APR IL 2018 | FREE
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
MUTUAL ARRANGEMENT with Sharon Bradley, Zanna Hoskins and Kate Reeves
bridporttimes.co.uk
WELCOME
P
op-up shops are not a new idea but they’re certainly a good one. Where one might see sadness in an empty building, others see opportunity. A question of perception perhaps? With Bridport’s enviable skill set, creativity and can-do, community spirit, it’s no surprise that such opportunities are promptly taken. This month sees the arrival of The Floral Store, a collaborative project from Sharon Bradley of Old Albion, Zanna Hoskins of Champernhayes Flowers and Kate Reeves of Rambling Rose. A coming together of beautiful, locally-grown British flowers, stunning floral arrangements and inspiring reclaimed interiors, it promises to be a feast for the eyes. We meet Sharon, Zanna and Kate amidst their preparations and hear how Bridport’s latest pop-up came to be. Meanwhile Petter Southall, scrapes down his Norwegian rowboat, Alice Blogg talks tannins, Sam Wilberforce helps clean up, Paul meets a vulture and Gill Meller makes us brownies. I’m also delighted to welcome aboard new contributor Fraser Christian of the Coastal Survival School - a very useful person to know. Have a great month. Glen Cheyne, Editor glen@homegrown-media.co.uk @bridporttimes
CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne Design Andy Gerrard @round_studio Sub editors Jay Armstrong @jayarmstrong_ Elaine Taylor Photography Katharine Davies @Katharine_KDP Feature writer Jo Denbury @jo_denbury Editorial assistant Paul Newman @paulnewmanart Print Pureprint Distribution Available throughout Bridport and surrounding villages. Please see bridporttimes.co.uk for stockists. Contact 01935 315556 @bridporttimes editor@bridporttimes.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk
Homegrown Media Ltd 81 Cheap Street Sherborne Dorset DT9 3BA
Bridport Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSCÂŽ and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Bridport Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause. Bridport Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission from Bridport Times.
4 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Martin Ballam Xtreme Falconry xtremefalconry.co.uk Simon Barber Evolver Magazine @SimonEvolver @simonpaulbarber evolver.org.uk Alice Blogg @alice_blogg @alice_blogg aliceblogg.co.uk Molly Bruce @mollyellenbruce mollybruce.co.uk Caroline Butler BSc (Hons) MNIMH herbalcaroline.co.uk Fraser Christian Coastal Survival School @CoastalSurvival coastalsurvival.com Alice Chutter @bridportyogawithalice Neville Copperthwaite n.copperthwaite@gmail.com Megan Dunford @BridportArts @BridportArts bridport-arts.com May Franklin-Davis Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife @dorsetwildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk Steph Garner Bridport Music @BridportMusic @bridportmusic bridportmusic.co.uk Kit Glaisyer @kitglaisyer @kitglaisyer kitglaisyer.com Charlie Groves Groves Nurseries @GrovesNurseries @grovesnurseries grovesnurseries.co.uk
Tamara Jones Loving Healthy @lovinghealthy_ @lovinghealthy_ lovinghealthy.co.uk Gill Meller @GillMeller @Gill.Miller gillmeller.com Angie Porter Electric Palace @angiporter @angi.porter southstreetbridport.com electricpalace.org.uk Anna Powell Sladers Yard @SladersYard @sladersyard sladersyard.wordpress.com Adam & Ellen Simon Tamarisk Farm @tamarisk_farm tamariskfarm.co.uk Charlie Soole The Club House West Bexington @TheClubHouse217 theclubhouse2017 theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk Antonia Squire The Bookshop @bookshopbridprt @thebookshopbridport dorsetbooks.com Emma Tabor & Paul Newman @paulnewmanart @paulnewmanartist paulnewmanartist.com Cass Titcombe Brassica Restaurant @brassica_food @brassicarestaurant_mercantile brassicarestaurant.co.uk Sam Wilberforce Bridport Transition Town @greenfortnight transitiontownbridport.co.uk
46 6
What’s On
APRIL 2018 38 Outdoors
70 Interiors
15 Arts & Culture
46 THE FLORAL STORE
78 Gardening
28 Film
54 Food & Drink
81 Literature
30 Wild Dorset
62 Body & Mind
82 Crossword
bridporttimes.co.uk | 5
WHAT'S ON Listings
Cross Paintings
10am-11.30am from Museum
____________________________
St. Peter’s Church, Eype. Free, donations
Bridport Guided Walk
Bridport & Eype Centre for the Arts.
£2.50, easy level walking. 01308 458703
Every Monday 7.30pm-9.30pm Bridport Folk Dance Club W.I. Hall, North Street. £3 including refreshments. No partner needed.
welcome for Churches Together in
Bridport Museum, South Street.
Refreshments available
office@bridportmuseum.co.uk
____________________________
____________________________
01308 423442
From Wednesday 28th March for
Thursday 5th
____________________________
three weeks
Easter Egg Hunt
Every Tuesday & Thursday 10.30am
The Floral Store
Walking the Way
42 East St, DT6 3LJ
Bridport Community Hospital, DT6
to Health in Bridport
____________________________
5DR. Easter egg hunt, cake stall, raffle. £2.50 a child, £1.50 to enter Easter
Starts from CAB 45 South Street.
From Friday 30th March -
bonnet competition.
with trained health walk leaders. All sarahdavies@dorset.gov.uk
stmichaelsartists.com
From Fight to Flight - a Year
Walks last approximately 30mins,
Monday 2nd April 10am-4pm Easter Open Studios
Friday 6th 7.30pm
welcome, free of charge. 01305 252222
St Michael’s Trading Estate, DT6 3RR.
Dorset Wildlife Trust present
____________________________
____________________________
Through My Lens
Every Tuesday 10am–1pm
Sunday 1st & Monday 2nd
Art Class
11am-3pm
Bridport United Church Hall, East Street,
Town Mill Arts, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU.
Cadbury Egg Hunts
07812 856823 trudiochiltree.co.uk
postcode DT6 4RF). £2.50 pp. easter.
£15 per session, first session half price.
Hive Beach, Burton Bradstock (nearest
____________________________
cadbury.co.uk/burton-bradstock/
Every Tuesday 7.15pm
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Bridport, DT6 3LJ. Illustrated talk by
Charles Wheeler, Abbotsbury Swannery supervisor. Suggested donation £2 (£3 non-members), include refreshments.
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Saturday 7th 10am-12pm
Uplyme Morris Rehearsals
Sunday 1st April 11.30am
RNLI Coffee Morning
The Bottle Inn, Marshwood. No
Short Service of Remembrance
United Church, East Street. Cakes,
Contact Uplyme Morris on Facebook
____________________________
experience required, give it a go!
Bridport War Memorial
or The Squire on 07917 748087
Monday 2nd 9am-1pm
Sunday 8th 3pm
____________________________
The Big Breakfast
Thanksgiving Service
Every third Friday 10.30am-3.30pm
Salway Ash Village Hall, DT6 5QS
St. Marys Church, Bridport, DT6 3NW
St Swithens Church hall
Monday 2nd 10am-3pm
____________________________
Bridport Embroiderers
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tombola, bric-a-brac and RNLI souvenir.
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Thanksgiving service with tea & cake.
01308 456168
RAF 100 Years Featuring the
Wednesday 11th - Sunday 15th
____________________________
People & Places of Dorset
From Page to Screen
Every Friday & Saturday
Bridport Town Hall, DT6 3LF.
Festival celebrating the adaptation of
____________________________
from-page-to-screen/
11am & 2.30pm Furleigh Estate
Free. 01308 424901
books into movies. bridport-arts.com/
Vineyard Tours & Tasting
Wednesday 4th - Saturday 7th
Salway Ash, DT6 5JF. 01308 488991
Bridport Musical Theatre
Saturday 14th
furleighestate.co.uk
Company presents
Parnham Voices Day Workshop -
____________________________
Showstoppers
Come and Sing A Capella
Every Saturday & Sunday 2pm-
Electric Palace, Bridport. Tickets from
St John’s, West Bay, DT6 4EY.
____________________________
pvc@alfx.com
5pm & every afternoon (26th March) to Monday 2nd April Exhibition of Stations of the 6 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Bridport TIC.
Thursday 5th & Saturday 7th April
____________________________
£15. parnhamvoices.org.uk or e-mail ____________________________
WED 11
MORNING
DON’T LOOK NOW (15) | 1973 110mins BAC | £6/£4 11am
(PG) | 1958 129mins BAC | £6/£4 1.30pm
WED 11 – SUN 15 APRIL 2018
THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS Speaker: Ian McEwan
(15) | 1990 107mins BAC | £10 | 5pm
www.bridport-arts.com 01308 424204
(15) | 2018 105mins EP | £15 | 8pm
YEAR
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?
