May

From one extreme to another. Having dried out from the North Somerset Show it is now blazing sunshine which, while wonderful has the plants all of a plether. The roses are now all out but also stressed as the change here was so swift. Blackspot abounds I will have to throw on the comfrey tea and hope that they feel better. Banksia is fabulous and set off by the Campanula on the steps up to the herb garden. Its so covered in blooms that I cannot bear to spoil its fun with too much pruning. Cecile Brunner sets off the wonderful dark red of the rose on the side of the front door. Not much action lower down but once it has found the sun the blooms are fantastic. Do I sound over enthusiastic? But they are magic and I must find something else to cover the 'squirrel runs' lower down. Perhaps it might put them off, though I doubt it. I bought some seed for a flowering vine at the Eden Centre which I've managed to germinate and will try that up the house. Here's hoping that a picture will follow!

Our RDA group had a wonderful day out at the regional competitions and came home covered in rosettes and all very exciting. Two qualified for the National Championships and the others are fired up for next year. The day was jut right for weather, unusual, and a friend from up the valley came and took magical pictures of a fun day out .Our team leader summed up the prize giving as 'Joy'. Says it all really.

BT Chaos

RDA was flooded off on Tuesday which gave me time to bail out the stables to find that horses had lost shoes here and there, too much deep mud sucking them off.

On Wednesday our BT line went down. I spent quite a long time speaking to India. I thought the gentleman was chaming but he spent an amazing amount of time telling me that I would be paying £99 for the engineer to call if it was our fault.  I had checked all our kit and while we have broadband we have no phone, which is difficult when you have a BnB business. I booked an appointment for 8am til 1pm Thursday which they sent me 2 text messages to confirm. Having to go to a funeral on Thursday we paid our part time lawn mower chap to stay in the house to meet and greet the engineer after we left til 1.15pm when he gave up and went home. A no show.

We returned at 9pm to an intermittent dialing tone and I tried calling 152 and this time got the Phillipines! They were Talktalk and had no idea what was going on. Today I spoke to India again and they said that the line was mended, then agreed that actually it was not and after some discussion said that they would make it a priority with the engineer. Meanwhile some poor lady from Westbury on Trym had had to drive out here as she had a meeting with my mother today which she couldn't make and had been onto BT who had informed her that there was a cable fault not to be repaired til May 9th. Does anyoine know what is going on?!

Another lady bringing a group round the house next week sent a desperate e-amil that she too was unable to reach us on the landline and when she enquired was told that the line had been cancelled so she was worried that we had left and there would be no visit! How great, such misinfornation.

The BT engineer has just called and stated that they mended a different number yesterday because we had reported it not working. He had no information on 393141. News to me! It turns our to be the burglar alarm line but we hadn't noticed. Where I wonder did they get tha from?? Anyway they tell me they will sort it out within the hour. Might I be excused for being sceptical?

Norwegian funeral, muddy moments

I sit watching rain run down the window panes watching the emerging wisteria framing the window and the abundance of Choiysia outside the study window. Slightly disconcerting if one catches the greenish old glass as it turns the flowers a strange colour. At the bottom of the green walk the newly planted day lillies have enjoyed their natural watering and look very well.  The fields have turned from green to brown and we slop about again in mud which we had hoped to have seen the back of for a bit.

It was off to Norway last weekend for the funeral of my oldest friend's mother. We have known each other all our lives even sharing a birthday which was incedentaly last weekend so it was a birthday breakfast with another birthday girl friend here and a party in Olso 14 hours later with my astrotwin. How amazing when travel is smooth but for me it was surrounded by people with cancelled trains and missed flights I sat on a crowded train in a booked seat. stepped seamlessly from train to Heathrow bus followed someone who looked confident as no signage and found a lift hidden behind a tower which whisked us up to departures. As I had discovered my out of date passport in time to hasten to Newport for a remedy I felt that al in all someone was smiling on my efforts. That the plane was 1 1/2 late was I suppose almost a necessary inconvenience.  Plane train car party at the new house where environmental courses are already being held by Julio combining old world and new techniques, very interesting. Apples, Raspberries (they can only grow summer varieties) Plums all mulched up. Kindergarten amended to study room and loads of room. Met up with 4 of the 6 siblings and had a very jolly hour or two. Lightened the travel bag with the requested cheddar and duty free wine soon consumed with much catching up.

