West Magazine, July 30 2016

30.07.16

23

mood-boosting activities

How to:

decorate like a pro

Scilly’s sergeant The buzz behind the book deal

Fashion’s

ROMANCE with pink

How to wear this season’s sweetest shade

- pg 30 Cover.indd 1

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Ads.indd 3

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‘I did my best piscine 1st Aid and rushed him/her to the sink. It seems to be doing fine but is probably missing its pond.’

Sgt Colin Taylor, author of The Life of a Scilly Sergeant, p12

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DETAIL, DETAILS Chic contemporary interiors

30 44

IN THE PINK Why this shade is a bright idea

AND, BREATHE Where to unwind in the Westcountry

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Our pick of the best spoils this week

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Sh! We have the latest gossip!

12

STOP, THIEF! How Sgt Colin Taylor stole our hearts

16

09

KA-CHING! Who is the richest of them all,?

IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE When paddling on a river, in downward dog

22

FRESH INTERIORS The transformation of a Cornwall home

26

ANNE SWITHINBANK Our garden guru bids us a fond farewell

30

GIRLY AND GREAT Your new pink wardrobe

32

BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Great ways to feel your best this week

36

TIM MADDAMS Fun with oyster mushrooms

37

HAPPY HOUR Tipples worth tasting

42

AWKWARD...

When is social-media sharing, not caring

46

WE’VE HAD A BABY New dad Chris McGuire is caught unawares

37

NICE ICE, BABY Chilled but exotic summer drinks

42

BRAG BOOK

The perils of social media boasts

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16

ON THE WATER

Meditation - on a paddleboard!

[ welcome [

16.07.16

38

ways to nourish body & soul

How to:

holiday

We’re all in holiday mode - how about you?

with kids

ne of the things that has put me off the idea of stand-up paddleboarding is the thought of manoeuvring a massive board on and off the roof of my tiny little car. So I was intrigued when the wonderful feature writer Anna Turns told me about a Westcountry company which makes inflatable paddleboards that are both strong and sturdy. Anna suggested she put one to the test on a journey down the River Dart - you can see how she got on on page 16 today. Not only did she paddle the thing, she also did yoga on top of it! Impressive - especially since it is only a few short months

I found

FREEDOM in the water

O

Meet Rosie: mermaid, model and mentor

- pg 16

Tweet

[

of the week

[

[

since she had a baby. Talk about Super Mum. There’s more baby news here at West, too. Our columnist Chris McGuire and his partner Mary have a new arrival, the adorable Samuel. Read Chris’ characteristically hilarious response to new fatherhood on page 46 today.

This week also, sadly, sees the last appearance of the superb gardening column we have been lucky enough to have from the BBC’s Anne Swithinbank over the past two years. It has been a joy to have Anne’s beautifully-written, fascinating and helpful gardening advice in the magazine - she’ll be sorely missed. Thank you, Anne.

[

Not only did she paddle the thing, she also did yoga on top of it

@RoosBeach

@WMNWest Loving Saturday’s front cover & feature of the beautiful Rosie Corr #SummerIsHere

TO ADVERTISE: Contact Lynne Potter: 01752 293027 or 07834 568283, lynne.potter@dc-media.co.uk

Becky Sheaves, Editor

EDITORIAL: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest

COVER IMAGE: Miss Selfridge

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Phil Goodwin

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Gillian Molesworth

Lynne Potter

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If you do one thing this week...

The Alverton in Truro is a historic hotel that has just had a very smart makeover. Its newly-renovated bedrooms now combine luxury fixtures with beautiful original features. When you visit, be sure to eat at The Brasserie (open daily to nonguests) which boasts a menu packed with a mix of contemporary cuisine and British restaurant classics. There’s also a stylish bar which serves up some superb cocktails.

All in all, this beautiful hotel is the perfect base for a memorable break in Cornwall’s charming capital city. www.thealverton.co.uk

Win

To celebrate the makeover of The Alverton’s Courtyard bedrooms, we have a luxury stay for two to be won. The prize is a one-night stay at The Alverton, plus a three-course dinner for two at the hotel restaurant. To enter, simply tell us in which city you will find The Alverton? Send your answer, along with full contact details, to: Alverton competition, westmag@ westernmorningnews.co.uk by August 12. Terms apply, West will not share your details.

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COOL

Straw fedora

Snap!

Sony Cybershot digital camera £69.99 Argos

£39.95 Barbour

The Duchess hardcase clutch bag £45 Accessorize

the

wishlist West’s top picks to brighten up any dull day

Store we adore...

Crystal embellished cashmere pashmina £xx

Sobey’s Vintage Clothing If you like your look with a healthy dose of Americana retro, then Sobey’s is the store for you. Racks of dungarees, floor length paisley dresses, tastefully battered Levi 501s and a rainbow of Converse kicks are just some of the fun fashion on offer. Some items are new, some genuine vintage, and many

SPOTTED BY: JAZ REILLY

Cashmere Rebel

‘reworked.’

With stores in both Exeter and Bristol, the store has something for everyone, including the fussiest of menfolk. Vintage leather bumbag anyone?

9 Gandy Street, Exeter and 24 Park Street, Bristol, 01392 493579.

SHINY Cap Esterel trinket dish £50 Amara

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an gin g. .

Wishlist

Ju st h

Willow wine carrier £14

fave!

Achica

Blusher trio £6.95 Benecos Natural Cosmetics

Hanging cocoon £320 Cuckooland

Elegant Bambola vase £302 Amara

Tidy up Kitchen storage set £21.99 Argos 7

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

Music exams, what fun e’ve just scraped through a trial: music grade exams. What an ordeal.

I’ve seen no fewer than four kids and teenagers burst into tears, one during the actual exam.

So I don’t know if you or your children have been through this particular trial but here’s what happens: you have to learn three set pieces that demonstrate The full burden falls onto the musical variety. One is usually memory. There’s nothing like a classical piece, one a slow one, having to memorise a bunch of and one a modern one. The kids complicated stuff and then drive spend months working on these to an unfamiliar place to perform with their teachers. These make it in front of a stranger. Previousup one third of the exam. ly, we’ve gone to a music centre in The second third is an aural the middle of rural Devon. This examination. The children listen time, it was a Victorian house in to sections of music played by an Truro. accompanist or on a CD. They These exams are very formal are then asked questions about and very old-fashioned. You enter dynamics, articua hushed waiting lation, character, room with a lot of tonality and nervous parents other long words and other students When the that make them looking green about minute hand cock their heads the gills. When ticks around sideways and say: the minute hand “huh?” ticks around your your white, The third part white, shaking child shaking child is the dreaded marches into the scales. Oh, how room where the marches into the we hate scales in judge awaits, pencil room where the this house right poised. judge awaits now. We are past Grades are useful the point where because they stretch it’s a bit of C and you to learn differG major and Bob’s your uncle, ent types of music and make you let’s not frighten the little mites. learn the musical basics. But they We have moved up to levels where are completely artificial, as I kept we face monsters with teeth and repeating to various children sobclaws. I’m talking about beasts bing into their instrument cases like F sharp minor, G diminished after emerging from the examinaand A chromatic. tion room. Musical performances I learned piano and, though are fun, and you have a jolly scales are complicated, at least audience, and other people to you can see what you’re doing. play with.

The black and white notes make So after all that, we now have up visual patterns. My poor kids to wait six weeks for the result. have no such visual aids on their Thank goodness for chocolate. We instruments (clarinet and violin). all needed it.

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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.

JUST

peachy Liberty X singer Michelle Heaton spent a fun afternoon out with her kids recently at the London premiere of The Great Race, the new Thomas the Tank Engine movie.

Michelle was there with her businessman husband Hugh Hanley, their daughter Faith, four, and son AJ, two. She rocked the practical-but-chic yummy mummy look by pairing three-quarter length jeans with a peach jacket and nude peep-toe heels.

