Story · April 2020
We know we have Wood Rats because we have seen them...... well actually we have only seen one about a year ago at the top of a tree. It was dusk and we saw the silhouette quite clearly. It was the size of a squirrel but…
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Story · March 2020
Wednesday 18th March Well, It was a thoroughly enjoyable day today. We are onto day 4 in isolation. Lockdown to protect us from Corona virus. I seldom go out as I have plenty to keep me occupied here. Suddenly when faced…
Read more →Story · February 2020
Intrigued....... yup, I was too. It appeared on the calendar in the kitchen. Mal has his own Calendar on which to write.....well whatever he wants really. This is good with his memory, or lack of. He tells me about…
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Following surgery to repair a Hernia, Mal has been recovering for the last 7 weeks. The time has been a battle of wills between us ( family and friends) who know about the aftermath of abdominal surgery and he who knows…
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Recipe · January 2020
This is in fact a giant samosa masquerading as a Strudel. Tea was running late one day and I had planned to make samosas to go with a curry. faced with a piece of puff pastry and way too much filling I became creative.…
See the recipe →Story · January 2020
Storm Gloria descended on us yesterday following a spell of dry warm sunny weather to lull us into a false sense of Spring being on the way. Temperatures had dropped from low twenties to single figures. We have had a lot…
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Christmas is well and truly over and the games packed away till next year. The invalid is recovering slowly from his hernia op. Bedridden mode is relatively easy to cope with as it requires only a steady stream of food…
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Story · August 2019
A page from Tinker's Diary, written and sent to his best friend in England. Barb regularly looks after all the cats and Tinker decided he would send regular updates and requests for treats................ I open one eye.…
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Mal is obsessed with several things when it comes to shopping. Unlike most men he loves shopping whether is for food or clothes. The first obsession is ‘The LIST !!!!!’. Write one item on it at your peril. We have many…
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Recipe · June 2019
Recipe 225g / 8oz Self-raising flour Pinch of Salt 125g / 5oz Butter 75g / 3oz Caster sugar 25g / 1oz Dark brown sugar 1 egg, beaten 50g / 2oz Dates 1 tablespoon Amaretto Zest of an Orange 1. cut up the dates into small…
See the recipe →Story · June 2019
Not long ago in the mountains of Spain, a disgruntled husband ( mine, to be specific ) was plagued by seed corns in the sole of his foot. “I need to see a chiropodist,” he wailed. I must travel far and wide to the…
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Story · June 2019
Or so I thought..... There is nothing nicer than climbing into bed at the end of a day. In fact to get into bed and find there is not a cat in sight is somewhat of a miracle. Usually I am greeted by an assortment of…
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Story · February 2019
Today I mixed a load of cement, and built more bricks. The aviary will be finished by hook or by crook, but now we hear with relief we have more weeks than we thought. This is really good news as I don’t think we could…
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Story · January 2019
It was way back in the summer when our friends Sue and Rolf asked us to adopt their chickens, ducks and goose as they were moving. Mal was super enthusiastic and I said yes as they seemed doomed to an uncertain future.…
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Story · January 2019
It’s 4.30 am! I wish I was a minor planet instead of the centre of the flipping universe. Felix and Guiness think my nose is as close to the centre as they can get and it’s no holds barred to be in the centre. Stereo…
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Story · January 2019
About eighteen months ago a young ginger cat appeared and was spotted eating our cat’s food. He was seen every now and again standing out from our assorted black and white mob. He learnt to use the cat flap and before…
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Story · January 2019
An eerie silence has descended on the house. Nothing moves, just the rhythmical breathing of 9 cats who collectively returned to the armchairs in the lounge as soon the gates closed. Mal has taken the family back to the…
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Story · January 2019
Going back 36 hours I felt absolute rubbish and having served tea to the masses, couldn’t eat any. It was probably a result of sheer exhaustion having been unaware that a 2 year old can be not only be awake from dawn…
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Story · January 2019
The next visitors arrive in a couple of days, Rachael and Kevin are more like family than visitors but this time coming with daughter Beth and grandsons, Connor aged seven and Xander aged two. Preparations for their…
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Art · January 2019
I paint on feathers firstly by blanking out the subject area with white acrylic to seal the shafts of the feather and prevent it separating when painting. I use a fine brush and Caran D'Ache water-soluble wax crayons to…
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Recipe · January 2019
Sounds like this shouldn't work but in fact its a lovely accompaniment to a curry, almost like a chutney. thanks to my sister Mavis for this one.
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Recipe · January 2019
Date & Orange Cake This recipe is one that Mum used to make us when we were growing up. scrunchy at the bottom and cake at the top. Delicious. I remembered it and found it in Mums recipe book. it tastes just like I…
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Art · January 2019
using wine bottles for support I had collected a number of beautiful wine bottles and decided to design a bookcase using them as supports by drilling a series of holes in the shelf above each bottle into which the necks…
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Art · January 2019
photos taken by Tom Anderson an incredibly talented photographer who regularly visits us.
Read more →Recipe · January 2019
An Easy bake recipe for a Christmas Cake Easy Christmas cake 2 (8 ounce) containers candied cherries 1 (8 ounce) container candied mixed citrus peel 2 cups raisins 1 cup dried currants 1 cup dates, pitted and chopped 2…
See the recipe →Recipe · January 2019
Easy, no bake recipe for a delicious cheesecake. 300G digestive biscuits 125G melted butter 150G icing sugar 525G full fat Philadelphia 150ML plain Greek Yoghurt 75ML double cream Directions: Crush the digestives in a…
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Art · January 2018
Here you will find a few examples of previous artwork I have done.
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A small number of the stage back drops I have created for various country music clubs around South West England. [gallery ids="27,28"]
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