government has put its toe into the waters that hold a real solution for those in need of good homes, I reported it last Tuesday, the Ely Project.  The only things this excuse for governance had to stump up was a loan of £6 million (chickenfeed by political standards), and I think public sector land, why no other plans ?


Now back to McDonald's, I wonder what they would do if they were sitting in Cardiff Bay with the "motley crew", I think they would have a programme up and running within 18 months delivering at least 10,000 homes (social housing) a year for a decade.  It money for old rope, in the UK if the people living in the homes fall an bad times the government picks up the tab, it's better business than the Quarter Pounder Deluxe with Bacon, unfortunately in Wales .........

............ we have an enormous amount of political .....

..................................... bullshit .

We want an elected government ...

... is the call by the people of Bahrain, the response by the ruling club (the kingdom) has been repression.

Described as a "constitutional monarch" Bahrain is lives a lie, the country is an absolute monarchy in which the monarch serves as the source of power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution and has the powers to regulate his or her respective government.  In Bahrain this is Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa with his eldest son Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa supported by the unelected Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

In 1775 the war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America kicked off, the result was the birth of a new democracy of the USA, with its own peculiar warts, that is an example of how people can expect to influence their governance;  the other combatant took another 150 years before it resembled a democracy.

The dreadful circumstances in Bahrain are supported by both democracies from that auspicious war of independence, both countries that have supported the other recent North African revolutions and struggles, both countries that fought alongside each other to topple the hideous regime of Saddam Hussein, both countries that are fighting the oppression of the Taliban in Afghanistan, yet not a whisper in support of the call for an elected government in Bahrain.



Obviously it's not convenient for our governments at this time, the people of Bahrain will need to bleed more before they have the support that the people of Libya was given by both Britain and the USA, the quest for democracy is for the faint of heart in the face of hypocrisy, and where are the voices of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal, it must be to difficult a choice .... repression versus democracy.

Myself, as an ardent fan of Formula 1 racing, I will give today's race a miss for the second time, has it been a whole year ............

McDonald’s strawberry ...

... (medium) milkshake has 103g or 20.6 teaspoons* (*Using the approximation of 5g of sugar = 1 teaspoon) , if you are brave and go for the Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (large) it comes with a whopping 168 g of sugar, that equates to almost 34 teaspoons of the waste thickening gunk.

To put this horrific information into perspective the UK Department of Health recommends that men consume on average no more than 70g of sugar a day, the equivalent of 14 teaspoons, and women no more than 50g per day, or 10 teaspoons.


So if you indulge yourself with that milkshake from McDonald's on the way to work think "sugar", and remember the remainder of the day when you choose from the following :

• A jar of Dolmio Original Bolognese pasta sauce (750g): 50.2g or 10 teaspoons
• Can of Coke classic (330ml): 35g or 7 teaspoons
• Small Galaxy bar (46g): 25.5g or 5.1 teaspoons
• Bottle of Glacéau Xxx Vitamin Water (500ml): 23g or 4.6 teaspoons
• Tesco Simply Pepperoni deep crust pizza (450g): 22.4g or 4.5 teaspoons
• Glass of Tropicana 100 per cent orange juice (200ml): 20g or 4 teaspoons
• A pot of Müller Light Cherry yogurt (175g): 3g or 0.6 teaspoons
• Serving of Special K Red Berries cereal (30g): 13g or 2.6 teaspoons
• Nutri-Grain cereal bar (any flavour): 12g or 2.4 teaspoons

Last year, Robert Lustig, a leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, called for measures such as a tax on sweet food and drinks, limiting sales during school hours or even stopping children from buying them below a certain age. He believes our excessive consumption of sugar – not just sucrose, but specifically the high fructose corn syrup often added to food – is the primary reason that the numbers of those who are obese and/or diabetic has sky-rocketed in the past 30 years. The challenge is that many of us simply don’t know how much sugar already exists in our food. (source The Times, 21 April 2012)

 McDonald's nutritional facts for the "Brave Hearts" amongst us.

As a diabetic I should be very concerned but I'm not, very early on after diagnosis I worked it out that if I wished to keep my sight, limbs and kidney functions it was best to eat what I cooked myself, so McDonald's are just a passing fancy, I pass them by without a second thought.

I do wonder how culpable the food manufacturing companies have been in the rise of type 2 diabetes in the world at large, is type 2 diabetes an industrial injury in this respect ............

In England the government is ...

... championing choice for the citizens.

Minister for Government Policy Oliver Letwin said:

The one size fits all provision of the past, where people got what they were given unless they were wealthy enough to opt out is consigned to history. In a mature democracy such as ours, people must be given the right to choose the services they want and who to provide them. They should have open access to information so they can make informed decisions and be able to take control of their own lives.

In Wales we remain stuck in the past ..........

.......... where even after death your wishes go with you to the grave, poor government !

Organ donation with WAG is another ...

... dogs dinner.


The basic proposal ......