Here are three pretty but relaxed jackets to choose from, perfect for days out with the family.

Relaxed jacket £28 Bonmarche

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION A Pretty Floral bomber jacket £20 Pretty Little Thing

OPTION B Pastel Ponte blazer £40 M&Co

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30.09.16

ON THE RICH LIST Boy band ONE DIRECTION pulled in £85 million last year, to make them the second highest-paid celebrities on the Forbes annual list, beaten only by pop superstar TAYLOR SWIFT. The Harry, Liam and co were only outdone by Taylor Swift, whose world tour helped her beat her former boyfriend (and One Direction member) Harry

Styles and top the list with earnings of 170 million US dollars (£131 million).

British chart-topper Adele trumped other female singers to take the ninth spot with £62 million. Madonna racked up £59 million, edging out Rihanna with 58 million. Another Swift ex, Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, earned £49 million. Nice work if you can get it!

Just

between us Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

!

SEIZE THE DAY

[[ ‘You won’t get rid of us that easily!’

BAKE OFF IS BACK The Great British Bake Off will get viewers into the festive spirit with two Christmas specials later this year, it has just been revealed.

Judges PAUL HOLLYWOOD and MARY BERRY – who has a weekend home in Salcombe, south Devon - will welcome back four bakers from previous series in each episode to tackle three seasonal challenges.

They will be joined by presenters Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc as the favourites whip up holiday treats.

Charlotte Moore, director of BBC content, says: “What a treat to bring two Great British Bake Off specials to BBC One this Christmas. Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue are the perfect recipe for the festive season.” And any time of year, in our opinion.

SAYS JUDI You may have heard that DAME JUDI DENCH had an unusual 81st birthday present by her daughter her first ever tattoo.

The actress has had the words “carpe diem” inked on her wrist as a gift from her actress daughter Finty Williams.

Dame Judy says: “That’s my motto: Seize the day.

Finty gave it to me for my 81st birthday - she’s wonderful with surprises.”

But not everyone understands the Latin motto, she admits, saying it has been confused with something altogether less profound: “Mind you - the company of A Winter’s Tale, which I was doing at the time, used to say that it means Fish of the Day.” West says: No carping!

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In the ribbons: Brothers Sam and Harry did well in the Young Handler competition at Praze Fair

in pictures Yum: The Cathedral School of St Mary in Plymouth held a charity bake and barbecue

Scary monsters: Dinosaurs at the Eden Project

Party: The new Pig at Combe hotel held a launch party in Gittisham, east Devon

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talking points A HISTORY

of the

WEST in

100

objects

QUIZ OF THE WEEK:

How Westcountry is:

YOUR WARDROBE? 1. Right now, what are you wearing?: A. A Field & River tweed gilet over a Barbour shirt with a turned-up collar.

B) An O’Neill bikini top, Minkpink beach shorts and a smile.

C) A blue boiler suit from Mole Valley Farmers (£15) – it keeps the muck off my jeans.

What is your best-loved clothing label?

A. Ariat Equestrian B. Animal C. Eh?

B.

C.

Tell us about your favourite footwear: A. A pair of Dubarry country boots I got for my birthday (£349). They’re the best.

B. Havaianas, of course (£21). I’m always in flip flops - that’s why I have to spend my winters in Bali.

C.

Who is your style icon?

A. Mary King, equestrienne B. Sophie Hellyer, surfer C. Clarissa Dickson-Wright, fat lady What would be your idea of really dressing up?

A. Taffeta strapless frock, tons of make-up and those high heels that kill your feet. Good job the hunt

ball is only once a year.

Just a little slick of lip gloss, straight-from-the-sea hair and flip flops – if it’s smart enough for the Blue Bar in Porthtowan, that’s good enough for me.

Taking off your boiler suit.

A.

B. C.

These steel toe-capped wellies from Screwfix are perfect, and so cheap too.

If you had all the money in the world, you’d buy yourself…

A Hermes Brasilia showjumping saddle (£4,780) - my horse comes first.

A new Roxy wetsuit.

Another boiler suit.

RESULTS:

Mostly as) You are posh Westcountry.

You have lived here forever and so have all your ancestors - most of whom were first cousins, but never mind.

Mostly bs) You are surfing Westcountry and probably live in North Devon or Cornwall. Unless (admit it) you live in Surrey and just come down at weekends? Do you?

Mostly cs) Congratulations. You really are proper Westcountry. We like the way you use baler twine as a belt - nifty!

5: HAND AXE About 250,000 BC, found near Broom, Dorset, Julien Parsons is Senior Collections Officer at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter.

He says: If I referred to this as a ‘Broom hand axe’, archaeologists would raise their eyebrows: “You mean a Palaeolithic chert biface from the Axe valley gravel pits?” Of course, that’s what I mean. There are about 2,500 known examples, in a variety of honey hues, found near to where the river Axe meets the Blackwater. Their surfaces are generally smooth and soapy from rolling around in gravel and water for millennia.

Usually made from flint, ‘hand axes’ were used for cutting wood, scraping skins, splitting bones, digging up roots and almost any other task required around camp. Most of the Broom tools are flaked from both sides – hence ‘biface’– forming an egg-shaped or pointed tool. Greensand chert, which is found in Dorset, made an acceptable alternative to flint.

Charles Bean, the surveyor for Sherborne, made the first scientific studies of the Broom gravel pits.

He visited repeatedly in the 1930s to make sketches and take notes.

Since Bean’s time many researchers have returned, seeking an answer to why this small area on the Dorset-Devon-Somerset border has produced so many early Stone Age tools? All we know is our distant ancestors, Homo heidelbergensis, visited here a quarter of a million years ago during a milder interlude between ice ages, attracted by the rich flora and fauna, fresh river water and chert stone, for tools.

So they were among the first ever tourists to the South West.

#5

On display in Gallery 2, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter www.rammuseum.org.uk Competition winners: Congratulations to Natalie Lamb of Plymouth who wins the £335 “Farmer for the Day” package for two people to stay, eat and live as a farmer on the Dartington Estate near Totnes.

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Interview

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Sgt Colin Taylor

Scilly season Described as ‘the land that crime forgot’, the Isles of Scilly are nonetheless an eventful place to work as a police officer - as Kirstie Newton discovers when she meets Sgt Colin Taylor

“

e have had several people pop into the police station recently concerned about baby gulls wandering around Hugh Town. Please do not worry about them. This is natural. They vacate the nest pretty much as soon as they can walk then roam around skulking in the bushes until their parents bring them food.

Quite similar to our human youngsters over here actually, but I digress.”

Such was the news on the Isles of Scilly Police Facebook page just the other day, courtesy of Sgt Colin Taylor.

Colin’s trademark wit has earned the station’s social media outlet huge popularity, with 55,000 followers from around the UK and across the globe. It has also secured him a book deal: his story, The Life Of A Scilly Sergeant, has just been published, to great acclaim.

Colin has clearly nailed the art of policing on a handful of tiny islands while also keeping thousands of social media follow-

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Selfies on Scilly ers entertained all over the world. Indeed, Colin describes his Facebook page as “like having 55,000 sworn-in deputies across the globe”.

“It’s a lovely feeling that, despite being so remote in terms of policing, I have more contact with people in this job than I would ever have on the mainland,” he adds.

Colin came to Scilly five years ago, in search of “quality of life and a unique policing experience”. He’d spent time as a detective sergeant in Exeter, where his workload included investigating burglaries, rapes and murders. By contrast, his work on Scilly is, as he puts it: “like Heartbeat but less frenetic”. Crises he has been faced

The commute to work

with include rushing to the aid of a stray seal pup on the high street and resolving a drunken row between two chefs on the relative merits of rock salt and sea salt. Not forgetting the Chinese couple who arrived on Scilly thinking they were 200 miles away in Jersey.

