Mals Memories (From Penarth Times)

Mals Memories

DO you remember scrumping?

The Oxford dictionary describes scrumping as stealing fruit from an orchard or garden. If you were the scrumper, stealing seems far too harsh a word.

Being brought up on a farm myself, I did not really have much excuse to go "pinching" apples. We had our own orchard with plenty of apple trees, pear trees, plum trees and a walnut tree.

This meant that we were a target for scrumpers ourselves, and when I was a lad I took this personally. I roped in my friends and mounted anti-scrumping patrols.

It was the walnut tree that seemed to attract most interest, and as it was close to the road, it proved quite a challenge to stop passers-by from "liberating" not only the windfalls, but also those nuts still on the tree - with the assistance of any convenient stick or other assorted missiles.

It was a bit like "conkering", except that walnuts, unlike horse chestnuts, are quite tasty.

But I have to admit that my pals and I did do a bit of blackberrying in our neighbour's garden - and also helped ourselves to an occasional gooseberry.

In fact, having overdone it on one occasion, we all had to explain to our parents the epidemic of stomach aches.

It might strike you as odd that I was so indignant about other people trespassing in our orchard when I was not above doing exactly the same thing on neighbours' property.

I think the logic of the situation must have escaped me at the time.

I suppose it is something to do with forbidden fruit.

* Malcolm Davies is a former editor of the Penarth Times. Mal's Memories are on the Penarth Times web site www.thisispenarth.co.uk