January Made Me Shiver

How bin ya? (As they say in these parts). Well I wish I could say that I've partied as much as the UK government or experienced as much adrenalin as Prince Andrew in the week since my last blog, but I can't.  The past seven days have bled into each other; a blur of work, eating, screen time, sleep and repeat.  

My sleep has been troubled this week and I've certainly had no need for an alarm call - a woodpecker has ensured that I've been wide awake by 6.30 every morning.  We sleep with the window open most evenings (Lotte's escape route, plus I like fresh air), so this has eased the sonic flow of woodpecker drilling into my ears.  Did you know that woodpeckers drill not just for insects, but to make their nests - essentially hollows in tree trunks?  Even more impressive, when you consider the impact of drilling wood on a Woodpecker's tiny bird skull, is the fact that many of their nests could easily accommodate a duck!

On the subject of birds, Robin's were always referred to as "red breasts" because the first recorded use of the word orange as a colour name in English was not until 1502 in a description of clothing purchased for Margaret Tudor.

I discover all of these little gems during nocturnal reading sessions.  

Winter has really delivered this week and courtesy of sleep deprivation, icy roads and a pressing deadline, I haven't gone far.  These photos were taken around 10 paces from our front door earlier in the week. 

I have also grappled with a rather weighty issue - my hair.  It probably needs a trim, but the length is giving me more versatility to try out new styles, like this twenties hairstyle (inspired by the forthcoming Peaky Blinders series and my love of the era's fashion), involving Dutch braids, a small plaited bun and multiple hair partings.

There!  Apart from my scruffs and the unglamorous bathroom selfies, I'm all ready for the new roaring twenties.

This week's additional screen time has largely been devoted to completing the script I've been working on.  

Last year I made a promise to myself to submit it to the annual BBC Writer's Room Open Call.  It's really been more of a challenge to myself; a case of "I've started, so I'll finish", rather than being borne out of any expectation of being identified as the next Jed Mercurio.  However, when I realised on the morning of yesterday's midday deadline that our internet was down, I confess to almost having a little cry.  A screenwriter on Twitter attempted to come to my aid, but fortunately, my prayers to the cyber gods were answered and at precisely 11.58 am I hit the SUBMIT button, spotted the acknowledgment drop into our inbox and promptly headed out into the mist of the National Trust managed Kinver Edge.  Talk about flying by the seat of your pants!

Thursday was quite simply magical.  The beguiling partnership of a hoar frost and rolling mist set the scene first thing, but unusually the mist didn't dissipate as the day worn on.  Instead, the sun broke through in spectacular style, sending sun beams from the heavens and shards of light in amongst the trees....

picking out pathways, foliage and spider's webs...

 ...and making it very difficult at times to distinguish tree trunks from shadows.  

We were so in awe of the ever changing landscape, 

that we spent around two hours soaking it all in and chatting with other walkers and photographers, marvelling at the vista,

until sunset.

And so, to this morning, 14th January, the day of my birthday and yet another wintry wonderland awaits...and a Covid positive test result for our son (but let's not dwell on the C word).  Here are a couple of shots from our glistening garden.  

It's also Dave Grohl's Birthday (Happy Birthday Dave!  I know you'll be reading) and  National Dress Up Your Pet Day.  I don't fancy my chances of separating Lotte from her pizza box, do you?

On this day in 1514, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull against slavery  and in 1978, the Sex Pistols performed their final show at Winterland, San Francisco.

And there ends the history lesson.

Hand on heart, I am really loving this season, but that's not to say I'm not looking forward.  Finally and tentatively, I feel like making plans in 2022 and the first date on the calendar so far this year is in May, the day I plan to run away with the circus - Giffords Circus to be precise.  It's an enchanting, nostalgia-steeped village green summer circus with a supermodel and rock star fan base.  We went a number of years ago and I've been desperate to return ever since.  This year, Vix and Jon will be joining us.  

Tickets aren't cheap, but they are worth every penny.  So if you find yourselves in the Cotswolds area from April to September, grab a ticket while you still can.  Here's the link   Giffords Circus | Experience the magic of Giffords Circus and brilliant artwork courtesy of Joseph Avery.

Hope you've had a good week.  See you soon!

Midsummer Magners

I'm going to start this blog post with the question on everyone's lips:  Where did summer go?  First Freedom Day is snatched from under our feet and now someone's turned the heating off.   

