Carry on camping....

Went camping again, this time just for the weekend, to Bala, Wales.

Our camp site (Tyn Cornel) was immaculate and situated next door to the national White Water Centre. A lovely riverside stroll took us there and while the extreme sports lovers splashed past us, we did some extreme cake eating and coffee drinking!

We also went on the little steam train that runs alongside Bala Lake and on the way home, we found an organic farm shop and stocked up on really nice produce!

our tent

river next to our camp site

couple of videos; one from the cafe at the white water centre and one on the little steam train...

In search of Cupcake....

I received a 2nd hand book today that I'd ordered on line from America and inside the cover I found a birthday card! I opened it and it read...

" cupcake
even if you called Mrs cleaver a notorious strumpet"

Now, having recently had a birthday myself, I thought it may have been a marketing ploy from the company I bought the book from but clearly not, unless this is some strange coded message!?

So, I thought it might be quite intriguing to send a message into the ether to see if I can track down naughty little Cupcake!

If you happen to be on facebook, or even if you're not, click on this link and pass the message along the virtual grapevine and lets see if it bears fruit! :0)

I started out with nothing and I've still got most of it left....

Since discovering 'Seasick Steve' I've developed a little penchant for blue grass type music. Actually, I like most music that isn't commercially produced pop rubbish!

I especially love a characterful pub, a good pint and a bit of live music!

We had a great night out last night at Peter Kavanagh's in Liverpool. PK's has been there since 1897 and is in quite a salubrious street lined with Georgian houses and lovely old lamp posts.

There were 2 bands on; 'Sidney Baileys No good Punchin Clowns' and 'The Flamin Mamies'.

Don't go to Wales if your name is Allan....

Just returned from a few days camping in Trearddur Bay, Anglesey. The land of pebble dash and dead sea birds.

Anglesey has some absolutely stunning scenery but bloody hell, do something about the pebble dash! Almost every house is covered in it; makes the place look like a giant community of sheltered housing!

The last person to criticise the pebble dashing was called Allan and consequently they have erected several of these signs all over the island...

On the bridge that links Holy Island to Anglesey there were several dead seagulls. We had a theory that there must be some sort of weird air current, maybe created by lorries crossing the bridge, that sucks the birds to their death? A rather grim sight to welcome the weary traveller!

We seemed to have left the sunshine on the mainland too, it was cold, wet and windy and despite having (mostly) a good time, after a few days, I was ready for home.

our tent



cosy! the bedrooms are on either side of the living area

sooooooooooooo cold!!!!!!!!!!

beautiful beach at Newborough

but ruddy windy!

views of The Menai Straits

A pale sun poked impudent marmalade fingers through the grizzled lattice glass, and sent the shadows scurrying, like convent girls menaced by a tramp.

Having penned a poem or several, I am fascinated by the English language and there was no better conjurer of conversation, genius of gibberish and out and out acrobat of articulation than Vivian Stanshall!

Ian has been a huge fan of his for many years and, by 'osmosis', so am I. He's been quoting bits of 'Sir henry at Rawlinson End' to me for many moons and it was with a strange stroke of luck that he stumbled across the first performance of it on stage since it was performed by Stanshall

It was at The Unity theatre in Liverpool and performed by Mike Livesley and tickety boo it was too!!!

Chickening out.....

We collected 4 new chickens today. Ex battery hens.

Ex battery hens have well and truly stolen my heart and they are so deserving of the life they should have had from the start.

It always warms my cockles to see them beginning to enjoy being alive, rather than fighting to exist.

Our new girls; Maggie, Penny, Sadie and Rita....

I crave MY indulgence!

Amongst those that know me, it's no secret that I'm a bit of a 'foodie'. Since getting our chickens back in 2007, growing some of our own fruit and veg and my new found interest (dare I call it skill?) in being creative in the kitchen, I (we) really care about good food and how it is produced and of course, how it tastes!

One of my food heroes is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, he of River Cottage, and I've had a hankering to visit that part of the world and eat at the River Cottage Canteen for some time.

So, what better excuse than my 40th birthday! As I've told you in my little profile..."I avoid parties..." hate them in fact and so, as I'm well on the way to wearing purple, I decided that I will do exactly what I want to do for my 40th and that meant NO party!

So, our little party of 4; me, Ian, mum and Molly, set off... with visions of cream teas, cider and seafood dancing in my head!

We stayed in a little holiday cottage in Bridport owned by a lady who I bumped into on the internet. I'm a bit vague (it was a while ago) as to how exactly I found Jade, but I think I was looking for something to do with VW camper vans on 'facebook' (back when we still had our van) and I stumbled across her blog http://foodiemumontheroad.blogspot.com/
We seemed to have so much in common that I added her to my list of facebook 'friends'.

Some time later she bought a cottage in Dorset, moved there, bought the cottage next door, turned that into a holiday cottage and well...that's where I decided to base our stay!

And so, more about my fortieth festive foodie foray...forthwith!
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And so, about that!

Well, we visited Weymouth, scene of childhood caravanning holidays...somehow it looked different, smaller, but then so was I last time I was there.

So much nicer than seaside resorts in the North West, clean and not a single 'fun' pub in sight. We walked on the beach, had fish and chips on the sea front and ice cream on the prom.

The sea was so clean and clear and the Punch and Judy man and the sand sculpture man are still there, it was good to see some things hadn't changed.

Afterwards, we drove up to Portland Bill lighthouse and there were stunning views of Chesil beach up there. 'On Chesil Beach' is supposed to be a good read, must get hold of a copy.....

Lyme Regis was very sweet but very hilly so we stuck to walking along the sea front towards The Cobb, that was after a delicious crab baguette that is.





There are some sweet little pastel painted beach huts along the promenade and Lyme was just simply charming.

and of course, I had to stand on the famous Cobb!

On the way to Lyme we stopped off at The Lyme Bay Winery and sampled several of their wares and came away with a bottle of elderflower wine, a bottle of mead and 4 bottles of apricot wine.

The apricot wine is mine!!!!! It is lovely and sweet and most definitely delicious.

So much more to tell but it will have to wait for another day....I have to tell you all about River Cottage yet :0)