venerable veggies

My poor veggie patch has lain sadly neglected for months. Normally resplendent with a winter crop, this year was just too wet for anything to survive. Apart from weeds. A hefty dose of mushroom compost was added somewhere between showers but even the mushrooms were few.

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I am pleased to say, the weather has improved and I have been busy. Into bed one went the tomatoes.

The pots next to the plants are to allow for deeper watering (I stole the idea from a picture in a magazine). Onto bed two with some green beans,

mixed Asian greens,

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and Bloomsdale spinach.

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Beetroot went into bed three

along with carrots and garlic. I haven’t learnt from past experience and planted four zucchini and two pumpkin in bed four.

I was inundated with zucchini a couple of years ago and gave most of it away until I discovered it can be grated and frozen to be used for zucchini slice throughout the year. It just needs to be thawed overnight in a colander to drain the excess liquid. The Jalapeno chilli has a small box of its own

and I added basil

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to the herb bed.

The fruit salad tree is doing well, producing an abundance of lemons.

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Four weeks on and the growth has been astounding, we are already harvesting the Asian greens.

I forgot to mention the rhubarb. It has been prolific through all seasons and mostly is donated to various friends & acquaintances.

I’m looking forward to reaping the rewards in the coming months.

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Hadrian’s Wall

Leaving the beauty of Wales behind, we drove through the Lake District, stopping at Windermere to buy supplies.

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The weather was not conducive to sightseeing

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so we were soon on our way to Carlisle for a two night stay at New Pallyards Farm. The next day, we set off to discover Hadrian’s Wall. Built from 122AD, it was the northernmost boundary of the Roman Empire until early in the 5th century. There were many forts along the 80 miles between the Irish Sea and North Sea

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and the lookout at Greenhead rewarded with spectacular views across the countryside.

The section of wall at Walltown Crags was impressive

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as it snaked its way along Whin Sill

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a spectacular rock formation formed millions of years ago.

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The view down to the car park and the landscape beyond was stunning.

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We drove on to Housesteads Fort and climbed the hill

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to the Visitor’s Centre.

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Originally named Vercovicium, meaning ‘the place of the effective fighters’, Housesteads is the most complete Roman fort in Britain.

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The foundations include a hospital, barracks, granaries

and even flushable toilets.

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From the ridge, the most preserved part of the wall disappears into the distance

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and the remains of a gate can be seen.

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The panorama across Northumberland National Park was magnificent

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and the locals seemed very contented.

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We continued our drive to Newcastle,

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eager for a drop of the namesake brown ale. We were so disappointed to learn they don’t serve Newcastle Brown Ale on tap in Newcastle! We chose another brew and enjoyed a delicious lunch overlooking Tynemouth Bay

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and the majestic 13th century Castle & Priory.

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Unfortunately, the ruins were closed to visitors for the season so we returned to our cottage in Carlisle for another cosy night.

wilderness & wine

The second day of our transcontinental journey on the Indian Pacific was spent relaxing, reading and watching the scenery pass by.

There were sporadic signs of human habitation in the otherwise desolate landscape.

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The terrain changed the further we travelled through South Australia

and just north of Peterborough, the fertile green fields of farmland contrasted with the barren outback.

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Passengers can commence their journey in Adelaide, where the train stops for supplies and welcomes a new crew. This allows a few hours to enjoy an off train excursion to the National Wine Centre. Built in the year 2000 in the shape of an oak barrel, it has won many architectural awards.

We were taken on a Wine Discovery Journey, beginning with the open cellar.

With the capacity to store up to 38,000 bottles, it is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

The ‘Wined Bar’ would be a lovely place to linger, with 120 different wines to sample in one tasting room.

We were introduced to the technology, varieties and styles of wine

as well as this 150 year old Shiraz vine, painstakingly extracted from St. Hallett’s vineyard in Tanunda.

We made our way back to the dining room, passing some interesting art pieces,

to indulge in canapés and a delicious dinner – with wine, of course. A rainy night greeted us as we left the wine centre

and boarded a coach to return to the station.

I think a good night’s sleep was had by all.

Chianti

After saying our goodbyes, we left Benabbio for a day of leisurely driving to our next destination near Cortona. By lunch time we were surrounded by the stunning scenery of the Chianti Valley and were lured by the trusty knife & fork symbol at Castello di Gabbiano.

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Unfortunately, they didn’t serve lunch but we stayed a while to admire the magnificent 12th century castle, now a very inviting B&B.

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The castle has an interesting history

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and is home to one of the oldest and best known wineries in the Chianti Classico region. The views over acres of vines, olives and woods were breathtaking.

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We continued to Greve in Chianti where we finally had some lunch. The drive slowed down as we ogled the scenery through the heart of old Tuscany.

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There seemed no end to the green rolling hills dotted with peaceful stone villas.

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We eventually left Chianti behind and found Camucia and our accommodation, relatively easily thanks to the detailed directions from the owner. After locating the caretaker, Isolina, ‘up the road and round the corner’, we poured a vino and settled in.

BOFA

We recently ventured to Launceston to experience the Breath of Fresh Air (BOFA) Film Festival. Michael had an entry selected for screening in the short film competition and we thought it a great excuse for a weekend away.

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The festival was held at the Inveresk Precinct. Originally Tasmania’s largest industrial site, it is now an education and arts hub. The original industrial buildings remain

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and are now interfused with some modern elements.

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I love this tree outside the Big Picture School.

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The movies were shown in various buildings throughout the precinct, our first viewing was in The Annexe.

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A fabulous gabion rhinoceros stood guard at the entrance

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or was he heading for the coffee van?

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We relaxed with a coffee in the comfortable lounge

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before viewing a wonderful movie, Kedi. Although not particularly cat lovers, we enjoyed the story of the cats in Istanbul and the interaction with the people in their lives. Perhaps humans could learn a thing or two from cats after all. http://www.kedifilm.com/about/#aboutkedi
We lunched at Blue Café Bar at the precinct, the wood fired pizzas were amazing – we chose pulled pork shoulder, pickled jalapeño, avocado, coriander & crème fraiche.

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Also located at the Inveresk Precinct is the Launceston Tramway Museum. You can step back to the 1940s with a ride on Tram No. 29, Launceston’s only surviving double bogie tram,

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lovingly restored over seven years.

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We returned later to the Festival Lounge to enjoy beverages and the award presentation

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before a walk in the rain and superb dining experience at Brisbane Street Bistro (sorry, I didn’t take photos). Next morning, we started the day with a hearty breakfast at Café one0six. The Breakfast Burger and Eggs Benedict hit the spot.

We headed back to Inveresk for one more movie, the Romanian film, Graduation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBCPZhdJYLA It was quite sombre and gave us much to ponder on our drive home.
Michael’s entry in the short film competition, Invisible, can be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdGHAmIEjM8