 20 March 2025 (Thursday)
A fabulous day, even early on feeling more like summer than spring, let alone winter! As today was forecast to be the best day of the week, and with other commitments this week and next, we’d decided to get down to Avebury and have a wander… until Richard realised today is the Spring Equinox and therefore Wiltshire, Glastonbury and Avebury would likely be awash with people, which we’re not fans of! So, instead we popped off to Kew Gardens. The sun shone, and it was warm… and of course, that meant there were rather a lot of people - and especially those who seem to want to visit a fabulously peace-filled outside space on a glorious day and chat loudly about everything apart from the place they’re visiting, or those that call someone to speak loudly on their phone, with the speaker on so that all can hear both sides of the conversation… I guess it’s best to not say what I’d do to these people if it was legal! Have I mentioned we’re not fans of places awash with people! After we'd started on a path to our Kew quiet places - where few people go, apart from those who know - the people thinned out and the joy of Kew Gardens lay before us, with its open spaces and tranquil peace (despite the often regularity of planes flying over on the landing path to Heathrow!). The light was that light that shows everything to its best, the fresh spring greens were jumping out, daisies were quietly dancing in the wide stretches of mown grass, and the sky was that bright wholesome blue that lends a backdrop to a spectacular view. It was whilst we were at the southern head of Kew’s lake that I saw the view above, and thought of mum, and smiled. Mum was always a fan of trees, and woods in particular. She’d love to spend time out in nature, with dad, walking wooded walkways at Pleinmont, watching the sea glistening in sunshine or subdued by grey cloud through the needles of the pines trees she sheltered under at Albecq, and walking down the giant avenues of oaks and firs and pines and redwoods that add such grandeur here at Kew Gardens. In her later years, it wasn't possible for her to get out and visit woods, or many trees; the mobility and accessibility just wasn’t there. So, she’d sit in her chair at the window of her room of the care home where she spent her last year and a half, and watch the trees up the driveway blowing in the wind or just grandly standing there. These trees were mentioned during every call we had. “Oh, it's really windy today and the trees are really blowing”, or “Oh, there's hardly any wind, not even a breeze and the trees are as still as soldiers on guard”, or, “It rained before, and the trees are now glistening in the sun”, or very occasionally “oh, it’s so foggy today I can’t even see the trees. I hope they’re OK”. This tiny view of three willowy firs sustained mum's love of trees through till the day she died. A view like this above, of grass and trees and the bright blue sky would just lift mum's heart, just as it did for me standing amidst the daisies on this glorious Spring Equinox. We carried on wandering… eventually sitting down near Queen Charlotte's Cottage, where she used to picnic and have Afternoon Tea. We had our own sustenance of rice crackers with yeast extract and a thin sliver of cheese, and a cup of tea, black with a little honey - the way Richard likes it. After restoring ourselves, we carried on walking, losing time and getting back to Fenella almost three hours after we'd left her - she didn’t mind, and was herself warm and snugly to get back into. In the afternoon, with the warmth continuing, I needed to get to the plot and water the broad beans that are hardening off on an outside bench. They're growing pretty well, so the compost needs to be kept moist; I really don't want them being stressed at any point during their growing period, if I can help it. There’s also a few other things to water, and I notice a little bit more germination in our Portuguese cabbage cross. Happy Days! A Chilli Concoction Supper is a chilli concoction - we’ve leftover veggie Shepherd's pie mix, sans potato. In a saucepan add a rounded tablespoon of miso paste, two rounded teaspoons of cocoa powder (or four small square blocks from a bar of dark chocolate), two rounded teaspoons of ground cumin, a flat teaspoon of ground coriander, a level tablespoon of dried coriander leaf, and half a teaspoon of chipotle paste (use more if you prefer your chilli with more heat) - give this all a good mix. Then add a tin of chilli beans (including the sauce, do not drain) and a drained tin of kidney beans. Slowly bring this to a simmer, stirring regularly - be careful as the mixture is thick and gloopy and could splatter. With a lid on, let simmer on a low heat until all is fully heated through. Serve with rice, or pitta, pasta, poppadoms, tortilla chips, bread or whatever your choice of starch is. A bit of grated cheese always hits the spot. Weather: Very sunny and warm - hitting 19° and likely to just nudge below 10° overnight. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, prunes and sliced banana Lunch: Butterbean Squish Wraps (butter beans, miso, red onion, celery, mayo, yeast flakes, soy sauce) in Lidl wraps. Supper: Chilli Concoction - remaining mix from Richard’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with added spices and beans. Had with brown rice cooked in the Instant Pot.