Opt-out systems are characterised as hard or soft:

1. ... in a hard opt-out system the removal and use of organs and tissues is permissible unless the deceased objected during his or her lifetime;
2. ... in a soft opt-out system the removal and use of organs and tissues is also permissible unless the deceased objected during his or her lifetime, but after death relatives are involved in the decision making process around donation.

The Welsh Government is proposing a soft opt-out system for Wales.

So at a stroke this parody of administration will take away my wishes Post-mortem.


What price democracy, what price moral autonomy, what next from our second division politicians at Cardiff Bay.

At a stroke they have lost this organ donor.

At BBC Wales there has been a general debate, it seems opposition to this proposed legislation is shared with many others, the debate has stopped, but the sentiments remain as a record.

Islamophobia in Wales, or ...

... might it be an undercurrent of xenophobia that runs throughout the psych of these green and pleasant lands.

The story is about a family that wish to build a mizaar (mizar) to mark the last resting place of his father Abdul who was buried 100 yards from the family home after permission was granted by the Registrar of Births and Deaths.

What is a mizar, originally "the small mountain" seems to have been mentioned in Psalm 42,Islam must have borrowed a little from Judaism here, it goes ...

⁶My soul is downcast within me;
 therefore I will remember you
 from the land of the Jordan,
 the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.  

... but now traditionally the Islamic rich list might build something like ....


The Alexander Chock ...

... and if reports are right, I am guessing the family of Abdul Ghaffar might like something along these lines, after all, history is a landscape littered with the idiosyncrasies of mankind ...

The Beacon at Staunton Country Park ...

... unfortunately for this family of Wales another family of Wales, joint 6th in the "100 richest Welsh people" list, is objecting, another from the locale wrote ...

"It won't fit into the local countryside. It will be an eyesore which people will be able to see for miles around. People are concerned it will affect the value of their property – some of the wealthiest people in Wales live nearby."

... by that token the monument would be OK if it was located in a sink estate, "where the poorest people in Wales live".


Going back to my original question ...

Islamophobia in Wales, or might it be an undercurrent of xenophobia that runs throughout the psych of these green and pleasant lands.

The answer is of course "No", but there are those who believe they should be treated with a certain deference by virtue of their wealth .............


... was it Honoré de Balzac who said "behind great wealth is a great crime", in this case the crime of "The Emperor's New Clothes", the vanity that wealth brings to a few of such little character they would object to a tomb !

... Bronglais, a place to be ...

... avoided if you need good nursing, if you need the truth to be recorded ask for another hospital, all this from a sector of society that demands the exclusive execution of healthcare in the British Isles.

... try the BBC report !

Note the report summary ...

• The hospital did not record and act upon important details about the patient's diabetic regime and failed to monitor his blood sugar levels properly
• The hypoglycaemic attack, to which the hospital's failings contributed, had an unspecific causal effect on the patient's subsequent cardiac arrest and deterioration
• There appeared to be a deliberate attempt to cover up the lack of blood sugar monitoring
• The internal complaint investigations before the ombudsman's involvement were inadequate

Source: Public Services Ombudsman

 ... horrific reading, the BBC report includes a meaningless apology to the family of a man abandoned by the nursing profession ...

Hywel Dda Health Board director of nursing and midwifery Caroline Oakley apologised to the patient's family again for care that "fell below the standards expected".

A Wales monopoly not fit for purpose ............ did the nursing staff wear party hats as they failed the patient, it is time this monopoly was broken into pieces that can be sculpted into a health service based on a quality service to those people that fund it through taxes ...

... at present it seams to be for the benefit of its staff at Bronglais.

... the governance of Carwyn Jones seems ...

... to be stepping up a notch, no windbag rhetoric that emanates from the combined orifices of the other "forlorn hope" parties languishing at the bottom of the Wales political pile, and "the proof of the pudding is in the eating".

.... in this case the pudding is the newly announced project in Cardiff that will provide 700 much needed homes.  Other political parties will read this and weep, in the run-up to the local elections next month this is proof positive that Labour is working for all the peoples of Wales, without fear or favour ...

... and at the next Wales Assembly election Carwyn will be able to walk the new streets of the project and introduce the people housed by the project as a Labour success, I think the message might be ...

..... come on in, its good with Labour !

Woody, she's currently Plaid ...

... in Wales, she is heading up a campaign to promote cycling in Wales, a laudable aim, people get fit, the atmosphere seems to be cleaner, she has a slot at the Plaid Cymru website that promotes her sitting astride a bicycle with a shiny brown leather like seat.

Scroll down the Plaid link a few centimetres, then this parody of a political party shows its shallow unimaginative approach to politics, Woody and Co. are promoting ...

... Barclays Cycle Hire (BCH) is a public bicycle sharing scheme that was launched on 30 July 2010 in London, England. The scheme's bicycles are popularly known as Boris bikes, after Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London who introduced them.

... yes, Plaid are promoting the Conservatives in London.