A noisy breakfast bacon (they like English we like Norwegian), eggs, cheese (Chedder of course) and ham, home made jam.Oceans of tea (Typhoo only will do). Off to exceedingly pretty cafe on the edge of the Oslo Fjiord for open sandwiches for the post crem bun fight then on to the crem a truly depressing building circa 1970 of pebbledash concrete flat roof and dripping wooden slats overhead (yes it was raining while the day before was light, bright and sunny (swapped with England who did the opposite on both days). To a funeral in Norwegian interspersed with an English oration and 'All things bright and beautiful' played as my brother said the 'B' tune at a million miles an hour with not a pause for breath. The vicar while having the most wonderful voice not leading as he did for the Norwegian hymns which was a shame. It made me wish that I was not completely tone deaf. They don't stand for hymns but do for the comittal (dropped a couple of feet, I suppose for suggestion of burial, then stays there in sight.

On to Karin's catching up with various people that we'd not seen for years. I was amused taht The owner of a horse that I had 'rescued' from Denmark didn't ask how she was. I wonder how much she knew of her endrometritis which has made getting her in foal very difficult. Ah well. I am a sucker for that. Very good to catch up with the next generation. We are now the oldest, such a strange feeling. Met also the step children. One a very compliant 11 year old who is still very grateful for being rescued from a haphazard life in Chile. The other a rfebelious late teenager who is not reallt sure why she is rebelling and turned up to the funeral in a red tarining outfit and then clearly wished she hadn't despite being completely ignored by all and sundry. It just was not 'her day'. So difficult to be 19 going on 14.

The bro and I were really pleased that we had attended and had a relaxed journey home. The only people through the face recognition passport control so no waiting at all. Queue? What queue? It was 10.30pm but nice not to have to struggle through endless masses. Then onto the new pod system to the carpark. What a revolution. We must get it in Bristol. After all it was developed in Bristol University and we should be flying its flag. Something to work on.

A Smashing Time

At last I am back on line having spent several weeks doing my best to get rid of all my IT technology. How disabling! First the dear small dog ate my mobile. That is to say when I came down one morning there were the deconstructed bits in her bed. No apparent ill effects from mangling the battery glad to say. I replaced that and back in action. We had a great 2 night break in Tavistock at the Bedford Hotel a wonderful old place where neither the corridors or the walls are level but the food was excellent and the staff charming. Midnight mass in the church 100m from the hotel was magical with the church lit by real candles such a difference. Full of people standing room only.  We spent 2 days walking on Dratmoor sometimes in low cloud but we all enjoyed it enormously.  On Christmas Day we went up to the sister Hotel Two Bridges and walked up to the old oak wood of stunted trees. A good prelude to a large lunch and back to the Two Bridges for coffee. Not really possible as they had had a fuse go and only just sorted out the problem by 11am. What a terrible thing to happen to an hotel on Christmas morning. No power!

Not our fortunately and lunch was very good except why the chef or whoever plated up felt that it was necessary, after making excellent crispy roast potatoes, to cover them in turkey and make them soggy I cannot imagine. A lack of understanding of the basics. I love Christmas pudding but hate brandy butter/sauce etc and sadly the poor pudding had been drowned in a very sweet overbearing sauce. That aside it was a very good lunch and they can be forgiven the detail as it stopped me eating far too much!

We headed home on Boxing Day via a pub for lunch in Woodbury Salterton. Excellent. We had been given the 'Good Pub Guide' and found it there.

On getting home yet again...no phone. Sat down to write a bit of blog and caught the mains lead in my foot. Disaster hard disc destroyed. All documents and photos lost. I'd only backed up to the hard disc...Serious mistake. I now have a new hard disc but fidning all my user names and passwords has been a marathon task. As for the info the geeks are trying to reconstruct but I fear they may not be able to. I must get an external hard disc NOW!

As to the phone I now have an android as have been challenged to be able to use it and it has a GPS so I can find it if it gets lost so they say.  I found the other one eventually when the floods receded. Not a well phone.

LET THE VILLAGE BUY A WOOD!

Long Ashton, a very long village by Bristol, has just found that a wood in the village is up for sale, last bids tomorrow morning.  We are trying to raise £100,000 by then! Its all quite exciting as we have only had 4 days to bring this bid to reality. £50,000 and rising will we make it?

Ancient Woodland..A chance for all the village to learn old woodcraft, copppicing and the like. Lots of exploration possible. Easy learning in a natural environment what could be better. How much fun is a wood?         Endless.

We have been trying to buy these woods for the village for 40 years. Now is the moment!  We are trying to alert all of Long Ashton to this fantastic opportunity to get a piece of old England for everyone.  Henny was on Radio Bristol this am.

