Wordless Wednesday: Our enterprising sheep that don't like the rain

Summing up Sunday 25th

A busy week full of autumnal events.

It always seems odd that the mulberry is the last to get leaves and the first to loose them and it's no different this year. The  shower of yellow dinner plate sized leaves has been going on for a week or so and without a frost and an avalanche of leaves  the steady trickle will continue. Joyce visited to swing whilst J did the sweeping up...

The biggest event of the week was the arrival of Jacob, a visiting shetland ram, last weekend. He's gradually been accepted by our rather flighty group of girls. Initially Cleo and Bunty bossed him about but they are now being a little more accepting of him and he's showing the right kind of interest in them, so we hope for the patter of tiny feet at Easter. However, he seems to be encouraging bad behaviour, and on the  first very rainy autumnal day they wickedly knocked down the mollytunnel defences and ate through the plastic to get into a nice dry space with hay!

The second autumnal event was an amazing apple day in cambridge botanic gardens visited by a and t . We went in with a mission to try and identify some varieties for the end of our field and found 7 great ones to bring home to the south west for a bit more of a trial. We realise we are going to have to do a bit more of a search in South west pomonas ( fruit encyclopaedias for areas ...) but it was a good start.

Autumnal event number 3 is the start of the grand pickle and chutney preserving which starts now and will go on, traditionally in this house anyway, to Boxing Day when the final pumpkin will be pickled. T in cambridge has been making quince cheese and setting it in lovely containers with wax seals, and here we have been using up all the green tomatoes in chutney before blight takes them over. 

Wordless Wednesday October 21st: At The Whistle Stop Cafe?

Summing Up Sunday 18th October

What's been happening at 2CC this week?

BIG EVENT OF THE WEEK

Jacob, our stud ram, has arrived! He comes from Shepton Mallet and is staying for six weeks (which is two cycles for the rams). He's only five months old, so we'll see how he gets on. (Best quote: 'he has some very large, er, apparatus at the back!' - E)

Here's where he came from:

Two lovely sheep-y women asked lots of proper questions about pedigrees etc. which made A and J realise they never got our flock's in the first place. Oops. Jacob's paternal side are all named after people from the bible (Jacob), and his maternal side are all named for foodstuff. (Jacob's Cream Crackers)

The ladies are getting used to him, and he ate from the trough with them for the first time this afternoon.

What else?

• A and J went to a salsa party which involved a lesson followed by a party. Sounded like it was fun!
• Reading - J on 'The Gracekeepers', A reading poetry, E moving between 'The Virgin Suicides', 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe', and Michael Morpurgo's 'War Horse.' Good feedback all round!
• Disappointment at the Man Booker announcement; E must have missed something. Have to admit, it's still not that enticing to get through that many pages for something that sounds intrinsically nasty...
• Popoki is growing! She's not really a kitten any more, more like a small-cat. Spayed and microchipped on Monday! (You wouldn't have known she'd been under a GA, starting from Monday afternoon, she has been the most manic we've ever seen her!)
• A brief felting 'workshop' with a neighbour that wasn't entirely successful... At least A managed to get something presentable! The herd wick's fleece didn't felt easily at all, as we had been promised. And alpaca wool definitely needs quite a lot of sheep's wool with it to get the lanolin. Oh well, it's a learning process.
• A and J went garden centre-ing (along with grocery shopping) and got some colour for the winter months ahead - wall flowers, cyclamen, pansies and pinks.
• E finished stitching together her wooly project, so just a border to go. Watch this space...

5/15 on The Guardian Quiz. A mediocre score. We should have stuck with our first thought - the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Master of the Mint!

Happy Sunday!

Wordless Wednesday 14th October: Shepherd's Delight

Man Booker 2015

This is Us reading The Man Booker 2015.

...

