There is, of course, an up side. All through the year, but particularly around now, lots of the fruits of our (OK, Mary's) labours being harvested. Good lot of (relatively slug free) potatoes, tomatoes in quantity, still salad leaves, beans, garlic, onions, brussel sprouts just starting, even raspberry's for pud. Perhaps most eyecatching, the "charismatic flora" so-to-speak, are the pumpkins. We've got five or six big ones and a number of smaller ones ripening. They will last and see us through a lot of the winter.
For those of you following the permacultural goings on at Gorge View garden you will know that our organically worked veggie plot is hard work, an ongoing slug war and needing constant attention through spring and summer. This year, with the long hot dry spell (aka "summer") the challenge has also been to make the rain harvested water last.
Mary of course deserves the credit with most spare moments (and they are precious) out in the garden, often doing slug patrol as the light is almost gone. There is, of course, an up side. All through the year, but particularly around now, lots of the fruits of our (OK, Mary's) labours being harvested. Good lot of (relatively slug free) potatoes, tomatoes in quantity, still salad leaves, beans, garlic, onions, brussel sprouts just starting, even raspberry's for pud. Perhaps most eyecatching, the "charismatic flora" so-to-speak, are the pumpkins. We've got five or six big ones and a number of smaller ones ripening. They will last and see us through a lot of the winter. Of course all this good veg needs storing: a lot of the root veg in dark, dry cool conditions. We don;t have anywhere perfect and so he idea is bubbling up on how we might build a root cellar. As we have grand dreams of one day building a small cob house, this might be the ideal learning vehicle on how to mash mud and straw to good effect. Dream on eh? So this summer Wallace and Gromit fans have had a real treat in and around Bristol. Eighty large Gromit models were made, painted by an array of artists, exhibited in all sorts of locations and then collected together for an auction. If you didn't know Wallace and Gromit hail from Bristol because it is here that Aardman Animations (they of Morph, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep fame and more) have their studios. And for many years they have specifically helped raise money for the Bristol Children's Hospital (they even have Wallace's voice speaking the floors in the hospital lifts). So we have Wrong Trousers Day each year, and this year to beat the Gorillas in London, pigs in Bath, Swans in Wells and the like, they went for Gromits. Given the fervent fan base for W&G this was always going to be a big hit but it became bigger than any imagined. People came for far and wide (and many from abroad) to hunt and photograph themselves with the illusive and humorous Gromits. Whilst most we in Bristol they did slip a few a bit further away, including Paddington Station and Bristol International Airport. And we were lucky to have one here in Cheddar by the caves, less than 10 minutes' walk from the cottage. This one painted by Tom Berry was called "aMazing Gromit" and the complex hand drawn leaf pattern is a real maze to be traced: "I imagine Gromit turning into 'Treegromit' whilst getting lost in Leigh Woods. The tree motif that covers him is also a maze - can you navigate from the starting point on his right ear through the forest to the safety of the cottage on his tail?" aMazing Gromit drew lots of fans. Sadly he is no longer in Cheddar: all the Gromits were collected together in Bristol for a viewing that then led on to an auction. The viewing became almost as popular as the Banksy exhibition in BRistol a few years ago, with queues of thousands in the streets trying to get in, traffic disruppted and extra days added. Finally all this generated £2,357,000.00 for the Grand Appeal charity If you want to see more about it all go to the website: Gromit Unleashed. The best bit is the photo gallery which shows the incredible inventiveness of the various artists. |
Gorge View Cottage DiaryGorge View Cottage is a characterful and environmentally renovated self-catering cottage, with stunning views Archives
August 2021
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