It would be great if it works!!

 

Among all this we are still crushing apples. A great season all who come are so pleased not to be wasting their apples. The juice is sweeter now and even the Bramley cookers are tasting good. We have crushed our pears, apples and have added some home grown beetroot. that 'superfood' which gives a wonderful colour to the juice, sweetens it up and gives a certain earthiness to it.  I even ate a ripe blackberry coming down from the hen palace yesterday. David has done a wonderful job on the grass roofed abode and the girl's are coming up the valley at the end of the week to take up residence.

The B n B is ticking over, very cosy with heating and after a few trips through the rest of the house I think I'll move in!

Loads of apples

In the last 6 weeks the apples pressing business our 'Court' industry has been working overtime. Not something to suit all as we are madly busy for 2 months then nothing til next year's harvest. One does not the n get bored of apples and the heady scent of juice, the roar of the chopper, watching juice run down the press adn feeling good that so many apples are not being wasted.  The wasps have had a field day and buzz around while the dogs think that its great sport to try and catch them. From time to time they get stung but seem to mind not at all, just shaking their heads and carrying on regardless. Pip is curled up behind me now getting ready for a days apple pick up and 2 builder's bags of apples arrived for pressing.  We have had some wonderful feedback from customers. 'Wonderful labels! Took a bottle to a dinner party last night was a HUGE success. Very very delicious. Such fun.'  Well it is down to the quality of the apples and theirs were excellent so that makes our job easier but it was the first time that all their apples had been used and they had also had a good pick.  They will keep (if not drunk) for a year or two.  So for me a good ethical business.

French guests

We have just had some delightful guests to stay who came for their wedding anniversary. Specificaly to visit Casa Mia an Italian restaurant in Bristol which has a Michelin Star. Luckily I asked them if they knew how to get there and they happily produced a google map (clearly pleased with their preparation and rightly so, they had seen the restaurant on tv and decided it was the place to visit). Unfortunately google were not aware that one of the major roads that they were directing them to take has been closed for well over a year and for the forseable future. We lent them a street map of Bristol, suggested another route and off they went. Good thing, had they tried the google route they would have had to go at least another 6 miles and might still be searching for their supper.

Next day they reported that they had had a lovely time and showed us photos of the different tasting dishes that they had eaten.  It looked very interesting the final course full of dry ice and funstuff which had rounded off the evening well.  It just happened that it was the Bristol half marathon when they headed home. One of my liveries had taken hours to get out of Bristol as many roads were closed so I suggested to our guests that again they should ignore google and take another route back to London. Nothing like a bit of local knowledge.

mountain bikes, woods and co

So out for a ride with my own horse and two others we are picking our wayalong the deer trail  through the newly scattered brash from the tree harvesting that has been going on in Ashton Hill Woods, the forestry above Gatcombe. There hard at work with a couple of spades are three young men. Mountain bikers they tell me, they are not 'we only do jumps'. This is apparently not the same as down hill. 'You simply don't understand, it's about the adrenalin rush. The jumps just give us such a rush. You wouldn't understand'.  Well he was speaking to one of the people who just might. I know that I am now old (in his terms) and cranky, but age doesn't allow you to forget the rush of riding fixed fences at speed, point to pointing, recovering from near falls, as Lorna Clarke puts it 'getting off' with some mad risk that one takes in the heat of competition.  No young man, No idea.

I put it to him that many people use the woods and its not for their exclusive use. He felt that there should be; give way to bikes, that walkers, riders of a slower form be they bikes or horses, pushers of prams and dogs should all fall back into the undergrowth to feed their desire for an adrenalin rush. Hmmm. I suggested that the accident in Still Woods above Long Ashton had led to there being closed as the person injured had been too difficult to get out. To my amazement one of them admitted that it had been him. That he had had a broken arm and that his friends had called the air ambulance to help him but that when it could not reach him he had wlked out. Why on earth hadn't he done that in the first place? I am a great believer that if you do a dangerous sport then you suffer the consequences, falls and injuries, with as much dignity and little hassle to those who have to look after you as possible. Long ago my horse bolted when a poacher fired a gun nearby while I was in the woods. The horse fell, trampled me when she got up and ran off leaving me with 2 broken ribs. So what do you do? Walk home, go looking. Last thing that you want to do, as collapse with many pain  killers and feel sorry for yourself is top of the agenda. Possible on a bike but not with a potentially injured animal who may also be causing a multiple pile up. We had a call from the police at 10.30pm she was near the motorway at Gordano. Get vet, stitch up leave with friend close by as too shocked and too late to move. Home 2am. Up 6 am fetch horse, work at 8.30 washed brushed and clean.  No excuse not to be at work. After all you could call the injury self inflicted! I am not alone, many of the people that I evented with appeared to have the same ideology. One comtemporary  rode round Burghley with a collar bone wired up. Fell off, broke the other one and completed the show jumping with both strapped. Now that I think is mad as with a fall you cannot be in the reckoning. But we admired the grit.

