A Feast, some foraging and a little fame...

Well.. life is never dull.. that is for sure..and after a stretched Birthday celebration and a fairly manic week so far.. I am ready for the calm oasis of next weekend..
I have much to tell you so I would like to start with my Birthday feast that was lovingly created by Mr Custard, as promised. After barricading himself in the kitchen for two hours I was summoned, along with our friends to sample the culinary delights of his repertoire..
Here is the menu..
It was truly truly scrumptious and all four courses were consumed with great relish !
It is a small miracle that I managed to save a corner for some of these .. Not one .. but two .. Birthday cakes.. made by some of my dear friends. I think word has got out that I am rather partial to a slice or three!...
I even managed to keep my eyelids propped open until the witching hour of 1.30 a.m.. I can't remember the last time I stayed up so late.. so bed was most welcoming and I was soon tucked in to a wonderful slumber.. dreaming of cake funnily enough and eating candles..!!
Sunday.. saw me fit for very little other than a fleeting visit to our local car booty and I gentle stroll around one of my favourite hidden valleys of Bath.. St Catherine's Valley...This idyllic, rural corner of England is placed on the southern edge of the Cotswolds and is amazingly only 5 minutes away from the hustle and bustle and smog of Bath..but another world away.
It was just the pick me up I needed to clear my tired and foggy mind and burn off some of the recent cake consumption ... It felt so good to walk along the sun soaked lanes and breathe in some fresh air and gaze upon the sublime hills of this very pretty valley. There were treasures to be found around every corner.. from conkers, to pine cones, hazelnuts and these tasty jewels...I managed to pick a small bag full and squeezed two pots of jam out of them.. my first ever attempt at jam making... most satisfactory! It set for a start and tasted wonderful on toast in the morning..
Some years ago..in another life.. I came to some parties here.. hosted by Jane Seymour the actress who owned this magnificent house called St Catherine's Court an Elizabethan Grade I listed manor
It is possible to visit the lovely little chapel within the grounds but the house itself is not open to the public..

I enjoyed every minute of our walk along this lane and after some successful foraging it was home for a siesta... No stamina any more!

Well.. my moment of fame arrived yesterday when Jayne came for coffee and arrived brandishing a copy of the BBC Homes & Antiques magazine that contains our article about the Vintage & Handmade Fair. I must confess that I opened the magazine with a mixture of apprehension and great excitement. Jayne and I have been waiting since August when we were interviewed in my kitchen by Natasha..and I really couldn't remember much of the day other than the jangling nerves...
It was well worth the wait and now we are finally having our fifteen minutes..or fifteen paragraphs.. of fame.
So here is a sneak preview before the magazine goes on sale October 1st ..or for you lucky ones who subscribe to the magazine you can read all about it now!





It will be fantastic publicity for our humble little fair.. and we have already received requests for the next one.. so watch this space!