In anticipation of Plaid poltroons removing their political gaff, I made an image for "Wood's posterior", sorry that should read "Wood's posterity" ...

Well done Woody, I knew it wouldn't take long before your gaffs floated to the surface of our political pond, much like that pond scum that covers crystal clear water during a drought ....

So for the voters of Wales, you can get good policies directly from the Conservatives ..... or regurgitation from Plaid !

... Spring elections, a forecast ...

... from thereabouts.

It seems that the BBC's Betsan Powys has firmly nailed her pants to the nationalist cause in Wales, big buddy with Woody, the leader of Plaid Cymru.

... a sign from ...

... parents to ...

... certain of its offspring.

... web monitoring plans, well if you want my emails you only had to ask !

The Liberal Democratic poltroon Tim Farron has said he "would kill plans" for more monitoring of emails and internet use if they were not watered down.  The man is his party president with a sense of importance larger than his rural life.

In fact the government (GCHQ) proposals are an indication of poor performance, change from an "Intelligence" organisation to a "fishing" fleet, it's the lazy way out and the majority of sane, honest British people know this.

To protest the massive invasion of privacy there is a way out sometimes called "Denial of Service".  It is where an organisation orchestrates a massive use of a particular web site to the extent the web site crashes in digital flames, I have a far more personal proposal ...

Copy the home secretary to each of the emails you send as a F(or)Y(our)I(information), I'm sure this would have the desired effect, just to make sure the point is not lost probably best to let her know all your thoughts, your every thoughts, you might even write extra thoughts consisting of local trivia to keep their attention,  ................

Theresa May (Home Secretary) mayt@parliament.uk 

Politicians don't really think through problems ............. send them your emails so the (not so) security services know your life is as humdrum as your neighbours, they can cross you off their "might be WANTED list".

And Liberal Democratic Tim Farron, I'm happy some other sucker has him as MP .......

Politics in wales ...

... is a little like the inside of a teenagers head !

Woolly, without substance or a credible plan, that moves in a circular manner ......

So where do you throw an idea, not an original idea, a borrowed idea from another part of the world that fills a very urgent need in "Business UK".

Do you share it with our regional political parties, our Welsh Assembly Government .........

... Labour in power, do we send a note or email to ( correspondence.edwina.hart@wales.gsi.gov.uk ) the Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science minister Edwina Hart Assembly Member ((MBE, OStJ, that's a fourth grade award that could match her political abilities, yes she has taken to adding her medals of honour); unfortunately this politician pays lip-service to the world of commerce, she is on record as proposing re-visiting the world of Karl Marks.  So Wales is sidestepped and off to Westminster we go.

After leaving the rarefied world of left wing Wales politics it comes as quite a shock to walk through doors to The Palace of Westminster, only to be met by a veritable wall of confusion, inside this confusion the hubris shown by the politicians of Westminster beggars belief, they constantly try to make sense of (British) life in order to impose its narrow political view on the peoples (of the United Kingdom), and most recently the government has failed at every turn because it was forced to compromise.

If politics fails, where next ?

Going right to where I began ...

... the Valley Orchard black mission figs, the Scharffen Berger chocolate or the organic garden mint, I chose each ingredient to compliment and enhance the natural goodness of Laloo's ® Goat's Milk Ice Cream.

... how would "Dai the Drag Bevan" (a work colleague from Swansea), a lifetime vegetarian, finance his Cwm Tawe (Swansea Valley) Goat's Milk Ice Cream Company, where would he go for finance that would fit in with the very seasonal nature of his idea ?

... he might consider  :

                                                ... to be continued !

I hope Plaid don't mind, but I ...

... made a few screen clippings of Chairperson Wood out and about with her "forlorn hope" brigade in North Wales ...........

... can you see what I can see ?

... they are all just a little old,

... no youngsters amongst the ranks.

Could it be that Plaid is an old persons party, or does it apply to all political parties, might we be seeing the demise of street level politics ?

Democracy has the rights of it ...

Carwyn Jones or growing ...

... jalapeño peppers on the window cill, well during the past 4 months the peppers have proved to be far more exhilarating.


My only problem was how to make a good sauce, the best to date has been :


Sweet and hot chilli sauce .......


Ingredients

5 tbsp. white vinegar
3 tsp. red chilli flakes
8 cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
2 fresh red chilli peppers, seeded and sliced
1 c. whole canned tomatoes (with juice)
12 oz. Red Plum jam
9 oz. pineapple juice
4 tbsp. apple juice concentrate

Method

... put the first 7 ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend to an even consistency. This will take several minutes and require stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.

Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Pour the blended ingredients in the saucepan. While stirring, let this mixture come to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 more minutes.

Store in air-tight, sterilized jars. It will keep for at least 2 months, refrigerated.

I chose to freeze in portion sizes .................... compliments to Cooks (dot) com.

Carwyn came a very second place in the race, the remainder of the Assembly gang behind him ...........