Not really that impressed with the six finalists, if we're honest, and we didn't manage to read all of them, even between all of us. Anyway, here they are:

A Brief History of Seven Killings: well, E tried this one for 50 pages (as said before) and couldn't continue. The pidgin or Patois dialect was too difficult to decipher, and the characters were too extensive - even in 50 pages! Apparently, we're introduced to 75 different characters within the first 50-100 pages, so at least I doesn't feel quite so stupid! Still, obviously missing something here, as there must be something good in it for the nomination!

Satin Island: A tried it, and it was basically unintelligible. Another non starter.

The Fishermen:

The Year of the Runaways: E has read it, and A is partway through. Pretty good novel - darting between three men emigrated from India, and one woman, and their struggles there, and their pasts trials before moving. Quite a heavy read, but ultimately pretty good. Would have been more enjoyable with more of their lives in Britain, as it felt more interesting, but there needs to be a balance. A fairly good read.

A Spool of Blue Thread: as said before, a fantastic read. Just wonderful. In good hands from the offing. Recommend to anyone. However, it won't win as the judges look for something ground breaking and innovative in terms of structure or point-of-view etc, and this isn't it. What happened to just a Good Read? All the other titles are pretty horrific in their own ways and this isn't but was so compelling, and there's only so many awful things one can read. The world itself is bad enough.

A Little Life: E read this (not so little at 720 pages) one. Well, it is fantastically written, there's no doubt about it. You are completely inside the characters' (one in particular) heads, and feel with them. It's deftly constructed, has believable characters and a compelling storyline.

But.

I would not recommend this to anyone. Anyone. If you suffer/have suffered with any of the myriad difficulties explored, it is triggering, and a nightmare to read. Literally: I am dreaming about it. 'Impossible to put down... and impossible to forget...' I guess I agree with this review, but please don't read it. Apparently I was advised not to read it, but I only had this communicated to me two thirds of the way through the novel. I would have heeded the advice, and I pass it on wholeheartedly. Please don't read it.

Hanya Yanagihara (A Little Life) is predicted to win, according to 'The Bookies.' I hope it doesn't. I don't want anyone else to be exposed to it.

But we shall see!

Summing up Sunday 11th October 2015

Main event of the week: The Lottie Project (see earlier post) which raised £145! (yay!)

CB: E has finished sewing in ends!

A and E went to the North Somerset Butterfly House, amazingly warm and very beautiful butterflies. One landed and travelled on E for most of the way around.

A finished and sent an amazingly odd sewing stand for k s birthday - devilishly hard to make as I couldn't get my head around the 3d nature of the whole thing and right up to the very last minute I wasn't sure it would actually work.

A went out to Hugh F-W's Canteen in Bristol for a surprise birthday lunch for d, a very old friend indeed. It's interesting how friendships last phases of life and our lives do seem to have quietly woven in and around each other's careers,families and book-reading.

J cut wood until the chainsaw gave out,

J and E are currently watching a very amusing Noel Coward farce "Relative Values".

There was an incredible sunset this evening, one would have thought it an improbable backdrop if seen in a film.

Bananagrams of the week: squally, extant, fatwa, cleat, dally, agony.

Terrible Guardian Quiz - can't even remember!

The Lottie Project

I know 'The Lottie Project' is a (very good) book by Jacqueline Wilson, but this was something different. Some of our friend's own an allotment that allows people with mental health problems to access growing and the outdoors. Recently, they've got planning permission to have a polytunnel - hurray!

So, to buy the polytunnel they need to raise a bit of money - what better way than a garden sale? In true lucky-British fashion, the weather was be-a-utiful yesterday, which was such a relief (there wasn't really a contingency plan for rain...) And it was a great turnout, despite our worries.

Look how many people came

The allotment was bedecked in finery with beautiful bunting.

And all the things for sale... Wow! So many generous people. One very generous person (who isn't even involved in the organisation) donated a huge amount of cakes. Thank you so much! We were all very, very touched by the magnanimous gift. She must've been baking all day!

Coffee and walnut cake. There were also FOUR lemon drizzle cakes, and a huge batch each of almond and cherry, and chocolate sour cream muffins! Wow! Thank you so much.

MJ (whose sale it was) planted out some wonderful wellies! It's cat grass in the Hello Kitty Boots.

She also made the lovely herb garden markers. Other things on the table: A and E's seed packets (saved from the garden), MJ's tea light holders, A's lovely willow bird feeders, and some stones painted by people from 4 in 1, a mental health charity.

Our painted charm stones...

Pickles and relishes...

Pickled eggs, beetroot and onion relish, and marmalade.

Teasels transplanted from the garden...

And my lovely (if I do say so myself) bee and ladybird noughts and crosses boards. Four of them all sold! The stones were collected from Clevedon beech, painted in acrylics, varnished, wood chain-sawed by Joe, then varnished, and then the willow grid marked out.

And here's a glimpse of MJ with her stall.

Really successful sale, and fingers crossed enough has been raised! Watch this space.

Wordless Wednesday 7th October: Sheep contemplating standpipe prepared for frost

Summing up Sunday 5th October

What we've been up to: 

First ever pub quiz for the Blaxter Tristrams - 66/100 for J and E's team, and 71/100 for A on a rather odd rival team... Think we came about 8th or 9th. Not our finest hour, but we knew some odd ones - for some bizarre reason E knows the real first name of Tyger Woods! 

First and last visit to Chew Valley Sailing club. Sadly not enough wind to do anything at all. There has been mention of an extra session next week to make up for the disappointment, so watch this space...

Last of the courgettes picked, garden going over. Apples dropping like crazy. Still rudbeckia and sunflowers going strong.

First week of term for A, first lecture to the new first years. Busy times.

First (of hopefully two!) celebrations for Hugo round the corner. Small boys, pizza, cake and sparklers. Lots of laughs.

Last week of the garden blog without Orchard S, as she has returned from her European travels. Two beautiful little needle felted presents of a sweet bunny rabbit and some acorns.

Last vaccine for little Popoki... After spaying, she'll be allowed out into the wide world. Scary stuff! The cats are all beginning to get along a bit better though, long may it continue.

Last (almost!) ends sewn in of a wooly something being completed (it will be done, it will be done!)...

First visit to local Yeo Valley Farm - beautiful sunshine and beautiful prairie style planting in the garden bit. When enough Yeokens have been collected, a trip to their canteen will be in order!

First prize for the lowest score in the Guardian Quiz - a spectacular one, with the only correct answer by J about the safety lamp being invented Humphrey Davie. 

First go at getting Glastonbury tickets for J - no luck at all, didn't even manage to get onto the site. Still, there's the resales later...

Wordless Wednesday 30th September: Glass Moon

Summing Up Sunday 27th September

Autumn is definitely coming. But let's all celebrate with this last bit of extended sun - hurrah! It's so nice that it's sometimes difficult to get anything done, as the outside just calls to you...

A bits and bobs sort of week. J and A out to WWW Walkers on the Sunday - making the most of this glorious Indian summer we're having. A and E with support MJ went out to Clevedon beach on Saturday morning to collect... pebbles! (There is some sense to this, I promise!)

M2 is having a sale in order to get money for a polytunnel at the shared allotment, after finally getting planning permission. So money must be raised... There's a sale on the allotment on 8th October (scary how quickly October is coming!) and there's been a little flurry of activity over things to make. Here's a little preview...

Popoki's still growing, and the adult cats are gradually getting used to her. She still likes to clamber all over them and try to play when they just want some peace, but we're hoping she'll learn... (She hasn't so far - poor Kosh is pretty clear that she doesn't want to play (hissing, growling) and the little one comes back for more! I would've thought she'd realise by now what they're saying, but there seems to be some sort of communication error...)

Other than that, life as normal. Books to be read - we've got the whole of The Man Booker prize on order, although I don't know if any of us will be able to stomach 'A Brief History of Seven Killings.' We'll give the others a go before the October announcement.

26 books - well, we're really not doing well with that challenge. See what we can do. Even if it ends up being 10 books, then that's better than nothing!

