west magazine, may 21 2016
DESCRIPTION
The lifestyle magazine inside The Western Morning News on SaturdayTRANSCRIPT
21.05.16
+ MARY KING
+ CREATIVE INTERIORS
PLUS:
23Ways to enjoy the weekend
The good
We reveal the top ten Westcountry spas
spa guideWinpamper
day for two
£190
Cover_May21.indd 1 17/05/2016 13:44:04
Fowey Hotel | Esplanade | Fowey | PL23 1HX | www.thefoweyhotel.co.ukBased upon 2 people sharing a Standard Sea-facing double room. Minimum 2 night stay. Subject to availability.
Supplements apply for additional upgrades. New bookings only. One night deposit, non-refundable.C o r n w a l l ’ s H i d d e n T r e a s u r e
from only £179 per nightIncludes an upgrade to a sea-facing double room, dinner in the 2 AA rosette
Spinnakers Restaurant, full Cornish breakfast, bottle of Prosecco, hand-tied flowers & handmade chocolates.
£189 June & September | £199 July & August | £179 October & November
Book a romantic break for you and your loved one...
To book please call 0800 005 2244 & Quote WMN103
Romantic Retreat
Ads.indd 3 16/05/2016 16:44:59
33
6 THE WISHLISTOur pick of the best treats this week
9 JUST BETWEEN US...Sh! We have the latest gossip!
12 SIREN SONG Why Martha Tilston is inspired by the sea
16 THE GOOD SPA GUIDEOur pick of the Westcountry’s � nest
22 CRAFTY AND CORNISHThe gallery that’s also a stunning home
26 ANNE SWITHINBANKHow to grow wonderful wisterias
28 SCENTS OF THE GARDENAbbie Bray � nds fresh new perfumes
32 HOW TO WEAR IT Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod on cutwork frocks
34 CULTURE VULTUREOur don’t-miss tips for the days ahead
36 BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Smart ways to feel your best this week
42 THE ABBEY HABITDays out at beautiful Buckfast
46 A MOUSE IN THE HOUSEChris McGuire attempts some rodent control
contents[ [Inside this week...
42 THE ABBEY HABITBeautiful days out at Buckfast
44 SECRET PLACESWhere to go, what to see
INSPIRED BY CORNWALLMartha Tilston’s siren songs12
CRAFTY AND CORNISHCombining a gallery with a home22
09 ALL THE GOSSIPSh! You heard it here � rst!
11 STARTING FROM SEEDThe best blooms to plant now
‘From the sauna, it’s on to that row of wooden
buckets; you stand underneath one, tug on
a rope and then try to be brave as a gallon or two of cold water tips
down. Yes, I screamed.’
Catherine Barnes researches The Good
Spa Guide, page 16
Contents_May21.indd 3 16/05/2016 16:51:16
Becky Sheaves, Editor Sarah Pitt Kathryn Clarke-McLeod Catherine Barnes Lynne Potter
4
[[ [[welcome[ [
ith warm weather fi nally here, it’s time to adjust our wardrobe and our lifestyle to the new season. And that could well mean exposing parts of o u r s e l v e s
that have been covered up for many a month. If you’re in need of a scrub and polish, then do turn to our fabulous Good Spa Guide on page 16, in which we put the ten best spas in the South West to the test. You can also win a spa day for two, worth £190, at the gorgeous new Gaia Spa opening this summer in south Devon - it’s well worth a try and a lovely prize.Another highlight of the summer scene here in
the Westcountry is the chance to listen to music outdoors and in festivals. We catch up with folk music royalty on page 12 today in Kirstie New-ton’s interview with Falmouth-based singer
Martha Tilston, who is appearing at the Don’t Wake the Fish Festival at Zennor next week-end. We hear how Corn-wall inspires Martha (as well having folk legend Steve Tilston as her dad).
And fi nally, if you are feeling less than comfort-able about that afore-mentioned change to a summer wardrobe, our fashion selection on page 30 is made with curvier ladies in mind, fl attering styles going up to plus sizes. Enjoy the weekend.
[ [We put the ten best spas in the South West
to the test
Becky Sheaves, Editor
Are you summer-ready?
[
RELAX IN STYLEwith the Good Spa Guide16
EDITORIAL: [email protected]: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest
@CraigDavidThank you for the love
@WMNwest
MEET THE TEAM
Becky Sheaves, Editor Sarah Pitt Kathryn Clarke-McLeod Catherine Barnes Lynne Potter
Tweetof the week
TO ADVERTISE: Contact Lynne Potter: 01752 293027 or 07834 568283, [email protected]
W
COVER IMAGE: iStockphoto
14.05.16
+ BEDROOMS FOR KIDS
+ MODERN METALLICS
PLUS:
do it
WIN:+ A COASTAL
BREAK WORTH OVER £2000
Born to
Craig David’s back, and headed our way
INSIDE:+ SOMERSET’S
SUPER SWIMMER
Eds_Letter_1thing_may21.indd 4 17/05/2016 13:54:19
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You should treat yourself to a mouth-watering a� ernoon tea by the River Fowey. Whetherit’s just you and yours, a family get-together, hen party or relaxing a� ernoon, call in to The Fowey Hotel just o� the Esplanade for simply the best views on the coast and an a� ernoontea to remember. It’s just £22.95 for this deli-cious array of treats for two, or add Taittinger champagne and make a real occasion of it for £37.95 for two. The Fowey Hotel, The Esplanade, Fowey www.thefoweyhotel.co.uk, 01726 832551.
one thingIf you do
this week...
Eds_Letter_1thing_may21.indd 5 17/05/2016 13:54:38
6
the
West’s top picks for spending your time and money this week
wishlistSTREET
STYLE STAR
Send your stylish snaps of you or a friend looking fab to [email protected]
Di Gammage Psychotherapist Di Gammage, 53, comes from Bovey Tracey
and we spotted her shopping in Exeter recently. “I like clothes to be comfy, really. I like to collect them; it’s a hobby of mine,” she told us, adding: “I love vintage
shops, there’s one in Ashburton called Number 30 that I love.” We de� nitely approve of her
style! Coat: TK Maxx £40
Jeans: Levi’s £35Boots: Fly London £70
Bag: Next £50
Schwabenkoffer suitcase £55 en.dawanda.com
La Rochelle globe lantern £96.95 www.annabeljames.
co.uk
Eternal Summer beach towel £34.50 from www.
roosbeach.co.uk and boutique in Porth, Cornwall
Charming
FringedSPOTTED BY: HANNAH MATTOCKS
Wishlist_May21.indd 6 17/05/2016 12:12:46
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This shop in Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast is run by friends Alice Meller and Michelle Blyth. It’s packed with gems made by local artists and artisans, alongside mid-century Ercol furniture. Their wares include soaps and blankets woven from the wool of Gotland
sheep at Trill Farm, run by Neal’s Yard founder Romy Fraser. Look out too for the beautiful handmade wooden spoons cra� ed by a Lyme Regis boatbuilder. Ryder & Hinks, 30 Broad Street, Lyme Regis, www.ryderandhinks.com, 01297 443304
STORE WE ADORE:
Wishlist
Ryder & Hinks, Lyme Regis
adore...Store we
Orikomi pastel blue lamp £37 en.dawanda.com
PH
OT
O: M
AT
T A
US
TIN
House sign £6 www.tch.net
Maggy high sandals £85 Dune
Floppy hat £24 Oliver Bonas
Simple
So true
fave!
Olympia earrings £6 Oliver Bonas
Wishlist_May21.indd 7 17/05/2016 12:13:16
OPTION APatterned
Sleeveless bro-cade shift dress £29 JD Williams
8
talking points
Somerset’s Maisie Williams looked super-sweet at the recent BAFTA awards ceremony in this sequined pink Antonio Berardi prom dress, very age-appropriate for someone who is still only 19 years old. The Game of Thrones actress had chosen a frock that costs a cool £10,000 to buy, so we have found some more a� ordable alternatives on the high street. We particularly like this La Redoute version with sleeves, ideal for older ladies.
PRETTY IN pink
Ava dress by Ukelele £156 www.littleblack-dress.co.uk
OPTION BPracticalLaser cut dress £45 La Redoute
stealherstyle
OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN
went to see a production of Chicago at the Hall for Cornwall. I love it when the big musicals come
west: it’s a treat to see the crème de la crème of the country’s stage talent. This production was full of glitz and glamour, singing, danc-ing, lights, everything you need – in the words of its character Billy Flynn – to razzle dazzle them.
In case you’re not familiar with Chicago, the opening line should give you a taste: “Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery and treachery… all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts.”
The curtain opened on the actors and, I am happy to say, the musicians: on a tiered platform in centre stage were the live jazz players: piano, brass section, clarinet and per-cussion. Oh, and a big stringed instrument that sounded like a kind of Russian guitar. I was pleased that the musicians were not hidden away in an orchestra pit.
From the opening number, “All That Jazz,” everyone sat up and took notice. This may have had something to do with the costumes. They did not leave much to the imagination - black corsets, bras and stockings with gauzy netting over. The men also had plenty of fl esh on show. This was a bold as brass production: sin and sinners. In your face.
I feel more and more like my mother, from whom I learned my love of musicals. She was brought up in the golden age of the genre,
in the Rogers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Lowe era: Okla-homa, Annie Get Your Gun, Meet Me in St Louis, South Pacifi c, My Fair Lady. We always used to go see the Broadway musicals in New York, often right when they opened.
She loved the innocence and fun of musicals, as did I. And through the more experimental period during the 1960s, 70s, and
80s, and the many television ver-sions, she would always despair if the productions got too racy. “I don’t see why they have to make it all about sex – they were good stories anyway,” she would say.
Even though it’s more relevant to this story, I felt the same about Chicago. Originally written
by a young female writer about her city’s infatuation with mur-deresses, and the perversion of justice around their cases, it is a very fi ne piece of satire. Honestly, I would have preferred to see them in suits and dresses.
Never mind. The choreogra-phy was fabulous, the singing entrancing, it was witty and bold. And if it got too racy, you could always watch the musicians play-ing it hot. That’s proper razzle dazzle.
Story of my life...
Gillian Molesworth
My advice? Just razzle-dazzle ‘em!
Gillian Molesworth is a journalist and mum-of-two who grew up in the USA and moved to north Cornwall when she met her husband
I
I love it when the big musicals
come west: it’s a treat to see the crème de
la crème of the country’s
stage talent
Moley_Gossip_May21.indd 8 16/05/2016 13:41:22
She only gained her pilot’s licence two years ago, but now Carol Vorderman aims to become the ninth woman in his-tory to complete a solo � ight around the world. Her adventure in her own plane, Mildred, will be � lmed for Channel 5 and called Carol’s Incredible Solo Flight Around The World. The TV presenter met cadets in Cornwall earlier this year in her role as an ambassador and Honorary Group Captain for the RAF Air Cadets. Carol says: “My life’s dream has been to be a pilot. It has been, and will be, a journey with tears and doubts and I still have huge areas of self-doubt and massive inexperience but I am going to push through it step by step. I WILL DO IT.” West says: Chocks away!
CHOCKS AWAY,
CAROL!
9
Justbetween us!Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you
heard all the latest juicy stu here � rst!
21.05.16
JK Rowling has apologised to her fans for killing o� her character Remus Lupin in the � nal Harry Potter book, The Deathly Hallows. The author took to Twitter recently to explain that she had initially planned for another character, Arthur Weasley to die in the Battle of
Hogwarts instead: “Arthur [Weasley] lived, so Lupin had to die. I’m sorry. I didn’t enjoy doing it,” she tweeted. JK studied at Exeter University and is said to have been inspired by the city’s Gandy Street when she created her magical shopping street, Diagon Alley.
Billie Piper is set to return in supernatural TV series Penny Dreadful (co-star-ring Exeter-born actor Harry Treadaway), but reveals that her sons Winston, seven, and four-year-old Eugene weren’t overly impressed when they visited
her on set during production. “I thought it would be a really scary experience, but my kids couldn’t be less
interested in being on set,” says Billie, “It’s the last thing they want to do!” Billie recently split with her husband of eight years, actor Laurence Fox, who
has turned to songwriting and will be performing at this year’s Looe Music Festival in September.
BILLIE’S BACK AGAIN
‘I’M SORRY
FOR KILLING HIM’
‘My kids are just not
interested in what I
do!’ [[
Moley_Gossip_May21.indd 9 17/05/2016 12:14:19
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in pictures
Achievement: Congratulations to all who took part in the Ten Tors competition on Dartmoor
Dancing: Hazel Mansell-Greenwood took this lovely picture of the May Day celebrations in Lustleigh, Dartmoor
In, out, shake it all about: Boris
Johnson came to Truro to
boost the Brexit campaign
Well done! Plymouth’s
Slimming World groups
held a ‘clothes throw’ of all the
items that are now too big for
them
WIP_Top10_May21.indd 10 16/05/2016 13:43:57
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Naturally
talking points
Old school
Plant now
10 herbal oils used for wellbeing:
1 Lavender sleep/relaxation
2 Tea tree blemishes/fungal infections
3 Calendula acne scars
4 Peppermint alertness
5 Eucalyptus clearing sinuses
6 Oregano antibacterial
7 Clove antiseptic
8 Wintergreen cramp
9 Roman chamomile anti-in� ammatory
10 Hop oil treating insomnia
DID YOU KNOW?
This week:
Famous faces with links to the Westcountry
ONE OF US
Eventing champion Mary King lives in east Devon
Mary King
The happy list
10 things to make you smile this week1 Cricket the season’s begun
2 Cornish earlies heavenly new potatoes
3 Shadowlands Theatre Royal Plymouth June 6-11
4 Roses in bloom soon
5 The Big Sheep for half term fun in north Devon
6 Poetry at Bodmin Moor Festival, May 27-29
7 Sun cream we need some!
8 River Cottage Gluten-Free Cookbook, out now
9 Don Giovanni Exeter’s Northcott, May 25-28
10 Royal Cornwall Show June 9-11, a great day out
10 plants to start from seed this month:
1 Sun� owers
2 Nasturtiums
3 Poppies
4 Corn� owers
5 Candytu�
6 Kale
7 Lettuce
8 Runner beans
9 Beetroot
10 Carrots
10 playground games:
1 Sticky To� ee 2 British Bulldog 3 Kiss Chase4 Hopscotch5 Tag6 Stuck in the Mud7 Rock, Paper, Scissors8 Grandmother’s
Footsteps9 Please Mr Crocodile 10 Hide and Seek
Early days: Mary, 54, was born in Newark-on-Trent. Her father, a naval o� cer, took the position of church verger in Salcombe Regis, east Devon, where Mary still lives today.
Childhood: Mary borrowed the vicar’s pony at the age of six. “I was a hopeless rider at � rst, but I was very determined.”
Pony Club: She was inspired to become an eventer on a trip to Badminton Horse Trials with Axe Vale Pony Club.
Home: In her early career, Mary cleaned houses, cooked, gardened and even delivered for the local butcher to make ends meet.
Professional: Her � rst major success was on her horse Divers Rock, who came seventh at Badminton in 1985. She was o� ered large sums of money
to sell him but refused, saying: “I’d rather be famous than rich.”
Success: Mary kept her � rst pregnancy secret, so she could continue to compete: “I was � ve months pregnant with my daughter Emily when I competed in the European Championships... I completely trusted my horse and we won a gold medal.”
Medals: Mary has won three Olympic medals - silver in
2004, bronze in 2008 and silver in 2012. She also has an MBE for services to equestrianism.
Family: She is married to David King and they have two children, Emily and Freddie. Emily also competes in eventing: “We don’t have time for the usual mother and daughter things - it’s all horse!”
Competition winners:Winners of a copy of The Cracked Amulet by Rosa Watkinson: Jenna Iredale, Falmouth; and Margaret Cleveland, Exbourne near Okehampton
Mary has represented
Britain at six Olympic
Games, from 1992-2012
WIP_Top10_May21.indd 11 17/05/2016 12:29:34
12
People
s a child, Martha Tilston grew up with the great names of folk music strumming at her kitchen table. Her father, singer-songwriter Steve Tilston, was friends with the likes
of legendary folk musician Bert Jansch. “I loved Bert – although I actually thought he was Tom Baker, and told all my friends I knew Doctor Who,” she laughs.
Martha was also used to visiting Cornwall. While the family split its time between Bristol and London, summer holidays were spent in West Penwith, where she will play this month at the Don’t Wake The Fish Festival, at the Gurnard’s Head pub, Zennor from May 27 to 29. Indeed, she loves the place so much, her daughter is named Zennor.
“It is really special,” she enthuses. “My child-hood summers were spent playing on Zennor Hill. We had no TV and with all the siblings and friends, there would usually be around 15 kids. We’d run wild on the hill, the whole summer long. Mum used to ring a bell for dinner and we’d all come down. I guess like hibernating birds, we had summer and winter grounds, and Zennor was our African bush. Those summer holidays
Sirenof theSeafolk star Martha tilston, from falmouth, tells Kirstie newton why life in Cornwall inspires her every day
A
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felt like they lasted years and I’d come back a new person.
“It was my fi rst proper moment of connection with nature. Everyone has that realisation of the part they play in nature – it’s very humbling. For others, it might be climbing a tree; for me, it was climbing the cliffs or exploring rock pools, being around the heather and gorse and watching the birds of prey wheeling below.
“I knew the best secret beaches and even which side to climb to avoid the rocks that would graze your feet. I never knew my mapping like that in the city.”
Fast-forward to the present day and Martha now lives full-time in Cornwall, in Falmouth with her husband Robin Tyndale-Biscoe. Robin is drummer with the group Red Foot Crow and also has co-ordinated the Beats Cornwall world music event in previous years. They have two daughters, the eldest of whom is seven-year-old Zennor. “I’d love to live in West Penwith if I could but it’s a bit too far for touring,” Martha says wistfully. “But Falmouth has a nice vibe and the fresh air blows through.”
This year, she is releasing two quite distinct albums: one infl uenced by modern sounds and a second drawing upon 1960s Americana (such as Crosby, Stills and Nash). “They are very dif-ferent and the bridge between them is me,” she explains. “Music is music. It used to be the way we defi ned ourselves but with the advancement of humanity, it seems we don’t want to divide up so much.”
Another common factor is the importance of Cornwall. “I wrote about it all the time when I was living in London. I’d come down and sit on Sennen beach and would be inspired to write just looking at the waves.
“Porthmeor [at St Ives] was another favourite – I loved the sound of the waves there and the light.
THIS IMAGE: JACK LADENBURG
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People
Folk wisdomLove folk music? It’s festi-val time...
Bude and Stratton Festival: North Cornwall festival starring Jim Causley, Jackie Oates and Liam Robinson, plus workshops, open mic stages and music sessions. Adults £50, children free, May 27-30 www.budefolkfest.com
Bradninch Music Festival: This mid-Devon festival includes Peter Bruntnell, local muso Sam Lloyd and the Dakar Audio Club. Most events are free, June 10-12 www.bradninchmusicfestival.co.uk
Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival: Free shanty singing all over the town, with a gala concert on the Saturday night (£10), starring Vent de Noroise and The Oggymen. June 17-19, www.falmouthseashanty.co.uk
Chagstock: Folk hero Donovan is headlining at this Dartmoor weekender, along with an eclectic line-up including The Stranglers and The Blockheads. Weekend tickets £85 adults, children free, July 22-23, www.chagstock.info
Sidmouth Folk Week: A full week of everything folk, from Steeleye Span to Kathryn Tickell (pictured above) in this pretty east Devon seaside resort. All-in-one tickets £308 adults, July 29-August 5, www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk
Dartmoor Folk Festival: Taking place at South Zeal near Okehampton and starring Blazin’ Fiddles and Miranda Sykes. Weekend camping tickets £55, August 5-7, www.dartmoorfolkfestival.co.uk
Cornwall Folk Festival: Three days of music and fun in Wadebridge, north Cornwall, including folk legend Ralph McTell. Also look out for ceilidhs and a young musicians concert. Weekend tickets £70 adults, August 26-29, www.cornwallfolkfestival.com
It was the nearest I ever got to meditating.” She also paints her own album covers and
sells the artwork to fund her music produc-tion. “It means I can retain creative freedom, and besides, I can’t help it – when I have a title, I see a painting and want to paint it.”
There can be little doubt her arty, bohemian upbringing led to her current career, but does she think she would have been a musician without it? “It’s hard to know, maybe – I think music is in all of us somehow – if it was in my bones it would have come out regardless,” she says. “But I do feel blessed that it was so easy and unques-tioned to follow my creative path regardless of the fi nan-cial struggle that can accompa-ny it. My parents are all strong and free spirits in their own way (I say ‘all’ because I really had four parents bringing me up). They all expressed them-selves creatively and as kids we fi tted in with that, watched, and it probably soaked in.”
Folk music has often had a strong political element, so how do Martha’s own beliefs fi t into her music? “I don’t know what to say about this. It is a delicate balance to refl ect what folk are saying, and questioning without judging or having the answers. But I wonder, with the state of the world at present and the way we as humans are interacting with each other and nature, if being apolitical or avoiding politics is somehow more political?
“By this I mean, I may make a more com-mercially successful album if it were full of love songs and oblique references to the
human condition, but we are at a crucial time in the human development with the environ-ment and so much of our daily lives is control-led by big corporations. If folk music doesn’t ask questions folk are asking – who will?
“I may not always get it right but in those songs I try to craft these questions carefully from personal experience and hope they don’t sound like just Guardian headlines…”
And there is no doubt that, today, folk music is fi nding a whole new audience, says Martha. “It’s wonderful. There are so many sublime, tra-ditional songs out there being performed by an inspiring wealth of new talent. I just hope that we stay free to comment on and question the world without commerce af-fecting our courage.”
She continues: “Corn-wall is so beautiful, it’s great for the creative juices. In a city, you might feel swamped, but here there is oxygen to follow your ideas through – making things,
putting on a play. I hardly know any software developers – not that there’s anything wrong with being one but there’s a real celebration of creativity down here. It’s refreshing to be in a place where money isn’t tied to status – as long as you have enough for your next meal, that’s the main thing.” See Martha Tilston at the Don’t Wake The Fish festival, The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor, May 27-29 www.gurnardshead.co.uk
‘Cornwall is so beautiful,
it’s great for the creative juices...
there’s a real celebration of
creativity down here.’
Feature1_MarthaTilson.indd 15 16/05/2016 14:11:44
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Time To unwindThere is nothing like a spa treatment for restoring the spirits,
helping you to relax and de-stress. We present the Westcountry Good Spa Guide, tried and tested by the West team
Enjoy
SPAGUIDE_MAY21.indd 16 17/05/2016 12:16:42
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Natural pamperingWhere: The Budock Vean Hotel, near FalmouthWhat: The Exotic Frangipani Nourish Wrap
I looked ‘frangipani’ up in the dictionary before I headed to try at the Budock Vean Hotel. Isn’t that something that goes in cakes? That’s in fact frangipane. Whereas frangipani, it turns out, is a tropical fl ower with a heady scent. The treatment, using Elemis products, seemed an appropriate thing to try at a hotel in lush grounds beside the River Helford, just a short distance from the gardens at Trebah and Glen-durgan, known for their subtropical plants which love the mild Cornish climate.My therapist Zoe started by buffi ng me all over with a body detox skin brush, to exfoliate my skin. Then I was whisked away to the trop-ics, in my head at least, as she rubbed scented frangipani oil into my limbs and back. Then, before I knew it, I was being wrapped in a foil sheet and a towel, as the warm oils worked their magic. Next came the rose petal cleanser and a ginseng toner which Zoe used to give me a facial and scalp massage. After washing off the oils in the shower leading off the treatment room, I was back on the couch for the moisturising part of the treatment, a hydra-boost day cream for the face and skin nourishing milk bath for the body. It was the fi nal touch of scented bliss. After this hour of pampering, my limbs felt re-laxed and when I looked in the mirror my face was distinctly plumper and perkier. I could defi nitely get used to this. By Sarah Pitt
The lowdown: The Exotic Frangipani Nourish Wrap costs £64. See www.budockvean.co.uk or call 01326 250288.
Luxury relaxationWhere: The Elan Spa, Bovey Castle Hotel, DartmoorWhat: The 85-minute Hero Treatment
“You’ve got to search for the hero inside yourself,” as M People so rightly said. Alas, if you are anything like me, you’ll feel distinctly unheroic on a day-to-day basis. So what was I doing, signing up for the new Hero Treatment at Bovey Castle’s newly-refurbished Elan Spa? Who, exactly, did I think I was, to deserve 85 minutes of back and scalp massage, interspersed with a luxury facial?Well, the truth is, I’m no hero – I haven’t saved anyone’s life or invented a cure for cancer. But my afternoon of indulgence in one of the most beautiful hotels in the Westcountry was a real treat for this ordinary stressed-out mum. The spa here is newly renovated in Art Deco style and super-glamorous. My afternoon started with a back massage, one of the best I’ve ever had. Then followed a fabulous facial, which – like all the treatments here – was carried out with ESPA products. This top-quality range combines natural ingredients with the latest advances in cosmetic science. During my facial, Debbie used an ultra-violet lamp to see what was really going on with my skin, revealing sun damage in places and signs of dehydration around my eyes. Finally, a scalp massage. I do wish I could tell you more about it but I fear I was dozing for this part. And quite possibly snoring. But what I do know is that I emerged from the Elan Spa feeling about ten years younger, with skin as soft and dewy as a fresh nectarine. Heroic doesn’t begin to cover it. By Becky Sheaves
The lowdown: An 85 minute Hero Treatment costs £120 at the Bovey Castle Hotel Elan Spa. Visit www.boveycastle.com or call 01647 445021.
Detoxing in styleWhere: Woodbury Park Hotel, east DevonWhat: Himalayan Salt Massage
The beauty of this treatment is that it combines terrifi c whole-body exfoliation with a massage. What is all the fuss about Himalayan salt, you may well be asking? Well, a couple of hundred million years ago there were seas where now there is Mount Everest. They dried up, leaving crystallized sea salt beds, which were then covered by lava and ended up hidden deep within the Himalayas. Thanks to its hidden location, this salt is extremely pure and it is also rich in minerals, which give it a pretty pink colour. First up, I had a massage with hot bars of this beautiful salt, rather like a hot stone massage. Next came an all-over exfoliant scrub, using a combination of the Himalayan salt with an aromatic oil. It was a great way to ease aches and pains and, even better, is also said to have great de-toxing qualities as well. It certainly worked for me - my skin was soft and smooth by the end and I felt very relaxed, too. By Becky Sheaves
The lowdown: The Himalayan Salt Massage costs £65 for 60 minutes. Visit www.woodburypark.co.uk or call 01395 233382.
The Budock Vean Hotel
Elan Spa at Bovey Castle
Woodbury Park
SPAGUIDE_MAY21.indd 17 16/05/2016 13:24:47
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Urban oasisWhere: Buff Urban Day Spa, TauntonWhat: ESPA Luxury Holistic Full Body, Face & Scalp
I step inside straight off a cold and wet Taunton High Street and it becomes immediately clear why this urban gem regularly fi nds itself in the running for industry awards. Luxurious is an understatement.My therapist Lucy, who has been practising her craft for almost a decade, begins with an all-important sensory test. I am presented with two scents. The theory is that the one I am most drawn to is a cue from my body as to what it needs for restoration. The soft fl oral note that makes me want to fi ll my lungs to capacity to turns out to be lavender. “An indicator you have had a stressful week.” Too right.Phase one of my holistic experience is a brisk peppermint scrub which makes me tingle from head to toe. Special attention is paid to my thighs, heels and elbows and, even in the dark, I can sense my skin pulsing with a newfound glow. Lucy follows this up with a full-body massage that is a testament to her experience. A rare balance between gently soothing strokes and pressure-perfect persistence. Things just kept getting better as Lucy turns her attention to my facial. Potions and lotions of various texture and temperature are mas-saged in and gently stroked off, and if I start to become less specifi c at this point it is because for the fi rst time in my 32 years, I fell asleep during a spa treatment.Luckily, I wake up just in time for the cherry on top, my scalp massage. ESPA’s pink hair and scalp mud is massaged onto my (now putty-like) head. Lucy’s fi ngers hit key pressure points along the way and, as her hands drift to the very tips of my hair, it is hard to imagine being more relaxed. By Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod
The lowdown: The ESPA Luxury Holistic Full Body Face & Scalp costs £95 for 120 minutes. Visit www.buffdayspa.co.uk or call 01823 257445.
Floral fantasyWhere: The Haven Spa, Woolacombe Bay HotelWhat: Garden of England Rose Restore Massage
The Woolacombe Bay Hotel has a fabulous loca-tion, overlooking one of the Westcountry’s best beaches with glorious coastal countryside all around. You’ll feel relaxed just by being there but, better still, the hotel has a superb spa offer-ing some utterly indulgent treatments, also open to non-residents.On my visit, I went for the Garden of England Rose Restore massage, which costs £69 for a full body massage or £75 for all that plus an additional neck, face and scalp massage. I went for the whole shebang and did not regret it. The massage is carried out with Elemis products selected for their hydrating qualities, with oils of rose, camellia and poppy seed. They also smelled gorgeous. All in all, it was a fi rst-class treatment in a beautiful setting. By Abbie Bray
The lowdown: The Elemis Garden of England Rose Restore full body, neck, face and scalp massage costs £75 for 70 minutes. Visit www.woolacombe-bay-hotel.co.uk or call 01271 872102.
Wonderful wellbeingWhere: St Ives Harbour HotelWhat: The Ocean Spa Ritual
The St Ives Harbour Hotel occupies an enviable position in this picturesque resort. Perched above Porthminster Beach, there are fabulous views from the outdoor terrace and wide fl oor-to-ceiling windows. There is certainly something extra luxurious about watching the waves crash against the beach while you’re cocooned from the elements in a warm, scented environment and wrapped up in a fl uffy towelling gown.The centre’s signature treatment is its Ocean
Enjoy
Buff Urban Day Spa
The Bedruthan Hotel
SPAGUIDE_MAY21.indd 18 16/05/2016 13:25:19
19
Where: The Bedruthan Hotel, north CornwallWhat: The Seven-Step Elemental Experience
Newly-opened and located in a little sun-trap between the hotel and its long-established indoor spa, the Bedruthan Hotel’s Sensory Spa Garden experience is a cross between something Health and Effi ciency magazine might have recommended in the 1930s and a contemporary Cornish twist on a sensuous hammam.It’s all set within an outdoor space, with a grotto-like shower area, scrub zone, sauna cabin, three spa tubs and a sit-down area ar-ranged around a fi re pit. Did I mention buckets of water? It includes them, too!Swimwear donned, you’re given a towel, a pair of Crocs and smiling instructions. I was handed a rugged ceramic dish of dry scrub, containing fi ne oatmeal and salt, and advised to massage it in small circular motions into my skin, before showering off. I’m proud to say I then managed 15 minutes in the feverish heat of the sauna cabin, which has
cute little portholes looking out to sea. From the sauna, it’s on to that row of wooden buckets; you stand underneath one, tug on a rope and then try to be brave as a gallon or two of cold water tips down. Yes, I screamed. But in all honesty, it actually wasn’t that bad; nor the dip in the pore-closing cold tub that fol-lowed. I then gave the hot tub a miss and relaxed for 15 minutes in the bubbling lukewarm option which, like Goldilocks’ porridge, was just right.Then it was time to polish off with another pot of scrub; this time fi lled with sugar, salt and gorgeous citrusy-cedary oil that lingered on my softer skin for days. Rinsed off and robed, my spa session was completed with a steaming mug of herbal tea around a fi re pit, toes soaking in a lovely warm copper foot bath. By Catherine Barnes
The lowdown: The Bedruthan Hotel Day Spa package starts from £55, www.bedruthan.com 01637 860860
Spa Ritual, an experience that gives a sense of wellbeing from top to toe using techniques like skin brushing to stimulate the lymphatic system and body polishing using natural produces like rich seaweed to eliminate toxins. This is followed by specialist Swed-ish massage to balance the mind and body, a personalised facial and scalp massage. It all adds up to a fantastic feeling of wellbeing. By Lyn Barton
The lowdown: The Ocean Spa Ritual costs £185 for 160 minutes. Visit www.stives-har-bour-hotel.co.uk or call 01736 795221
Coming soon!The Gaia Spa, Boringdon Hall, Plympton, south Devon
We’re very excited about this luxury pur-pose-built spa, inspired by nature, called the Gaia Spa. It is opening soon in the grounds of Boringdon Hall, a country house hotel near Plymouth. Built with lots of wood, stone and glass for natu-ral light, the spa will feature an infi nity pool and a hydrotherapy pool with an outdoor swim-through. The heat experi-ences include a Finnish sauna, a crystal steam room, a herbal sauna and even a Laconium, a dry heat room favoured by the Romans. It all sounds truly fabulous.
The Gaia Spa’s signature treatment will be a four-hand massage, performed by two therapists. Wow! Visit www.gaiabor-ingdon.co.uk or call 01752 344455
A Pampering Day for Two: We have a Pampering Day for two at the
Gaia Spa to win, worth £190. The day includes two treat-ments each and use of all spa facilities, plus lunch with a
glass of champagne. Just tell us the name of the hotel where
the Gaia Spa is based, emailing Gaia Spa, [email protected] by June 4. Normal terms apply. West maga-zine will not share your details.
Win
Outdoor exhilaration
xxxxxSt Ives Harbour Hotel
SPAGUIDE_MAY21.indd 19 16/05/2016 13:25:55
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Fabulous facialsWhere: The Headland Hotel, NewquayWhat: Elemis Skin-Specifi c Facial
The £5 million spa at the Headland Hotel is the fi rst Five Bubble rated spa in the region, I was delighted to learn when I signed up for a weekend stay at this iconic hotel. The low-lit treatment rooms are warm and welcoming and you can even bring your own music, great if you are going for a couple’s experience and overall a welcome change from some spas that seem to have a constant loop of whale music on in the background.For my Elemis Skin Specifi c Facial, fi rstly, my skin was analysed by my therapist who confi rmed that dry patches and problem areas needed a bit of attention. My skin was ever-so gently massaged, cleaned and exfoliated. The therapist then applied a seaweed facemask and, when that was carefully removed, I felt like years of bad skincare habits were going with it. My skin was then moisturised with prod-ucts specially chosen for my skin type and afterwards I must admit I felt glowing with health.The spa at The Headland Hotel also features a sea salt steam room, sauna, hot tub and pool, as well as a gym if you fancy something a little more energetic. My other half and I enjoyed a supremely relaxing weekend break at the hotel, with terrifi c food and views over Newquay’s Fistral Beach, an experience which I can thoroughly recom-mend. By Lyn Barton
The lowdown: A 60-minute Skin Specifi c Facial costs £80. A two-night Ocean Spa break costs from £599 for two. Visit www.headlandhotel.co.uk or call 01637 872211.
Maritime marvelsWhere: Harbour Spa, Sidmouth Harbour HotelWhat: The Harbour Reviver
The Sidmouth Harbour Hotel perches above the town, offering sea views across to those famous red cliffs. It was this vista I admired while relaxing in the silky waters of the shimmering blue-tiled pool at the newly-opened Sidmouth Harbour Spa. Small yet perfectly formed, the spa is decorated with blues and creams, and wood textures giving a maritime feel. The tranquil surroundings include a sauna and steam room, hydrotherapy pool and relaxation area. With large, comfy, double-bed loungers set back in the wall, it’s an ideal hideaway from the stresses of everyday life.The spa offers a tempting menu of treatments too, from ESPA face and body experiences to
aromatherapy and lava shell massages.I opted for the Harbour Reviver, a deep tissue massage with a choice of aromatherapy oil. I chose the detoxifying product with cypress and jasmine - heavenly. As was the massage itself, in a quiet and peaceful treatment room my mas-seuse fi rmly yet gently eased out every last kink, working into the muscles to release all tension, leaving me loose-limbed, blissed-out, and smell-ing divine.Finally, there was just time to head to the hotel’s stunning restaurant for a top-notch two-course meal of crab bisque and hake - and a cocktail - while soaking up those impressive views once more. By Bridget Bachelor
The lowdown: The 70-minute Harbour Reviver massage costs £87.50. Visit www.harbourhotels.co.uk or call 01395 513252
The Headland Hotel
Sidmouth Harbour Hotel
Enjoy
SPAGUIDE_MAY21.indd 20 16/05/2016 13:26:25
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23
Interiors
hough it sits amid fi elds in the heart of the Cornish countryside, Elaine Dye’s house was inspired by living on the other side of the world. “In 2006 I spent two years in Australia,”
she says. “Until then, I’d never been a fan of open-plan design but our fl at in Sydney made me fall in love with a sense of space and light.”
When Elaine and her husband Barry came back to England, they decided against returning to their old life in London. Instead, they made a permanent move to the village of Millbrook, on the Rame Peninsula in south-east Cornwall. Life was good, but they missed their roomy pad Down Under.
To solve the problem, the couple set their sights on a plot that was for sale a little further up the hill from their house. It was once home to some agricultural buildings and plans had al-ready been drawn up to build a house on the site.
There were several advantages to the move. It would allow them to live their open-plan dream and the plot had stunning views down the valley. There was plenty of space for Barry to have a workshop for his beloved vintage cars and mo-torbikes. And, fi nally, there was room for Elaine, whose professional background is in arts PR for the likes of the BBC and Scottish Opera, to re-alise a lifetime’s ambition and open a contempo-rary craft gallery in one wing of the building.
“I love the Australian approach to contempo-rary craft, which they don’t see as a poor relation to the visual arts,” says Elaine. “When I came back to the UK, I felt that many galleries and
T
Open to ideasAlex Westgate discovers a newly-built home in south-east Cornwall that is full of simple, yet striking, open-plan style
Elaine Dye has created an open-plan home on
the Rame Peninsula
Interiors_May21.indd 23 16/05/2016 13:14:34
24
craft shops didn’t present de-sign-led craft particularly sym-pathetically or imaginatively.”
As luck would have it, a plan-ning law had just been intro-duced that allowed former ag-ricultural buildings on the edge of a village to be converted into residential properties, as long as a small business was run from the site. “This regulation only existed for a short period,” says Elaine, “but it was perfect timing.”
So Elaine and Barry bought the plot and tailored the plans to suit them. “Our priority was to create a large living area in which everything was connected,” explains Elaine. “The original plans had divided the main living space into three but we altered that so we would have one large room, with a kitchen at one end, a dining table in the middle and a snug at the far end.
“We wanted somewhere cosy to relax and watch television but we chose to separate it from the living space with open shelving rather than a solid wall, to stop it feeling too enclosed.”
The couple also designed a mezzanine fl oor suspended above the dining table, to break up
the vast expanse of space. It makes the most of the view and includes a section of glass fl oor to keep light levels high.
Building began in 2012 and was carried out by Par-based Morcom Construction (www.morcom-construction.co.uk). The work took 15 months. “The house is designed to be as low-energy as possible,” says Elaine. “It is highly insulated, has a heat recovery system, a biomass boiler and photovoltaic panels. Our electricity bills are unbe-
lievably low for a property of this size.”When it came to choosing paints and fabrics,
the couple again looked to Australia for inspi-
ration: “We based the palette on an Aboriginal painting that we had brought back from Aus-tralia. It contains a lovely shade of burnt orange that we used in the snug and on the open shelv-ing that separates it from the dining room. Used sparingly, a strong colour like this gives a real sense of warmth.”
This is balanced by lots of grey – a pale shade on the far wall of the kitchen and a darker shade on the dining room chairs and pendant lights.
The result is a brilliant backdrop for the pieces of contemporary craft that creep into the house from Elaine’s gallery. “My aim is to showcase the inherent beauty of contemporary crafts in a domestic setting,” says Elaine. “If parts of the house feel like a gallery and the gallery feels a bit like a home, then I’ve done my job well.”www.thebyregallery.co.uk
‘The original plans divided the living space into
three. We altered that to have one large room with a kitchen at one
end’ [[
Interiors
Pick a painting or piece of art that you love, and use it as inspiration for your interior decor colour palette
ELAINE’S TOP TIP:
Interiors_May21.indd 24 16/05/2016 13:15:06
25
GET THELOOK
Mix strong shades with natural wood for contemporary style
Muuto Ambit grey pendant light £209
www.rume.co.uk
Drawing Room Blue paint £43.50 for 2.5 litres emulsion www.farrow-ball.com
Blue and orange cushion £46 www.in-spaces.com
Speakeasy kitchen table £575 www.loaf.com
Scandi chair £85 www.harleyandlola.co.uk
Mango wood bowls from £8.95 www.nkuku.com and
Nkuku store, Harbertonford, near Totnes
fave!
Interiors_May21.indd 25 16/05/2016 13:16:13
ext week, horticulture will be at the forefront, with Chelsea Flower Show in full swing. This always re-minds me of the days when we used
to have a Gardeners’ World stand there, where presenters would take it in turns to meet garden-ers and answer their questions. The commonest by far was ‘why won’t my wisteria fl ower?’, so now Chelsea and these magnifi cent climbers are woven as closely in my mind as stems around the struts of a pergola.
These days, wisterias seem to be behaving themselves in the fl owering department but I would still recommend splashing out on a good-sized plant bearing a few blooms, to prove that it can. A mature wisteria is an awesome sight in terms of its sheer size, the number and colour of its dangling racemes and sweet perfume. Now is the time to seek out and admire plants but there is work to do before you can recreate such mag-nifi cence in your own plot.
The wisteria is a prime performer and as such, deserves some decent scenery, so fi nding a suit-able backdrop is the fi rst job. Close to where I live in east Devon there is a lovely garden at
Pecorama in Beer, famous for its model railways. The Millen-nium Garden there, designed by Naila Green, consists of dif-ferent rooms with plenty of walls and archways to frame the plants and in the Secret Garden, Wisteria x formosa is trained over trellised pergolas. In the wild, wisterias originate mainly from China and Japan, where they clamber happily through woodland and reach 9m/30ft or more. One option is to let them romp naturally up nearby trees, in which case you can simply let them go, much as you would a rampant rambling rose like ‘Kiftsgate’. Where no supports are available, it is possible to train wis-terias as a tree-like standards.
Plant wisterias in good, well-cultivated soil in sun or light shade and take care not to place them too close to the footings of walls, where soil is poor and dry. Setting them 23cm/9in away will make all the difference. For trained plants,
formative pruning is required and consists of reducing the length of main stems as they grow, rather than allowing them to elongate naturally. This pro-motes a better framework, and helps the stems mature ready for fl owering.
At planting time, the main shoot is reduced to 90cm/36in above the ground (but it will produce a new upward grow-ing shoot), laterals (side shoots) are secured to the framework (straining wires or wall vines) and sublaterals reduced to two or three buds. In the following
winter, more shortening occurs with the later-als trimmed by a third and the new leading shoot once again reduced to 90cm/36in, this time above the topmost lateral. Sublaterals are reduced to two or three buds again. Every winter, this con-tinues until the wisteria has covered the area you want.
Thereafter summer pruning consists of reduc-
26
ANNE SWITHINBANK
Gardens
Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, has the lowdown on how to get your wisteria to � ower profusely
N In the wild, wisterias are
from China and Japan, where they clamber
happily through woodland and reach 9m/30�
or more [[
Wistfulthinking
Gardens_May21.indd 26 16/05/2016 13:34:30
What is the best way of putting plants around the insides of a hanging basket?
For a fully clothed look, it is fun to feed spreading or trailing plants like calibrochoa (looks like a small-flowered petunia) and white-flowered bacopa through the sides, so you end up with a ball of colour. If you are lining with a fibrous material, you can gradually build up the layers and poke the roots through from the out-side as you go. Problems start when the plants have large roots and the basket sides have small holes. Yet there is a devious way of feeding the growth through from the inside. You take some paper or polythene and wrap it gently around the stems of the plant until they are tube-shaped. This tube can be pushed through a small hole from the inside out, so the large root ball stays on the inside. One the tube is through, remove the wrapping and let the plant fan out.
27
I want to grow celeriac but my first try at germinating seeds has failed. Is it now too late to try again?
Celeriac belongs to the carrot, parsley and pars-nip tribe and they are all fussy germinators com-pared to something straightforward like cabbage. Seed needs to be fresh and where cabbage could be up in four or five days, celeriac might take two to three weeks. You have to be patient and maintain ideal conditions of warmth and mois-ture (65-68 F/18-20 C). Seeds are generally sown in March or April for planting May or June, so it is getting rather late. This will have been a diffi-cult year for celeriac growers because we’ve been having cold night temperatures through spring and if you plant celeriac before the soil has prop-erly warmed up, it tends to bolt (rush up to flower rather than produce a swollen stem). Mid April sowings would have been best. You could try again and put up with small roots. Or try Swedes which grow well sown in May.
Q
Question time with AnneWest reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank
Send your questions to Anne at [email protected]
This week’s gardening tipsAnne’s advice for your garden
Q
• Take up hand shears to clip box balls and spirals. This is best done when there is no more danger of frost which can nip the new growth.
• Plant out French beans, sweet corn, courgettes and pumpkins and water in well (except in colder areas where frost is still likely).
• Sow carrot, parsnip, beetroot and peas direct to the soil but soak drills well first. Cover carrots to keep root flies off.
• Sow all manner of winter hardy
brassicas such as kale, spring cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli and cabbages.
• Remove dead fronds from maidenhair fronds, give them a liquid feed and make sure they never go dry. Pot congested ferns into larger pots of fresh potting compost.
• Put up supports for runner beans (which should be germinating under glass). In difficult clay soil with flints, make deep holes for the poles or canes using a heavy metal pin.
Plant tender perennials such as tibouchina, pelargoniums, lemon balm and argyranthemums or stand them out on the patio if they’ve been hiding from the cold under glass.
ing sideshoots to five leaves and these are pruned harder still in winter, to short spurs of 8-10cm/3-4in holding two or three buds.
The commonest wisteria is the Chinese sort (W.sinensis) and the most dramatic is
W.floribunda ‘Macrobotrys’ (also known as ‘Mul-tijuga’) whose lilac blue racemes dangle to an impressive 1-1.2m/3-4ft long. At Pecorama (www.pecorama.co.uk) you can see both this and the glorious W.f. ‘Rosea’ in the Moon Garden there.
Solanum laxumThis impressive evergreen or semi-evergreen Chilean potato vine bears its blue-tinged, white flowers from summer right into the autumn on abundant growth reaching 6m/20ft. Prune after flowering.
Passiflora caeruleaThe hardy blue passion flower can reach 10/30ft or more and bears its structural flowers from summer to autumn. Orange fruits (which are edible but not very palatable) often develop. Prune in spring.
Aristolochia macrophylla The unusual Dutchman’s pipe is a deciduous twiner with large, heart-shaped leaves. Curi-ously shaped summer flowers are green, mot-tled with yellow and purple-brown and are often hidden by foliage. For milder gardens, the blooms of A.sempervirens are more shapely.
More big climbers for sunny spots
Gardens_May21.indd 27 16/05/2016 13:34:51
28
Abbie’s
ext week sees the return of the Chelsea Flower Show (May 24-28), when the world’s best horticulturists (many travelling up from the South West) descend upon London
in the hope that their show gardens will attract an elu-sive gold medal.But don’t worry if you can’t make it to the capital to have a look around. You can still enjoy the joyous aroma of gardens in full bloom, thanks to the bumper crop of fl ower and foliage-inspired fragrances that have landed this spring.From subtle and herbaceous to sweet and heady, there’s a scent for everyone. You’ll just have to pick your own...
Gardenscents
Beauty
Let Chelsea Flower Show inspire your perfume choices, says beauty guru Abbie Bray of Newton Abbot
N
RosieRosie For Autograph Summer Rose Eau de Parfum, £28 for 75ml
Drawing on the native � owers of her favourite
holiday destination, Thailand, the third
fragrance from Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is
centred around jasmine and rose followed by
sumptuous sandalwood and musk.
Rich notesOpus X Eau de Parfum £180 for 50ml
Discover a bold con� uence of no less than four rose notes, ably assisted by geranium, leather,
and rich ylang-ylang.
In bloomL’Occitane Violette & Rose de Mai
Eau de Toilette £52 for 75mlOpening with a burst of
ravishing pink rose, this dries down to reveal a heart of zesty mandarin and bergamot. Musk
and sandalwood combine to complete this complex, creamy
concoction.
Berry niceJo Malone Wild
Strawberry & Parsley £44 for 30ml
This limited-edition fragrance melds the
savoury tang of � at-leaf parsley with the juicy
sweetness of strawberry and blackcurrant,
resulting in a gorgeously green blend.
Bronnley Zealous Flower Eau de Toilette £35 for
50mlThis combines jasmine
and rose notes with fruity pear and
mandarin, pink pepper and amber, adding both
warmth and depth.
Jasmine
fave!
Enjoy the aroma of gardens in
full bloom, thanks to this bumper crop of � ower and
foliage-inspired fragrances [[
Beauty_May21.indd 28 16/05/2016 16:49:21
Escape to the Coast2 night breaks from £345
per couple, per stay.Call 0844 858 9185 quoting ‘West’
to book your stay.
www.stives-harbour-hotel.co.uk
Terms and Conditions: Rate of £345 valid until 19th July. Rates are based on midweek stays in an inland room and include 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation and a dinner allowanceof £25 per person on arrival night. Rates are pre-paid rates and cancellations are non refundable.
Ads.indd 8 16/05/2016 16:43:57
30
e bold and banish the beige, as the high street’s sudden-ly gone crazy for stunning prints and bright colours. More excitingly still, many
of our favourite stores have apparently been tuning in to social media campaigns demanding more and better frontline fashion for curvier women. The 31-year-old American supermodel Candice Huffi ne - pictured here, left - is now the face (and size 18 body) behind one of the hottest high street campaigns this summer, as River Island launches its debut Plus range. We love this fl irty wrap-over tea dress she’s wearing (£42) and think its contem-porary botanical print is a grown-up al-ternative to ditsy and chintzy fl orals.Elsewhere, Simply Be has some lovely jersey print trousers in sizes 10-30 that have a comfy high waist and fl attering wide-legged silhouette. The same label also has a yellow gypsy-style blouse in sizes 10-30 which looks summery and chic.So whether you are size 10 or - like Can-dice - size 18, there are plenty of ways to look sensational this summer. Why not fl aunt your most fabulous features in de-signs which both fl atter and boldly stand out from the crowd?
B
Wrapover tea dress sizes 18 to 24 £42 River
Island Plus
Paradise embellished flat sandal £28 www.very.co.uk
Bright braid floppy hat £15
Accessorize
Fashion_May21.indd 30 16/05/2016 13:27:54
Fashion
31
Sunglasses £80 www.follifollie.co.uk
Gypsy blouse sizes 10 to 30 www.simplybe.co.uk
Sleeveless crochet trim top sizes 16 to 30 £22 M &Co
Wide leg jersey trouser size 10 to 30 was £24
now £16.80 www.simplybe.co.uk
Allegra bangle £65 www.furla.com
Print bag £35 Dune
Fashion_May21.indd 31 16/05/2016 13:28:33
ur beautiful magazine is up for a design award, which means I am off to a rather posh do. “No problem,” I thought as the news came down the grapevine: “My evening frock cup
fl oweth over.” Then my eyes settled on the word “lunch” on
the invitation and my stomach sank. This sort of event is a whole different kettle of fi sh, ward-robe-wise, as everything from your hemline to the shade you pick, is different for a bash held in the middle of the day. There was only one thing for it, I had to go shopping.
I took the luxury Spanish pret-a-couture brand Delpozo as my inspiration, particularly their playful use of crochet during their SS16 shows. Texture is key in any outfi t and this summer the options are wonderfully fun and feminine.
Hollywood agrees. Actresses Maisie Williams and Reese Witherspoon aren’t strangers to the power of a pretty cutwork frock, and celebrities have been seen sporting these little numbers everywhere from the red carpet to Graham Norton’s TV show couch.
When I am looking for something elegant without sacrifi cing personality, I always head to Coast. Not just the domain of bridesmaids, this store has some ensembles that pack a fair punch. I spotted this blush number on a hanger and decided to start with it, just to warm up. Little did I know how much I would love it once zipped in.
I’m not your typical pink lacy frock wearer. So my adoration came as a surprise, but the very act of trying it on was the result of a new strategy I have adopted when shopping. The idea was formed the day I couldn’t close my trousers drawer, the result of yet another pair of new
blue skinnies being added to my collection. Some would suggest the solution would be to get rid of some clothes, but Marie Kondo I am not. I
decided, instead, that I needed to start stretching the boundaries of my wardrobe.
Now, when I enter a shop, the fi rst thing I try on has to be something out of my comfort zone. I recommend this exercise on your next trip. At worst, you’ll have a good giggle at yourself, at best you’ll fi nd a whole new you smiling back from the mirror. Either way, it’s a good start to the day.
From there on the outfi t just fell into place. I will admit a bit of an obsession with rose gold right now, so these heels from River Island were snatched up so fast my hand was a blur. The clutch is a fabulous nude that will work just as well with my favourite jeans and a strappy white top as it will in a ballroom at 1pm.
A swift visit to Megan at Saks Hairdressing and I am ready to hop on the train to the capital and swig champers with the best of them. Wish us luck!All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.co.uk
32
Trend
Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod takes this season’s texture for a twirl
HOW TO WEAR IT:
O
MA
IN P
HO
TO
HA
IR: M
EG
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Dress, Coast, Princesshay, £95
Shoes, River Island, Princesshay, £50
Bag, Coast, Princesshay, £35
Sunglasses, River Island, Princesshay, £10
Actresses Maisie Williams
and Reese Witherspoon
aren’t strangers to the power of a pretty cutwork
frock
Crochet & cutwork
Have you got a fashion question or a trend you’d like to see
tackled? @KathrynCMcleod
Cutwork_May21.indd 32 17/05/2016 10:53:16
33
GET THE
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Daphne wrap detail sandals £165 REISS
Double layer bodycon dress £42 MISS SELFRIDGE
Flora filagree short drops
earrings £12.90 ACCESSORIZE
Patent and suede court peep toe
shoes £140 KAREN MILLEN
Cutwork_May21.indd 33 17/05/2016 10:54:34
culturevulture
Our guide to what’s on in the South West by woman-in-the-
know Sarah Pitt
34
There’s an interesting Oscar-nominated foreign-language film showing soon at the Exeter Phoenix’s Studio 74. Called Mustang, the film is about five sisters growing up in Northern Turkey. Mustang is the first full-length film by Turkish-French film director Deniz Ergüven and cleaned up at the César awards, France’s film honours, gaining nine nominations and four awards. The film tells of sisters who
are banned from “instruments of corruption” like mobile phones and computers. As the older sisters are married off, the younger ones bond together to avoid the same fate. A feminist escape movie for anyone who loved Thelma and Louise, in Turkish with subtitles.Mustang (15), Exeter Phoenix on June 11, June 13 and June 16 at 7.30pm. Tickets £6, www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
Fashion!GrowinG Pains
Jonny & the Baptists are touring the country with their climate change musical The End is Nigh. There’s still a chance to catch the show as they are playing the final two dates in their two month national tour in our neck of the woods. From barnstorming satirical rock to flights of brilliant silliness, the show – a hit at the Edinburgh Fringe – blends comedy, theatre and rock in a story of family, friendship and environmental disaster. See them at The Poly in Falmouth on May 26 at 8pm (tickets £9-£11, thepoly.org) or Calstock Village Hall on May 27 at 8pm (tickets £7-£9, see www.calstockhall.com).
Musical comedy
Drake Circus Fashion LIVE is a unique opportunity to see the season’s latest looks in a stylish catwalk show, complete with exclusive discounts from stores like M&S, Primark, River Island and Billabong. There will also be the chance to win stunning outfits at this fun, glamorous event.The shows take place next weekend at Drake Circus shopping centre in Plymouth, with profes-sional models from Mosaic agency. Simone Pasley, who runs Mosaic, will also be scouting for new models while she is there.Drake Circus Fashion LIVE takes place on May 27 and May 28 at Drake Circus Plymouth, with shows at 11am and 3pm, www.drakecircus.com
CV_Stars_May21.indd 34 17/05/2016 12:37:07
Adjusting your heating from your phone sounds great – but what’s it really like?
We asked three Westcountry homeowners about their experiences switching from night storage heaters to ELKAtherm® electric radiators with HeatApp controls.
If you’re struggling with night storage heaters –guessing the temperature and trying to make the heat last all day – simply having instant, reliable warmth,whenever you want, must sound wonderful. So being able to adjust that heating using your tablet or mobile phone might seem like science fiction.
Cornwall-based South West Heatinghas already installed ELKAtherm® electric radiators, with HeatApp controls, in hundreds of Westcountry homes. The benefits are obvious:set the temperature and timing in every room, for a warm, cosy home without running up energy bills while you’re out. Pre-warm the house before you get home, and turn the heating up or down without even leaving your sofa. All the warmth you want, and save money at the same time.
But does the system deliver? We asked three South West homeowners to share their experiences.
“It’s a pleasure to be here”Jenny Wakelin from St Ives had struggled with night
storage heating for fifteen years before switching to ELKAtherm® heating in 2013. She is impressed by the performance of the new radiators.
“The night storage heaters were incredibly inefficient – the house was cold,” Jenny recalls. “Now we have a very even ambient temperature throughout the house. It’s a pleasure to be here.”
But what about the iPhone controls – are they easy to use?
“It’s a bit of a no-brainer, really. When my son came to visit I could sit at home and switch on the heating in the morning so the house was nice and warm when they got up – result:‘Thanks mum!’
“It’s been a revelation, really. How it’s transformed this house is amazing.”
“It just works”InTavistock, Louisa Chanter is similarly impressed.
“I like being able to use it from my phone, because I travel quite a lot,” she explains.
“When I’m coming back on the train I can turn the heating
on and make it any temperature I like, so it’s lovely when I
come in. I set the time once on each room and it just works.
It works from my phone and from my iPad; there’s no ugly
panels on the walls.It’s perfect.”
“The house is toasty”
Zoe Abbotts, fromRedruth, says switching to ELKAtherm®
heating has made a real difference – and not just to the
temperature of her home.
She explains: “It’s made my life less stressful. I don’t have
to constantly think about having wood for the fire, or the
storage heaters not working and the house being cold when I
come in from work.
“It’s all there on my app – I can turn the heating on an hour
before I leave work, and the house is toasty.”
You can hear Jenny, Zoe and Louisa’s stories in full, online: just search YouTube for “South West Heating”
If you’d like heating information and advice, call 01209 714600, visit southwestheatingsolutions.co.uk,
or write to us at ‘Freepost SOUTH WEST HEATING SOLUTIONS’
©LW
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CHLOE’S BODY CHALLENGE
Sign up for the Devon Air Ambulance Trust’s fundraising One Mile Sea Swim, between Broadsands and Goodrington at Paignton, south Devon, on June 5. It costs £20 to enter, with the option of generating additional money for this good cause by raising sponsorship. Find out more here: www.daat.org/events
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How are you feeling? According to Bupa UK, stress, bad backs and neck pain are
among the major reasons for calling in sick to work, with graduates and senior
managers taking the most time o� a year due to ill health. Of the 12 UK regions, the South West came out
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How are you feeling? According to Bupa UK, stress, bad backs and neck pain are
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We tried, tasted and can vouch these gluten and dairy-free Good Full Stop snack bars are delicious (and made in Devon!). Find them (80p each), available in six fl avours at Holland and Barratt. The main ingredient is dates, which are rich in fi bre, iron, potas-sium and a wealth of minerals. Put simply, though, they’re yum.
Cleopatra legendarily bathed in asses’ milk and you could, too! Higher in lactose than cow and sheep milk,
applied topically donkey milk is said to have anti-ageing, moisturising and anti-acne properties. While it would cost
small fortune to buy the quantity of milk that Cleopatra had her daily bath in, Torrington-based Soap Kitchen sells
sachets in dried powdered form, as part of its range of products for making your own soap and toiletries at home.
See for yourself at www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk
GOOD-FOR-YOU SNACKING
What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates @WMNWest or email [email protected]
THAT’S DIFFERENT!
SLIM IN YOUR SLEEP
BACK TO WORK?
Lack of sleep can a� ect the hormones which control our appetites, increasing levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone which can have us creeping down to the fridge in the middle of the night. A warm milky drink before bed really can help you to nod o� more easily – dairy products are rich in tryptophan, which helps produce sleep-inducing serotonin and melatonin in our brains.
May21_BOOST.indd 37 17/05/2016 12:18:56
38
Darren Norbury
talks beer’m not often on the beer mid-morn-ing on a Wednesday, but now and again a bit of judging is called for and when you’re facing a lot of beers, it’s best to make an early
start.I’m in the Life Tree Café at
the Westpoint Centre, near Exeter, with Paddy O’Riordan, of Crossed Anchors Brewing, Exmouth, and between us we are making our way through the golden beers in the annual Taste of the West awards. We found some beauties, defi nitely worthy of the coveted Gold award, and you’ll fi nd out how our judging went when the results are an-nounced, any day now.
Crossed Anchors is another brewing company to have suc-cessfully gone down the crowd-funding route to get off the ground. Three hundred and forty-nine backers helped Paddy and business partner Ollie Bain-bridge exceed a £35,000 target in 49 days, with the cash going on high-quality brewing and bottling equipment.
Crossed Anchors has, in fact, been in business since last summer and is producing 3,500 pints
I
There’s just under two weeks until the Occombe Beer Festival, to be held at
Occombe Farm, Paignton. This year the event, on June 3, promises more than 60 beers, plus ciders, perries – and Pimms!
With food and live music, too, 100 per cent of the pro� ts go to funding the work of the
Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust.
Bangers and beer“Beer, bangers, real ale and music” is the proposition at the St Tudy Inn Beer Festival (May 29). Check out chef Emily Scott’s collaboration with Padstow Brewing Company, St Tudy Ale. Tickets are £12.50 on 01208 850656 or call into the pub.
CIDER AND DANCING
Black Flag Brewery’s Saison (6.1% ABV) was a joy in Beerwolf, Falmouth, the other day.
Despite its rather unsessionable ABV, it’s refreshing, golden and true to style with
grassy hop notes and a fragrant aroma. If it could be improved I’d like a little more tartness in there, but I’m being Mr Picky
from Pickytown. Great for a summer day.
Beer of the week
a week of the likes of North Star and Three Cs Gold. But at the moment the guys brew using an-other brewery’s kit – known as cuckoo brewing and quite common in the trade. With the crowd-funding money, though, they will convert stables
at the rear of The Grapevine pub in Exmouth into a perma-nent Crossed Anchors Brewery.
While judging for prestigious awards like Taste of the West is, naturally, taken very seriously, I suspect that, like me, Paddy was also engaging in a bit of profes-sional research. Such days are a great opportunity, I fi nd, to try beers that don’t make it down to may part of the world so much, such as brews from Arkells and Box Steam in Wiltshire. Of course, some beers are all too familiar but it’s important just to evaluate the ale honestly on the day.
Hopefully, by this time next year, Crossed An-chors will be in its new central Exmouth home and perhaps, instead of judging, Paddy and Ollie will be waiting to see if their beer has achieved Taste of the West Gold.Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk
@beertoday
We are judging the beers, and
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Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and author of Game: River Cottage Handbook no. 15 (Bloomsbury £14.99)
espite their name, spring onions are really a summer vegetable and though these days this tasty mild but peppery salad onion is available in the UK all year round, they are
certainly at their best from now until midsum-mer. There is a startling array of different types available now from local growers: red ones, some with more of an onion-like bulb at the ends and some with great long and full leaves. They are often treated as a salad item only, which is a shame. With a little imagination and some deft cookery they can be a wonderful addition to many dishes, both hot and cold, and even take on the lead role on various occasions.
Getting hold of some of the more interesting ones will re-quire a visit to the local farmers’ market or greengrocer. Better still, you could get onto a local grower for a few bunches of the best or grow a few yourself. They are surprisingly easy to grow, whether you go for a true salad va-riety or just harvest your main crop onions early
as part of the thinning out process. Do keep hold of as much of the green tops as
you can. It’s one of the sad facts of life that most spring onions in the shop sold by the bunch are sadly lacking in around half of their top green bits, which have been trimmed off in the name
of neatness, packaging and shelf-life.
Even if you don’t intend to use these green parts for the dish you have in mind, they make excel-lent additions to other recipes and can stand in for chives or garlic. One of my favourite “on toast” dishes is goat’s cheese and spring onion tops, lightly grilled and served up with dressed radish tops.
Try adding the leftover green tops to your next batch of pesto for that additional raw onion zing. Or you could wilt them in a
pan like spinach and serve as a green to accom-pany whatever you like. They are wonderful used to fi nish oriental-style dishes too and make excel-lent fritters or bhajis if you are that way inclined and like real hit of sweet onion. Which I do.
D
Ingredient of the Week
Spring onionwith Tim Maddams
One of my favourite ‘on
toast’ dishes is goat’s cheese
and spring onion tops,
lightly grilled [[
Eat
Spring into actionA spring onion soup or broth is ready in minutes and makes excellent use of chicken or lamb stock.
