A few final bits from our day at River Cottage HQ. Part of the grounds at RCHQ were used for some rural craft demonstrations and one stall that particularly interested me was that from wilderness survival skills who run courses that teach people, as their names suggests, wilderness survival skills. Having heard all about the various courses they run I'd be really interesting in going on one and might have to work on Mr C to see if he'd be interested in coming with me. Their ten day intensive bushcraft course sounds fantastic, but I'm just not sure I'm ready for ... read more
Visit to River Cottage – part 2
In addition to the demonstrations at the River Cottage Festival there were also various other things going on and we were able to wander round part of their grounds to see the various animals that they have on the farm and the fruit and vegetables that they're growing. One of the first animals that we met was Blossom the pig. In his latest UK television series, River Cottage Spring, Hugh challenged a group of families from Bristol to grow their own food on allotments in the city. As part of this exercise they also kept chickens and pigs for food. Blossom was one of those pigs and is kept ... read more
Visit to River Cottage – part 1
There's so much to say about Sunday's trip to the River Cottage Festival that I'm going to have to split it into multiple posts. It was just such a fantastic day that going through all the photos again brought back some great memories.The Festival was held in the grounds of the River Cottage HQ at Park Farm between Axminster and Lyme Regis and had a variety of stalls and demonstrations covering the range of things that the River Cottage series encapsulates. Mr C and I tried to make the most of the demonstrations that were going on throughout the day. The first one that we ... read more
Lacock
On our way down to Somerset to visit the River Cottage Festival Mr C and I stopped off at Lacock Abbey which is a National Trust property in Wiltshire. I have to admit that we did choose where to visit somewhat at random from the guide book as we headed down the motorway, but as soon as we got there we were certainly happy with the choice we'd made.The Abbey itself is now a country house that was originally a medieval abbey and was the home of William Henry Fox Talbot, the pioneer of photography. One of the things that the Abbey is best known for nowadays is ... read more
River Cottage Mud
Mr C and I are now home from a wonderful weekend in the West Country. The highlight had to be the visit to the River Cottage Festival on Sunday. Much, much more on that when I have the time.Luckily the weather stayed dry for us on the day, but I gather that those attending on the Saturday were not so fortunate. Certainly the amount of mud underfoot meant that the wellies that we bought before leaving St Albans were a necessity! ... read more
Chelsea Physic Garden
Thursday lunchtime I joined the "women wot lunch" from work and visited Chelsea Physic Garden in London. The gardens were founded by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in 1673 and is very much hidden away in Chelsea. In fact, until F suggested going there I have to admit that I hadn't heard of it! Entry price could be considered a bit steep, but luckily F had found some vouchers in a local pub that gave each of us a £2 discount.Apparently the gardens used not to be open to the public, but in 1983 a charity took over the running of the gardens and opened them to the ... read more
Exciting Times
I've got some exciting times coming up over the next month or so.Firstly, Mr C and I off to the River Cottage Festival this weekend. Unfortunately the weather forecast isn't looking too good, but fingers crossed. I'm a bit fan of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his various television programmes and accompanying books.The week after next I have managed to get myself booked on to a Rowan beginners crochet course that is being held at a local John Lewis. I've been wanting to learn to crochet for ages and am really looking forward ... read more
Fat Pig
No, not the pink variety with a funny nose and curly tail, but instead the play by American Neil LaBute. Fat Pig has been on at the Trafalgar Studios in central London since May and Mr C and I finally got round to going with some friends on Monday evening.The play has quite a simple plot behind it. Thin bloke meets fat woman and starts dating her. His work colleague can't believe it and winds him up about it. His ex-girlfriend, who also happens to work with him, isn't at all impressed and kicks up quite a fuss when she finds out. All this additional pressure on the ... read more
Weekend with friends
Mr C and I have come back from spending a fantastic weekend with our friends C and P who live in Hampshire. It was great being able to spend time with friends (H and D also joining us down there for the weekend) and reminded me of just how important these friends are. On Saturday we were treated by fantastic weather and spent the afternoon outdoors. As we don't have garden ourselves eating lunch outside is quite a novelty. Time was also spent collecting apples from the many fruit trees in their garden. C's plans for apple chutney should certainly be met - although if she uses all ... read more
Weekend plans
Today we're heading to see friends who live in the countryside. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to get away for a couple of days and spend quality time with people that I care about and don't get to see often enough.Enjoy your weekend. ... read more