Summing up Sunday 13th September

What we've been up to:

• A and E went on a hunt for more materials to weave into baskets from the hedgerows, after a lovely visit from E's 'good-father' and his wife. Both very successful, although A's basket is not quite finished...

• A, E and supporter E went to Cadbury Garden Centre to look at fish for supporter E's new fish tank! Difficult decisions, but a radical rethink from cold to tropical fish! Back to the drawing board with new heater and filter. Had a quick look round the bunnies and squeaky-pigs, but the craft section has gone! Very disappointing.

• Book Club discussing the Man Booker long list! Each person read one book and here are some choice comments.

The Chimes (JT): wonderfully enjoyable read, but possibly annoying if you don't have a background knowledge of musical terminology. Maybe not for the shortlist, as it reads a little like a young adult novel. Recommend to E and A particularly.

A Moor's Account (JC): retold story from a Moroccan slave character's point of view, reminded of 'Testament of Mary' from two years previous shortlist. Pretty good.

A Spool of Blue Thread (ET): regretting having never read Anne Tyler before! Beautifully formed novel, felt in very safe hands from the start. The kind of book where it isn't groundbreaking or dramatic, just an average family life, but you end up reading slowly - not wanting to read the end.

Satin Island (AJ): rather like the cover, this book was less interesting than watching paint dry. Didn't like the characters, plot or anything at all.

Sleeping on Jupiter (DW): set over a very short period of time (almost finished reading!) digging deep into the disparate protagonists. 

The Fishermen (CG): brilliant read, and a debut from a Nigerian author. It should make the short list! 

A Brief History of Seven Killings (ET... well, the first 50 pages): Not brief enough (700+ page book)

A Little Life (CG): found this a slog and too many characters to keep track of...

Did You Ever Have a Family (): 

The Green Road (AC): 

The Illuminations (AB): a good read, though not groundbreaking. The two interwoven stories came together slightly clunkily, and one story was more compelling than the other; maybe the extreme contrast improved it though. A not very believable ending soured the climax.

Lila (RA): hadn't read the two others in the trilogy, although it seemed okay to stand alone; Marianne Robinson is probably more established in the US? Stream of consciousness writing, would rather have had points to stop because you can't say 'I'll stop when I finish the chapter!' But a great read and should make the shortlist! 

The Year of the Runaways (CN): enjoyed, though not finished yet. Sometimes don't want to hear so much about suffering, seemed to be a very 'worthy' book. Seems similar to 'Five Star Billionaire' on the long list two years previously.

• Not one, but two weddings! (or three if you count T and H at another in another part of the country). J and A to cousin J's wedding to T (very relaxed, family affair at a registry office), and E with two supporters (thank you J and M!) to an old school friend's. Very contrasting - church wedding, lovely tipis for the reception (though they didn't go), beautiful decorations, wedding car, amazing dress, the works! Moving ceremony and very grateful to be invited, and able to go.

• The Winscombe Michaelmas Fair! For the first time in a long while, A wasn't there organising on the day! Quite nice to have a break, although she still missed it a bit. E entered photos, flowers and some craft things - and a good haul of certificates back, although disappointed at the photo compilations not being ranked. Still: two firsts, four seconds, one third and one highly commended. Just a shame about the photos.

(Winning collage of the sheep - a bday present for Alison, and each sheep is made from her own wool!)

 

(Losing photos on the theme of texture)

• J stayed overnight in Devon after the wedding, and now A has left for a shibori dyeing course at West Dean until Thursday! Should be good fun.

• 5/15 on Guardian Quiz. Did you know that Princess Anne was the first senior royal to commit a criminal offence? She had dangerous dogs. (We didn't).

Happy Sunday! If you're reading, give us a comment :)

Wordless Wednesday 9th September: The Joys of String

Summing up Sunday 6 September

What a lot has happened this week! Lots of firsts...