What a lot of softies some of these bikers must be. One had a fall the other day and just left his bike in the undergrowth no-one, neither him or his friends moved it for weeks. I believe that these bikes are quite expensive. But hey. He's hurt poor chap what does the bike matter.

Mid August

8.15am. Our guests breakfasted at 6 leaving for the airport in good time for the 10 minute journey and their flight to Dublin. As they said in their very king comments in our guest book. So easy for the airport and not under the flight path. We are so lucky on that one. Beds are changed and all would be bliss if it were not for the shower having inexplicably no cold feed.

Such are the travails of an old house. Where exactly does the cold water come from? Those in the know are long dead and those left are opening bath panels and pulling up floor boards. We have two days to get sorted before our next guests. Rather more time than when on an old boat chartering in the Caribbean. David sent me off snorkelling with the guests while he attempted to repair the 'black water' (no prizes for guessing what that is!) pump. A diaphragm affair that had come adrift from its mountings and a rather crucial ingredient of what is known on a boat as the 'heads'. He spent 2 hours upside down in the bilges while we meandered about on a reef watching brilliantly coulered small fish. A magic row of cuttle fish which reminded me of 'little maids all in a row'. On our return for tea and cake at 4pm all was working. He is a wonderful man and very good at cobbling things together with what we have. Easier here as we can at least go shopping for bits and pieces rather more easily.

des ja vue

Tonight David went missing and suddenly my mobile rang. text; 'a dog is attacking mr'. Mr is myIrish thoroughbred horse. He was being chased around the field by a collie and was in quite a state. Fortunately the collie scarpered when David yelled at him. We shall have to watch out for a repeat visit but... it reminded me of a dog attack years ago when we had a small holding near Bovey Tracey. I left the house one morning to be greeted by a neigh from my horse 'Bale' (Harper's Bazaar) this had to be bad news; she only ever made a noise when there was a problem, and there was. I went into her field to find that she had a huge gash down one side, her whole shoulder joint was exposed and she had further wounds to her sides and rump. After 24 years with me it was clearly the end of the road. We had a wonderful vet and he came and put her down. Her two daughters came and supported her in her distress and after we had destroyed her they stood over her for the rest of the day and over her grave that night. She had clearly been chased past something sharp and David went off to check on the rest of the stock. One other 2 year old was in distress and would not move otherwise they were all right. The vet considered that they had been chased probably by a dog or dogs. As we had seen three boxers chasing the chickens in the same field two nights before we were pretty sure who the culprits were. We taxed our neighbours with it and they were adamant that it was not the case. Two days later one of the boxers turned up with a very recently live lamb's leg in his mouth and there was no doubt.

The evening that they attacked and killed my wonderful horse that had taken me round Badminton and Burghleigh on two occassions was a wake. She had always been very much a product of the island of her birth, Ireland. Brave, clever, idiosyncratic and slightly nuts but fanatical. At 15.2 carrying 75 kg she had been fearless across country and did fences that some felt were unjumpable. Frank Wheldon thanked me for jumping the triple bounce dog kennel as if it was a small grid and she was pictured jumping the Normandy bank 'with a stride' apparently impossible, easily if for me in a rather heart stopping fashion. But all that was over. Wonderful friends from up the valley came down with their digger and we dug a hole to bury her in. A couple came down as planned from Hampshire to stay and we got stuck into the red wine. Several bottles later the filly wasn't looking to good. I think I was in shock at the whole day. I'd had a three hour lecture on marketing to give Thank god for John Harvey Jones and the VHS machine for providing most of that one, I was in shock at the turn of events.

