christmas comes early....

It was a fabulous day today so I took the dog for a walk down the Frome. The sky was a glorious shade of blue and Frenchay was resplendent in the autumn sunshine....

Coming back through the woods, the holly bushes were covered in berries. I'm sure they're not usually like this in October. Has Christmas come early...?

the changing of the seasons.....

Last weekend brought a taste of Indian summer. And although the Balloon Fiesta is long over, it was great to see some balloons drifting over against the backdrop of a clear blue sky:

I picked the last of the sunflowers from the garden.....

...and put the newly arrived Bolga baskets outside to dry in the sun, after reshaping them. I love the constant variation in shape and colour which is one of the wonderful things about hand crafted items. Here's Jake, the Greenbaskets dog, basking in the sunshine alongside the new arrivals.

Because of the arrival of the new Autumn stock, I'm tripping over baskets so I'm having a seasonal sale. There are lots of bargains on the website and I'll be at Tobacco Factory market on 16th and 23rd October, for anyone who wants to bag a bargain or get started on the Christmas shopping!

Hope to see you there.

the welsh revolution....

On October 1st, Wales becomes the first UK country to charge for single use carrier bags.  The Welsh government estimates that people in Wales currently use 480 million a year, 350 million of which come from the major supermarkets, most of which end up in landfill.

80% of British shoppers put everything into free shopping bags. It's estimated that UK shoppers could go through as many as 60 bags a month which amounts to 720 bags a year, over 43,000 in an average lifetime.

The carrier bag charge applies to all retailers in Wales, not just those who sell groceries. The 5p charge is intended to be high enough to influence consumer behaviour and reduce the number of bags given out, without discouraging shoppers from shopping.

The Welsh government's message is that it's easy to avoid the charge - take a bag with you.

So to the forward thinking people of Wales, all I want to say is:  get a basket!

food, drink and morris dancing....

Last weekend's Tetbury Food and Drink Festival was busy and bustling. There was lots of seasonal produce....

and late summer colour.....

The children ran around, mouths full of ice cream and cake, unable to decide which lovely thing to try next. Dogs hovered optimistically, hoping that someone would drop a tasty morsel within reach. The sun shone and everybody enjoyed chatting and laughing, lingering in the late summer sunshine.

Winterbourn Down Morris entertained the crowd.

And a good time was had by all.

foodie weekend...

As we head towards Autumn, there are still lots of food festivals coming up to keep us entertained and well fed! This weekend sees festivals at opposite ends of the country, in Cornwall and Cumbria, or there's the Great British Cheese Festival in Cardiff.

Closer to home is the Tetbury Food and Drink Festival which is where I'll be on Sunday. Now in its fifth year, the Tetbury Festival is held just up the road from Highgrove, the home of HRH The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall and Westonbirt, the national arboretum.

So, if we can just persuade the rain to stop, we'll all be there enjoying a late summer glow!

independents day....

Today saw the launch of Bristol Independents, a new campaign to keep Bristol's high streets alive and highlight the city's diverse independent retailers.

As part of the launch, Bristol's Lord Mayor, Geoffrey Gollop, visited Whiteladies Road to meet independent retailers and market traders, including Greenbaskets! Here's the Lord and Lady Mayoress visiting the stall.

To celebrate buying ingredients locally, a recipe for Whiteladies Stir Fry has been created. As well as the farmers' market, ingredients for the stir fry can be bought from some of Whiteladies best known independent retailers, including:
Sheepdrove butchers, organic family butchers shop selling meat from Sheepdrove Farm in Berkshire.
Wild Oats, an eco-friendly shop for food-conscious shoppers.
Earthbound, a local organic shop with a Bristol-wide following.
Better Food Company, longstanding Bristol favourite.

So buy something from your local independent retailer and join the campaign to save our high streets....

september (and katia)...

 

Autumn's here and it's the beginning of another academic year. Term's begun, everyone's back at work and the traffic on the morning commute has doubled. The weather's changing and this weekend will bring us the remnants of Hurricane Katia.

The summer flew by. It feels like 5 minutes since we were making our holiday plans, looking forward to the garden being in full bloom, anticipating a summer full of festivals.