Then there was the mysterious shed break-in for which the only evidence was “a discarded fried egg”.

That post went viral. And on Black Friday, when most police forces were physically restraining bargain-hunting hordes, Colin posted a picture of a deserted Hugh Town high street, accompanied by the words: “Help! I’m on my own, supervising the Co-op!”

Mention, too, must be made of Deputy Chief Constable Mowgli (retired), the Russian Blue cat who draws many visitors to the police station for

[

selfies. “I feel privileged to have had him as my boss,” laughs Colin.

Colin was also called on, not once but twice, to rescue goldfish who were dumped on the police station’s doorstep. He told the world (via Facebook): “As I went to unlock the door I looked down and saw a live goldfish on the floor at my feet.... I did my best piscine 1st Aid and rushed him/her to the sink. It seems to be doing fine but probably missing its pond.

“Is it a sign? Or is it something I should live with and just shrug off as typically Scilly? Anyone missing a goldfish should contact St Mary’s Police Station, where we have it in Lost Property.”

The page started life with modest expectations.

“It was intended as a forum to speak to local people and post messages about lost bikes and

‘Anyone missing a goldfish should contact St Mary’s Police Station, where we have it in Lost Property’

Goldfish rescue

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Interview

the like,” recalls Colin. But people now comment on the Isles of Scilly Police posts from locations all over the world.

“It might feel like we sail close to the wind at times but that’s more to do with people’s expectations of police officers. We know we are human beings with a sense of humour. I suppose it’s like canteen culture – and now the canteen has 55,000 people.”

As a tourism hotspot, he tells me that Scilly’s policing changes with the seasons. “In the winter, it’s tumbleweed, then it expands markedly. Crime goes up – it needs people to happen, and the more people you have, the more crime.

Holidaymakers and seasonal workers bring their own problems.

So policing Scilly does have has its complicated moments: “I’m surrounded by a nice, thoughtful bunch of people who are very resourceful at living together, and crime features only marginally. But when it does happen, this can be an isolated place to deal with it.

“Someone went missing only recently - they didn’t show up where and when they were expected, and no one knew where they were. It was 1.30am and I had to find a boat to take me to another island, to look

for someone in the pitch black with a hand-held torch. You just don’t have the same resources that you would in a city.”

That story ended well, though: “The missing person turned up bright and breezy the next day, having spent the night on a sofa somewhere, quite surprised and touched to have caused so much concern.”

After five dedicated years in the job – the longest any police officer has stayed in such a position on Scilly - Colin, his wife and children are heading back to the mainland. “My kids, Lewis and Isabella, are of secondary school age, so it feels like the right time.”

The Scilly police Facebook page is a combined effort, and will continue without him - but should his many fans miss Colin’s trademark hilarious contributions, there’s always the book.

Win! We have two hardback copies of The Life Of A Scilly Sergeant (Century £12.99) to win. To enter, simply tell us: which is the biggest of the Isles of Scilly? Send your answer and full contact details to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by August 12. Normal terms apply, West will not share your details.

m...

Roadworthy? Hm

DCC Mowg

li

Elf fancy dress

With Mary Winter, MBE, the war heroine who lived on Scilly

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People

it runs deep Anna Turns takes a journey down the Dart Valley with Red Paddle Co and discovers how innovation is the key to limitless adventures afloat itting by the muddy banks of the River Dart, the water is calling and as far as John Hibbard is concerned, there’s only one way to travel. Once a professional windsurfer (he was British windsurfing champion in 2007), John, 39, co-founded the world’s leading brand of specialist inflatable paddleboards, Red Paddle Co. Far from the substance of flimsy beach toys and cheap lilos that might spring to mind, these inflatables are now at the forefront of technology and design, but ultimately it is all about the ride.

“What I love about stand up paddleboarding is its simplicity. It’s sociable, accessible and for me the initial attraction was that I could do it on flat water days when conditions were no good for windsurfing,” says John.

“Pretty much anyone can paddleboard, you don’t need a high skill level so there’s instant gratifica-

S

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photography: paul andrews

People

tion.” And I know what he means... the second we drift away from the bank, there’s an enormous sense of freedom. It’s a world away from daytripping on a noisy motorboat and much easier than surfing. John calls stand up paddleboards (SUPs) “the bicycles of the water” – a means of travel and a way to explore the waterways, whether it’s crossing the bay for a pint or, in our case, paddling down to Sharpham Vineyard for lunch.

Our guide for the day, Crispin Jones knows these south Devon creeks and coast inside out.

An instructor at Kingsbridge-based SUP school Waterborn, he offers bespoke paddle tours: “It’s a fantastic way to experience a special place in a new way.”

The tide is going out, so as we first paddle upstream to Vire Island in Totnes, I feel the resistance. It’s easier to balance once I’ve gained momentum and Crispin explains how to paddle effectively at basic cruising speed, then up a gear by bending my knees to put more power into each stroke. Once we turn downstream, my board flies with the tide, making for a much easier ride.

Chatting to John as we paddle alongside each other, he tells me how, as specialists in inflatable boards and experts in textile, innovation is at the heart of Red Paddle Co. Now with a team of 18 at the company HQ at Halwell near Totnes and

boards sold in 58 countries, global sales are consistently growing in excess of 40% year on year.

But just like any SUP adventure, the Red Paddle Co story is a journey.

Founded in 2008, Red Paddle Co was one of the earlier SUP start-up brands, originally selling relatively cumbersome 12ft hard boards. But by 2011 they specialised in inflatable boards, to enable people to enjoy the sport without the practical constraints of transporting hard boards. “But we realised that people didn’t associate ‘inflatable’ with premium products so we needed to challenge the status quo. Ultimately it’s about making stand up paddleboarding easier for the mass leisure market,” John says. In the end, the company worked with one of the world’s biggest inflatable manufacturers to develop their own patented material and create stiffer, more durable, airtight and light boards.

John and his team have been innovating ever since and the boards continue to evolve, with the help of two in-house designers and the compa-

ny's own 3D printer.

It’s advanced technology yet John insists that his motivation is simple: "It’s about giving the best, most enjoyable experience to the consumer and it’s about taking any concerns away from the whole experience,” says John, who also designed a special pump to make inflation easier and faster.

Back to my journey down the River Dart, which is tranquil once we leave town. As well as engaging those core muscles (and in fact every muscle group in my body) stand up paddleboarding floods the senses... at first I focus solely on my balance but as I get a feel for the board and the movement of the river, I tune in to the sounds of the water lapping and spot birds on the shoreline.

Taking this to the next level is my chance to experience SUP yoga - yes, there really is such a thing. I'm joined by Katie Watson from Flow Physio in Torquay. She regularly takes classes out on the water, adding a whole new dimension

And all this while trying

not to veer too close to

the muddy river banks

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People Join the crew

How to take to the water

For beginners: Choose calm water, be that a lake, river or beach, and be careful about going out in strong tides, rip currents or high winds, especially offshore.

For surf: Bigbury Bay and Saunton Sands, Whitsand Bay and the North Cornwall coast all have a choice of surf breaks, depending on experience.

For SUP racing: Try the 10k Head of the Dart SUP Challenge (every April).

Red Paddle Co boards retail from £650 www.redpaddleco.com

to a yoga lesson. And, boy does she makes it look easy! I soon find that even the simplest poses are magnified as my muscles counteract the constant movement of the board.

“Often complete beginners find SUP yoga easier because they have no expectations and are more relaxed. If you try too hard, your body tenses up and you’re more likely to wobble,” advises Katie.

Once I start to feel more connected to the board, moving positions feels less daunting and we try some more complicated, asymmetric manoeuvres.

Katie encourages me to try the very unstable ‘boat trip’ holding my arms and legs in the air.

I now know how a beetle stuck on its back feels.

And all this whilst trying not to veer too close to the muddy river banks.

Around one more bend in the river, we reach our final destination, and squelch out of the mud up the woodland path into the stunning grounds of Sharpham Vineyard near Ashprington.

Having worked up quite a thirst, a glass of fruity white Bacchus with a taste of Sharpham rustic chive and garlic cheese are a welcome reward. While there are many ways to travel from A to B, some are definitely more fun than others and this river adventure certainly takes some beating.

Now I’m wondering where my next paddleboarding journey will take me, and the opportunities are endless. That’s the beauty of SUP.

Anna Turns takes to the water on an innovative inflatable paddleboard

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Interiors

The ground floor was knocked through and totally remodelled

A new lease of life This Victorian terraced house in St Ives has been completely renovated, discovers Lucy Cornes esigner Kerry Knight took on quite a challenge when she agreed to renovate this partially-condemned Victorian property in the heart of St Ives. But it has worked out well in the end - Kerry’s client is now the proud owner of a stylish, three-bedroom property which oozes understated style.

Kerry oversaw the project, working closely with specialist building firm KC Renovations. But she remembers the initial condition of the building as being really rather frightening: “This a was a beautiful, period property in a prime location in St Ives, which had fallen into serious disrepair.

The kitchen area had been condemned and the entire ground floor was basically structurally unsound. There was still a bread oven built into

D

one of the walls and an outside toilet in the back yard.”

Kerry, who runs interior design company Beaten Green and lives near St Ives in the village of St Erth, was quick to see the positives this state of affairs presented. “There was a lot of building work to consider. However, the condition of the property also gave me opportunities – for example to rearrange completely the ground floor. We decided to remove walls and relocate the small staircase to the kitchen, creating a modern, openplan space.”

This comfortable living room and dining area features a log burner and is now at the heart of the house. From here you can see into the practical, galley kitchen with a breakfast bar, which looks into a small private courtyard. Upstairs are

three comfortable bedrooms (one with its own bathroom) and a family bathroom. Throughout the house, Kerry has created a feeling of space, increasing natural light and giving the property a more sociable feel.

Once the building work was well underway, Kerry began to consider her design brief. “The design aspects of the project were all about making the most of the available space in a traditional Victorian terraced property. I also wanted to work with a muted colour palette, to create visual coherence.”

As a starting point, Kerry and her client agreed to use the work of renowned St Ives artist Barbara Hepworth as an inspiration. Hepworth was known for her abstract sculptures celebrating organic forms, which were often made in response 23

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Interiors

The St Ives property underwent a total renovation

to the Cornish landscape; her work can be seen around St Ives and at the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, which is just around the corner from this property, called The Town House.

The inspiration of Hepworth’s aesthetic resulted in a colour scheme which layers soft, natural tones, Kerry explains: “I wanted to echo the earthy feel of her sculptures and keep to an organic, multi-textured concept throughout the property.”

Colours including Slipper Satin, Bone, Elephant’s Breath, Light Grey and Shaded White from the Farrow & Ball paint range were colourmatched and mixed using Dulux Durable flat matt - a stylish and economic solution.

The natural palette is invigorated with prints from Picasso and Rothko, continuing the artistic theme. As always with her projects, Kerry has incorporated vintage accessories sourced locally from specialist stores and auctions, as well as upcycled furniture and eye-catching lighting – all details which enhance the overall design scheme.

Some of Kerry’s finds included a stylish sideboard for the dining area, which was given a little TLC before being hand-painted in a colour called Hay, and chunky wardrobes for the bedrooms painted in Blue Grey.

Quirky touches include a bath panel made out of an old interior door, a salvaged coffee table, and jam jar light fittings discovered on eBay. Other items - including sofas, rugs, blinds and bedroom lights - were sourced from Made.com,

Sofa.com, Peastyle, IKEA, Wayfair and Ada and Ina. Kerry is pleased with the end result, as is her client: “The property owner is really happy with the outcome, particularly the new layout and the quality of the finish we’ve achieved.”

The Town House is now available as a holiday let through The Cottage Boutique, specialists in self-catering properties in prime locations in St Ives.

Managing Partner Claire Gilbert says: “Kerry has worked on several of our letting properties and the results are always outstanding. Thanks to her keen eye and flair for creating original schemes, they always stand out in a market where there is a lot of choice.”

Visit www.beatengreen.co.uk to find out about Kerry’s other projects, including The Old Police Station and Sergeant’s Retreat, www.cornwall-cottage-boutique.co.uk

STYLE TIP: You can colour-match expensive paint colours and get budget versions specially mixed for you, to achieve a chic look at a more affordable price

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GET THE

LOOK

Muted colours and retro details add up to contemporary chic

Socket lamps £52 each Houseology

Faux fur cushion £14 Tesco Direct

Retro office chairs £95 each Cuckooland

Lab desk lamp £99 Out & Out Original

Copper and brass bed £389.99 MY Furniture

Eka rattan chair £140 Oliver Bonas

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Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Goodbye Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, bids us a fond farewell in her final, wonderful, column for West

dly forking through soil last month, I disturbed a female wolf spider.

Native to fields and pasture, they are a common site on veg plots, often darting away quickly when disturbed. Not particularly large, they don’t build webs but hunt prey by running after it. This one was carrying an egg sac under her body and before I knew it, she disappeared down one soil crevice and the eggs another. With difficulty (minus glasses) I fished out both spider and eggs and sat them close together. After a few seconds she darted forward, tucked the eggs back under her body and disappeared. When they’ve hatched, she’ll carry the spiderlings on her back.

Close encounters with wild life are as important to me as growing plants and noticing a proliferation of skipper butterflies since my husband John and I increased our garden’s meadow area is as satisfying as the five perfect flower spikes on Delphinium ‘Blue Dawn’. Create I hope that habitats, don’t use chemicals and a garden fills with insect life over the last which in turn is food for birds, two years (and bats, amphibians and of course, more than hedgehogs. Though I haven’t seen one of them here for 15 100 articles) years. you’ve enjoyed Crab spiders (also webless) are common too and I recently gardening with found one on top of a flower me tucking into a bee. These spiders are chameleon-like and often change their body colour to suit the plants they live on.

Ours had pounced on the bee from under a corky-fruited water dropwort and was pure white apart from two faint pink dots.

By autumn, the garden will be full of orb webs draped between plants and outlined with dew on misty mornings, each home to a fat, gingery Araneus diadematus. The females lay eggs before

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dying off in winter, which in spring hatch into a mass of beautiful golden spiderlings. As a child, I used to tap the ball of miniature spiders gently and watch as they almost exploded outwards.

This makes me sound brave, spider-wise but while I’m happy to garden among them, I still have an irrational fear of athletic male house spiders when they take to their feet in September and scoot about looking for a mate. The females (same size but bulkier bodies) tend to stay put in their webs.

I’ve worked out that the indoor, spindly, daddy-long leg or cellar spiders (of which I am not scared) catch the house spiders in their webs and eat them, so as autumn approaches, I keep my feather duster under wraps and encourage my friends to flourish.

This will be my last gardening column for West and I hope that over the past two years (and more than 100 articles) you’ve enjoyed gardening with

me. This is an exciting time of the year waiting for the buds of agapanthus and bird of paradise to burst. Courgettes are abundant, runner beans flowering, aubergines swelling and maybe even some mile long beans to look forward to (in a large pot, under glass). The year turns and we’re planting brassicas to eat from autumn to spring.

There are still plenty of gardens to visit and hot on my list is the National Dahlia Collection near Penzance (www.nationaldahliacollection. co.uk). There are so many lovely dahlias (I have my eye on ‘Crème de Cassis’) and it pays to see them growing before pitching in and ordering.