BOOK TOUR: Milan by Simi K. Rao

‘Behind the scenes at an Indian Wedding’

Indians in general are deeply rooted in tradition. Our culture gives us our identity. Most of us (especially those living away from the homeland) cling to it, even though several aspects in these particularly modern times, make no sense at all. Why do we do so? Perhaps because it brings us together as a community and provides us comfort in a foreign environment. The same I think applies to immigrants from all over the globe.

Marriages in India, in particular Hindu marriages are long drawn intricate affairs fraught with age old tradition. Little has changed over the centuries except for certain embellishments due to modernization. To non-Indians these ceremonies appear just that—elaborate colorful rituals flavored with plenty of pomp and show.

In the following story I take my readers on a ‘behind the scenes' tour at a traditional Indian wedding. I’ve tried to illustrate the proceedings from engagement to the wedding ceremony with “generalized” Indians---my characters, and have also made an attempt to expound on the emotional upheavals that occur in the background and often aren’t spoken out loud. Milan is more of a ‘short story’ concept where it shows the before/during and after of an event than it is a ‘long novel’ about characters with hopes and dreams and goals. And its purpose is exactly that, to show the emotions Indian couples go through during the process of a wedding. This story may help the reader get a better insight into the culture of marriage in India.

The Setting of MILAN:

Whenever I travel back to my homeland, I prepare for a culture shock. The crowds, the noise, the pollution have all increased several fold as the country races forward at breakneck speed to catch up with the rest of the world. There are very places left where it still seems like life goes on as it did a few decades ago, where people are laid back and nature is not at war with mankind.

MILAN is set in one such place; Coonoor-- a hill town located in the Nilgiri Hills, about 56 kms from the Coimbatore Airport, in the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is part way from its more well-known cousin Ooty. I spent some time there during my last trip and was so enchanted that I chose to use it as a setting for my story. Known for its tea plantations, Coonoor is a lovely, rustic little town. With its abundance of greenery and quaint architecture it is a throwback to India as it used to be. The temperate climate and serene environment help the restless soul to relax and take a few breaths of peace. When you are there, don't forget to take a ride on the Nilgiris meter gauge train, as well as a personalized tour of the tea estates.

I want to thank Debdatta for giving me this opportunity to express myself and for hosting this blog tour. I also want to thank all the bloggers who are participating in this tour and have made space for my book on their blog. Your time and generosity is much appreciated.

Please visit my website http://simikrao.com/ for more info on me and my work. You can also connect with me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/simikrao and twitter https://twitter.com/simikrao

Happy Reading!

Simi K. Rao

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Hope you enjoyed hearing from the author - let's support smaller authors!

See you Sunday! E xx

Wordless Wednesday 23rd September: End of Summer

Summing up Sunday 20th September

Not so good weather this week, sadly. A lot of rain, and a lot of fog. Still, we've had some wonderful evenings making the most of the last sun.

A has been on her wonderful Shibori dying course - which she talked about here! It's amazing what complicated things you can do with what originally seems like a simple process. And the blue is amazing. Of course.

J has spent the weekend visiting T and H in Cambridge - playing Norwegian Train Game, having breakfast out and visiting museums.

A and E went to visit S's orchard in the mist this morning (S is away all September) and came away with some veggie-ful spoils:

E has done a couple of craft projects: a bag for a 4-year-old just starting school, and a peg bag for M.J. 

Popoki continues to grow! She's got more of a run of the house now, which is good for independence, and the big cats are slowly getting used to her. She doesn't make things easy when she has endless endless energy, and you can almost hear her yowling: play with me play with me play with me! Such a joy to have though.

The Man Booker Shortlist was announced on Tuesday... to much disappointment. Two out of five books were damned by the book group, and one wasn't even read! At least the Anne Tyler made it through. The question now is: are we really going to read them all?

No Guardian Quiz - we forgot! Happy Sunday x

(We really need to get a move on with 26 books. It isn't that we haven't read lots - we have, honest! - it's just coordinating reading books from the right categories at around the same time. Might just have to start posting whenever one of us has read one, time's a ticking!)