The first mega adventure for 2 small boys  involving the storm kettle and a cave for the first time - A borrowed Hijs and Bram for a long afternoon adventure involving the strawberry line and tunnel, a climb through Kings wood, up to wavering and to the secret spot and the hidden cave ( which had bones in - we thought they were bear bones or even zombies but Hugo inspected them on our return and declared them to to be sheep!), boiled the storm kettle and had sausage pot noodles ( Jodie's suggestion) instant tomato soup and chocolate biscuits... We drew pictures and stuck leaves in our adventure books to document all of the bits of the journey and the 4 and 6 year old legs didn't complain once even after several hours...

First ever Ticket to Ride Netherlands with the right pronunciations - Hugo and Natasha our wonderful Dutch neighbours played ticket to ride with us and we learnt how to talk Dutch! We won't remember the pronunciations easily but we had a good go and Natasha won spectacularly.

First family therapy after the summer break - it was good to see Jeremy again after his summer holiday in France, and although we entertained Sue at 2 Coombe cottages with gluten free scones and jam one wet Wednesday afternoon a few weeks ago it did feel like the first real session after a very long time.

The first choir practice - We had the first official practice  after the summer break and our triumphant appearance at Tracey's wedding. This time in st Mary's church and with the big band we are singing with in a few weeks time. It was a big big sound and E had to wear ear plugs to cope with it although she only had a single one with her! It does sound amazing and not like our usual sound so it looks likely will be a great concert (18 sept - church in Whiteladies Road) 

First birthday garden party for a very long time - a return to As birthday format of a 2 Coombe cottage crafty weekend with Heva Tam Molly Belinda Michael and Annie with willow weaving and an outing to the Ethicurean for a fabulously artistic celebration of vegetables meal. 

First basket made by Molly - a triumph!

First glimpse of the sun after a very long month of grey - true to tradition A's birthday is always sunny and the sun definitely appeared. It was glorious. 

Summing Up Sunday 30th August

Another week at 2CC!

In The Garden: last of the cucumbers - but the plant did about nine! Great tomatoes, even though the plants look very sorry for themselves. Gladioli nearly all over, maybe three to still come. Dahlias still strong - beautiful reds, yellows, light pinks, bright pinks and deep purple-y red. Lovely. Sunflowers grow-grow-growing, apart from one that was sadly severed by its own tie. (Note to self: leave even more room for stalks to expand.) Too much rain to have much fun outside, and the garden needs a bit of tidying, but still very productive.

Outings: an exciting week! J went to London (two plays - one mediocre, and one very good), gallery-ing, Mexican food-ing, wandering, reading, looking at the magnificent view from hotel window. A and E to Wells for charity shop clothes, but sadly none found. Then, the unexpected Banksy trip by E, J and C (chum for the afternoon) - so lucky to get in, as we never imagined that we would! Excellent. A more charity shopping on Saturday and struck gold! And A to a lovely outdoor wedding on Saturday afternoon/evening. Packed packed week!!

Purchases: 'fairings' from London (notebook and tea, so very good automatically); two charity shop dresses (A); trowel and hoe set for a £6 bargain in Wells charity shop; then an almost new (second-hand) Settlers of Catan on ebay, but were outbid at the last minute (I think that there's a real knack to ebay); twenty six books bought (... er. Yeah. How did that happen? Oops); new secateurs! (there must be some huge party house in a secret part of the garden where all the old ones live...)

Kitten Updates: still very very sweet! Growing day by day, if everyone is to believed. (Hard to tell when you see her every day.) More confident and spending much more time in the rest of the house - desperate to get around in fact! Contact with the other cats is continuing at a slow pace... no one is that impressed so far, but hissy/spittiness is getting a bit better.

Visitors: twenty-two month A (I made this blanket for her as a tiny thing!) and her mum visited on Friday. A was completely uninterested in Popoki, but she thought the toddler was terrifying! A had friends round for a laugh on Friday night. KH visited E on Tuesday for a lovely craft session.


What a mammoth week! What has everyone else been up to?

Love from 2CC xx

Dismaland

Our friend Banksy has put on a show in an old dilapidated outdoor swimming pool on the beach near us.

Getting tickets is a bit like getting into Glastonbury: as soon as they're released they're gone, so E and J with Charlotte in attendance went along to join a queue on spec. We won! We asked a dismal assistant when we arrived who told us that 300 tickets were about to be released, so go join the crowd. The people around us had come from France, Plymouth and Barnstaple, so our four miles seemed a bit too easy. They had also been waiting four hours when we joined them.