6 Comments
 13 March 2025 (Thursday)
Today we’re off to see Vivi - Yay! We’ve not been together for months, so I was really looking forward to today. We were up early, and I needed to pop to the plot to check on the seedlings in the greenhouse and poly to see if they needed water, which the broad beans definitely did! They are looking very healthy, though they would have been in need of water by the end of the day if I had not gone down. Richard’s not fond of driving in the dark, preferring not to, so I drive at night. If one of us drives one way, the other will drive the other, and if we’re on a long drive we’ll swap around halfway, or more regularly if needed. So, this morning it was Richard who had the straw to drive over to Vivi, as it’s likely we’ll be there until after sunset, chatting, laughing, eating, more laughing, more chatting… So in the car we got, aiming to leave within a half-hour period rather than by a particular time. Richard driving… and what a drive it turned out to be! It seemed that the road work managers of the boroughs and areas of Ealing, Chiswick, Hammersmith & Fulham, Chelsea, Battersea and Wandsworth had all got together and decided what roadworks to implement consecutively to create the most disruption to those travelling through West London… not until we were past Battersea did the incessant roadworks let up. It was just one of those days… sometimes on a bank holiday the drive there can take an hour, though on most occasions, like today, the drive was nearer two… hey ho! We had a fab day - catching up, hugs, food, lots of tea, chatter, laughter, trips to the loo (individually, not collectively like the road works managers!). And a delicious lunch of a mildly spiced Chickpea and Cashew Curry with brown rice (cooked, not dried!) - recipe to come! Utterly delicious! We left Vivi’s cottage in the sky after the sun had set, walking down her busy High Street and to our car parked a few minutes away on a side road. And the drive home - much quicker, as it usually is at that time. We hit roadworks on the way back at only one point, thankfully. After a cuppa and a little telly, it was time to get to bed, have a quick read of my book (Martin Walker’s The Dordogne Mysteries - a gift of the first eight or ten books in the series gifted by our neighbour of last Saturday evening) and time for lights off and to sleep… Happy Days! Weather: Cold again, and a little wet. Through the day the sun shone and hid… off and on until it set. Breakfast: Bran sticks, yogurt, sultanas and sliced banana Lunch: Vivi's Chickpea & Cashew Curry with brown rice Supper: Artisan Loaf with stilton and camembert and Richard’s Oat Crackers.  10 February 2025 (Monday) What an appalling night's sleep I had… I was woken around 2am by noise in the street and didn't really get back to slumber time until after I’d heard five bongs of our chiming clock, and as I was to be driving down to the Great Green Barn for an important styled sustainable weddings photo shoot and would be leaving home by 7am… when the alarm went off in time for me to hear six bongs I really hadn't had enough sleep for the day. However, I had to get up, get ready and get on with the day. The drive went OK. I listened to the Today programme on Radio 4 and how one bishop is being thoroughly open in her belief that another bishop who’s about to be anointed as the new Archbishop of Canterbury is, in her opinion, unfit and unwelcome in the job. Just like the last archbishop, he appears to have a history of burying certain unpleasant happenings under the carpet. I was somewhat surprised when another bishop, who was interviewed later in the program and I'm sure we’d all expect to have Christian leanings, commented that the dissenting bishop is no longer a friend of his.... He didn't say this in so many words, though he did say that he hoped they’d be friends again one day, which for me is the same thing. Christianity, as most organised religions, is something which I don't understand nor adhere to. Fortunately, I can be kind, thoughtful, understanding, forgiving and generous without a doctrine, I just needed my parents to bring me up right, which they did! So, back to the drive… It was pretty easy, though as per usual there was a delay getting off the M25 at the Wisley junction (Nightmare Junction it should be renamed!), further delays going through Guildford as there was a set of temporary lights at roadworks where no-one (except lots of drivers and passengers) was to be seen, and I didn't get to the Great Green Barn until just after 9am… yet another two hour drive, and I am so thankful for Radio 4! As I got near the end of Upper House Lane, turned in on the right and parked up on the shingled side courtyard between Small Barn (where Vanessa currently lives) and the Great Green Barn I noticed through the vast glass doors that there were already sundry people in the body of the barn. I’d meet them all soon enough, though first, and most importantly, I went into Vanessa's to make myself a cup of tea; there was no way I was going to carry on with my work work day without at least another modicum of tea inside of me. The day continued swiftly, with lots of introductions as I entered the barn and as others arrived… Zoe Mills, our calm and hugely talented photographer who I already knew as she’s