Here's me, getting ready for another Friday night in and planning what to wear for a weekend's outdoor trading with an ever changing forecast ranging from biblical to middling.

Yes, last weekend we were trading at the Mid Summer Mini & VW Bus Meet in our home town.  Naturally, the clouds gathered and the gods of wind got busy.  Mercifully, we had decided on a low key set up, treating the event as more of a PR occasion and deliberately selecting a few key items to add to our display.

People were desperate for human contact and there was a good turnout of campers on Saturday night.  Thankfully the sun made an appearance later in the day to greet them.  Soon, there was the sound of music (not the soprano nun type of music) and eau d'BBQ permeating the air.  Cider was consumed.  It was almost like old times.  Visitors were requested to take a lateral flow test prior to arrival, although, I was disappointed to discover that some elected not to.  This was particularly galling when you consider that some traders were so keen to do the right thing, that they had paid to take the gold star PCR test.  

I have to say I think the entire system is fundamentally flawed.  After getting used to twice weekly tests by virtue of being parents of a school age student, it seems ridiculous to me that to record the results of a test, you simply have to scan the QR code.  This does not provide evidence of a positive or negative result - that bit is down to the honesty of the individual recording it.  Am I alone in thinking that it's likely that there will be a large percentage of people wishing to cram into large events who might be tempted to report a negative test even if they are positive - particularly if they are symptom-free?  Maybe I'm a suspicious so and so, but judging by some of the conversations I overheard at the weekend, I'm genuinely worried at the level of resistance to vaccinations and continuing conspiracy theories.

 

Anyway, as promised, here are some photos of the classic Minis and VW buses that graced us with their presence.

Mini owners tend to lavish time and attention on their vehicles and the cars are usually in mint condition.  This one has been subject to the same level of care, but we loved the owners' bravery in embracing a slightly more "ratty" look, giving the Mini heaps of character.  We were thrilled to spot one of our logo stickers in the rear window.

This Beatles inspired Mini caught my eye with its Sgt Pepper roof rack.

Here's Hetty's owner huddled beneath the car's blanket in Sunday's Autumnal temperatures.

I have no idea what this is, but it was attracting plenty of attention.

I loved the little tea tray set up inside this Mini van.                        

Mr Bean was Covid compliant.

Spotted - a BMX enthusiast sporting one of our hoodies.

Pretty Minis all in a row.

And finally, my favourites - the seniors, aka VW split screens - living the dream.

Eventually I did get a little distracted by the poppies growing next to the spectator stand (the show's setting was the local Football/Rugby Club).

Incidentally, here's our lone poppy - delivered by the birds no doubt - and springing up in a crack between the stepping stones at the side of our house.

Ultimately the show was a success.  We sold well and my photos were shared by the British Mini Club.

In other news, I have discovered a way to make my morning coffee more exciting - a life hack of sorts.  I have been dairy free for a few years now and Alpro have introduced a new Barista soya milk, said to froth really well.  Sadly I don't have a posh coffee machine (I try to limit my intake of coffee to a couple of cups a day) or one of those little metal whisks/milk frothers (never had a need for one).  However, I purchased this milk out of curiosity and decided to decant some of it into an empty and freshly washed Mentos Gum container.  

A few shakes, which will also keep the Bingo wings at bay and hey presto!  Frothy coffee!  Now all I need is a curiously shaped stencil for the chocolate powder, or am I over-thinking this?

I'm also dipping into this book with a curious title.  

Save the cat?  Lotte needs saving from a life of unbridled luxury.

The one big lesson from the book so far is to nail the logline (or one line pitch for a story).  Here's mine in its current incarnation.  I'm always tinkering with it.  

"Spirited Shropshire lad Eddie, can't believe his luck when he cheats death in WW1 and returns home to live the rural idyll and sets about building his dream roadside garage, but fate has other ideas for Eddie, who is destined to live a big, eventful life in a small, nowhere town and has yet to face his biggest challenge."

What say you?  

Anyway, we're off to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Twenty years today!  There's a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge courtesy of my father-in-law.  Cider is more Gareth's thing.  Apparently, the traditional gift is china.  We don't usually bother with gifts, but I decided to look it up for once.  We will have to see if we can find something interesting on our travels.

Next week's post might be a little delayed as we're taking some time away.  See you all soon!