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....