March 2008 News and Views
News & Members' Contributions from Countryside Connection Village
The response has been so wonderful since I began sharing excerpts from our members' monthly newsletters last month! After enjoying this month's issue, you will be able to read all of the February 2008 News you might have missed by accessing this link. I will continue to provide access to all future issues in the same way so that you will not miss any of the news from our village. To enable you to enjoy past news and members' contributions from our Countryside Connection Village please simply click on the link to the appropriate month each time you visit our site.
Please Note : As one of our members advised in last month's issue, you will be wise to prepare a pot of your favourite brew before beginning so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy all of the exciting news as well as the latest adventures and offerings our members have shared.
Dear Members and Visitors to Countryside Connection Village,
Winter weather is still with all of us and the diverse activities and involvements of our members continue to delight and inspire. February found member, Carla Boulton in France pursuing her return to art; two of our members from Maine are off this month for a visit to friends in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a catamaran cruise from Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, a perfect combination for members in our unique community (read more from Brian and Ed of Topside Inn in Maine below); two others are off at the end of this month for Italy to take part in a historical market ~ more about that later from Debbie, ‘The Mulberry Dyer’ and partner, John, later in the newsletter.
The Talents & Involvements of Our Village Residents Are Awe-Inspiring!
As promised in last month’s newsletter, here is the exciting news from Linda Moss about her new book. The second edition of Organic Places to Stay in the UK was published on the 22nd of February 2008 and is available in the UK and USA. Linda’s publisher very kindly sent me an advanced copy as soon as it was off the press. It has provided delightful reading and I highly recommend it! It was lovely to see a review on the back cover by member, Helen Browning OBE, Soil Association Food and Farming Director of Helen Browning Organics and The Royal Oak at Bishopstone, Wiltshire, “What a joy to find, in one publication, details of all organic places to stay in the UK. Finally we can set off on our travels without leaving our values or our taste buds at home.” We are all very familiar with Tim Finney of Helen Browning who continues to share news and inform us ~ see his latest comments below. Members David and Jinsy Robinson of Penyrallt Farm are listed in the book and on Linda’s website and Members, Cheryl and Michael of Tordown B&B in Glastonbury became the newest members after reading about Linda last month (see Cheryl’s email below).
Here is the introduction in Linda's own words
Since the publication of the first edition of Organic Places to Stay eighteen months ago there has been a significant increase in the profile of all things organic, green and environmental. This includes an interest in the availability of locally produced food and drink products while on holiday, and much has been written about places to stay where there is an emphasis on food and regional cuisine. Farmers' markets, farm shops, and food and drink festivals - the largest being the Organic Food Festival in Bristol - have become opportunities for days out for both locals and tourists to see for themselves the variety of local food that is now on offer.
Reflecting their own passion for organic and locally sourced food, several hosts in Organic Places to Stay have written books on these subjects. Others have been nominated Organic Food Heroes by the Soil Association for their inspiring stories about being organic farmers. Four of the winners of the Taste of the West Awards 2007 feature in the book, two having received a gold award in the bed and breakfast category for promoting local food and drink on their menus, and twelve of the most recent Organic Food Awards went to people with entries in this book. The Organic Trophy, the highest accolade at the Organic Food Awards, was awarded to a couple who offer several accommodation options on their organic farm.
I'm certain there are more who have won awards or featured in articles in magazines and newspapers, and know there are many who quietly get on with things - be it farming in a traditional way, growing their own vegetables without using chemicals, baking their own bread and cakes like their grandparents did, or just serving their guests naturally good food. Around half the people in the book are involved in producing organic food, the rest are people who simply have an interest in organic food and try to source their produce carefully to create regional specialities and, in many instances, innovative cuisine.
I have spent many years putting these places together in order to make it easier for people to source an 'organic' place to stay. The majority of places that cater for guests endeavour to offer at least 50% organic food, often supplementing this with home-grown or local produce, and many of them offer a much higher percentage - up to 100%. Information about the availability of organic food is given for those who choose self-catering options on organic farms. If you see a place in the book where you would like to stay, the next step is to contact the owner of the accommodation who will be pleased to answer any queries regarding the organic food they offer or to discuss any special requirements that you may have.
Linda and her publisher, Charlie Kendall of Green Books in Devon have very thoughtfully agreed to offer a Special Reduced Price for our members, as well as wholesale pricing if you wish to offer them for sale through your business. Details and contact information supplied by Charlie Kendall for all members and visitors are:
Ordering Information from Green Books
Retail:
Members: To order your copy of Organic Places to Stay in the UK at the special offer of £8.95 + free p&p, phone 0845 4589910. Please be sure to quote Countryside Connection Reader Offer when telephoning to place your order. All major credit cards accepted.
