It's not often I wake up with an urge to choke the chicken but when it's 5.30am and there's one squawking in the garden like it's laying an ostrich egg, waking the neighbourhood, it's very tempting. Instead, I managed to doze through it until 6.30 and then got up to start the beer. But that only got half done before I headed into the city to shake Chris' tree and relieve him of his apples. A fine haul of proper Snow White red apples though I can't find my little scales to weigh them.