Scrumping Scalliwags!
Scrumping is a colloquial English term for stealing apples and sometimes other fruit from other people's trees, gardens or orchards. (This explanation is for those not from Blighty. In Australia apparently it's just called... stealing fruit from other people's trees, gardens or orchards lol). These three scalliwags were oblivious to me documenting their looting of mulberries until after they had got all they wanted and were counting their booty. They stopped when they saw me with my camera pointed at them and I stopped clicking away as soon as they saw me... we were all caught out!
Something interesting perhaps, for those of you in the cider drinking business! Scrumpy, from which the verb scrump is derived, is a rough cider from the south west counties of England that is made from apples. It was often given to 'wurzels' in lieu of payment by landowners in an attempt to keep the workers compliant. What's a wurzel I hear you ask? Think Worzel Gummidge and his good friend Aunt Sally and you're halfway there! A country bumpkin, a straw chewing yokel wearing a smock and weilding a pitchfork! (Gotta love those stereotypes) Wurzel is from mangel wurzel a German word for a type of beet. From mulberries to apples to beetroot - I love the connections of language, time and place!
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