done various shoots for us before (including last year’s Winter Wassail where she took my favourite photo in the barn so far - today may likely change that!). There was also Helen who’s the most delightful celebrant, person and terrific organiser, Claire of Plant Passion doing amazing seasonal flower displays and bouquets including beautiful, delicate hellebores, Claudia of Green Box Bakery with that delicious cake (!), Tanya of TH Design Studios who creates the most amazing and intricate bespoke stationery, Mel and Tracey doing fabulous hair and makeup to make our models even more gorgeous and handsome than they already are… and lastly, though by no means least the said gorgeous and handsome models Danielle of Blooming Love Stories, Sarah of Beyond the Brief, and Eres of Atlantean Life. It became clear I was amidst a bunch of true professionals in their fields, each knowing what was needed for them and for all, and how to get it!  Of course, at a photoshoot there’s always a need for hires and props, so as well as the vast amount of items Vanessa has to hand, and elements brought by those taking part today, we had some hires from AB Event Hire in Woking, bridal dresses from Catherine’s Bridal in Horsham, a light and floating dip dye evening gown (shown above) from Lucy Can’t Dance, and a fabulous suit from Dapper in Dorking. Oh, and there were a few cocktails from Mandira’s Kitchen of Guildford, just to set the scene! Now, having worked in theatre and events for many, many years I’ve run many photo shoots in my time; Cliff Richard and Helen Hobson in a studio near Angel (Islington) for the main graphics for Heathcliff the Musical, and an immediate post-Atlantic flight shoot for Lynn Redgrave in Shakespeare for My Father at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, to pre-production studio shoots of quickly costumed actors for publicity images used to promote a show for months or more prior to rehearsals even starting; and then of course the many, many production shoots on theater stages around the country, and on Broadway, running three or four scenes from myriad productions several times for photographers from the main national and regional press to either publicise the show prior to opening or sit alongside reviews following Press Night. As an organiser, it's not something that’s particularly easy, though at the same time it's not rocket science! The most important thing is to know what the right shots are that you need, and ensure they are got… and when you’re working with professionals, well, the job is much easier. So, the good thing about today is having so many professionals in their individual fields knowing what is needed, especially with sustainable weddings which will be the only weddings allowed at the Great Green Barn. You see, I’m not a regular wedding attendee, so I was very glad others knew what today’s style choices and arrangements for weddings are, and for the Gen Z brigade in particular (sweetheart tables… who knew?). I was delighted that with so much knowledge and talent in the barn, others took charge and got from the long day all that was needed; it was to be a micro shoot, giving a taste of all that these amazing sustainable suppliers have to offer, and of course the backdrop of it all were the walls, and the floor and the ceiling and the ambiance of the Great Green Barn. So, once all the shots and setups were agreed, I got on with my day and kept on dipping in and out whilst sorting out all the other jobs I needed to do. Vanessa was on hand in the barn should anything be needed, and with a few members of her team and me popping in and out the day went incredibly well, albeit being rather tiring for some. So, I got on with the many other jobs I needed to do whilst I was down at For Earth’s Sake and the Great Green Barn: changing prices on the scales and on the till to ensure that we sell products at more than we buy them for; working alongside Vanessa's new personal assistant who started in the role a few weeks ago, showing her the ropes on a number of regular tasks that are really in my wheelhouse of teaching; ensuring that we processed through an order with Suma so that we had the right amount of goods on the shelves to be able to sell to our customers once shop opened on the Wednesday; informing people about the local village shopping hubs that we’d be collecting empty shopping bags from on the Wednesday to deliver back full shopping bags on Thursday; plus a host of other minor jobs that are best sorted on site rather than at my desk. And so the day wore on… As the light began to fade in the late and the shots required were all ticked off, people began to collect the tools of their trades, and props and returns and wend their ways home. Vanessa, Zoe and I sat down for a quick debrief and had some tea and warm scones (there had been an Afternoon Tea micro-shoot, so of course we needed the goodies for that which came from the lovely Ellie of Figs Bakery who supplies these for the monthly afternoon teas in the Great Green Barn). All in all a great day! The drive home was not too bad, and by 7.30 I came through our front door to a heavenly smell… Richard had made a vegan Lasagne, and god it was rather fabulous… and leftovers for tomorrow!!!  Weather: Wet… and cold - both in London and Shamley Green.
Breakfast: Bran Sticks, yogurt, oat milk, and a few freeze-dried pineapple pieces Lunch: Half a round of cheese sandwiches and two scones with butter (photoshoot food!) Supper: Vegan Lasagne ( ie, no cheese!) - made by Richard and bloody delicious!  6 February (Thursday)
The day started as well as forecast, maybe with a harder frost than I’d expected, and as we were on a mission (well, doing something at a definite time!) we were both up earlyish. You see, Richard had booked a time slot for us to visit Kew Gardens’ Orchid Festival; a members’ timeslot of 10am, though Richard had read an advisement to ensure arrival ten minutes prior AT the Princess of Wales Conservatory, which itself is a decent walk from any of Kew’s public entrances. Now, as per our usual routine we’d be parking Fenella at the Brentford Gate entrance which I was sure didn’t open before 10am; Richard, somewhat understandably, was positive there wouldn’t be advice to arrive early if it wasn’t required, so off we went… to find Brentford Gate didn’t open prior to 10am. Anyway, ‘rules is rules’ and I’m all in favour of that, so after an ‘on time’ opening and a quick trot along pathways, at 10.08am we got to the PoWC where the Orchid Festival is held each year. By the time we got to the festival’s entrance a shortish queue had already developed, which of course we joined at the end, about fifteen members back, thankfully soon moving our way along as the line was swiftly scanned in to the event one by one; though not before a requisite security bag check which itself seemed to be over before it had begun, which is a good thing in one way, though very much not in another! Now, when it comes to orchids I'm a bit of a “pretty colours, and?” type of guy. I appreciate the colour and the beauty and the bottony, though they don't really do it for me. I'm not quite sure why this is. For sure some I find a bit too blousy and show off, but of course that's what they do do and what many people love them for. Others, which I seem to like a little more, are much less “look at me” and far more subtle in their visual gifting. However, seeing the happy faces of thronging people there's no doubt about it, the Orchid Festival is popular and a much anticipated and enjoyed event in Kew’s calendar, and my feelings on these colourful gems of petals and foliage from far flung continents are in the minority. When we came out after about an hour of wandering the prescribed route, I noticed the queue was sizable and ever growing. I wondered what they’d all make of it. Most, I was sure, would love it. For me? To be honest I’d been more intrigued by the size of some leaves of other tropical plants housed in the same glasshouse, and the sheer spikiness of the myriad cacti rather than the orchids themselves. Each to their own, which again is fine by me! Now, when we went to Kew a few weeks back it was for the astounding Expressions in Blue exhibition of the work of Felicity Aylieff, monumentally large hand-crafted porcelain pieces which in some cases are twice my height or more. The day was quiet and grey and damp, the preciousness of the finely shaped fired pottery bringing a veritable shine to our visit… and then of course the walking and ambling and watching and looking which all brought a calm, relaxing and restorative healing. Today, it was somewhat different… everything seemed vibrant and pacey and moving with many people enjoying the various elements Kew Gardens always has to offer, and those regular and irregular events that are extras and the more precious for it… like the Orchid Festival. So, leaving the growing queue well behind and wandering on our way it seemed the entire gardens was awash with visitors, them bustling about the paths and glasshouses in many groups of ones and twos and threes and fours and larger… a gaggle of school girls (is that the collective noun?) mobiles in hand completing their tasks sheets by taking photos of plants whose shape from this angle or that resembled letters of the alphabet; laughter from an Italian couple chattering away unaware as they stylishly walked tarmacadam paths as if on the runway of a Milan fashion show; a Japanese tourist TikTok’ing her way from the dragon encrusted pagoda to the snakelike Sackler crossing; and an elderly couple all bent around and swaddled in wool holding each other physically, emotionally and lovingly. The entirety of the gardens felt alive and appreciated, and that can only be a good thing. And of course, unless you're a member you have to pay not only the usual entrance fee to Kew Gardens itself but also for the Orchid Festival on top, so it's a good money earner too. Weather: Gorgeous start to the day, sunny and blue sky. Around 9°, feeling cooler when not in the sun. The afternoon got a tad greyer. Breakfast: Bran Sticks, yogurt, oat milk, a few freeze-dried strawberries Lunch: Lidl Minestrone Soup, Rice Cakes (two leftover from our walk as a sandwich of yeast extract), Hummus, Carrot Batons Supper: Butterbean, Caramelised Red Onion & Carrot Stew, Baked Potato, Braised Red Cabbage (recipes will be another day…) |
Paul SavidentFollowing on from A Guernsey Gardener in London, I've decided to try and write a regular blog, and we'll see how it AND 2025 go! Archives
March 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed