August

I blanked out my diary for August for ‘fun’. It has been exhausting. The heat and humidity had not been factored into my plans for attending local fairs and events, and certainly not for days on the beach. So far, one afternoon at a fair to enjoy the thrills and spills of sheep racing, a lunchtime based around a local food fair, and two hours on the beach have been more than enough time spent outside.

The sea was gloriously warm at 18 deg C but the UV was vicious with the remains of the peel just coming off me. Eating in a bit of shade a nice morsel from a food stall was great, spotting a bus to take us home was even better. Oh, and the sheep racing? I lost my money on a sheep who ran straight past the food trough onto the truck.

I have just been reading about the lack of people picking blackberries. Certainly that is not the case around here. From a train window, I spied a young lad get off a bike in order to eat the treats straight from the hedgerow. From the trampled foliage under hedgerows, I suspect that many people are out and about foraging for berries. Certainly, in my circle of friends, traditional puddings are alive and well…and homemade with homegrown fruit or foraged fruit. It would seem that English Heritage is looking to increase Christmas sales and is well aware of the impact of ‘click bait’ incentives.

Meanwhile, a homemade apple and blackcurrant pie (with homegrown currants) sits defrosting in the kitchen.

Interestingly, part of me does agree with English Heritage that the simple pleasures are being forgotten and my little Instagram Maldwyn the Mouse has lots of adventures in the countryside as part of a mission to encourage people to enjoy the simple things in life.