Note for Non-Members: The book retails at £10.95 and postage is around £1.30 in the UK for an individual copy. Postage to Europe is just under £3.50 for an individual copy.
Wholesale:
Wholesalers are given a 35% discount and they can order the book from our distributors, Central Books, their number is 0845 458 9910.
If wholesalers order over £30 of books from Central then the p&p is free within the UK, less than that and they charge 15%.
To find out exact details please feel free to ring Central, they're very friendly.
24 February email from Cheryl at Tordown B&B , www.tordown.com
Hi Heléne “Thank you as usual for the hard work you and your daughter put into the newsletter. This one was especially good for me as I made contact with Linda and her Organic Places to Stay. I did not know there were such sights so I have placed an advert with her so thanks.” love Cheryl
19 February email from Jinsy at Penyrallt Farm www.penyrallt.co.uk
Helene,
“Thanks so much for the newsletter ...its great.
Thank you also for featuring Penyrallt so hugely...quite unwarranted. I forgot to say to you previously that if anyone is interested in seeing the DVD of life here they are most welcome to contact me for a copy (for a small remuneration!)...
I will be in touch again before too long I expect,
Meanwhile, let’s enjoy this wonderful dry weather.” Best wishes, Jinsy
28 February email from Tim Finney at Helen Browning Organics & The Royal Oak at Bishopstone, Wiltshire www.helenbrowningorganics.co.uk
Thanks very much. Heléne
“Have not seen it yet (Linda’s book), so look forward to my own copy at some point. Linda is great to deal with, I have to say.
We are developing our summer garden food at Royal Oak—and a village shop on the lowest budget any shop has ever been opened on. So far, two weeks’ worth of beer to the electrician, a couple of display fridges incredibly cheap off ebay, donating ex-bedroom furniture to pay the painter, that sort of thing. One of the ideas is that people will use the shop in the pub car park, and among other things will be able to buy our stunning steaks etc which they then walk over to the pub garden with and cook for themselves with their family and friends-how do we stop them smuggling their own cheap steaks in? How do we charge them? All to be resolved—but only if the weather is good!”
Best wishes Tim Finney
13 February entry on Cally Smart’s blog: www.countrygate.co.uk
(Thank you, Cally, on behalf of all members for bringing us to the attention of your many readers! Heléne)
COUNTRY GATE BLOG
COUNTRYSIDE CONNECTION
Frequent visitors to the Country Gate website will have spotted a new link on our homepage. We are delighted to have been invited to be members of Countryside Connection, a 'village community' bringing together artisans and owners of innovative small businesses, offering quality local products and good old fashioned service - the very best of what rural business has to offer.
Click on the link to find all manner of unique local goods and services safe in the knowledge that, like me, they believe in keeping things local and serving their customers well. A friend of mine did her entire Christmas shop from this site. Cally
29 February email from Richard at Daisy & Co www.daisyandco.co.uk
Dear Heléne
“I would be delighted for you to give my number to anyone who needs a third party comment on how really useful your work is. There is no knowing when something in your newsletter is going to be of vital importance to a reader . . .
Lots of things happening at the moment here. Bluetongue and TB are not on our farm, but animals are having to be tested frequently which is distressing for the animals and a lot of work for us. Did you know that every case of Bluetongue in this country has occurred in an animal imported from the continent? Makes you wonder what all the fuss is about!!”
Best wishes Richard
4 March email from Debbie at ‘The Mulberry Dyer’ www.mulberrydyer.co.uk
Hi Heléne,
“I would just like to say how much I enjoy reading the newsletters and seeing what other people are doing. It’s a great idea to have this sort of community!
I haven’t much news at the moment – the last month has meant that I am now working frantically to catch up on commissions for the Weald and Downland Museum and various other individual cloth commissions – all period colours at the moment. The big re enactors market at Ryton on Dunsmore is in a couple of weeks – so lots of stock to be ready for that and this Sunday I am running the Knitting History Forum stand at the Antique Textile Fair in Manchester – a must visit for anyone interested in antique linens and laces, or books or…….!
On the organic front – things are progressing slowly – I have the organic wensleydale fleece being processed at the moment down in Cornwall ready for me to start my “organic dyeing” once I have been certified (probably in more ways than one!!!) I am also going for the Green Dragon environmental award a specific award issued in Wales which, when you reach the top level is the equivalent of the British Standard.