I’m also keen to visit some prairie plantings, so Highcroft near Saltash will be a likely contender (open under the National Gardens Scheme). I’d love to sacrifice some lawn and experiment with more perennials here at my garden in east Devon.

Happy gardening and do follow me on Twitter: will be tweeting @AnneSwithinbank

Note: be cautious around bracken At the beginning of July I wrote about my visit to the wild flower meadows at Goren Farm in east Devon and reported how cattle had been used to graze the edges of fields and trample back encroaching bracken. A local farmer advises caution and would like to remind us that bracken is poisonous to cattle but they will eat it if other food is scarce.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Q

My rambling rose has not flowered this summer, yet there seems to be plenty of healthy growth on it. Why?

The most likely explanation is pruning at the wrong time of the year. Ramblers flower during July on long stems that grew the previous year. At the same time, they produce new stems that will bloom the following year. These can stick out in all directions, get in the way and often end up being cut off in error. If this happens, the rose will have lost next year’s flowers. As soon as blooms have faded, you can prune out the flowered stems low down and train the new wands in their place, over or up a wall, around a support, or over a pergola.

It is a good plan to keep them as horizontal as possible so that sap flow is even to all the flower buds. This stem structure has an attractive structural look during winter and the rose will bloom next summer.

Q

I’ll be planting some new strawberries soon.

Can you recommend any varieties I should go for?

A new variety I’ve been really pleased with is an everbearing or remontant kind called ‘Mariguette’.

It is a cross between ‘Gariguette’ and ‘Mara des Bois’ and the delicious wild strawberry flavour of these parents is definitely present in their offspring. Despite fairly consistent rainfalls in early summer, the large, bright red, sweet and juicy fruits held well. After an initial flush, I took the mesh covers off to allow insects access to another round of flowers and now have the developing fruits covered again. Beware older varieties like ‘Cambridge Favourite’, as though they may well perform well in Cambridge, they tend to go mouldy quickly in my garden. I’ve heard ‘Malwina’ is good but haven’t tried it yet.

This week’s gardening tips Anne’s advice for your garden

• Thin apples if they are too crowded.

This will give larger, better quality fruit, more air circulation and less chance of rotting diseases. It also discourages the feast and famine of biennial bearing when bumper crops alternate with barren years.

• Prune cordontrained apples and pears by cutting all of this year’s side shoots back to within two leaves of the basal cluster.

This is essential to keep them under

control, otherwise left on, the stems thicken and the cordons lose their slim shape.

• Water courgettes, beans and other thirsty plants during dry spells.

They respond best to thorough soakings every few days. Avoid frequent, light sprinklings.

• Trim evergreen hedges taking care to keep the tops level and slope the sides so they are slightly wider at the base than at the top.

Be fussy If you dislike any of your plants, get rid of them and replace with something better. I’m saying goodbye to Geranium ‘Summer Skies’ a double-flowered cranesbill whose flowers die very ungracefully and stick to the plant afterwards like brown tissue. In its place will go some more Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ (Balkan clary).

Send your questions to Anne at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 27

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Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Classic stripes MAIN PHOTO HAIR: SAKS, EXETER MAKE-UP: CLARINS, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod wants to keep your love affair alive know, I know! Hardly a trend is it, given that stripes never go out of style. What I’m really aiming to do here is help you hit the refresh button. Even the best long-term relationships need a little shake-up every now and again, experts agree that it keeps the fire burning longer. So think of me as your marriage counsellor. We’re going to drill to the root of the problem, and I think I know where we should begin.

Are you taking stripes for granted? You know your favourite tee will always be waiting in your wardrobe, ready to be thrown on with an equally faithful pair of jeans for instant casual chic. Ah, but it is behaviour like this that shows we are becoming lazy, and laziness leads to neglect and, ultimately, long term separation.

You need to take the time to sit down and think about what attracted you to stripes in the first place. Did they make you feel playful and ladylike at the same time? Did their combination of attractiveness and reliability in a variety of So, how can situations mean that you always wanted them close at hand? you reignite the It’s easy to forget about all flame? the good times when you are tempted by racks of sequins, Firstly, make a chiffons and this seasons bold commitment graphic prints. Don’t get me to celebrate the wrong, it’s ok to indulge in flirtations, and having different suggestion? Dungarees. These are so stripe interests is healthy, but don’t hip, young and fun, that I felt a little let your perennial pieces get uncertain in mine. Until I popped pushed permanently to the a striped shirt underneath. The back of the drawer. addition of a classic pattern ensures So, how can you reignite the flame? the overall offect is cheeky but still classy.

Firstly, make a commitment to celebrate Or, how about giving white denim a go. I love a the stripe. This can take the form of planning capri trouser but feel like I am going on a cruise an outfit around a piece you already own, or when I wear them with too bright a print on heading out to buy one. Pairing them with some top. The solution is a lovely pale striped blouse. of this season’s trendiest offerings is a great way Instant workwear chic. to help you look at them in a brand new light. My Speaking of cruises. Taking a holiday together

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Contrast seam sleeveless shirt, River Island, Princesshay, was £30 now £15 Jeans, Joules, Princesshay, was £49.95 now £19.95 Bag, Next, Princesshay, £26 Shoes, Next, Princesshay, £26

is also a good way to get back on track. It is all about making memories. I recently went off to Lisbon and stood on the top of Miradouro da Graca watching the most spectacular sunset in sheer contentment. Now every time I put on the bold striped cotton tee I wore that evening, I smile.

So to sum up, my expert advice is to go shopping, and book a holiday. You’re welcome.

All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.co.uk

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Black stripe Bardot shirt £17.99 NEW LOOK

Atherton t-shirt £40 CREW CLOTHING

GET THE

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John Rocha T-Shirt £25 DEBENHAMS

Lucy shoe £89 HOBBS

Eleanor top £40 CREW CLOTHING

Erin pearl earring £22 HOBBS

Grey and black felt detail tote bag £24.99 NEW LOOK 29

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Dragonfly print top £26 M&Co

Leather backpack £179 Jigsaw

Pink lens shades £49 LeSpecs

Pencil skirt £32 Very

Collette dress £99 Studio 8

Gel nail polish £3.99 New Look

Beth batwing jumper £59 Studio 8

Maxi dress £59 Very

fave!

Embroidered heels £100 Dune Rolled sleeve shirt £19.99 New Look

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Fashion

Shell pink and black lace peplum cami £19.99 New Look

Patch pocket pencil skirt £28 JD Williams

In the pink BY: JAZ REILLY

ink is perennially popular, of course, but often only with the under-sevens. But this season this pretty shade is no longer just the stuff of fluffy Barbie-girl dreams.

Today’s pink can be edgy and really rather cool, especially when teamed up with black, grey or navy. There are some great pieces up for grabs right now with pink floral prints on dark backgrounds - check out these lovely dresses by Studio 8 and Very.

And pink doesn’t have to be bright. We love this season’s barely-there pinks – just a hint of a tint in oyster or Germolene shades. Wear these and there is no danger of you being mistaken for My Little Pony – they are subtle, sophisticated and altogether grown-up. And so are you.

P

Darcy tie-side dress £69.50 Oliver Bonas

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Wellbeing

the boost

Life just got better. Our wellness guru Charlotte Dear has handpicked the latest health secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, everyday

OUT AND ABOUT Can’t hack staring at a wall on a treadmill? If you’d rather look at rolling hills, blue sea and wildlife in fresh, clear sea air, Nordic Walking could be for you. From gentle beach strolls to vigorous cliff climbs, Nordic Walking has something for all fitness levels and is all about mindfulness, fitness and happiness. The Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival takes place in Dorset from September 16-18, www.nordicwalking.co.uk

STAR GAZING Abandon your phones, switch off the TV and get in touch with nature this month at the RSPB nature reserve Ham Wall on the Somerset Levels. Arrive at dusk on August 10 when the reserve’s resident marsh frogs, bats, moths and owls start their day and see how many different nocturnal creatures you can spot. With the Perseid Meteor Shower well underway, don’t forget to look up as well as down! www.visitsomerset.co.uk

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TIME TO HAVE SOME FUN? If you have children in your life, head to Boscawen Park in Truro for a twoday extravaganza of workshops, stalls, face painting, music, dance and yoga on August 3-4. Playfest is a chance for kids – and grown-up kids – to let down their hair and enjoy some good old fashioned fun with the family, to help improve young health, wellbeing and development. And it’s free! see www. play-fest.co.uk for details.

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN If you’ve been following nutritionists and fitness fanatics, you’ll know that when it comes to chocolate, raw is the way to go. This is precisely why Meg Haggar created organic and sugar-free Raw Halo. Now available in a range of on-trend flavour combinations including lemon and pink Himalayan salt, ginger and pecan and cinnamon and raisin, head to www.rawhalo.com to order your supply or send a gift box to a friend, from £3.50 for a bar.

BE A GREEN GODDESS Like the sound of an activity that benefits the local community, wildlife and your own health at the same time? Look no further than Green Gyms – fun and free outdoor sessions organised by The Conservation Volunteers. Plant trees, sow meadows and build wildlife ponds in your local area while burning almost a third more calories than your regular aerobics class.

To find your nearest Green Gym, visit tcv.org.uk What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates

@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 33

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PHOTOGRAPHY: MATT AUSTIN

Wellbeing

Naturally Bridie’s

Frozen Fruit Layer Pot Bridie Nicol says: This little frozen beauty is just the ticket. Whether you just want to enjoy sitting in your garden or a friend has dropped in unexpectedly, its rainbow of colour and flavour is sure to delight. The base is filled with raspberries, which are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate and have been known to minimise the absorption of fat, while strawberries and yogurt may help soothe an upset stomach.

The bright yellow mango layer, along with the yogurt, is great at helping feed the good bacteria in our gut. Think of it as a summery boost for your digestive tract.

@naturally_bridie

You will need (per pot): 15 raspberries 8 strawberries 170g Greek yogurt 1 maple syrup 1 mango 1 tsp vanilla extract 6 blueberries 1 tsp cocoa nibs

Method: 1.

Blend the raspberries, strawberries (leaving 2 strawberries for later), 1½ tablespoons of Greek yogurt and maple syrup.

2.

Pour into a jar or container and place into the freezer for an hour to allow to set.

3.

Blend the mango and another 1½ table-

spoons of Greek yogurt.

4.

Take your frozen berry layer out and pour in the mango layer. Place this back into the freezer for another hour.

5.

If you are making a batch for later use leave them in the freezer at this stage and add the finishing layer when you want to use them.

6.

Mix some Greek yogurt with your vanilla bean extract, then take your two layers out and place the yogurt on top.

7.

Cut the remaining strawberries into slices, place them on top, sprinkle the blueberries and cocoa nibs around them.

8.

Now sit back, relax and enjoy each and every layer.

Bridie Nicol runs nutrition advice business Naturally Bridie in east Devon www.naturallybridie.co.uk 34

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Crafted in Devon

W I T H A S H G ROV E K I T C H E N S Ashgrove Kitchens is one of only a handful of kitchen manufacturers in the South West supplying our individual, bespoke kitchens direct to our customers.

So if you’d like to create something special that will last and function beautifully for years to come, call us and we can arrange a no-obligation home visit with one of our designers, or see our website for more examples of our work.

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ASHGROVE Telephone 01363 773533 • www.ashgrovekitchens.co.uk 26/07/2016 13:16:42

Enjoy

Ingredient of the Week

Oyster mushrooms with Tim Maddams

ow is just about the time I begin plentiful oyster mushrooms. The subtle, earthy to think about the earliest of my and well, mushroomy flavour of these little favourite mushroom species startbeauties is one reason I love them. The other ing to get going. I love chanterelles reasons include the facts that oyster mushyou see, and I love finding them and rooms are easy to identify, simple to clean and picking them almost as much robust enough to fit in with as eating them. But every year all sorts dishes.

I have this internal debate with They love a bit of intense myself. It goes like this: “It’s too heat and it’s best to get a little early for chanterelles, Tim.” colour on them when you They love a bit “I know, But maybe there cook them. To prepare them, I might be a few early ones often just tear them apart and of intense heat worth looking at.” they cook well like that. and it’s best to “It’s too early Tim, leave it a I have in the past simply month.” fried them before adding an get a little colour And so on and so on. egg and some chopped thyme on them when Last year I heard a great old to the pan and serving with you cook them saying from a local farmer. He garlic-rubbed toast and that said: “My old Dad used to say, is very, very tasty as long as when you think the barley is it’s well seasoned. Of course ready, go on holiday for a fortrisotto, or even a spelt or night.” barley risotto, work very well This year it’s going to be diftoo but my advice is to make ferent though. This year I decided not to go lookthe mushrooms star of the show rather than ing for chanterelles but I did pop to the woods. serving them up with, say, a steak. The flavour, And lo and behold, what did I find? Lots and lots though good, is delicate - it deserves your full of full-grown, gleaming, pristine, pungent and attention, and some careful seasoning.

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A little pizza heaven Oyster mushrooms are just made, it would seem, for pizza. Even if you don’t have a pizza oven (shock! horror! no pizza oven?) you can do a really good pizza in a standard oven if you can lay your hands on an ordinary floor tile.

Stick this in the oven to heat up, ready to bake your pizza on.

I tend not to use a tomato base here, preferring garlic, oil, cheese and a little chilli flake action too.

I roll out the base, fling on the other ingredients, top with chopped rosemary and bake.

Simply divine. @TimGreenSauce

Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and author of Game: River Cottage Handbook no. 15 (Bloomsbury £14.99) 36

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20/07/2016 11:11:43

Drink

Happy h ur with drinks expert April Marks

April says: Treat yourself to a bottle of English wine and you’ll be lucky to receive change from a tenner. On the other hand, select three bottles of British wine and your ten pounds will probablycover all three. Why is that? Well, there is a stark difference between English Wine and British wine.

To clarify what British wine actually is, it is made from imported grapes or grape concentrate, usually fermented to around 15% abv at which point the excise duty is then paid, after this it is diluted to around 10% abv. Perfectly legal but a clever way of producing a standard bottle of wine attracting £1.75 less in alcohol duty

than wine produced in the normal way. So, British wine is not made from British grapes and has probably been heavily diluted. In a nutshell, British wine is factory wine.

English wine is made from fresh grapes, grown in England. Fortunately I’ve not come across any public house selling British wine, but there are plenty offering English wine. If you find yourself in Luton near Chudleigh, Devon, order the sparkling Vanessa from Kenton Vineyard near Exeter, at The Elizabethan Inn. It’s made in the “traditional method” like champagne and this style is certainly placing England on the winemaking map.

April Marks is co-founder of Regency Wines Ltd Exeter @regencywinesuk

Order the sparkling

Vanessa from Kenton

Vineyard near Exeter

By the glass Running from now until the 5th August, the folk festival at Sidmouth has something for everyone, including wine lovers. Pop into the Anchor Inn in Old Fore Street for live music and great wines by the glass, including a Chateau bottled red from Bordeaux and a stunning white Rioja.

WINE OF THE WEEK

Nice ice, baby Make yourself some lush-looking ice cubes to accompany your G & T by adding your own botanicals to the water before freezing. Experiment with star anise, cardamom pods, mint, rosemary, dried juniper berries, edible flowers… the list is endless. Most botanicals will float to the top so the way around this is to only fill the water half way with the added botanicals, freeze this first then fill to the top and freeze again. Well worth the bother, though.

Courtesan Riesling, Clare Valley South Australia Riesling is not the first grape variety that springs to mind when you think of Australia but the Aussies are the second largest producers of the variety after Germany. Warm sunny days and cool nights lead to stunningly elegant wines. Capturing all the mouthwatering lime and elderflower character one expects from great Riesling, the Courtesan has a voluptuous palate hinting at grapefruit, ripe melon and quince. This little beauty can be found at The Rams Head Inn in Dolton, north Devon.

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Drink

Darren Norbury

talks beer Beer of the week Plucked from the M&S chilled cabinet on a recent hot day, Wild Beer Co Fresh (5.5% ABV) comes with the prompt to “drink now, don’t age”. The beer is made every six months with interesting hops from the northern and southern hemispheres for a fresh, hazy, lemon and grapefruit citrusladen drinking experience.

Pub protection

Pub closure rates are slowing, says CAMRA, but that still means 21, on average, are closing their doors each week, down from 27. The rate is still “alarmingly and unacceptably high,” says chairman Colin Valentine, who is urging members to visit their local.

t was a hot day, humid, and the with the Worthington shield, as well as the muscles in my middle-aged, outsignatures, around the base, of the key figures of-condition body were demanding involved in the beer’s production, from barley rest and refreshment. That was my grower to head brewer. Nice touch. excuse. My excuse, that is, for downIf you thought the craft beer revolution meant ing a pint of Worthington Creamflow at the rear we’d seen the back of big boys such as Molson of the Bluff Inn, Hayle. Regular readers will be Coors, think again. They’re still here. In fact, aware that this is as likely Ab they are leaping aboard the Fab’s Patsy eschewing the Moet craft beer bandwagon with the in favour of a discount store determination of Chris Froome In fact, they are Prosecco. trotting up a French hill.

But, you know what? I always Still completing as I write is leaping aboard argue that good beer memories the merger of the world’s two the craft beer are as much about circumstance biggest beer companies, AB bandwagon with as flavour, and this wasn’t bad.

InBev and SABMiller. At a local As Worthington is owned by level, we have seen St Austell the determinaMolson Coors, who also own Brewery take over Bristol-based tion of Chris Sharp’s, at Rock, I didn’t think it Bath Ales, including its pubs was unreasonable that the beer, and craft beer bars. The beer Froome trotting with its gentle carbonation and market is changing, the big up a French hill thick, tight head, tasted like boys are consolidating and to a keg version of Doom Bar. I say all mass produced beer is appreciate that, to some, that bad is simply wrong. Whether description doesn’t cover the beer in glory, but I’ll be searching out that Worthington thirstas I said, it was the right pint in the right place quencher again, I don’t know, but I won’t be at the right time. Thirst successfully quenched. turning it away on principle.

It had the bonus of coming in one of the best Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk glasses I’ve ever had a beer served in, etched @beertoday

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SEA FOOD AND DRINK BEER The Padstow Seafood and Beer Festival, taking place at Prideaux Place, near the port, on August 13, will raise funds for the National Lobster Hatchery.

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culture vulture Our guide to the very best don’t-miss events to enjoy in the South West right now

Folk fun by the sea Described by folk music legend Mike Harding as “one of the best festivals on the planet”, this year’s Sidmouth Folk Week looks set to be better than ever. Big names appearing include Northumbrian pipes specialist Kathryn Tickell and Devon duo Show of Hands, as well as Port Isaac’s muchloved shanty singers The Fishermen’s Friends.

There will also be the usual magical mixture of buskers, clog dancing, workshops,

parades, morris men and so much more at venues throughout the town.

The festival runs to August 5. An all-in-one adult ticket is £308 or you can pay as you go for performances (prices from £8). There is the chance to camp in the special festival site and you can just turn up and enjoy the street (and seafront) entertainment for free, too. Call 01395 577952 for the box office or see www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk for details and to book.

A CELEBRATION OF COUNTRY LIFE

Making beautiful music The St Endellion summer music festival began life nearly 60 years ago thanks to a musical priest, Roger Gaunt, in north Cornwall near Port Isaac. Today the beautiful church of St Endelienta hosts prestigious soloists and musicians, with a symphony orchestra and a chorus of seventy-five singers.

They present a programme

that encompasses the classics from Brahms to Stravinsky, plus music from Broadway to brass bands. Highlights this year include Benjamin Britten’s opera Gloriana and a performance of Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ in Truro Cathedral on August 1.

The festival runs until August 5: www.endellionfestivals.co.uk

Explore the traditional rural world of working horses at the Tregony annual Heavy Horse Show and Country Fayre on August 14 near Truro. It’s a fun day out with parades and judging classes of magnificent heavy horses such as Shires and Clydesdales plus super-cute little Shetland ponies. There is also a selection of craft stalls, music throughout the day, refreshments (including a licensed bar!). Entertainment includes sheepdog demos and sheep shearing, bouncy castles and birds of prey demos. It’s a proper Westcountry

day out and raises money for local charities. August 14, Tregony, south Cornwall, see www.facebook.com/ TregonyHorseShow for details

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Too much information Social media boasts about your family's latest achievements can feel good but you may unwittingly be causing upset to others. Parenting author Sarah OckwellSmith gives tips on 'sensitive sharing'. hen a child achieves something fantastic - from taking their first steps to coming top in an exam - it's hard for many parents (and grandparents, too, these days) not to jump straight on social media to share it with the world.

But have you ever thought about how your post may be perceived by others?

New research shows that 93% of parents believe social media encourages them to 'overshare' about their children, and more than a quarter (27%) say they feel under pressure to keep up at least every week, with 12% admitting to feeling this pressure to post almost daily.

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Stretching the truth?

The problem, it seems, is many social media fans who are also parents feel other mums and dads tend to make claims about their children that are either untrue or exaggerated. They sense that their friends are boasting unnecessarily or that, whatever the truth of the post, it may make other parents feel bad simply because their child hasn't achieved the same thing, according to the research commissioned

by WaterWipes.

The top culprits identified in the survey are socalled Super Mum posts (ie mums who claim to fit in a thousand things a day and still look glamorous). Unrealistic achievements such as pictures tagged: "Back in my skinny jeans after two weeks!" and showing off about new baby milestones - like baby's first steps, sleeping through the night, etc, are particular bugbears to parents whose children aren't playing ball in quite the same way.

Virtual support Mum-of-four and parenting author Sarah Ock42

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Enjoy

The way to share nicely 1 Know your audience well-Smith points out that social media can be a great virtual support network for families, building a community on which they can lean and turn to for advice.

"For a lot of new mothers, this is an incredibly positive experience," she says. "When your baby achieves something, you'll likely want to shout it from the rooftops, both in the real world or on social media.

"However, the comparison with others online can cause some mothers to be overwhelmed by feelings that they aren't good enough, and that their children should be doing better."

Positive reinforcement The survey found Facebook was the biggest "oversharing" platform for new parents, with Instagram voted the second biggest offender.

A third of mums said they always "like" or "comment" on posts from their other parent friends, to offer positive reinforcement, and 17% admitted that receiving likes and comments on their own posts helped them feel validated as a parent. Indeed, 16% of new mums believe posting online helps them feel less alone when they're looking after their baby.

However, some are cynical about other people's posts, with 33% of mums and 24% of dads saying they simply don't believe posts are true.

Virtual reality Sarah Ockwell-Smith warns it's not easy to predict how your social media comments will affects others. "You may be excited that your baby has just started crawling, yet one of your friends who sees your post on social media may be concerned about her baby's development and lack of motor skills. There are so many possible reactions that are often impossible to anticipate," she notes.

But she stresses this doesn't mean you should never share pictures or updates of your child's progress.