We had been waiting about 15 minutes when a non-dismal Beaches and Events assistant came up the line counting, and stopped about five people behind us, which seemed hopeful. I went to get an ice cream and when I returned, E and C were gone! Moved right forward into the barriered zone in front of the ticket hut. The lovely Beaches and Events opened the barriers and let me through, to the cheers of the rest of the queue. Three pounds later we were in.

The rest is best told in pictures. We went round pretty fast, and could happily have spent twice the 90 minutes we did spend.

Wordless Wednesday 26th August, Today's Installation in the Turbine Hall

Summing Up Sunday, August

Hello! It's been a while, hasn't it? A sort of low level business of summer time is the general sum-up. Here are a few bits and bobs:

We have welcomed: Popoki (Poppet) joined us from Alysun and Tim's house a week ago. She is black and white and now 8 weeks old, and despite a lot of conversations and scent swaps with Kirry and Koshka our resident cats, is a complete surprise and horror to them. She is very sweet and living a life of luxury in E's room whilst she gains confidence and K and K get more used to the idea.

The Garden has been growing: mulberries by the bucketload! Tomatoes (although E managed to snap a brilliant one...) Sweet peas on and on and on - 4 bunches on Friday!

The serpent radishes have finally radished and we had a bowlful of little glistening pods as a salad last night.

Dahlias, sunflowers, rudbekia...

We have had lots of: rain, thunder, lightening, slugs (huge brown and orange ones) :( 

We have made and played: a new fence in the field; a tablet stand and laptop case for T's birthday; an amazing mulberry Bundt cake in a new birthday tin;

several games of scrabble, Bananagram, and  new Ticket to rides (Nordic and Holland). (Banangram best words: philatelist; yodelling; oxidises). 

First game of chess against S that was actually a near win! (E)

We have been reading: 'Dominion' by CJ Sansom (everyone for book group, really compelling); 'The Chimes' (J); 'The Illuminations' (A); lots of YA books (E - Cassie Claire's Mortal Instruments, The Coldest Girl in Cold Town, reread of The Fault of in Stars, The Darkest Part of the Forest, Demon's Lexicon trilogy, I Capture the Castle etc etc)

We have been visited by: lovely S our family therapist to sample our gluten free baking, S and C bearing Sally Lunn Buns from their holiday on Bath, and C to work extremely hard with J in the orchard project and putting up a great fence...

We have been going: up hills in the pouring rain in swimming trunks, coming back wringing socks out (! J and C); round and about the garden and field (all); to poetry group with the theme of 'Food' (J and E, as A wasn't well enough); America, Amsterdam, Exeter (E in book world)...

On the net: brilliant cartoon here based on JK's speech at Yale. Inspiring words beautifully brought to life

Guardian Quiz: 6/15. Did you know that Lennon and McCartney met at a garden fete?

Happy Sunday!

Summing up Sunday August 2nd 2015

The week held:

Kittens, several visits.

Saying Goodbye to Church Road.

Visiting the lovely livestock of Brecon Show.

Canoeing, learning to meditate, taking B and G to Court Farm (A) 

Starting a NetGalley challenge! Very exciting :) 

Wordless Wednesday 29 July 2015: Busy Bee

Wordless Wednesday 22 July

Brimming over...

Summing Up Sunday 19th July 2015

This was a week in which everything GREW: the first sunflowers, the first gladioli, the first tomato and LOTS more currants and gooseberries.

And today was Book Club (Flight Behaviour, Barbara Kingsolver) hosted by our members who have moved to Bath, so it's their turn to host once a year, and we visit for a summertime weekend lunch. 

We harvested the mini carrots and beetroot:

and pickled them:

and added a courgette:

and added vinegar, salt,  honey and fennel seeds:

and then had some of the soft fruit:

The book discussion was good too.

Apart from that, two family visitors over the weekend, lots of time spent in the sun, a private visit around a show garden! (... next door's), and frantic crocheting as one baby came a little earlier than expected!

Happy Sunday.