At the end of the month we are off to Italy to a historical market being run in Piacenza, so I’m looking forward to a first visit! We are driving all the way down (have to, to take all the stock, stands etc) but it will be great to see the changing scenery. We travel about 30,000 miles a year round the country and into Europe so driving has to be a pleasure for us both!
Thanks again for your support over the past month or so, hopefully life will get back onto some sort of even keel now and we will move onwards and upwards.”
Best wishes, Debbie
PLEASE NOTE 1ST PARAGRAPH IN 2ND EMAIL – Penny has an Excellent Idea for us – Please share your thoughts for a future feature! Thank You!!!!!
4 March email from Penny Lindop www.pennylindop.com
Hi Heléne “It’s a frosty morning here in Norfolk but beautiful – light and softly sunny.
I’m in my cabin at the bottom of the garden, still struggling to fulfil all the orders I took at the start of the year, but up at the house things are beginning to get very messy with the start of the extension. This is day 2, and the foundation trench is almost finished and with luck the foundations will be in by tomorrow and we’ll be up to the damp proof course by early next week. It’s a challenge for the animals to get in and out of the house, with rather a drop from the door to the outside world – actually it’s a challenge for me too when I’m carrying things down to the cabin!
Tonight I’m going to EEDA’s (East of England’s Development Agency) 6th ideas talks in Newmarket. Held exclusively for leaders of the East of England's most ambitious small and medium-sized enterprises, Playing to Win will give businesses the tools and inspiration to grow and develop. Karren Brady, managing director of Birmingham City Football Club, will provide the keynote speech this year. She will be sharing her invaluable experience of turning the fortunes of Birmingham City Football Club around from a club in administration to a thriving business, and how she launched the club on the stock market, making her the youngest managing director of a plc in the UK.
Following the keynote speech we will be joined by Mike Southon, the ‘beermat’ entrepreneur who will be sharing his top networking tips with you.
Mike is one of the UK's leading authorities on entrepreneurship and sales. He has a weekly column in the Financial Times and has co-authored four bestselling books, including ‘The Beermat Entrepreneur’ and ‘Sales on a Beermat’.”
I applied to go to last year’s talk but didn’t get a place on eligibility grounds. I’m not sure why I’ve managed to get a place this year, but I’m chuffed and looking forward to it.
I don’t know about others but I often feel quite daunted by seminars, talks and networking events – I feel as though I’m not important enough to be there, or wouldn’t know how to talk to people, or they wouldn’t be interested in what I do etc etc. But the more of them you go to, the more confident you become; and the more people you get to know the easier it gets and you make friends along the journey. I wouldn’t say that I’m comfortable with it all yet (I’ve only been going to these things for 10 years!!!) but I’m getting there. How does everyone else feel?
I’d best go and get changed out of my work-a-day rags” All good wishes, Penny
4 March follow-up email from Penny
******“. . . The reason for putting in about the meeting last night is to maybe start a discussion for people on how to overcome the fears of running your own business and how we can help, support and encourage each other through whatever it is that gives us the fear.
Last night’s meeting was excellent. If anyone gets an opportunity to hear Karren Brady speak it’s well worth the effort. She’s extremely motivating and amusing, and most importantly just a lovely person. She talked about how she turned Birmingham City football club around, and it is an inspiring story.
We also had Mike Southon, who writes a column in the Financial Times, talk briefly about networking and how to go about it and still stay happy! Very amusing, got us all laughing and so of course networking after that was a doddle!! As a result I’ve made contact with some very interesting people who will be able to help me along the line.
I recommend going to these sorts of talks and seminars when you can. I love to hear other people’s stories and how they overcome the problems encountered on their way, and what drives them to keep going.” Best wishes, Penny
5 March email from Ed & Brian at Topside Inn B&B in Maine www.topsideinn.com
Hello Heléne,
“At long last I am writing with warmest greetings from your friends on the coast of Maine, and my first newsletter contribution promised many months ago. Somehow our busy season fades quickly into weeks of post-season improvement projects, and we’re always in a race to get things done before winter sets in – which it did early and powerfully this year. We are very happy to introduce ourselves to Countryside Connection members, and hope you will have a few moments to learn more about Topside Inn at our website, www.topsideinn.com
We’ve finished our fifth year operating this 21 room bed and breakfast overlooking Boothbay Harbor – the view from our midcoast hilltop is a classic, and one of the best in Maine. The inn had not been improved much since the 1950s, but the view and challenge pulled us in and we’re a continual work-in-progress. Our somewhat remote location, combined with buildings that are not insulated for winter, leaves us with a short and busy seasonal operation, May 1 – November 1. The projects we’ve accomplished before and after each season, and regular maintenance, add 4-6 weeks on each end of the season. As our business has grown a good little bit each year (and we’ve lived frugally ourselves), we are very fortunate to enjoy about three months away in the winter. Traveling to see family and friends in warmer locations, we recharge and rejuvenate while still keeping up with reservation inquiries with laptop and cell phone.