At some point it was decided that the filly should go to Langford vet college to be operated on. We loaded her up met the vet at the top of Holden Hill and drove to Bristol University Vet school arriving at 3am. She was in distress and had terrible stats. We then drove home the adrenalin that had kept me going to try and save her rapidly deserted me and we stopped again at Taunton for more coffee. Getting back to the farm by 7am we just started the day with lots of bacon and egg and a dullness that suited the moment. The vet college rang to say that the filly had died on the operating table her whole alimentary canal, twisted beyond aid, by being chased over the fence and falling and struggling in the ditch. To dispel the mood we decided to go for a ride on Dartmoor. Got the lorry stuck en route and took hours to get disentangled. Definitely a weekend to forget. Reading David's text brought back the nightmare . How can people lose such control over their dogs? It also reminded me how completely careless people are when looking after themselves. No consideration whatever of the consequences of their actions. It can be very tiring. RIP Bale

Rather a busy time

This afternoon we went on a trip round the harbour on the Matthew. I learned how the lock gates are operated by hydro-power which was fascinating I had had no idea. The occasion being that the Matthew currently part of the Great Bristain Trust is now going to be maintained by its own Trust. She has had a busy time down in Falmouth and up the Channel to London where she apparently appeared out of the fog dressed up as the Dawn Treader as she had for the Narnia films. (Voyage of the Dawn Treader et al) What terrific books they were to read as a child and probably for ever. Though I never like to see a film once I've read the book my vision is never the same as the casting director. Is anyone's? We were entertained by sea shanties and champagne and had a wonderful hour of sunshine unlike the group earlier in the afternoon who had had the misfortune of precipitation. Our Italian guests think that it is always this cold and yet last week it was quite hot and steamy at times. Such is our weather and I'm sure it is cold in the rest of Europe at times.

Tonight a Parish Highways and burial ground meeting. Some heated debate on various issues it is good to have an airing of views and different opinions as it keeps the whole place alive. The Bon jovi parking debacle was to the fore I have been astonished at the complete lack of communication between the Stadium and Long Ashton PC. How very short sited of all those who wish to see a new stadium not to try a bit harder to make sure they had a smooth running of the parking in Long Ashton instead of the complete grid lock that was caused. Vicar stuck for hours parents cut off from their children etc etc. Anyone who was of no fixed opinion is now clearly in the anti camp. Except probably the farmer who sat there raking in the loot for several thousand (or so it seemed) cars.

I visited the burial ground (as requested by our Chair) and was very impressed at how well it looked though there is work to be done. As was suggested it is a pity that the road down to the Church is in such a poor state of repair. Perhaps we should make it a toll road for functions!

Too late tonight but will write on our trip to the festival of eventing with our RDA group. Great fun had by all.

85 years on

My father would have been 85 years old today. He was born and died in this house and loved it dearly. When he retired he turned to the garden with complete zeal making copious notes on every rose. When it came into bud, flowered how good the crop. he sprayed at the first hint or black spot, rust or greenfly. Top Rose filled his boots and the garden was a picture. Amazing for our wedding and for the open garden day when it was featured in the Independent newspaper (when questioned as to what the picture of the famous Edney gates with house behind was of a 3 year old nephew replied 'Grandpa's cat'. . . and so it was sitting at the side of the gate; and we were summoned to help with tea and stand duty on the gate. More than 1200 people turned up we ran out of everything there was to run out of. Tea, milk etc. No farm shop then so much more drastic effort required for recovery.

His last triumph being his and my mother's 50th wedding anniversary which ran to 6 parties over 5 days; everyone having a jolly good time with different musical entertainment and a host of guests. They were in their element. We returned from work on the yacht to join in. For us quite surreal to go from an 8' x5' cabin to call your own to the space here. We started with the Welsh Guards summer party, always good for a jaunt they brought a coach as they did for his funeral and as then they carried off in style and for many hours. The last party was people from the valley and the church and a good time seemed to be had by all.

By the end of the celebrations my father was as he put it, inexplicably tired. We thought at the time that it was age (76) the hot weather and the effort he'd put into the jollity but the week after we returned to work my mother rang me in Antigua to say that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and I never saw him well again. He was dead in less than a year.

That is all a long time ago but he would be quite disappointed in the actions of some here now. I often think of us all as 'Shambridge' an everyday tale of country folk. We have had all sorts of shenenagins from drug heists to bean thieves. He would have been astounded at the drugs and cross about the beans. Why would anyone come into the kitchen garden allotments and steal broad beans? What a risk for a few pence worth of one of your 5 a day and 2 years running! Criminal record at best, jail at worst. Bonkers. At least last year they left an empty bottle of vodka. This year just stripped bean plants. Cameras next year its getting like midsomer murders. The mystery of the missing beans. The drug round up found stashes of drugs in woods and fields and led to a conviction (yes made the papers) of a temporary resident. Now its watch out for your washing as apparently their is a designer clothes thief in the village. Am I writing a book. You bet!

The street light at the end of Gatcombe Lane was put there in the 1930's to light the bus stop and make it safe for staff from farm and court getting the bus back from the village in the dark. North Somerset in their wisdom failed to appreciate why the light was there and have moved it across the lane where it no longer fulfills it's purpose. They are trying to pretend that its a question of cost but we all know that in reality it never occurred to them why it was there and as there were trees on the other side it was easier to locate it without cutting any branches. It would not have taken much immagination to have worked it out. Now we are told it is too costly to put right the blunder. Perhaps we should be radical and give financial penalties for this sort of mistake? Would it improve performance?

Fennel and Thyme

I have been sitting in the fennel and thyme bed in the sun, doing a bit of weeding. The perfume is amazing and quite heady so a great enjoyment and one of the reasons that one stays here. D is as usual, mending a wall but they are looking so much better that he is quite pleased with the results. The roses have been so good that they are an inspiration. The pink rose on the outside of the garden wall has survived both the ministrations of the stone masons who had to repair a very difficult piece of circular wall and the frozen winter with cement covering so it must be pretty hardy. To my surprise the inside rose which has been a stump since November has suddenly re-awoken and is sprouting.

I am taking cuttings of various herbs so that there may be some to sell at the open day on 17th July when the house tour will start at 2pm. People need to telephone 01275 393141 if they would like to join a tour (£10 including all you can drink of tea and some home made cake either made by me or Mrs Foster who is 91 and still going strong. From time to time she rings me up and asks if we would eat a cake if she makes one....a silly question really. I bought her a new Kenwood a month ago as the previous one's motor burnt out with all the use it had).

The rose Kiftsgate has excelled itself this year. After several years of attempting to get it to 'tumble' over the garden wall into the lane it now has and the perfume for anyone walking down there is terrific.



As for the dogs in these warm days who said that terriers are not water dogs!

Pubs and BnB

We have now had the BnB running for a year and been visited by for the most part extremely delightful guests from all over the world. We have met them from the station, found them tearful on the M5 when they could not find Bristol! Ferried them about to weddings and funerals. The worst an Englishman with his own BnB business who booked in both with us and someone else at the same time and felt that it was acceptable first to forget to cancel one of his bookings then to change after insisting that he was coming with his whole family and we lost £500 of other business as a result. I'm glad to say that he seems to be a rarity. We like to feel that our guests are guests and not charge deposits. It is for the most part a business based on trust and except for this chap and one other lady we have not been let down. Not too bad I expect.

One couple has been here 8 times and are almost like family. Last night's couple wrote in our visitor's book that we had exceeded all expectations which was extremely kind of them. We have had some very kind comments.

On Tuesday our guest joined us as we tried out the George at Backwell Farleigh which has just re-opened after a change of hands and refurb. Looks great and has a young keen team. Our timing wasn't good as the rest of the locality had chosen the same night to try them out and it was heaving! (Rather like Rick Stein's Pub in St Merryn last week as we took our annual 3 day holiday..no room at the inn) They were charming and we settled down for a drink and chose from the menu. Then told a 20 min wait with crisps on the house. 40 mins later they took our order to return 5 mins later with no homemade chicken kiev left - a pity sounded delicious. Seafood platter chosen by some as a replacement. When that arrived , no mussels so a bit more on the house. We eventually ate about 10pm so, so much for an early night but it was very jolly, a good thing that there were 5 of us, and the food when it came was excellent. The staff rather horrified at their success and lack of everything, but handled us well. We will certainly have another go and wish them well.

Visitors and roses

We have had a busy week with two visits already. When you take visitors around your home there is a certain amount of scurrying about hiding the detritus of life before they come. That pile of newspapers, odd socks etc that seem to be on every table or hot pipe. The criteria is that the house can be used normally when visitors go home. This is why we are only open to guided groups. Life requires some planning!

We are therefore going to have an 'Open House' day on 17th July. We will take groups round the house at about 2pm but people must be booked in with us (01275 393141) so that we do not have too big a group to fit in the rooms (in the 13th and 14th century they were rather smaller and lower than in the 17th). The tour of the house is followed by tea and cake which I often make with roses and other garden fruit. The berb garden - re-designed 4 years ago is also a great place to wander and we can share the scents and flavours of the herbs that we have here. Some more unusual. The Romans have influenced the garden and signs of them can be seen both in and outside the house.

The garden was open under the National Gardens scheme several years ago and featured in a national paper...We had 1200 visitors and had a real problem finding cups, tea, milk etc to look after everyone.Thank goodness now for the farm shop next door which as such an asset to the valley. A lot of our guests go to lunch there before coming on to us in the afternoon.

I cannot believe that it is June and I've not written anything here since March. The Council elections have been and gone, won by two rather ancient blues as expected. We independents gave them a run for their money Tony Butcher getting almost to the post which was a very good effort. Having looked around the counting house new blood might have been a good idea but that's for another day.

The sun has at last come out without wind and we have had a fair amount of rain. The garden has perked up no end and the hay fields look like waving fields of grass rather than a trimmed lawn. A relief.

I have been taking my young horse eventing which has been a shock as I didn't expect to do that again. He is such fun and no pressure. These small courses of unaffiliated one day events are such a good idea. Good income for the organisers and a great introduction to young riders and horses without the expense of affiliation until you know that you can compete at the level.

Visitor numbers are down this year. I'm not sure if it was the expense for the group that came from Swindon this week or perhaps having a 3 hour stop over in Clevedon which while a decent enough town does not have a great deal to offer the day tripper and they got rather bored. They did however love the rose and vanilla cake that I made (the roses are fantastic this year). I've been making rose jam the perfume is a knock out a little really sends the senses reeling whipped into cream on strawberries....terrific. We are now picking elderflower for the liqueur. It did rather well at the flower show last year and is a great party starter included in a cocktail.

The dogs are enjoying squirrel tv and are glued to it from the moment that they get up. I'm not sure why they don't give it a second thought until we come down as it is light and the window is in their 'bedroom' but they don't. They have both had birthdays Pip is 1 and Georgie 11.

My youngest brother and family came for the weekend so lots of swimming and cricket while their eldest spent her time with the small grey pony who had been made very white for his trip to the RDA regional competitions where our group had a great day out and came home with a few prizes which was very exciting for all. One of them has qualified for the championships which was roundly applauded and I have just sent in the entry. There will be great support and we hope for a good result there as well. Everyone is very competitive, in a good way, as the playing field is very level and everyone likes to see effort rewarded. Parents had made lunch and coffee which was very welcome with an early start (5am) to get the ponies ready. I forgot their passports so one sainted father made a detour to get them (wonderful man). We all arrived in good order and were undaunted by an unfortunate accident occurring outside our trailer right at the start of the day. Harvey was almost good but managed to be distracted by needing a pee through a whole dressage test (which made him rather slow) and most of the handy pony until he could stand it no longer and proceeded to do the longest know to horse while standing by the gate as his rider opened it and had a fit of the giggles. Fun for all.

Spring Fever

I have just returned from giving in nomination papers for the District and Parish Councils. It was pretty chaotic down at the Town Hall. I suppose for them it was a normal morning. A woman was having hysterics as her bins had not been emptied. She would not give her name or address so how she could be helped was a mystery to all and she was getting crosser and crosser. The security guard came and stood near by but she was not violent. The receptionist gave up and went away. I waited for the Returning Officer to not appear and eventually asked if he might indeed be coming. It transpired that he had forgotten to come down being distracted between summons and activity. Several other people appeared with nomination papers so he was very busy. One of my assentors (you have to find 8 people who are prepared to agree to your standing for the Council did not appear to be on the electoral role so one of the other candidates (also independent) was kind enough to oblige. What a relief when after 1 1/2 hours I emerged back in the street!

So I will now have to hit the campaign trail. Must get on with that manifesto. Village market on Saturday morning and I mustn't miss the opportunity....

Our B&B guests went straight out of Bristol and almost to Weston last night before they realised that they had over stepped us by 12 miles. They are extremely nice and thought it a huge joke. They enjoy homemade scones so have been knocking them up for them though I will try oatmeal pancakes tomorrow with golden syrup (they were quite excited by the idea) I think it is dull to do the same thing every day.

Bed and Breakfast

A new venture for us we have had our first bed and breakfast guests. A lovely family who were caught in heavy traffic for hours getting here. They were thankful to fall into the swimming pool. Then they chilled out in the garden and picked cherries in the orchard,ew beating the birds to it. Next morning some marauding crows were helping themselves. I cannot blame them they are very good this year. We are really pleased with how the complete redecoration of the bathroom and bedrooms has gone. Worth the very much family effort with one sister in law finding wallpaper and another giving very helpful ideas for improving and upgrading. All our experience B&B sitting and running charter boats is coming into play. So we hope that our guests will enjoy Gatcombe as much as we Meanwhile we have had several parties around the house mostly in glorious weather and the roses this year have responded to the cold winter by being fantastic. Helped along by several tonnes of FYM spread by the long suffering husband in not very nice weather early in the spring. He suffers from bad circulation in his hands very painful when its cold. A good reason to work abroad in the winter. But its summer now and where better to be than here. Barbeque last weekend in hot sunny weather and the Welsh pony bathed for two hours, plaited and polished went off in fine fettle to the Bath and West Show to do his bit with Tom in the Riding for the Disabled display. He gleamed white for two days but now that it has rained he is back to the red brown colour that is the soil here.

The Banksia rose which thought blooming in January a good idea last year then never a flower has outdone intself this year. Fantastic sort of frothy champagne rose scent as you wander down the green walk.

April Fool weather

Spring may be a reality at last.

Yellow clementines and purple crocii and white snowdrops have given way to golden daffodils and blue grape hyacynths. The garden is at last looking greener and the lawns have been cut twice despite having snow yesterday and hail so thick this afternoon that I could not see through it. Some of the flowers now look a bit bedraggled but the colurs are great to see. Its very cold in my 'office' here. No heating at this end of the house and not worth lighting a fire. Wear lots of clothes is the answer.

The good news is that we ae going to try B&B in thewing at the back of the house with possible short term holiday lets a week at a time. It will be interesting to see what sort of take up we get. We do have under cover parking so a bit of security and when it ever warms up the pool will be open.. It seems extraordinary at the moment to think of swimming but even in last years rather miserable summer the pool was warm enough to swim until October.

We have gone from loads of snow to the harbingers of spring in the last month. The bank under the old sycamore tree is looking splendid. David fed and watered the lawn in the autumn and we have a fantastic show of bulbs which, after the drabness left by the melted snow is a great uplifter. They seem to prefer to be under the trees. Perhaps the bulbs dry out in the summer. The squirrels spread them round the garden and they come out in other unlikely places as well. They had been thin on the ground but must have been semi dormant as recently they have tried to climb the bird feeder, to no avail and it is quite comical to see them sliding down the slippery post looking a but bemused.

We are midway through sorting out the garden. We don't like to remove anything that the birds might like and David has made a birdfeeder which has been up since Christmas we have been rewarded by 2 pairs of nuthatches and at one time 8 varying tits - coal, great, long tailed, blue all on the feeder at once with sparrows underneath and being seen off by the blackbird and robins. They love the nuts and have seed and fruit as well. One of our tennants - Kevin and Sam are very knowledgeable and have seen a huge assortment of different birds around this winter. They keep us posted on what we are seeing and what they have seen around the grounds which makes it all more interesting. Green woodpeckers nesting in one of the sycamore - one to watch.

The archeologicals have been working away all winter fidning many building under the site and it would be very interesting to have a dig and ascertain just what age buildings are where. Apparently English Heritage are not keen as they want to leave it for future generations why seems very odd as it can always be covered up and it would be fascinating to find out exactly what Gatcombe once was.

We have had several bookings already for the summer which seemed quite a long way off but now seems to be rushing towards us and as usual the garden is getting frantic. We are also doing fencing as I have been mad enough to buy a horse. Rather unintentionally but he is just what I like so 'rescued' him from a dealer up North who had rather too many eating their heads off just after the snow and hadn't been able to sell any for a couple of months. David and I had a couple of nights away, decided to look at a horse in Yorkshire for a local child/project for me. The first was near Hornsea. Never been there before and it was a beautiful winter day beside the sea. Just too much project it was a bit frightened of its owner and anxious about back and head. I'm sure someone will have the time for her. We stayed in a couple of good pubs. One near Holmes Chapel, The Dog (sadly changed from the Gay Dog (for obvious reasons) which is a much more fun name, where Georgie was allowed in the blue carpet areas and soon made herself at home by the fire. Also at the Dun Cow at Colton near Stafford which is being run by a very nice young couple not as yet in the good pub guide we thought it should be as we were very well looked after and the beer and food were good too! Then on to Manchester where I went to see a coloured sportshorse and bought a thoroughbred. He passed the vet with flying colours and a week later a friend and I got up at 4.30am and went and fetched him. Never in a trailer before he was anxious but hopeful (as were we). We were very delighted to have stationary traffic always in the opposite direction and made it back in less than 9 hours. He as yet hasn't a permanent name his only marking a heart shaped star on his face so still thinking.