Speaker: Helen Jacey
(12a) | 1962 134mins BAC | £6/£4 1.30pm
FEDORA
Speaker: Jonathan Coe
(PG) | 1979 114mins BAC | £6/£4 2pm
MOLLY’S GAME (15) | 2017 140mins BAC | £8/£6/£4 5pm
Speaker: Peter Turner
(15) | 2017 105mins BAC | £10/£8/£4 8pm
SAT 14 McCABE AND MRS MILLER (15) | 1971 131mins BAC | £6/£4 11am
BABE
Speaker: John Stephenson
(U) | 1995 91mins WF | £6/£4 2pm
SUN 15 THE CONFORMIST (15) | 1970 107mins BAC | £6/£4 11am
A WRINKLE IN TIME (PG) | 2018 120mins EP | £8/£6/£4 2pm
SOYLENT GREEN Speaker: Raja Jarrah
(15) | 1973 93mins BAC | £6/£4 2pm
MOUNTAIN
Speaker: Waldo Etherington
(PG) | 2017 112mins BAC | £8/£6/£4 5pm
(15) | 2017 123mins EP | £8/£6/£4 7.30pm
THE HITCHHIKER’S THE FRONT PAGE Speaker: Garth Jennings GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (PG) | 1974 Speaker: Garth Jennings
(PG) | 2005 109mins BAC | £8/£6/£4 5pm
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (15) | 2017 132mins BAC | £8/£6/£4 8pm
105mins BAC | £8/£6/£4 5pm
JOURNEY’S END
Speakers: Simon Reade and Guy de Beaujeu
(15) | 2018 107mins BAC | £10/£8/£4 7.30pm
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
Speaker: Garth Jennings
(PG) | 1974 107mins UC | £8 | 10pm
ANNIVERSARY
11 TO 15 APRIL 2018
For more information or to book visit
(15) | 1975 106mins BAC | £6/£4 11am
132mins BAC | £6/£4 11am
ON CHESIL BEACH FILM STARS DON’T THE SHAPE Speaker: Ian McEwan, DIE IN LIVERPOOL OF WATER
EVENING
10
THE LOST HONOUR THE TIN DRUM OF KATHARINA (15) | 1979 BLUM
MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER
with Elizabeth Karlsen
CELEBRATING THE ADAPTATION OF BOOKS INTO FILM #FPTS18
FRI 13
(PG) | 2017 103mins BYC | £1 | 2pm
LATE AFTERNOON
BRIDPORT’S FILM FESTIVAL
EARLY AFTERNOON
VERTIGO
THU 12
BAC Bridport Arts Centre, 9 South St, DT6 3NR EP Electric Palace, 35 South St, DT6 3NY UC Unitarian Chapel, 49 East St, DT6 3JX
BRIDPORT ARTSCENTRE
WF Washingpool Farm, Dottery Rd, DT6 5HP BYC Bridport Youth Centre, Gundry Lane, DT6 3RL
WHAT'S ON Saturday 14th 10am-4pm
Bridport Arts Centre. Free 3-minute
Record Store Day
____________________________
3NY. 01308 425707 recordstoreday.co.uk
animation screening
Bridport Music, 33a South Street, DT6
the spirit of St. Peter Damian
Monday 16th 2.30pm
Quaker Meeting House, 95 South St.
Friends of Bridport Literary
(Read Steph Chapman's Record Store Day
£40/day, bring & share lunch. Booking
____________________________
Crowden based on 3 recent books. £15
Drimpton Village Hall, DT8 3RF. Pay
____________________________
Reservations essential: 01305 837299
The Way of the Spoon: contemplative spoon carving in
article on page 14)
Led by Martin Hazell. Donations £10-
Festival: Eric Ravilious; Family & Friends
Saturday 21st 8pm
essential. iona.lake@aol.co.uk
Arts Centre, South St. Hosted by James
Watkins & Swarbrick in concert
Saturday 14th 7.30pm
from Bridport TIC. bridlit.com
what you like at the end of the show.
Undercurrent Sessions presents:
____________________________
Arash Moradi (support act
Tuesday 17th - Saturday 19th May
Arslan Musika)
Heidi Steller’s
Sunday 22nd 11am
Eype Centre for the Arts. Tickets: £10
‘Running with the River’
Lambing Day Walk
advance, £12 on door (£5 kids). Advance from moradi.brownpapertickets.com or
Café Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre
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Tamarisk Farm, West Bexington, DT2
Bearkat Cafe Bridport.
Wednesday 18th 9.30am-12.30pm
____________________________
Beach Hut Appliqué Class
tamariskfarm.co.uk or 01308 897781
Saturday 14th 7.30pm (Bridport)
Boarsbarrow Gifts & Crafts Studio,
& Sunday 15th 3pm (Charmouth) No.1 Ladies’ Accordion Orchestra United Church Hall, East Street (14th)
The Barn House, Loders, DT6 3SA.
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9DF. Meet the lambs and ewes for free! (Read Adam and Ellen Simon's lambing article on page 36)
____________________________
All materials including frame and
Sunday 22nd 2pm-4pm
____________________________
Bridport Unitarians, 49 East St, DT6 3JX
refreshments provided. £45
Divine Union Soundbath
Close (15th). Tickets £8/£6 concessions,
Wednesday 18th 10.45am
____________________________
& Charmouth Village Hall, Wesley
on door or email no1ladiesaccordion@
Nordic Walking at Furleigh
Saturday 28th 3pm
gmail.com. Refreshments available &
Estate Vineyard
Friends of Beaminster Festival
chance to meet the Orchestra
presents Camilli String Quartet
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Salway Ash, DT6 5JF. For tickets visit
Saturday 14th - Saturday 28th
furleighestate.co.uk or call 01308 488991
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St. Mary’s Church, Beaminster. Tickets £12
Bridport Green Fortnight
Wednesday 18th
(£1 child/student) from Yarn Barton,
Full programme of events:
Gin-Tasting Evening
Fleet Street, Beaminster or Bridport Music.
(Read Sam Wilberforce's Green Fortnight
With knowledge and expertise from
Book Signing -
Company. £27.50 per person and
The Club House, West Bexington
theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk
Saturday 28th 7.30pm-11pm
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Bridport Folk Dance Club’s
Salway Ash Village Hall, DT6 5QS.
Friday 20th 9.30am-4.30pm
Annual Dance
Proceeds to Shelter Box Charity.
How to Self-Publish Workshop
Tickets £5, inc. cheese & wine, from
Church House Hall, South St. Bring &
T Snook & Footeprints.
Literary & Scientific Institute, East St.
____________________________
£55 (tea, coffee & lunch included). Book via: 07976 707786 contact@christopher-
____________________________
transitiontownbridport.co.uk
The Club House, West Bexington.
Thursday 26th
article on page 31)
Lloyd Brown of The Grey Bear Bar
John ‘Boycie’ Challis
bookings are essential. bookings@
____________________________
____________________________ Saturday 14th 7.30pm Brit Valley Rotary Club presents an Auction of Promises
Sunday 15th Joe Ellis’ adaptation of Remarkable Creatures 8 | Bridport Times | April 2018
legg.com curious-writer.com
share supper, no bar. Raffle. £8 on door. 01308 423442
____________________________
____________________________
Planning ahead...
Saturday 21st 8am-5pm
____________________________
APRIL 2018 Customs House, West Bay
Brislington v Bridport (A)
____________________________
Saturday 7th
Menopause Workshop
Saturday 28th 9am-3pm
Bridport v Bradford Town (H)
Venue TBC. Tickets £40, lovinghealthy.
Bridport Town Hall Craft Fair
Wednesday 11th (7.45pm)
co.uk/events (Read Tamara Jones'
Bridport v Buckland Athletic (H)
menopause article on page 64)
Bridport Town Hall, DT6 3LF. Free
Saturday 14th
____________________________
entry. A variety of stalls including
jewellery, cushions, cards, wood turned
Bridport v Hengrove Athletic (H)
items, gifts & present ideas. 01308
Wednesday 18th (7.45pm)
424901 bridportandwestbay.co.uk
Bridport v
____________________________
Longwell Green Sports (H)
Saturday 5th May 10am Loving Healthy -
Fairs and markets ____________________________ Every Wednesday & Saturday
Saturday 21st
Weekly Market
Sport
South, West and East Street
____________________________
Wednesday 25th (8pm)
____________________________
Bridport Rugby Football Club
Bridport v Chipping Sodbury (H)
Every Saturday 9am-12pm
1st XV. Southern Counties South Division.
Saturday 28th
Road, DT6 5LN. pitchero.com/clubs/bridport
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Bridport Market WI Hall, North Street
____________________________
Bridport Leisure Centre, Skilling Hill
Bridport v Clevedon Town (H)
Hallen v Bridport (A)
Second Saturday of
Saturday 7th
the month 9.30am–2pm
Salisbury II v Bridport (A)
Farmers’ Market
Saturday 14th
To include your event in
Bridport Arts Centre
Bridport v Bournemouth III (H)
our FREE listings please
____________________________
Saturday 21st
email details – date/time/
Every Saturday, 9am–12 noon
North Dorset v Bridport (A)
title/venue/description/
Country Market
____________________________
price/contact (in approx 20
WI Hall, North Street
Bridport Football Club
words) – by the 1st of each preceding month to gemma@
First Saturday of the month, 10am
1st XI. 3pm start unless otherwise stated.
St.Mary’s Field, Skilling Hill Road, DT6
____________________________ Antique & Book Fair St Mary’s Church, South Street
5LA. bridportfc.com
homegrown-media.co.uk Due to the volume of events
____________________________
Saturday 2nd
received we are regrettably
Every Sunday, 10am-5pm
Bridport v Odd Down (Bath) (H)
unable to acknowledge or
Fresh Produce Market Stall
Wednesday 4th (7.45pm)
include them all.
bridporttimes.co.uk | 9
PREVIEW In association with
The Albion Quartet Thursday 5th April, 7.30pm
Friday 6th, 8pm
Lower Pulworthy, Highampton, Hatherleigh,
Ilminster Arts Centre, The Meeting House, East Street, Ilminster,
Devon EX21 5LQ. £15. 01837 810940 Friday 6th, 11am
Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, DT6 3NR. £10. 01308 424204 bridport-arts.com
TA19 0AN. £15. 01460 54973 themeetinghouse.org.uk Saturday 7th, 7.30pm
CICCIC, Memorial Hall, Paul Street, Taunton, TA1 3PF. £15. 01823 337477 creativeinnovationcentre.co.uk
Comprising four of the most outstanding classical performers of their generation Tamsin Waley-Cohen (violin), Emma Parker (violin), Rosalind Ventris (viola) and
Nathaniel Boyd (cello) - the Albion Quartet formed in 2016, having played closely
together at several different festivals over the years. They share a strong belief in the communicative power of the string quartet and have a well-deserved reputation for creative and imaginative performances. evolver.org.uk 10 | Bridport Times | April 2018
OPEN MORNING 7 MAY 2018
10am Senior School 11.30am Prep School
Come and see what makes Leweston such a special place Day and Boarding Co-educational 0-18 www.leweston.co.uk 01963 210691 admin@leweston.dorset.sch.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 11
At the
Corn Exchange Record Store Day Saturday 21st April 33a South Street Bridport DT6 3NY T. 01308 425707 info@bridportmusic.co.uk www.bridportmusic.co.uk Twitter: @BridportMusic
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
westdorsetweddingphotographer.co.uk
Elvis Tribute Night Saturday May 12th
Come and join us for a fantastic night out £35 per person. Price includes Dinner & Disco The fun starts at 7.30pm for 8.00pm. Pre-booking essential Why not stay the night? B&B £80.00 per room. Contact our onsite spa The Crystal Courtyard to book with them too.
01935 483435 or go online www.gahotel.co.uk and click on spa
George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk 12 | Bridport Times | April 2018
JAZZ JURASSICA
LYME’S FESTIVAL OF JAZZ Thursday 24th to Monday 28th May
J
azz Jurassica is the small festival making big waves on the Jurassic Coast. It’s the brainchild of Lyme Regis resident Julie Sheppard, who wanted to create a vibrant musical destination over the Spring Bank Holiday, unmissable for visitors and residents alike. After just two years it’s already attracting nationally acclaimed artists and audiences from further afield. This year’s festival is bigger than ever, incorporating big name “stars” at the Marine Theatre and emerging talent in free concerts on the seafront and around the town. The aim, Julie says, is to “combine established acts in the theatre with a street festival, with music on every corner.” Georgie Fame, the legendary jazz and R&B artist, will open this year’s festival on what is rumoured to be his last-ever UK tour. Getting him, says Julie, was a real coup. “We may be small, but we don’t lack ambition. For audiences to see performers of this calibre up close in the Marine Theatre, one of the country’s most intimate venues, is unique.” Scores of buskers will also converge on the town to join music charity BSharp’s annual Busking Festival, which encourages both young and old to turn their hand to making music. Musicians playing on the seafront stage will share the idyllic seaside setting with food and drinks traders to become the festival’s bustling daytime hub. Lyme Regis already had a long-standing jazz festival which no longer attracted the audience numbers to keep
Paddy Blight on seafront stage, Lyme Regis (2017) – Image: Andy Neal
What's On
it viable. For some, of course, jazz itself is the problem, the musical equivalent of marmite – with people either loving or loathing it. Survival depended on “appealing to a wider audience, not solely to jazz lovers, but to people who think they don’t like jazz.” Enter Jazz Jurassica with a new name and a new varied programme attracting those who wouldn’t normally go anywhere near a “jazz” festival. This, says Julie, is the key to future success. This year’s busy festival line-up includes a typically varied bill of fare: gypsy jazz, Latin, soul, funk, swing, contemporary and even jazz reggae, and features a strong female line-up with award-winning jazz singer Liane Carroll, the Fliss Gorst Band, Annika Skoogh and Clara Bond’s “Soul Sessions.” Like many successful festivals before it, the temptation is just to keep growing. But the Lyme Regis setting naturally limits numbers. “We want the festival to be part of the town,” says Julie, “not in a remote field somewhere.” So what does the future hold for Jazz Jurassica? “This year we received submissions from over 1000 artists wanting to play – indicative of the festival’s growing reputation. That’s built on the quality and range of music we put on and the party vibe over the weekend. We’re not aiming to be the biggest – just the best.” Tickets and information: jazzjurassica.co.uk lymejazz@gmail.com or call the box office on 01297 442138 bridporttimes.co.uk | 13
What's On
RECORD STORE DAY Saturday 21st April Steph Garner, Bridport Music
H
ow did we come to be running a record shop when Piers and I have Law and Biology degrees respectively? Long story short - it was only supposed to be for a couple of years while we decided what we wanted to do when we grew up. I guess we’re still growing up! As well as coping with and surviving several recessions in the intervening years, we have brought up three wonderful children. Although they have all grown up and moved away, they love coming back here for their fix of seaside, countryside and Bridport hygge! One of the results of dealing with recessions, the effects of downloading, and internet shopping in general is that we have had to diversify and vastly increase the range of products that we stock. The shop has guitars, ukuleles, percussion instruments, music books and so on filling every available space. It has certainly been a steep learning curve and we’re still learning. We are now gearing up for the biggest event in our calendar – Record Store Day (recordstoreday.co.uk) on Saturday 21st April. It’s an international event and this will be the 11th one in the UK. Record Store Day is the one day of the year when independent record shops all across the UK come together to celebrate their unique culture. Special vinyl releases are made exclusively for the day and many shops and cities host artist performances and events to mark the occasion. Our day starts around 6am when we arrive to greet 14 | Bridport Times | April 2018
the early queuers (some arriving at 2am!) and offer them hot drinks and cookies. We open the doors at 8am and the next couple of hours are over before we know it in a frenzy of vinyl purchases, with collectors queueing from the counter to outside along the street. We hope this year will be the same! Our first live act is at 10am and we aim to have a live performance every hour on the hour until 4pm, each one usually performing for 15 minutes or so. We provide cakes all day culminating in one big cake (usually made by James Baker) being cut by Mitch Norman before he plays us out to end the day. There will also be the usual “goodie” bags with each purchase! So we hope to have a shop full of eager vinyl collectors, fans of live music, general shoppers and browsers and cake eaters - all day - from 8am to 5pm! Finally - a joke from Piers… A chap walks into a record shop and says to the sales assistant, “Do you have any recordings of wasps?” “Yes,” the assistant replies, “we’ve just had this one in. I’ll play it for you.” After several minutes of buzzing noises coming out of the speakers the customer says, “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t sound right. Are you sure they’re wasps?” The assistant stops the record, stares at the record label then says, “You’re right. I’m playing the bee side.” bridportmusic.co.uk
Arts & Culture
RUNNING WITH THE RIVER
Megan Dunford, Exhibitions & Participations Officer, Bridport Arts Centre
“… I absolutely love to look at colour in nature, because nature does it so well.”
H
eidi Steller brings her moving and beautiful exhibition, Running with the River, to our Café Gallery later this month. Visiting her at her home and studio in Christchurch and surrounded by the smell of flora, fauna and printing inks, she took me on a journey through her stories of the River Stour and explained why she committed to a year-long project about this special place… MD - Heidi, thank you for inviting me into your workshop! This series of work is, I know, really special
to you and I can’t wait to see it up in Bridport. Why did you begin a project like this? HS - I started on the month of my father’s birthday in March 2016. He was an artist and that was a starting point for me. I felt his loss and I wanted to make a body of work that perhaps would remind me of that part of my soul, which was a part of him too. MD – Practically, it’s quite an undertaking. How did you gather resources and begin to create the work? HS - I would walk up the river both ways, > bridporttimes.co.uk | 15
16 | Bridport Times | April 2018
find spots I liked and write lots of things down, drawing and taking lots of photos to bring back and put back in the studio. I always made sure I collected some sort of flora or fauna whilst I was there; this would give me fuel for the practice in the studio. MD - The embossing of the found plants and natural bodies really transports you, gives you a feeling of being there, and combining this with print works so effectively. HS - Mono-printing is so immediate and responsive – you’re basically making paintings and using a printmaking technique. Each print is unique and it’s a really playful way of working. Using the materials I brought back gave this lovely embossing effect, so I felt like I could actually capture that moment in time at the river. And I would consciously try and make the print on the same day I’d been to the river, so I still had that feeling. MD - What you are feeling needs to be imparted into the work; it’s good to have ‘rules’ in this sense, to ensure you can get this to come across. What really strikes me too is your use of colour. HS - Yes, everything really started with colour. I am obsessed with colour and light - this started with my foundation course. I like to be intuitive with my colour and I absolutely love to look at colour in nature, because