In this and future messages I hope to share information about our wonderful community that will encourage many more people to come visit us in Maine. Our rock-bound coastal peninsula sits about one hour north of the state’s largest city, Portland, three hours from Boston and mid-way from there to Acadia National Park. While we see many visitors stopping off on the way to Acadia and other coastal locations, you might think of our entire peninsula as one big park - home to the 250-acre Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, over 900 acres of protected land trust property with 25 miles of hiking trails, and many miles of shoreline. From sea kayaking to whale watching, learning about the ancestral occupations of lobstering, fishing, and shipbuilding, there’s always so much to see and do on the water and on land. Our four small towns with year-round population of 7,500 hearty souls welcome more than 50,000 summer residents and thousands of tourists. Check us out online and consider a visit soon (current exchange rates are very favorable)!
With fourteen of the inn’s bathrooms in process of renovation before winter kicked in, a new roof to put on the guesthouse, and a new front walk barely half complete, we’ll be back at our busy post soon enough. But tomorrow we depart for a three week visit to our friend on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, where we’ve visited the past four winters (and even worked as innkeepers our first year). This year we’ll be joined by two other couples from our little harbor in Maine, one former innkeepers and the other current keepers of a general store, and together we’ll take a catamaran cruise from Tortola in your British Virgin Islands, a dream trip for all. I look forward to telling you more about that, and lots of news from the coast of Maine, in a month or two. You can always find us by email if we can answer any questions, or help you in any way, with plans to visit our area.”
Very best wishes,
Ed & Brian
Topside Inn
Boothbay Harbor, Maine
5 March email from Dave & Liz at The Elm Gallery www.the-elm-gallery.co.uk
News from The Elm Gallery, Addingham Moorside, W. Yorkshire
We are currently looking for a number of suitable outlets to sell our art cards, which sell very well in our gallery. They are A5 size and have high quality prints from our paintings which are cut and mounted on to 250gsm card. They are all blank inside and are individually wrapped. Many people buy them to frame.
There are over 100 different cards and they include floral paintings, foliage, landscapes, animals, birds and spiritual/ mystical subjects. We sell them for £2-95 each, but bearing in mind the high prices in shops for mass produced cards, there would be scope for asking more for them in the right location. The wholesale price is £1-50 each + p&p and our minimum order is normally 75 cards, but if anyone would like to test the market with a small first order, we would be happy to supply them.
A full list of the available cards is available from us and most of the images are on our websites:
www.lizclarke.co.uk and www.dave-marsh.co.uk
(Please note that the images on the website are photographs of the originals and the actual prints are far more accurate and of a better quality than these. We can supply 2 FREE cards as a sample so that you can see the quality).
If you are interested, please get in touch with us on 01943 830697 or on email: lizanddave@the-elm-gallery.co.uk . If you happen to be at a reasonable distance from the gallery, we could call with our card catalogue or you could come to the gallery and have free tea and scones at the same time! Enquiries from the USA also welcome.
5 March email from Lucia & Debbie at Meadowlark Inn www.meadowlarkinnvt.com
"Hello from Vermont...well with about 4 feet of snow on the ground and mounds in some spots almost one story high, I am ready for spring. It is actually raining while I type this! Whew.
It has been a daunting winter, with one snow storm on top of another. Rather than snow shoe or cross country ski, we shoveled ourselves out and made safe pathways for our guests. As well we use the snow blower to make paths for our pets! We find deer tracks in the paths, so not only do the cats and dog use the paths, but the deer, wild turkeys and squirrels do too!
We were very fortunate to be featured in the American Ladies Home Journal this month. It was a travel article about the Meadowlark Inn and how we have an organic garden and use our vegetables and herbs and edible flowers during the spring, summer and autumn months. It was a good spread!
We are so ready to get dirt under our fingernails and feel the warm earth in our hands as we plant the seeds! Besides our vegetable garden (we have 10 raised beds and use the French intensive method of gardening), we have many perennial beds as well as flower beds planted from seed. Last year we planted sunflowers in unsuspecting spots in the yard which was a delight to see come up, grow tall and flower. By the front entrance we have the heavenly blue morning glories that come up yearly. They are beautiful to see in the early hours of dawn! Just a few days countdown til spring. But how long will the snow last?
The 17th annual Women's Film Festival begins March 14 - 23. It is a wonderful event and proceeds benefit the Women's Crisis Center of Windham County. There are approximately 30 independent films being shown this year. Work for the festival begins the year before with film screenings. Once the films have been selected then various committees get going on advertising, publicity etc. This year I head up the hospitality committee (what else?) and my work was to find lodging and donated gift certificates from our local restaurants for the invited filmmakers, producers and editors that will be here for their respective films. We look forward to the event. If you would like to see what it is all about then go to their website www.womensfilmfestival.org
So let's everyone think spring! We all have cabin fever!"
Cheers! Lucia & Deb
Whether in New England or England, some things remain the same. These wonderfully contented cows are featured on Meadowlark's Website under 'Attractions' ~ happy and healthy animals, roaming free, are always an attraction to behold with great joy! This pastoral scene is a reminder to all that spring is not too far away. . .
6 March the latest email from Jinsy Robinson at Penyrallt Farm
"Helene, here is a small contribution to the next newsletter.
Early spring is well under way here at Penyrallt with the start of lambing last week. We have 7o ewes due to produce over the next month, which is quite an easy workload compared to many other sheep farmers. As long we have dry weather it should go okay and the ewes and lambs can go out of the large polytunnel which we use as a lambing shed. It is one of the best sights of the year seeing the new lambs out in the spring sunshine with their mothers, especially when given a background of daffodils in the orchard, where they go a few at a time, before being put out in the fields.
We have had daffodils in flower since the beginning of February and of course it is important that we have them looking glorious for St. David’s Day here in Wales, on 1st March. They have come early this year, some years there has been deep anxiety in case there were not going to be any in flower on 1st March.
As well as having lambs we are coming to end of our calving period so there have been a few beautiful new calves from our lovely Hereford cattle. They are pure Disney with their long curling white eyelashes and that sweet surprised look of the wonder of being alive.
As a complete contrast to the farming I am involved in a concert this coming weekend in Narberth, Pembrokeshire with a barbershop chorus I sing with called B Natural www.b-natural.co.uk We are the only Sweet Adelines chorus in Wales and are several times gold medallists in the Sweet Adelines UK Convention/Competition www.sweetadelinesintl.org, Region 31).
We are a group of 26 women of all ages and occupations drawn from this small corner of West Wales and we have a huge amount of fun singing a cappella music. (CD available)
Apart from this big concert we are working towards the Sweet Adelines competition for this year being held in Birmingham at the beginning of May and are hoping for another gold medal.
Barbershop is definitely an antidote to mud and wellies with its demand for sequins, false eyelashes and scarlet nail varnish!! Sad, but true! However, the sound we make is fantastic and if anyone enjoys close harmony singing they should certainly give barbershop a go. It is challenging to say the least,….. musically and sartorially!
This is our first year of promoting our holiday accommodation independently and so far I am pleased with the response to our advertising. All the signs are there for a good season meeting new and interesting people.
I am about to embark on the next stage of the new- look cottage in the form of making new curtains from beautiful locally woven Welsh wool fabric that comes from a mill about 2 miles from the farm. The fabric produced there is so lovely with its soft colours and subtle stripe and it is great to be able to use locally produced fabrics. All the blankets in the cottage are from local mills also, including some gorgeous vintage ‘carthens’, ( the Welsh word for blanket).
The mill I’ve mentioned is on the same site as the Welsh Woollen Museum which is fascinating place to visit. It is very ‘hands-on’ and child-friendly. As well as the huge old looms working there are spinning demonstrations and marvellous exhibitions of how wool has been so important in to this particular area of West Wales.
For more information go to: www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/wool
Melinteifi(Cambrian)Woollen Manufacturers,
Drefach Felindre
Telephone: 01559 371003
Well, Helene, having done my bit to promote local industry I must now get on with the rest of the day, which will probably include curtain-making.
All best wishes, Jinsy
P.S. Do edit as you see fit, of course. J. (My note: All so interesting, nothing has been edited!)