I also like a puree of spring onions as a garnish for roasted fi sh. Sweat the chopped white part in olive oil with garlic until sweet and tender, then adding some of the chopped green part before another brief sweat and blending.
Slow-cooked spring onions make an excellent and simple dressing for pasta or lamb chops and is as easy as pie to make. Simply slice and sweat off your onions in a little butter and fi nish with a drop of lemon juice and some chopped parsley.
@TimGreenSauce
Beer_Tim_May21.indd 41 16/05/2016 13:32:43
42
Enjoy
a wEEkEnd in
Buckfast abbeywords: bea gorman
AWeekendIn_May21.indd 42 16/05/2016 14:34:07
43
he only English medieval mon-astery to have been restored and used again for its original purpose, Buckfast Abbey near Buckfastleigh is one of Devon’s hidden gems. The
monastery, founded in 1018, is home to a com-munity of Benedictine monks but also offers a myriad of activities and will celebrate its thou-sand-year anniversary in 2018.
Visit: Situated in the heart of the grounds, the Abbey Church was rebuilt on the original Cistercian ground plan at the start of the 20th century. Its history is echoed throughout the building with Gothic and Romanesque win-dows and archways. In contrast to the rest of the Abbey Church, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel brings a touch of modern design with the mesmerising stained glass, designed and made in the Abbey’s own workshops by monks. The monks celebrate the Divine Offi ce and Mass every day here and visitors are welcome to join the services.
Stay: Northgate House is a pretty Arts and Crafts style guesthouse in the Abbey grounds. It underwent major refurbishment in 2015 and now offers accommodation, as well as a con-temporary roof terrace and tranquil inner courtyard. All rooms are en-suite and have spec-
T
Head gardener Aaron Southgate hosts gardening events and there are also courses
for budding beekeepers [[
tacular views over Dartmoor of the Abbey and grounds. Prices start at £69 per person per night, bed and breakfast. Visit www.buckfastaccommo-dation.org.uk or call 01364 645630 for details.
Eat: The Grange Restaurant at the Abbey serves a wide selection of delicious dishes, made using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. With a menu that changes daily and includes hot meals, light snacks and mouth-watering desserts, there’s something for everyone. The restaurant’s im-
pressive views of Buckfast Abbey and the surrounding countryside can be enjoyed from the outside covered patio. The Grange is open from 10am every day and can be booked for evening functions between September and May for up to 120 people. Visit www.buckfasttour-ism.org.uk for details.
Try: Long associated with bee-keeping, Buckfast Abbey now offers a variety of courses, taster days and information on everything beekeeping related. The courses are led by resident expert Clare Densley and take
place throughout the year. For budding beekeep-ers, the next taster day takes place on Saturday September 3, or why not join the beginner’s bee-keeping course starting on Saturday June 4? For more information, contact [email protected]
Explore: Partly modelled on medieval plans, the Abbey gardens offer a variety of tranquil settings to enjoy, including three self-contained areas that allude to the history of monastic hor-ticulture - the Lavender Garden, the Sensory Garden and the Physic Garden. Head gardener Aaron Southgate hosts guided garden walk-and-talk events throughout the year, covering eve-rything from exploring the Abbey gardens and plants, to gardening tips and arrangements. The next event is the Lavender Garden on Wednesday June 15, where Aaron will be discussing Buck-fast Abbey’s 100-plus varieties of lavender.
Shop: On your visit, do have a look at the shops of Buckfast Abbey. You’ll fi nd gifts made by nuns and monks from across Europe in the Monastic Shop. The Book Shop is one of the largest reli-gious and spiritual book shops in the South West and the award-winning Gift Shop sells a wide va-riety of ceramics, wines, biscuits and preserves, as well as the famous Buckfast Tonic Wine.
Visit www.buckfasttourism.org.uk
The Abbey Church was rebuilt in the 1900s
The Grange Restaurant’s menu changes daily
So many gift ideas
AWeekendIn_May21.indd 43 17/05/2016 12:39:53
44
My Favourite…
Walk: It’s quite a trek but walking the coastal path from St Ives to Zennor (I love to visit The Gurnard’s Head pub at Zennor), is a fi rm favour-ite. It’s a great way to blow away the cobwebs and the views are amazing.
Beach: Porthminster Beach in St Ives. The sea there is so calm and clean and, with Porthmin-ster Beach Cafe at hand, I can happily spend the whole day relaxing here.
Festival: I love the Porthleven Food and Music Festival. It’s always so dynamic and interesting, with exciting new producers and interactive chefs demos every year. It’s a great showcase of Cornwall’s food and drink culture.
44
Activity: Taking the kids to the beach or to visit St Michael’s Mount. We are really lucky to have so many great beaches on our doorstep here in west Cornwall.
Food: It has to be the fi sh! That’s what inspired me to become a chef in the fi rst place. With access to such diversity, quality and freshness on our doorstep, it is only natural that seafood plays a huge role on our menu here at The Coldstreamer.
Tipple: Skinner’s Cornish Knocker is a fantas-tic golden ale made in Truro. It’s brewed with Cornish water and is a really good match for shellfi sh.
Tom Franklin-Pryce
Originally from St Ives, Tom is head chef at The Coldstreamer Inn in Gulval near Penzance. Since he and his wife Hollie bought the pub last year, they have created a foodie haven specialising in a fusion of British and Asian cuisine. They live upstairs with daughter Scarlet and their new baby Bailey.
My Secret Westcountry
Porthminster Beach
Tom and Hollie Franklin-Pryce The Coldstreamer Inn
MSW_May21.indd 44 16/05/2016 12:59:57
4545
www.coldstreamer-penzance.co.uk
People
Pub: The Old Coastguard in Mousehole is perfect for a cosy roast in the winter. It also has a lovely garden in summer which is perfect for families with kids.
Restaurant: Ben’s Cornish Kitchen in Ma-razion. I have a great meal every time we go here. Ben’s standards of quality and consistency are second to none.
Way to relax: I fi nd that going for a run clears the mind and soul. Running helps me to release the stress after a busy few days in the kitchen; I wish I could get out more often.
Weekend away: The Scarlet Hotel in
Porthleven Festival
Mawgan Porth. My wife and I married there and it’s partly why we named our daughter Scarlet. You feel like you’re a million miles away when you’re there.
Shop: Calico in St Ives and Truro sells really stylish and interesting homeware. It’s easy to get carried away when shopping there.
Treat: Time off with my girls. However the hours of a chef means it doesn’t happen enough, especially now Hollie and I own the business and have paperwork to contend with, too.
Porthleven Festival
Scarlet Hotel
The Scarlet Hotel
St Michael’s Mount
MSW_May21.indd 45 16/05/2016 13:00:24
46
Chris MCguire
A mouse inthe house
My life
er eyes looked into mine imploring-ly. I sighed. She nibbled on chocolate as I left to put my dressing gown on. On my return, she seemed almost pleased to see me. I opened the door
and we passed into the moonlit street. Five min-utes later I opened the trap and, without looking back, she scurried off into some undergrowth. Yet, even as she disappeared into the night, I had the feeling I’d see this particular mouse again.
This week I learned, in the Westcountry, it’s possible to be closer to nature than a former townie might want.
Recently, since moving west, I’ve had my fill of all things natural. First it was the seagulls. We had a seemingly cute seagull chick wander into our front garden. “How lovely,” my girlfriend and I thought until we tried to leave the house. Like a scene from Jurassic Park, the chick’s mother noisily attacked us every time we attempted to cross the threshold. Prisoners in our own home, we were considering releasing a distress flare, when the chick nonchalantly wandered off. It didn’t even say goodbye. Nature’s like that.
In the last week my grapplings with Mother Nature became even more up close and personal. “We have a mouse,” announced my pregnant partner, sprinting in the opposite direction.
The amount of poo behind the cabinet was vast. If we had only one mouse it must be going for some kind of excrement-based world record. I shouldn’t complain, it makes detection easy: if mice wore nappies it’s unlikely they’d ever be spotted.
“I’ll get some humane traps,” I said to my girl-friend, who was hiding in a cupboard. Which is exactly what I did. Traps were bought, baited with chocolate and laid in places I thought mice
might like to frequent – basically anywhere near a skirting board.
“What’s that noise?” cried my other half, in the middle of the night. In a sleepy fug I stumbled downstairs to find the source of the eerie rattling. I flicked on the light and the commo-tion stopped. Feeling relieved that I wasn’t dealing with the supernatu-ral, I picked up the rattling trap and found a (totally unharmed) mouse looking back at me.
Before long I was down at a local park, setting the mouse free. Are there such things as homing mice? I have the feel-ing that mouse followed me back in the dark. Half an hour later I was woken by another racket. It happened again an hour after that. By the end of the night I’d either relocated four mice or I’d relocated the same mouse four times.
You’ll be glad to hear that we’ve had several mouse-free days now, so I’m hoping that my in-teractions with my furry friends (or friend) are at an end. Perhaps the mouse/mice have decided to move in somewhere they’re not taken on midnight expeditions in strange plastic containers?
That said, I don’t think I’ve had
H
Chris Mcguire finds Nature is getting a little too close to home
my full dose of unwanted nature yet. As I type, I can hear a squeaking in
my garden. It sounds suspi-ciously like another seagull chick. Or the same one, back again.
Chris McGuire is a writer who recently moved to the West-
country. He likes nature, but only on TV.
@McGuireski
NEXT WEEK: Phil Goodwin on love, life and parenthood in the South West
[[
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