"The vast majority of your friends and family are likely to be thrilled to coo over your child's photos, however there are ways to be more mindful of what you post.

"Be a more 'sensitive sharer', particularly if you're aware of friends having a hard time parenting or even conceiving a baby."

Sarah adds: "Don't fret about sharing the imperfect moments too - family life is idealised too much these days.

Sharing bad days or messy moments with a healthy dose of humour will make your friends smile with understanding. Striking a good balance between photos of messy houses and beautiful nurseries, tales of pride and tales of exhaustion can make you appear much more human."

Are any of your close friends or family struggling with something, or are there issues that would be better to avoid with them? Consider this before posting on social media - many topics or opinions are better suited to conversations in person, as you can read each other's feelings much more easily.

2 Check in with friends offline

Sometimes sharing with the masses means we're lazy at communicating with friends who really matter. Some people overshare as a cry for help, so if you think someone you know might be having a hard time, engage with them directly.

3 Don't dismiss friends' concerns

Pay attention - sometimes people just need a listening ear, other times you may want to help them seek professional advice.

4 Celebrate others'

achievements too If your friend is really proud of her baby for saying his first word, for example, share in her pride.

5 Share failures as well

Sometimes, the less perfect moments can be brilliant - from messy kids' mealtimes to leaving the house with dried baby food on your clothes. It will remind your friends that you're a real person, in real life.

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My Secret Westcountry Olivier Certain Olivier Certain is head chef of Clavelshay Barn, in North Petherton, Somerset. Born in Marseilles, Olivier has worked at several Michelin-starred restaurants in France. He lives in Dulverton with his wife, Melenie and their Yorkshire terrier Buster.

My favourite…

View: I adore Porlock Weir. I spent five years working there and I never got tired of looking out at the sea whatever the weather. It is very relaxing listening to the waves and watching the horizon. It can be hectic and stressful in a kitchen during a busy service so being able to take some time out to gaze along the shoreline is calming and good for the soul.

Beach: When you have an active dog that needs plenty of exercise you do find you’re out and about a lot whenever possible, depending on the weather. A particular place that’s a favourite of ours is the beach at Dunster. Buster enjoys a good sniff, to paddle in the sea and dig in the sand. This part of the coast is lovely and we’re very privileged to be so close to it. It’s Heritage Coastline along this section of the Somerset

seascape but not many people know this. It’s a real hidden gem and I think sometimes it gets written off as people just think of Minehead being the main place to go in the area.

Arts venue: It may sound strange but I love going to watch the pantomime. It’s so funny and, for us French, the humour is very easy to get we love the slapstick element. Pretty much any panto will do but the Bristol Hippodrome always seems to put on the best shows. Their dames are particularly hilarious.

Activity: I used to play a lot of sports when I was younger and I love to be competitive. I now play volleyball for Taunton whenever possible and play in the Exeter and District Volleyball Association. It’s a great way of releasing tension, getting some exercise and also a good way to meet new people.

Food: We’re spoiled for choice here in the Westcountry and it’s a great region in which to work as a chef. I am partial to Exmoor lamb, Cornish sole and the beef reared on Clavelshay Farm where our restaurant is. It’s wonderful to

Dunster

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People

Pantomime at Bristol Hippodrome

Watergate Bay Hotel

think that these cattle have been born and bred here, treated with care, nurtured and loved. We need to be more in touch with where our food comes from.

Restaurant: My great friend the chef Andrew

Exmoor

Dixon runs the Café at Porlock Weir. When I first came to Britain I met Andrew and we instantly got on. We worked together in a hotel in Ashford, Kent first. Then I came down to the Westcountry to work for him. Now we’re working together again running the Cookery School at Clavelshay Barn. His food is divine.

Way to relax: I used to fish when I grew up in the south of France and always loved it. I have just recently started fishing again and enjoy sea fishing, especially at Porlock Weir or Bossington. It is a lovely way to relax in beautiful scenery. It’s a bonus if you catch a fish!

Weekend away: The Watergate Bay Hotel.

The best thing about the Westcountry is you Porlock Weir

The Swan at Bampton

don’t have to drive too far to find your own little bit of heaven. The hotel is on a surfing beach on the north Cornwall coast, the beach is right there on its doorstep and it’s a really cool, sandy one. There’s lots to do there if you want to be active on the beach or in the sea, or you can just relax and do nothing. The food is good too.

Shop: Tantivy in Dulverton is a shop, café and deli and real must for anyone looking for a treat or gift. I often buy treats for Melenie there.

Special treat: I’m a foodie through and through and love to try out new places whenever I can. One of my favourites at the moment is The Swan in Bampton. It’s close to home, very relaxing, a traditional pub with a contemporary twist and great food.

Special place: Woods restaurant in Dulverton is very special to me as it was where I first became head chef. When Mel and I go there, we always meet lots of people we know.

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My life

Chris Mcguire

Be prepared Chris McGuire’s baby arrives, just a tad early... e wrapped his tiny fingers around had lots of help from friends and family who my thumb. I smiled. I think he smiled have been polite enough not to point out my lack too, although it may just have been of preparedness. Which brings me to the second wind. In that moment everything in thing I’ve learned. my world changed. Everything, that I’d previously felt gratitude was one of the is, except a particularly full nappy. lesser emotions – a feeling you fake when you This week the birth of my son, Samuel, taught get a present you’re not too keen on. “Oh, me two things. The first is you can never be too thanks!” you say, acting your socks off. prepared. The other? I discovered an emotion Which, roughly translated, means: I’ve only scantly expressed in the past: gratitude.

“I’ll put it in a drawer and let it Right from the outset, little Sam decided to gather dust.” Yet, this week, with express his independence. He broke with family Samuel’s birth, I’ve felt the gratitradition and came early – I’m perpetually late. tude for real – no acting required.

In fact, Samuel was five and a The labour half weeks premature. He really wasn’t easy. It was ‘I’ll repaint the caught us on the hop. Mainly me in the operating actually. For months my other theatre, surroundspare room next half, far more sensible than me, ed by highly weekend. The had been making lists of things skilled profeswe needed to do, but, as usual, sionals who most important I’d exhibited a manana, manana shepherded thing now is reattitude. my son into laxing. We’ll be “I’ll repaint the spare room the world, next weekend, darling. The most t h a t busy when the important thing now is relaxing. gratibaby comes’ We’ll be busy when he comes.” t u d e I was convinced we had plenty hit me. of time. But my mum always It hit used to say: “Never put off until tomorrow what me like a brick. A you can do today.” big brick. More of a Actually, she didn’t. It was more like: “Chrisbreeze block really. topher McGuire, it is midnight and you’re tellSam, over a month ing me you need to do this now? You should have premature, struggled done it yesterday!” to breathe when he arAnyway, when the waters broke, I was really rived. He was whisked to caught out. Our house was in chaos because the Neonatal unit, where I’d thought six weeks before the due date was a team of what I can only the perfect time to have a new bathroom fitted. describe as ‘angels’ looked What’s more, my girlfriend was staying at her after him. For this I can only parents to get away from the dust and have ever be grateful. The good news access to running water. Have you ever tried to is Sam’s improving day by day, do a month’s worth of work in no time at all? It’s directly as a result of the dedicanot the most fun in the world. Thankfully I’ve tion of these heroes. His mum is a

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wonder with him too.

I have no doubt, one day soon, my partner will be telling our little boy that he should have been more prepared for a task he’d put off when distracted by something more interesting. When this happens, I’ll gratefully remind myself: “That’s my boy.”

[[

Chris McGuire is a writer who recently moved to the Westcountry. He’d like to thank the staff of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for their kindness, hard work and dedication. @McGuireski

NEXT WEEK: Phil Goodwin on love, life and parenthood in the South West 46

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22/07/2016 11:10:58

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