And now the garden is beginning to die. Last weekend I pruned the honeysuckle and clematis back into shape, and pulled up the comfrey, the sweet peas and the last of the sunflowers. I always worry that I'm being too brutal but it's usually fine. My beautiful standard bay tree, that I've been nursing all year, hoping against hope that it would recover from last winter's punishment, has shown no signs of recovery. Regrettably, I'm going to have to concede defeat.

Tomorrow is Thornbury Food Fair. I'm looking forward to lots of autumn produce and lovely plants. It's always busy and interesting and a little wind and rain won't put people off. The market traders will anchor their tables and gazebos and try to stop everything from blowing away. So do your worst Katia - we're ready for you!

new public art project....

This weekend saw the next step in Bristol's public art project with See No Evil. This amazing street art project, featuring more than 20 of the best known graffiti artists from around the world, culminated in a street party at the weekend. A rather depressing street in the city centre is now the home for some of the country's largest street paintings.

Just down the road next to the fountains, are a new family of penguins, the Roberts Family, designed by sculptor Rebecca Newham, and made from recycled coffee jars.   

So Bristol's reputation as controversial centre for urban art continues. It's great to see so many people standing staring at what's on the walls and debating its quality as art. Bring it on!

summer hols....

The schools break up this week and everyone's scattering for their annual summer getaway. The lure of Brittany and Cornwall beaches will see families heading off to a cottage, gite, caravan or tent with cars jammed to the ceiling with bedding, groceries, games consoles, spades and buckets, wellies and waterproofs.

Beach basket Normandy

And, of course, the festivals are well underway - in case you're in search of ideas (and tickets), take a look at http://www.venue.co.uk/festival to see what's on, where and when. The venerable Womad is next week but there are lots of other smaller, quirkier ones - we're lucky to have more than our fair share in the South West so there are plenty to choose from.

I'm disappearing for a few weeks to fire my imagination and source new products. The technical glitches that have bedevilled the Greenbaskets website for the last few weeks are finally fixed (hoorah!). There are some special offers on there for late summer bargain hunters (while I'm away, orders can be placed on the site but won't be despatched until 15 August).

Have a great break....

Bristol Zoo...

Wow Gorilla

Bristol Zoo is 175 years old this year and is holding a series of celebrations and events to mark the occasion. One of the children's favourites is the gorilla trail. The city centre is full of multi coloured gorillas - see the Bristol Zoo website for a video of a flotilla of gorillas coming up the river!

On Saturday 16 July, the Zoo is hosting Bristol's Big Village Fete, a community festival with music, theatre, dance and games. Greenbaskets will be there, with some of this season's range of baskets, along with Greengarland, who'll be demonstrating willow weaving.

Unfortunately, the Greenbaskets website is out of action at the moment due to technical problems which are proving difficult to resolve. Thanks to everyone who's been in touch to let me know and sincere apologies to everyone who's been trying to see the list of forthcoming events. Here's hoping it'll be sorted out soon....

Meanwhile, come and see us on Saturday and you can start spotting gorillas too!

here comes summer...

The summer solstice has come and gone and the holidays are coming. A couple more weeks and the kids will break up. The motorways will fill with families, caravans, buckets and spades and pets, all heading off for their two weeks on a Cornwall beach.

To put us in the holiday mood, Whiteladies Market was lovely in the sunshine this weekend. We had an accordionist to accompany us and add a little French flavour:

On Sunday, Tobacco Factory Market held a drop in bike repair session. Here's one bike (and basket) in action:

And here are two of my customers, three baskets between them. The music at the market was wonderful (as ever) and we all danced and sang along.

To all those of you already on the beaches in Cornwall, hope you're enjoying the sun and sand. Party on!

bloomsday...

Bloomsday is held on 16 June each year. It's a celebration of the life of James Joyce and commemorates the day in 1904 when Joyce met Nora Barnacle, who became his wife. The day is celebrated in his novel Ulysees, whose main character is Leopold Bloom and gives his name to the annual event.

Bloomsday events and celebrations are held all over the world, as well as Dublin. Here's what's happening in New York, should you be lucky enough to check it out.

We have celebrations closer to home that day because it's my son's birthday. I've never managed to make it through Ulysees but I'm happy to toast James Joyce while we cut the birthday cake, so long as we can have Van Morrison providing the soundtrack (any excuse will do). And to put the finishing touches to our very own Bloomsday celebration, here are some shamrock plants that my friend gave me for St Patrick's Day, happily colonising my garden.

A very happy Bloomsday to you all!

monet was right...

I was looking at some photos of Monet's garden at Giverny the other day. They've just appointed a new head gardener James Priest, who trained at Kew. He was describing the way Monet painted, and gardened, in layers.



I was reflecting on why those colour combinations, white through pink to purple and blue, are so visually satisfying. I don't know the answer (clearly, I should have paid more attention in Art classes) but they do look fabulous, particularly when they're all together.

I planted delphiniums, foxgloves, lupins and poppies together in my garden this year, hoping I'd be able to create my own little piece of blue/pink calm. They're doing ok although my colour scheme has been slightly thwarted by the lupins (marked as blue), coming up yellow!

Organic Blooms had bunches of the first sweet peas at the market last week, along with these beauties.

I particularly like the way colours and textures work together so I put them in a basket.

Not quite Monet but hey, everyone has to start somewhere....

thornbury food fair...

Looking forward to Thornbury tomorrow. It's always really busy and the people are lovely. Castle Street is closed, there are lots and lots of stalls and there's a great atmosphere.

Fingers crossed that tomorrow will be the same and the sun will smile on us. Today the media was full of dire drought warnings from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. I'm assuming that's the reason it's been raining stair rods tonight (why does that always happen?). At least I didn't have to water the garden...

 

 

Whatever it does, we'll be there tomorrow, undeterred and laden down with clothing to cover every eventuality, from drought to flash flood. Sun cream and umbrellas, camisoles and waterproofs - everything anyone could ever need for a British summer! Be there or be square...

 

 

bristol art...

It's been an interesting couple of weeks for public art in Bristol.

There was the controversial new Banksy souvenir poster, produced in response to the protests following the opening of a Tesco store in Stokes Croft. All proceeds are going to the People's Republic of Stokes Croft.



 
Last week saw the vandalisation of a bronze sculpture of three figures on display outside the Royal West of England Academy. The statue, by David Backhouse, was damaged beyond repair.

And this week saw the arrival of Damien Hirst's Charity. This 22ft tall statue, produced in 2003, uses the image of an old charity box as a comment on social injustice.

All these works have divided public opinion and will continue to do so. But it's great that there's so much challenging and thought provoking art in the city centre.

Now, if you can just pass me that can of spray paint.....

here comes flaming june...

June is coming in ablaze, prompting the usual media contradictions. Today's Daily Mail headline said, "'Flaming June': Festivals and Wimbledon safe as forecasters predict June scorcher", while the Sun said, ''Brits' 'Flaming June' in doubt' . Good to know that the British preoccupation with the weather is alive and well and we retain our usual difficulty with predicting what will happen next!


'Flaming June', Lord Frederic Leighton, 1895

The other big news story is the e coli outbreak in Germany. The cause is still unclear but early attribution to organic cucumbers in Spain means that sales of salad vegetables have collapsed, both in Spain and elsewhere, as concern rises. The BBC's website has a good questions and answers section which is being constantly updated.

In the meantime, it's a good reminder to all of us to grow our own, so we know where our food comes from and how it's been prepared. For those of us who need a little inspiration, try Bristol's Get Growing Garden Trail on 11 June.

See you at Whiteladies on Saturday....if the rain holds off!

all set for a British summer....

April was the warmest for 350 years and May's been unusually dry. As usual, the media is awash with speculation about what's to come (another 'barbecue summer') and concern about what will happen if it doesn't rain soon (the South East is drier than Spain). There's talk of the summer of '76 when the country sizzled, the reservoirs ran dry and road surfaces cracked in the heat.

My friends who are gardeners are spending all their time watering, torn between their delight in early crops and their anxiety about what will happen if it doesn't rain soon. And there is real concern about wildlife and the impact on food prices.

Meanwhile, for many of us, the warm, dry weather has been a bonus. We've basked in the sun and warmth, so welcome after the long, cold winter and last year's 'barbecue summer' (the less said about that the better!).

So I can only assume that the gardeners' rain dances paid off today. As I sat down to open the boxes containing my long-awaited new range of beach baskets, it started to rain!

Beach baskets

ravelry....

Went to Get Knitted today to drop off some new stock for tomorrow's knit and natter. Here are my lovely models, showing off the baskets and the display!

Thanks to them and all the Get Knitted customers who've been in touch via Ravelry....lovely to hear from you all....

get knitted....

My own attempts at knitting are a bit hopeless. Many moons ago, I used to be a big fan of Patricia Roberts patterns (see V&A website for an interview with her). I loved her designs but they were a bit beyond me really. I wasn't competent enough for the complexity and detail of her patterns but I used to persevere. It took me two years to knit one of her fair isle cardigans! When I'd finished, there were so many loops on the back that my hand got stuck in them whenever I tried to put it on!

But I love yarn, particularly beautiful hand dyed yarn in wonderful colours with interesting textures. Fabulous knitting store, Get Knitted is an Aladdin's Cave of temptation. So it's been great to have a display of baskets in store this week.

Knitting basket

Perhaps their expertise will rub off on me if I hang around in there for long enough......

Redland May Fair and an apology.....

Had a glorious time at Redland May Fair on 2 May. The sun shone, the crowds came and the marching band kept us entertained.

Redland May Fair 2011

There were lots of lovely things to eat and buy. I had a wonderful vegetarian curry and came home with some fabulous bright red geraniums and some tomato plants.

Round Ghana basket

I sold out of some baskets  but told customers that I'd have fresh stock available at Whiteladies on 7 May, if they'd like to drop by. Unfortunately, the heavens opened on the morning of Whiteladies. I had no cover (my usual gazebo fairy was unable to help on this occasion) so I had to leave the market and go home early, before me and the baskets got completely soaked.

Sincere apologies to anyone who came looking for me....

weddings large and small....

So tomorrow's the big day. We've had wall to wall coverage of the build up, relentless speculation about 'the dress' and lots of footage of Charles and Di's wedding. Inevitably, the weather forecast's not great. But tomorrow it will finally be over. They're describing tonight as a 'royal sleepover' because so many people are camping along the route. There are 12,000 journalists from all over the world, ready to report every last detail to an estimated audience of 2 billion.

More importantly, we have our own family wedding on Sunday. As a result, I'm more focussed on what the weather will be like on Sunday, rather than tomorrow, and how our happy couple's event goes, rather than Wills and Kate's. Ours is a more modest affair. But the same level of emotional intensity has been invested. We are converging from our own four corners to celebrate and support. Family members have travelled from Australia to be here and gifts and good wishes have arrived from relatives in America. And we'll be making our way up and down the motorways and biways of Britain to be there for our own big event.

So, all our love to S+S. Have a wonderful day and a wonderful life. And we'll be there cheering....

(thanks to Sue from Greengarland for the lovely heart and herb wreaths)

firenze update...

Well, Florence was its usual wonderful self. The bustling chaos that surrounds the Duomo, the fabulousness of the architecture, the temptations of the market...

Here's the San Lorenzo market, full of leather jackets, bags, scarves, clothes, hats, gloves, masks and a hundred other things you didn't know you wanted...

And here's the wonderful indoor food market, full of enticing smells and sights... this stall has the most amazing selection of hams, salamis and other mouth-watering goodies....

 

and then there are other, less enticing ones, for squeamish people like me.... ducks with their heads on....

whole sheep's heads....

but the Florentines don't like waste and make sure they get the best from everything they buy and eat.

We puffed and panted our way up 414 steps, right to the top of the Campanile. Here's the view across the city, out past the dome of the Duomo....

across the rooftops to the Palazzo Vecchio...

where we later went to see Damien Hirst's celebrated diamond skull, For the love of God.... (which we weren't allowed to take photos of...)

And then over the Arno and up the hill for a picnic of ciabatta, prosciutto and mozzarella, sitting on a bench outside the monastery where you can look down on the city, as people have done for centuries....

Then back to Grom for ice cream, where the queue never seemed to be less than 30 people....this is an aerial view taken from our hotel bedroom window where we kept watch, waiting for the queue to go down so we could run downstairs before anyone else came.... I must have eaten half my body weight in ice cream.... totally sublime.....

and finally back to the Arno at dusk, standing on the Ponte Vecchio, watching the swifts and bats soaring and diving between the arches of the bridge, catching supper....

Waking up each morning to the sound of the bells and to this amazing view of the Duomo, right outside the bedroom window, opening up the shutters and not quite being able to believe that this was right there, so close you could almost touch it....

And so, Firenze, until the next time....

Arrivederci....