nature does it so well. Making work across a year gives you a chance to appreciate how much the river and the surroundings change, and colour is integral to this. I never planned how I was going to make the work initially but I would work with the things I’d collected, the reflections of the river, the feelings whilst I was there. The light from one day to the next can drastically change things, so it produced endless motivation and energy for me. MD - Well, it certainly comes across. What do you think visitors to Bridport Arts Centre will feel looking at this work? HS – Thank you. I would like the viewer to feel their own way through the images. People are drawn to them for many different reasons. It is now a year since I finished the project and I feel like I have only just digested the work myself… although I do feel that there is another one brewing! Heidi Steller’s ‘Running with the River’ takes place in the Café Gallery, Bridport Arts Centre from Tuesday 17th April – Saturday 19th May. bridport-arts.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 17
Arts & Culture
Russ Snedker 'Ravman'
SETTING THE SCENE Kit Glaisyer
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his Easter there’s an opportunity to enjoy the creations of a dozen local artists showing their work at St Michael’s Studios in Bridport’s Art and Vintage Quarter from Good Friday to Easter Monday, 10am to 5pm. Artists taking part include Kit Glaisyer, Caroline Ireland, David Brooke, Marion Taylor, Charlotte Miller, plus Studio in the Attic with Sally Davies and Elizabeth Sporne, Jemma and Michael Thompson, Squirrell Bindery and Press, Peggy Cozzi and Russ Snedker. They will each be open on different days, so check times online at stmichaelsartists.com. Abstract artist Peggy Cozzi has been working at St Michael’s Studio since November and has recently completed a new series of abstract paintings that are 18 | Bridport Times | April 2018
on display at the Mall Galleries, London until May: mallgalleries.org.uk/artist/peggy-cozzi. She has previously shown at the RA Summer Show and the London Group Open. Peggy likes to work directly from groups of rehearsing dancers with regular drawing residencies at Pavilion Dance in Bournemouth. She listens to music when she paints, finding influence in musical rhythms, textures and tempos, with lyrics sometimes finding their way into her painting titles. Peggy was born in the Bahamas where she spent her earliest childhood years. She says, “I remember going out for a trip in a glassbottomed boat over the coral reefs and being fascinated by views into a parallel world of constantly evolving combinations of colours and forms, arranged in the most
Peggy Cozzi 'Night Drive' oil on canvas 56 x 56
fantastically unfamiliar way.” Her family then moved to the UK and she went to school in Dorset. Her Italian father worked as a photographer and, in the school holidays, Peggy sometimes stayed with her grandparents in Florence, where she encountered the greatest Renaissance works of art such as Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera at the Uffizi Gallery. She studied at Bournemouth Art College followed by a BA(Hons) in Painting at Portsmouth Polytechnic, then earned a Fine Art MA at the Arts University Bournemouth, which led to exhibitions in London and Cornwall. She will be open on Saturday 31st March and during Dorset Art Weeks in May and June. peggycozzi.weebly.com Another recent addition to the studios is Dorset-born
artist Russ Snedker, who has a distinctive style mixing figurative realism with abstraction, often with intense graphic detail. He trained as a technical illustrator, working for Audi Volkswagen in Ingolstadt, Germany, creating illustrations for their car manuals. He then produced specialist books for the German archaeological institute and made reconstructions of villages from models they built. Work followed in London as an illustrator and graphic designer. He then set up an in-house design bureau for British Airways magazines, which led to doing fashion photo shoots and a wide range of commercial and editorial pieces: he was the photographer for the TV series ‘Germany’s Next Top Model’ creating fabulous underwater fashion images and was also official > bridporttimes.co.uk | 19
Arts & Culture
Ella Squirrell 'Puberty and the Piano'
photographer for the opening of the Armani Hotel Dubai and the Armani Fashion Show. He has painted, illustrated and photographed many pieces for hotels such as the St Regis, Crown Plaza, W Hotel and Desert Palm. Russ also mentions that, “One time I was hung out of a helicopter on a harness while shooting the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, for the movie Mission Impossible 4, Ghost Protocol.” russsnedker.viewbook.com Ella Squirrell is a young emerging artist, soon to complete her Fine Art Degree at Falmouth College of Art. She was brought up in Symondsbury with artistic and musical parents, David and Kim Squirrell, who run Squirrell Bindery and Press on the St Michael’s Trading Estate: squirrellbinderyandpress.co.uk. Ella is a keen photographer; inspired by a course she took at 12, she won a photography competition at 15 then applied to do Press and Editorial Photography at Falmouth College. Meanwhile, she took up drumming at 11 and played at Glastonbury with Herbie Treehead’s band when she was just 16. Soon she was teaching herself guitar and writing songs, which she posted online. She 20 | Bridport Times | April 2018
was promptly picked up by a producer in Birmingham who offered her a record deal. Soon, she was living in London and travelling up to Birmingham to record with Gospel Oak Records. Her EP ‘Loop’ came out in May 2015, leading to her playing live on the radio, gigging in Brighton and London and appearing at the Birmingham Jazz Festival. She continued to do regular gigs, but soon realised that the Visual Arts was her true calling. So, in 2015 she started a Fine Art Degree at Falmouth, then won a residency at The Exchange in Penzance, where she created an immersive drumming installation. She then travelled to Venice and Berlin before taking another residency at CAST in Helston. She is now mainly focused on painting, particularly inspired by the Bay Area movement and Richard Diebenkorn. fter finishing her degree, she will return to Bridport, continue painting and curate a group exhibition, Return of the Native, of young emerging Bridport artists at Bridport Arts Centre. ellasquirrell.format.com kitglaisyer.com
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Arts & Culture
22 | Bridport Times | April 2018
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
PETTER SOUTHALL Anna Powell, Director, Sladers Yard Gallery and Café
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ridport’s stylish new Literary and Scientific Institute has recently opened, completing ten years of thinking, planning, designing and refurbishing by an enlightened local team. My husband, Petter Southall, was commissioned to design and make the Enlightenment Wall, a 22-foot-high installation in wood inspired by the knots in nets. Consequently, the LSI has been on our minds day and night. Now that his part is installed successfully, Petter is back in his studio designing different commissions and, while he is thinking, he is scraping down and restoring Kvalen, the 21-foot, traditional Norwegian doubleended sailing/rowboat that he built as an apprentice piece when he was 21. This beautiful boat with its elegant lines and wonderful light tensile design has been an inspiration for much of his design work. When he was 17, Petter left home to learn to build boats in Norway. He walked and hitched his way around the western fjords, finding the traditional boatbuilders still working in sheds and boathouses close to the water and offering to help them. After boatbuilding college, the Folk Museum selected him as one of eight who should learn to build the Oselvar Færing, known as the Stradivarius of the fjords. The design - which closely matches the rowboats found in the greatest of the Viking burial ships, the Oseberg ship - had been kept a strict secret, handed down from father to son within one family. The last of these master-boatbuilders had no heir. So Petter built his Kvalen (Norwegian for whale) and was later honoured to carry the coffin at his teacher’s funeral. I first heard of Petter when my sister Laetitia organised several London shows and much publicity for the first-year intake of John Makepeace’s forwardlooking, sustainable design college, Hooke Park. By that time Petter had run his own boatyard in Norway, built a super-yacht in Maine, sailed across the Atlantic and Caribbean on a classic Norwegian yacht and learned fine cabinetmaking from America’s ‘intuitive woodworker’ > bridporttimes.co.uk | 23
James Krenov. Petter’s large-scale, solid oak dining tables with their striking steam-bent slatted bases were good fun for my sister to promote. Thanks to the sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink who commissioned his first dining room, Petter did not leave the UK at the end of his course. And thanks to the artist John Hubbard and his wife Caryl, who agreed to let him use their barn as his workshop, he is still here in Dorset. I am grateful to them all. More than twenty-five years on, that barn is like a working machine with kiln and drying room, wood store and studio, five work benches, planks of air-dried oak and large steam-bent rings of wood stacked high into the rafters. Each tool and drill bit has its place. Petter has made steam bending solid timber into his art form. A master craftsman himself now, his deep knowledge and love of wood continues to give rise to a seemingly endless variety of designs. Petter makes his work using the techniques from traditional boat-building combined with fine cabinetmaking and his own innovative solutions. He plans his moves as if he is playing chess. Fourteen apprentices have now trained with him. He works closely with his team planning their every cut so as to make the most of the timber and to achieve absolute precision of craftsmanship. The furniture they have made together is in private houses, gardens and workplaces, corporate reception areas and boardrooms, 24 | Bridport Times | April 2018
public spaces, hospital sanctuaries and gardens, science parks and sculpture trails across Europe and USA. In Bridport his boat- and rope-themed desks can be seen in the Town Hall TIC. In April 2006, Petter came home one day and told me he had taken on Sladers Yard. We were looking for a Dorset showroom since closing the gallery he had had for four years in Belgravia, London. Sometimes you have to have faith in your husband. I had never even looked at Sladers Yard which was a boat chandlery at the time and filled with detritus, oil and two hundred years’ worth of dust. He and his team shovelled, scrubbed and vacuumed, removed partition walls, dug out the gravel yard to find the original drains, restored the original pulley system, made the glass doors and the big archway doors, fixed the stairs and clad everything in weathered wood. Our younger daughter Eliza was four. We opened in August and she started school in September. Eliza is 16 now and works in the café at weekends. Sladers Yard has become a well-established art gallery and Petter’s furniture is a source of continual interest and wonder to our visitors. Sladers Yard Gallery and Café, West Bay, is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 4pm Sundays 12pm - 4pm 01308 459511 sladersyard.co.uk
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Arts & Culture
COLOUR Alice Blogg
26 | Bridport Times | April 2018
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antone has chosen the colour of the year 2018 as Ultra Violet 18-3838. Does this mean we will all be wearing purple clothing and rocking newly painted purple walls in our houses? Walking through one’s garden at this time of year, one feels full of hope, awaiting its promise: explosions of colour from flowers, the sweet, sweet scent of the freshly blooming roses. Every culture and country has different associations with colours and flowers: the English Tudor roses of red and white, the Italian white lily, or the trail of delicate pink cherry blossom in Japan - something I long to experience. We had a warm end of February and a very cold, snowy start to March. The whole landscape changed as the snow came in. It always feels magical when snow settles in Dorset. Time stopped for one day. The landscape became one with the white softness and reflection. The Japanese have six different words for white depending upon its brilliance or dullness, or if the colour is inert or dynamic. We are now fully immersed in spring. Outside the studio windows I watch the scenery change from bare to luscious rolling greens. No wonder we associate the colour green with nature - the very identifiable leaves of the oak trees are almost a lemon green when young. They stand so proudly in the landscape with enough room in fields to develop fully rounded crowns. Oak is emblematically and quintessentially English, a material that was at the heart of the mighty super-power. One might describe wood as brown in colour. Some woods are definitely a shade of pink or red. Holly is a creamy white, along with sycamore. Wood is warm in colour, a beautiful material with many different shades, hues and tones. Within my recent work I used the splendid English oak to create a colourful, dynamic bench for the beautifully restored Literary and Scientific Institute courtyard area. Oak has a high tannin content, which has a corrosive effect on mild steel and iron when damp, leaving blue/black stains that cannot be removed. I played with the tannin content in the oak to create different colours through a gradient. Each of the eight
colours were created by manipulating the tannin, no stains - an example is lawn feed, iron sulphate, to turn the wood a dark blue/black colour. I used Townsend Engineering, always a pleasure to work with, to realise my metal frame design holding the wooden slats. This project has given me a great desire to play more and create objects with the characterful nature of the benches from our British woodlands. It is now time to stop cutting trees down and thinning out and laying the hedgerows, leaving them for the wildlife to nestle inside and letting the wild blackthorn blossom and the new growth begin to sprout. Over the winter when trees are cut, one of the most glorious moments is revealing the colour inside the trunk when planked. On first sight, the trees fresh, sawn green wood seems so dark, juicy and full of colour. From tree to piece, planking wet wood gives the first glimpse of its inner beauty. As the summer comes and the timber stacks start to dry, the wood reveals its true colours, from the dark, blush-pink beech to the lightness and delicate hue of the surface of the drying planks. We choose and select by colour. Colour is a very important part of any designed or natural object. Colour has a psychological effect on the human brain with the sensations and emotions it arouses in us. We eat food by the appealing nature of the colour on the plate. These colours do not have to be man-made; take time to appreciate the colours nature brings us. All materials have a delicate subtlety of colour - look at the natural hues of Ham, Portland, Chalk and Blue Lias stone in the buildings surrounding us. Purple isn’t my choice of colour, however The Color Purple, by the American novelist Alice Walker, is one of my favourite books. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of AfricanAmerican women in the Southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. As this is the year of purple I feel it’s time to revisit this book or watch the film starring Whoopi Goldberg. aliceblogg.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 27
Film
PAGE TO SCREEN IS YOUNG AT ART Angie Porter Elliot Millson filming ‘+44’. Image: Peter J Millson
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his month it’s time for Bridport's annual film festival, From Page to Screen. The festival, which celebrates the adaptation of books into movies, will run from 11th to 15th April 2018. This year’s curator of the From Page to Screen festival is Garth Jennings who is a British film director, best known for directing the films The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Son of Rambow and Sing. Garth began making films as a youngster and a sense of fun and playfulness underpins his films. His film Son of Rambow shows brilliantly how filmmaking can give expression to the vivid imagination and freedom of youth. Starting film clubs at schools and getting out with the camera on the weekend is where it starts for many of tomorrow’s film creatives. With the advent of camera phones and animation apps it is becoming easier to edit and produce a film with no or low budget. Animation has become an important medium in which many filmmakers choose to work. Most films on general release in cinema now use some sort of computergenerated effects. From homemade films on YouTube to the latest Star Wars blockbuster, our visual landscape is expanding as far as our imaginations can go. Local teen animator Elliot Millson has been making 28 | Bridport Times | April 2018
films since he was nine using stop-motion animation and painstakingly crafted clay models. He brought his first film, The Lost Diamond, to show at From Page to Screen in 2013 when he was ten and hasn’t looked back. He recently won a Silver Award in a Filmstro Film Award for his film Daddy Driver, which shows his talent for storytelling and the action genre. This oneminute gem will be screened during the festival. Elliot is currently crowdfunding for a 10-minute film project called +44. He is meanwhile building a great showreel which will no doubt propel him into a creative career. “I’m now leaning towards live-action, taking inspiration from directors like Spielberg and, more recently, Edgar Wright” explains Elliot. Another young person whose showreel included films made for From Page to Screen is Joe Ellis. Joe has gone on to study for a creative career at Falmouth University in Cornwall. Their School of Film and Television is worldclass, with specialist courses in Animation and VFX. In 2016, through the festival's outreach programme, Joe made a 3-minute adaptation of Tracy Chevalier's novel about Mary Anning, Remarkable Creatures. The festival is showcasing some recent work from Falmouth at the free animation screening on Sunday 15th April at the
Bridport Arts Centre. Young people from St Marys are involved in a series of From Page to Screen animation workshops, creating short adaptations of works by local storyteller Martin Maudsley. The completed short films will premiere at a special children's event at the Youth Centre on Thursday 12th April. There will be storytelling by their inspiration Martin Maudsley and a screening of the stunning animation feature 'Mary and the Witch's Flower'. On the Sunday of the festival at 1pm there will be a free chance to see St Mary's animations when Garth Jennings will award prizes to the young filmmakers and talk about his own youthful beginnings. Seeing young people’s films on the big screen alongside the big filmmakers is a wonderful way to enjoy the basics of what film is really about: telling stories. So this year take some time out on Sunday 15th April to see the stories that our local young people are telling. Through sharing the ways in which they make sense of the world we gain an insight into what our future may hold, which hopefully still involves sitting side by side in a darkened room. Lights!
Some highlights of the festival include:
To celebrate the 10th anniversary there are a limited number of tickets available for just £1 to young people aged from 16-25. Visit bridport-arts.com for details.
Sun 15th April
southstreetbridport.com
Electric Palace, 2pm, £8/£6/£4
____________________________________________ Thu 12th April Children's Animation Event Mary and the Witch’s Flower (2017) Premiere of St Mary’s School short films Speaker: Martin Maudsley (storyteller) Bridport Youth Centre, 2pm, £1
____________________________________________ Fri 13th April Special Event Young Frankenstein (1974) Speaker: Garth Jennings (curator) Chapel in the Garden, 10pm, £8
____________________________________________ Sat 14th April Babe (1995) Speaker: John Stephenson (computer animator) Washingpool Farm, 2pm, £6/£4
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Speaker: Garth Jennings (director) BAC, 5pm, £8/£6/£4
____________________________________________ Animations and Prize-Giving Speaker: Garth Jennings (curator). BAC, 1pm, FREE Wrinkle in Time (2018) 2hrs,
1. Gene Wilder’s response to stabbing his own leg in Young Frankenstein 2. John Williams’ score as Elliott and E.T. fall asleep in E.T. 3. The cut to Shirley MacLaine running down the street at the end of The Apartment 4. Edna Mode giving Elastagirl hard advice The Incredibles 5. The design of Storm Trooper helmets in Star Wars 6. The way Jenny Agutter says “Daddy! My daddy!” at the end of The Railway Children
Garth Jennings, curator of this year’s From Page to Screen festival, shares his ‘Top 10 things in films that made me want to make films’ Catch them if you can!
7. Babe the pig rounding up sheep and the crowd exploding with applause 8. The opening of Harold & Maude 9. The first shot of Dr Lecter in The Silence of The Lambs 10. Richard Dreyfus parked beside the mailboxes and experiencing a gravitational pull in Close Encounters of the Third Kind bridporttimes.co.uk | 29
David Metcalff
Antonia Phillips
Carla Taylor
David Cove
Sally Derrick
Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre
The Kingcombe Centre
The Villa, Brownsea Island
Fine Foundation Wild Seas Centre
Jake Winkle
Caroline Scott
Penny Brown
Wild Art This year, for the first time, four Dorset Wildlife Trust Visitor Centres are inviting you to enjoy art exhibitions, and our wild places as part of Dorset Art Weeks 26th May - 10th June Visit: www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST Photos © Dawn Blight, Cat Bolado, Ken Dolbear, MBE Julie Herring, Sarah Morrish, Carla Taylor & Paul Williams.
Wild Dorset
THE GREEN FORTNIGHT Sam Wilberforce, Bridport Transition Town
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avid Attenborough’s Blue Planet series really brought home the effects of plastics on sea creatures and the birds that feed on them. Dead sea birds with stomachs full of plastic, dolphins ensnared in discarded nets and fishing tackle, and turtles which mistake plastic bags for jellyfish are all direct casualties of the debris. Reports from sailors in the North Pacific, North Atlantic and other areas tell of litter trapped in vortices millions of square kilometres in extent. As a seaside town we have a special duty to look after our shores. Much of the plastic we have is single-use - straws, lids to coffee cups, plastic cutlery, cotton wool buds, water bottles etc. Even the coffee cups cannot be recycled, as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has shown. This a terrible waste of energy and resources; most of it ends up in landfill and some in the rivers and the sea. Transition Town Bridport is organising a Green Fortnight to highlight the problems and help people reduce their reliance on plastic. We will be screening A Plastic Ocean, which shows not only the effect on wildlife from plastic in their stomachs but also the microscopic breakdown of products which then enter the food chain. On a lighter note, a family beach clean on West Bay, an evening of stories, poems and laughter with Matt Harvey and friends, and a Green Quiz at the Ropemakers will address a range of moods. The Green Fortnight opens with a launch night led by Charlie Wild, of Litter Free Dorset, and Martin Maudsley, the Bridport storyteller. More details can be found on our website. We have also been working with two schools, Loders and St Mary’s, to use plastic from the beach to create sculptures of marine life, making children more
aware of the problem. Is plastic all bad? The knee-jerk reaction is that we should ban it altogether. Julia Hailes, author of The Green Consumer Guide, will be making a few surprising, and perhaps controversial, points in her talk - for example, plastic packaging can keep food fresh for longer, meaning less is wasted, and reusable milk bottles or single-use paper bags may have a higher carbon footprint than plastic. The alternatives are not always straightforward. For example, compostable corn starch plastic (PLA) only breaks down in commercial digesters, otherwise it lingers in the environment for just as long as PET plastic. ‘Biodegradable’ plastic can be difficult to separate from PET and will contaminate a recycling mix. Food bought in supermarkets tends to have more packaging than that bought in local shops and from market stalls. Buying local and using your own bags means less waste and it benefits the local economy. Bridport Town Council have just released the Bridport refillable water bottle and most of the cafés and pubs will refill them, or your own bottle, for free. Carrying your own cup, refusing lids and straws, and support the zero-waste shop opening soon in Bridport. Nationally we should be campaigning for deposit schemes for plastic bottles (as developed in many other European countries), clear labelling of compostable cups so they can go in the food waste bins, and restricting the use of black plastic trays and expanded polystyrene. We hope everyone will find something of interest during the fortnight and can play their part in protecting our environment. transitiontownbridport.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 31
Wild Dorset
32 | Bridport Times | April 2018
A PAD IN YOUR POND
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May Franklin-Davis, Dorset Wildlife Trust
ool eyes peering from the pond surface, soft croaking in the gloaming and the quiet ‘plops’ - our gardens would be sorely lacking without the frog. Though there are over four thousand frog species worldwide, only the Common Frog and the reintroduced Pool Frog are considered UK natives. As Pool Frogs are only found in a handful of sites, mostly in eastern England, and the introduced non-native Marsh Frog is even more localised, it is the Common Frog that we invariably encounter. They can still be quite abundant in the right habitats and that includes gardens, where their appetite for slugs and snails must make them amongst our most welcome wildlife. These ribbitting amphibians can be seen almost year-round when it’s warm enough, but they need to hibernate during the coldest winter spells among rotting leaves, logs or hidden in pond mud. When it’s hot, they need to take refuge somewhere damp. The Common Frog, measuring 8cm-10cm, can be found in shallow ponds and in some lakes and canals, if the water is slow-moving or stagnant. A fascinating thing about these small creatures is how they respire through both lungs and their skin which must always be moist, hence they are never far from water or damp. More amazing is how they transform from frogspawn to tadpole and then to adult frog through metamorphosis. Unfortunately, the frog has not escaped the impact of human changes to the environment; in some areas numbers have dwindled through habitat loss. Their aquatic habitat and their diet also leaves them vulnerable to pesticides, for example types that are used against slugs and snails. If you would like to make your pond more frog-friendly there are simple ways to do so; making sure there are both shaded areas and places in direct sunlight is vital. Pond plants are also important as they provide cover - good varieties are water lilies, broad-leaved pond-weed and water parsley. Flat stones or slates should be placed around the edge of ponds to provide areas for frogs to bask in the sun during summer months.
FACT FILE: • Females can lay up to 4,000 eggs. • Only 1 in 50 eggs tend to survive into adulthood. • It takes roughly 16 weeks for tadpoles to become fully grown frogs. • A frog's diet only becomes carnivorous after the frogspawn stage.
dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 33
Wild Dorset
The 30-kilo sturgeon caught by skipper Pat Hawker, West Bay 1971. From left: John Mather, Desmond Gape and Albert Miller
34 | Bridport Times | April 2018
BRIGHT AS A BUTTON
H
Neville Copperthwaite, Independent Marine Consultant and Project Coordinator
ere’s a question for you. What is jet-propelled, can camouflage itself in the blink of an eye, can provide its own smokescreen when attacked, can see forwards and backwards at the same time, is a voracious predator armed with ten tentacles and a razorsharp beak, and invades the South Coast every April? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It’s the humble cuttlefish. Talk about evolutionary over-engineering. All I can say is, it’s a good job they don’t have legs yet as they already seem to be well equipped enough to take over the world! Mind you, cuttlefish are molluscs and their cousins, the slugs and snails have already slipped out of the sea and are living clandestinely in our back gardens. Bit of a 5th column thing going on there perhaps? But enough of the surreal, cuttlefish are in fact a curious species with a very short lifespan - they live for no longer than two years. As adults, they swim in shoals from the deeper waters of the Western Approaches until, around April, they arrive in the shallower waters of Lyme Bay where they mate and lay their eggs, attaching them to seaweed, rocks and sometimes to fishermen’s pots. Because of this herculean effort, breeding is the cuttlefish’s swansong after which they become exhausted and die. This is why you will find many of the hard, white cuttlefish bones washed up on beaches during spring and summer. Most of you will know that these bones are used as calcium supplements in budgies’ cages, but I’ll wager you don’t know that the bones are porous, consisting of thousands of tiny holes. The cuttlefish has the ability to fill these holes with gas to regulate its buoyancy. To swim up, gas in; to swim down, gas out. How neat is that! The young hatch out in a month or so, the size of a 50p piece, and are known in the fishing industry as Buttons. The Buttons use Lyme Bay as a nursery area until late autumn, by which time they have grown immensely due to their voracious appetite for virtually anything that is smaller than they are. They then migrate back to their growing grounds in the Western Approaches. To enable sustainable inshore fishing for cuttlefish for years to come, the trick for fishermen is to catch the cuttlefish within the ten-day period after they have laid their eggs but before they die naturally. Some of the more experienced fishermen in West Bay can distinguish between the females that have spawned and those that haven’t and endeavour to release these if caught in their traps.
99% of cuttlefish caught in the UK is exported all over the world and one of the biggest exporters is right here in Bridport, Samways Fish Merchants. I met up with local man, Clive Samways, to find out about his company’s route to success. It was his father, Clifford, that started the company. As a young man Clifford had a variety of professions which included being a master baker and a chef. He was also a part-time fisherman in West Bay and would fish in the evenings and at weekends, selling his catch to fish merchants called Greenslades in Poole. He quickly realised that selling his own catch direct to the public was more lucrative, so he set about retailing his fish on the quayside from a wooden barrow. This was back in 1961 when there were old timber garages on the quay and Clifford soon moved into them and effectively became a merchant. (Incidentally, Clive showed me a picture of the garages and in front of the ‘Samways’ sign, three of Clifford’s employees are holding a 30-kilo sturgeon which is as long as the men are tall. This was caught in West Bay in 1971.) Clifford became a local councillor and inevitably this took up more and more of his time until, in 1984, Clive took over the reins. His uncle, Arthur Watson, was the proprietor of the Riverside Restaurant in West Bay, a venue famous for its fish dishes. Its national reputation was testament to the quality of fish that Clive supplied. Such was Samways’ success that the garages in West Bay were outgrown and, in 1997, the company moved to new, larger premises on the Gore Cross Business Park where they remain today. Despite its incredible success, the company has remained a family affair with Clive and his wife Sarah at the helm. The employee numbers have risen from three back in 1961 to forty today. From little acorns… News from West Bay is that Jamie the Harbourmaster is expecting a busy month starting with the Easter influx of visitors. Fortunately, the harbour dredging and relaying of moorings is now complete and the harbour is fit for the coming season. The visitors will have no idea of the amount of work Jamie and his team have had to endure throughout the winter months to get the harbour shipshape, but I suppose that’s how it ought to be. And finally, back to the surreal, keep an eye on those slugs and snails! n.copperthwaite@gmail.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 35
Wild Dorset
LIFE ON THE EDGE Adam & Ellen Simon, Tamarisk Farm
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or us April is all about lambing, about new lives blinking at the world for the first time, learning to stand and to skip and taking joy in exploring it all. We lamb in spring to coincide with when the grass is rich and growing most strongly. Many farmers organise
36 | Bridport Times | April 2018
the date of their lambing for the winter and have the ewes indoors when they lamb. This is because there is a price premium for lamb that is ready for the Easter market, and also because being indoors makes it easier to keep an eye on any ewes that might need help. Indeed, we used to do this ourselves, starting lambing in January,
taking shifts in the lambing barn to ensure that help was on hand if it was needed 24/7. Years ago, however, we decided to change to April, using the warmer weather, the spring grass and longer days to lamb out of doors as deer and many other animals naturally do – and we’ve never looked back. We like it because the ewes are able to first grow their lambs and then nurse them from fresh grass, and being outside means they’re more active, free from disease, able to socialise freely and choose their food from the herb-rich pasture. We’ve found that as the ewes haven’t been confined for the final weeks of pregnancy they are fit and just get on with giving birth and then feeding their lambs. Usually a ewe will anticipate the birth and choose herself a place in the field, maybe away from the flock, with shelter from the wind or just with a clear view. Here she will deliver her lambs and stay within a few yards for a whole day, bonding with them and resting while they learn to suckle. Still, letting go of the habit of interfering was a hard part of the change. Lambing now feels more like story-book shepherding, quietly walking among the settled ewes and reminding yourself that checking individuals and watching over the flock is actually proper work. Our traditional breeds are excellent mothers, and rarely need help. Nonetheless, we need to be watchful and there are times when we do need to be ready to intervene; our experience of more intensive indoor lambing has taught us how to spot this in good time. One risk of outdoor lambing is Mr Fox. The farm is a haven for wildlife of all sorts, and when you make space for hares, dormice, and myriad hedgerow birds you also support the predators: barn owls, buzzards and foxes. One particularly bad year we lost a lamb every night for a short time. Not a poor one but a well-grown healthy one. Some days we’d find a leg or a head, rubbing in our distress at what was happening. We tried and failed to catch the fox, though we thought it likely it was a vixen feeding cubs. Eventually, we used an age-old solution. We created a small enclosure, a fold, and brought the ewes and lambs into it every evening. Such a densely bunched flock of sheep is very hard for foxes to tackle and I’d imagine it seems to them very intimidating too. Many people think sheep are stupid: we don’t. They are good at what they should be good at; ewes are consummate mothers. We all know how protective mothers can be, and sheep mothers are no
exception. While she will be easily herded by the sheep dogs for most of the year, until her lambs are old enough to run with her away from danger a ewe will resolutely stand her ground, stamping her hoof in defence of her offspring. It’s always gratifying to see a protective ewe. Facing something stronger and apparently much more dangerous with a wild courage is justified by events: the dogs take the message and just slink away. Leila recalls, “My childhood was filled with putting on the biggest coat I could find, putting a torch in my pocket, and stepping out into the dusk with my brothers and parents, running around the edges of the field, watching the lambs run, following their mothers and matching the ewes with their lambs as we rounded them up to take them into the night enclosure. Sometimes, if I was quick, I would manage to pick up a lamb and have the pleasure of carrying it all the way back up the hill to reunite it with its mother. And at dawn the following day, before the school bus arrived, I would have the opposite pleasure of letting them out of their enclosure to roam and graze on the fresh grass.” It’s not all fun and games though, and you have to be on the lookout for any lamb that might not be suckling well or is looking less than its usual bouncy self. Then you find out quite how useful the old shepherd crook is in giving you that little bit of extra reach to catch a lamb, and you learn how wily the older breeds can be. The lambs get fast quickly! There are times when we have to fall back on the obvious truth that if you can’t catch the patient, it isn’t very ill. As the lambs get older they venture further from the safety of their mothers, discovering that the world is actually quite big and finding new places to explore and things to do. Eventually they gravitate into adorable gangs of twenty or thirty adolescents finding out how fast they can run and how high they can jump and skip as they careen from one side of the field to the other, always looking surprised as they grind to a sudden stop before racing back again to tell mum all about it and having a quick suck. Lambing is part of the wonder of spring and however exhausted we may be the magic never fades! You can meet the lambs and ewes at the public lambing day walk at Tamarisk Farm on 22nd April at 11am tamariskfarm.co.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 37
Outdoors
SAFETY FIRST
Fraser Christian, Coastal Survival School
C
oastal foraging is best done in pairs for safety reasons, as exposed rocks and gullies can be covered with seaweeds making them slippery at the best of times and lethally so when wet. Caution should always be taken when out on exposed rocks and headlands, and especially when on long surf beaches. A good understanding of the local area and its tidal and weather conditions are a must. If you are unsure of the tide times, wait until high tide and follow the falling tide out; you will then have approximately 6 hours until it changes direction and starts to flood back in. Never push your luck in search of a meal and venture too far beyond the tidal limits, or along stretches of beach that are backed by steep cliffs. This could be lifethreatening as you can quickly become cut off from your route back. Sudden changes in wind and weather can affect the height of the tide in moments. Leave yourself 38 | Bridport Times | April 2018
plenty of time to make your way back in good daylight. Always let somebody know where you are off to and what time you expect to return, especially if you are foraging alone. The local harbourmaster or coastguard can be contacted if you are unsure of your destination’s suitability to forage both safely and responsibly. They may also be able to help with information regarding weather and local tidal conditions. Some areas of the coast may have restrictions regarding access, especially in military and conservation areas. Always check with the relevant local authorities if you are unsure. Most beaches and coastlines where restrictions apply are normally signed accordingly. It’s a good idea to get a tide table for the area you are visiting in advance, to help you plan your foraging in relation to the best tide times. The RNLI produce good tide tables which are available from their shops. Also, most angling centres and shops have them, or
tide, and wind direction often changes slightly with the turn of the tide. The result of both wind and tidal flow together produce various notable changes in sea state and the height or lows of the tide. When the wind is moving in the same direction as the tide the sea will become calmer, as the wind flattens the waves. When either wind or tide change direction and they oppose each other, known as ‘wind against tide’, the sea will build and the waves will become higher. The same can be said for the distance the tide will go in and out. Just imagine you are on a warm, sunny beach at high tide, not a breath of wind, and there’s plenty of beach exposed around a rocky headland leading to a secret cove full of edible treasures! You set off around the headland, foraging as you go, but suddenly the wind picks up and blows strongly on shore; the beach or rocks that were once clearly exposed can quickly become swamped by rolling waves as the wind holds the sea up and bring the waves up against the headland. Please remember that tide tables and weather forecasts are only predictions; it’s the wind and weather that will have the final say over what the conditions will be like. Tide times are a useful guide, as is the moon. The biggest tides, known as spring tides, will expose most of a beach at low water, but have the strongest flow rate. Conveniently, the spring tides fall around the new or full moons, which is easy to remember, and the small (or neap) tides fall around the half-moons. Essential Equipment
look online. If you have checked the local tide times and weather conditions and they are favourable, the most likely danger is that of slipping or falling and sustaining an injury. A mobile phone, well-charged and able to receive a good signal, is essential, again especially if you are foraging alone. If you do get into difficulties for any reason and are unsure of your ability to safely make your way back, do not delay: phone 999 and ask for the coastguard. Remain calm, speak slowly and clearly. Help will arrive! Tides and Weather Influences
The influence and effect of the tide and weather play an important part in our planning when approaching the beach in respect of the food that may be ‘safely’ available to us. The weather can be influenced by the
• Mobile phone (check for full charge and good signal) • Small tub, bucket or basket with handle • Foraging or walking stick (also helps for stability and balance on the rocks) • Net bag or old onion sack (available free from most kind greengrocers) • Local tidal and weather information • Torch or head lamp • Waterproof clothing • Watch or time-piece • Knife or scissors • Compass Follow Fraser in next month’s edition as he takes us along the beach foraging safely in search of wild gourmet vegetables and out onto the exposed beach at low tide to discover his favourite wild foods. coastalsurvival.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 39
Outdoors
VULTURES
CAPTIVE BREEDING AND CONSERVATION Martin Ballam, Xtreme Falconry
T
his month’s article is to raise awareness of the plight of vultures in the wild and what we can do to aid the situation that has occurred over the past two decades. Unfortunately, the majority of human beings seem to find vultures ugly, repulsive and dirty creatures that just eat awful things. However these birds are crucial to the wellbeing of nature, including ourselves and the whole ecosystem of which they are the ultimate ‘cleaners’. So, do we have vultures in Dorset? Well yes, we do! Definitely not as a wild species (other scavengers like buzzards, crows and gulls take over the British role) but here at Xtreme Falconry we have worked very hard to 40 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Image: Paul Newman
achieve the successful captive breeding of this wonderful, intelligent bird. This success has continued into 2018 with our first chick of the year. More on that shortly! We need to start with the situation in the wild. When I first started in the zoological industry in the mid- to late-1980’s vultures were in a relatively good position with many species designated as common or ‘least concern’. Fast forward to now and we have multiple species designated as ‘endangered’ or, worse still, ‘critically endangered’. This is a disaster, potentially on an epic scale. So, what has gone wrong, and in such a tiny proportion of evolutionary time? There are three main reasons:
1 The largest birds of prey in the world are the two magnificent species of condor, the Andean and the Californian. The Californian has been on the brink of extinction mainly due to lead poisoning. Eating carcasses with lead shot contamination is still affecting many American species of animalia but with immense concerted efforts by conservation and zoological societies the Californian condor is breeding again as a wild species. 2 Asian vultures: a natural or some may say an ‘unnatural’ disaster. Two decades ago the widespread use of the anti-inflammatory ‘Diclofenac’ was introduced as a veterinary drug for livestock in Asia. It took many years before Diclofenac was discovered to be highly toxic to vultures if ingested. It caused a catastrophic decline in the wild vulture population, with the population in some species (Oriental white rumped vulture being the prime example) dropping by some 97%. 3 Deliberate poisoning. This is becoming a major issue in African species. Deliberate poisoning by poachers is occurring on an unprecedented scale. We are all aware of the ongoing fight with elephant and rhino poachers. Naturally the vultures circle a carcass and these become ‘spotters’ for the wildlife rangers who then try to catch the poachers…the poachers answer is to wipe out the ‘spotters’. I simply cannot display the picture evidence of the carnage that is unfolding on a daily basis. I should also add a fourth reason - electrocution. The size of the wingspan on vultures is immense, usually at least 2-2.5 metres. Vultures love to land on pylons and regularly try to nest on them; the results are devastating and the outcome is obvious. We, as a privately-run bird of prey collection, can only do so much and the main avenue is to raise awareness. This is achieved through our demonstrations at various shows and the breeding of these endangered species. We are fortunate enough to have two critically endangered species of vulture - the African white back and the hooded vulture. The hooded vultures are an ongoing project wonderful, relatively small vultures who look like ‘Gonzo’ from the Muppets (some of you will remember!) We acquired our first hooded vulture three years ago, a male by the name of Robin. However, Robin turned out to be a ‘Robyn’! The search ensued to find a male and here we were very fortunate. A very good friend from Scotland with whom we are heavily involved in conservational
breeding projects loaned us a male. Sadly, this year although an egg was produced it was not fertile. But these are young birds and our fingers are crossed for next year. The African white backed vultures have various colour morphs and we believe we have the best! The adults have a stunning cream plumage which develops after many years of maturity. Ours were originally both flown in our display team but after DNA tests showed them to be a pair, and with the knowledge of their demise as a wild species, we quickly decided to try to breed them. It took years! Our first egg (they only lay one in a clutch) came four years ago but sadly the parent birds are clumsy. A poorly built nest and constant squabbling over the structure resulted in a failed incubation, requiring us to step in with artificial incubation. Artificial Incubation
There are many factors to consider in artificial incubation and the subsequent rearing of the baby. The incubator is set at 37.4 degrees with a humidity around 28%. The egg needs to turn 49 times in a 24-hour period with a 15% weight loss between day 1 and internal ‘pip’. On external pip the egg must be placed in a hatcher with no turning and a humidity of 85%. So what is all this science? Whilst a mother bird is always the best incubator if things go well, these are the factors we have to work to if things don’t. To explain, a single clutch egg is turned by the mother many more times than a clutch of, say, 14 duck eggs. The humidity affects the embryo development, so we weigh the egg daily and plot it on a graph. As the egg is porous we can adjust the humidity to control the correct weight loss through the incubation to hit our 15% mark, and hopefully the result is a beautiful baby vulture. Previous vultures bred by Xtreme Falconry are already in long-term breeding pairings at zoological collections and being used as ambassadors in displays through very close professional colleagues who are fighting the cause for these amazing ‘waste disposal experts’! Without vultures we will have a continuous spread of disease and disease-spreading vectors, so please don’t hate them. Come and see ours when the sanctuary is open and support vulture conservation. We would like to publicly thank the Wessex Watermark for their aviary sponsorship on a future breeding programme of a very special eagle! If you would like to sponsor our future work, please get in touch: enquiries@xtremefalconry.co.uk. xtremefalconry.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 41
Outdoors
So gorgeously hath nature drest thee up Against the birth of May; and, vested so, Thou dost appear more gracefully array’d, Than Fashion’s worshippers. From Lewesdon Hill, by William Crowe
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On Foot
STOKE ABBOTT, LEWESDON HILL AND THE WESSEX RIDGEWAY Emma Tabor and Paul Newman Distance: 6 miles Time: Approx 3 1/2 hours Park: There is plenty of street parking in Stoke Abbott Walk Features: Stoke Abbott village and its 12th Century church, Lewesdon Hill and hill fort, the Wessex Ridgeway, Waddon Hill and views towards the coast. Refreshments: New Inn, Stoke Abbott
E
ach month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members), pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual, and sometimes the unfamiliar. For April, we cover the hills to the west of Beaminster, including Lewesdon Hill, the once-disputed highest point in Dorset, with a short stretch along the Wessex Ridgeway. It’s an ideal spring walk, awakening sensations as wild garlic and bluebells push through, and has sweeping vistas, ancient settlements and some surprises in the hollows along the Jubilee Trail stretch. At 915 feet, Lewesdon is 2 metres higher than nearby Pilsdon Pen. Directions
Image: Emma Tabor
Start: SY803124 The walk starts at the Lion Head Spring in Stoke Abbott 1 Walk uphill through the village, away from the spring and past the junction with Norway Lane, following the sign for Bridport; don’t forget to visit the 12th Century church. After a short while, turn left up a track signed for Brimley Mill, on a righthand bend in the road, past Higher Farm. After a few yards, turn right through a metal gate. Cross a field to a gate and stile in the middle of a hedge. Go over the stile, across another field to a small metal gate, with a pretty, white, thatched cottage to your left. After the gate, go down some steps and cross the drive for the cottage. Go through a wooden gate, bridporttimes.co.uk | 43
keep straight ahead and follow the fence steeply downhill. At the bottom of the field, head to the right-hand corner and a kissing gate. This leads onto a walkway over a brook, through a beautifully sheltered spot with ferns and wild garlic. Make your way steeply uphill, then towards the left of a barn, heading for a kissing gate. Go through this to walk along a short path past farm cottages, to meet a bend in the road coming from Stoke Abbott. Turn left and follow the road for approximately 1/3 mile towards 4 Ashes junction. 2 Upon reaching 4 Ashes, cross the main road. After a few yards, turn right through a metal gate with a footpath sign into a field. Head towards the beeches at the bottom of Lewesdon. Pass through a second gate and walk up the right-hand side of a field to follow a hedge round until you meet another gate. Here, go slightly left across a concrete drive then turn right to go through another gate into the woods. Head up between two banks and after a few yards there are numerous paths on the left which will take you up the southern flank of the hill. After a short while, there is a National Trust sign for Lewesdon Hill - go past this to start the steep final climb to the top, a grassy plateau surrounded by trees. The route continues to the right although you can venture left to explore the remains of Iron Age defences on the western flank of the hill. 3 From the summit, head down the northern side to meet the Wessex Ridgeway which runs east-west. Turn right and after a short while find yourself entering a holloway. Follow a sign for Stoke Knapp; eventually the holloway meets the BroadwindsorBridport road again. 4 Cross the road and follow the footpath sign opposite to go past old farm buildings on your right. After a few yards, look for a bridleway and footpath sign keep straight on, following the sign for Chart Knoll. With the fence on your left, the track meanders uphill to reach two metal gates. Keep on this track to reach another metal gate into the next field. Go through this and continue, to reach three footpath signs and views of Gerrard’s Hill and Beaminster, then follow a hedge to a five-bar wooden gate. Pass through this then onto a track with Chart Knoll ahead of you. The hill drops away steeply to the left and the trail becomes more enclosed. Where the track splits, bear left, past a sign for Beaminster. Go through a small wooden gate to pass the buildings 44 | Bridport Times | April 2018
on your right and make for a stile in the hedge ahead. Go over this to another stile then across a field keeping the boundary on your left, towards the beech grove on Gerrard’s Hill. From the grove and triangulation point there are fine views all around. 5 Head off the hill, dropping down towards Beaminster, to the corner of a field. Go over a stile, cross a farm track, over another stile then across the middle of a field towards a single hollow tree by another stile. Keep aiming down, towards a stile at the bottom of the hill and through pony paddocks, to cross a wooden footbridge and enter Puckett’s Wood. Go straight ahead and after a few yards turn right at a signpost for ‘Stoke Road ¼ mile’. Initially the track is not well defined but soon broadens. Reach a five-bar gate and then a short footpath which meets the road at Knoll Farm. 6 Turn right onto the road and follow this for just under half a mile. After a short, steep meandering climb through trees, the road flattens. On a righthand bend, look out for a field entrance on your left, with remains of a footpath sign in the hedge! Go into the field then turn right and head for a stile in the far hedge, by a telegraph pole. Go over the stile, turn right onto a grassy lane then left, through a small wooden gate. Cross a track, then head between a pony paddock and a farm building. Enter another paddock through a kissing gate and walk towards a small metal gate in the far-left corner. Go through this and descend into a fern-carpeted wooded dell. After a few yards, cross a footbridge. Follow the Jubilee Trail signs and cross the bottom corner of a field to emerge onto a track. Go left and then immediately right up some steps, to follow the Jubilee Trail through the woods above the stream. Look out for the moss-covered outline of an old leet. This is a particularly lovely hidden stretch, with alder, snowdrops, bluebells and wild garlic. The trail meanders down to meet the stream again. Cross another footbridge, with a metal gate, into a field. Keep to the right-hand edge of this field, skirting the bottom of a steep hill. Go through a metal gate onto a footbridge, then start to climb towards some houses. After another metal gate, follow a concrete footpath between houses. At the end of this, turn left onto the road and head back towards where you’ve parked. paulnewmanartist.co.uk
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THREE OF A KIND Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies
I
t was over a cup of tea at the Red Brick CafÊ that Sharon Bradley, Zanna Hoskins and Kate Reeves dreamt up the plan to open a shop bringing flowers and architectural salvage together under one roof, a shop whose eclectic mix would entirely complement Bridport’s independent style. Walking through the large cave-like opening to Old Albion is like entering a house of curiosities, only in this case the curiosity is largely that of the browser. There is no idly drifting by the merchandise, with the sense of having seen it someplace else. Here you immediately understand that a keen, astute eye has selected each unique piece. >
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Kate Reeves
Zanna Hoskins 48 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Sharon Bradley
Sharon's knowledge of sourcing and retailing is in her blood, working in North America, France and the U.K. Setting up in Bridport over ten years ago, Sharon is a purveyor of industrial rustic and decorative ‘finds’, one of the early pioneers of reclamation in the area. Based on the St Michael’s Trading Estate, a place that has inspired many others in the town, she has an eye for a certain, unique style that many interior designers, lifestyle stores and stylists from around the country rely on. She is committed to sourcing original architectural salvage and ensuring that objects that might otherwise be virtually impossible to buy are made available – in effect, the artful recycling of individual, stylised history. Visit Sharon’s store and on any one day you might come across zinc baths, trestle tables, garden urns, the odd chaise-longue, reclaimed encaustic tiles, oak wall panels and perhaps an original fairground stall (she has one that is available for party, event and prop hire) – an eclectic but reassuringly decorative mix. Another side to the business is the upcycling and rewiring of lighting and neon signage destined for scrap. These pieces are unique and many are sourced for restaurants, bars, private homes and prop hire.
Sharon spends much of her week sourcing items and liaising with her clients. She aspires to give these pieces a ‘second life, a chance for them to be appreciated by another generation.’ It is her dedication to the provenance of the goods that has made Sharon’s work so sought after. This, along with her sourcing ethics and recognition of the environmental impact, led to a natural partnership with Zanna who has the studio next door. Zanna moved to Dorset eight years ago with her husband Jonny, an actor who teaches movement at Bournemouth University. Their decision to relocate here was inspired by the desire to acquire land and grow flowers as they are both passionate followers of the #BritishFlowers movement. Zanna had been a shortstory writer but after having children, started growing flowers and discovered that she loved it. She didn’t train as a florist but learned on the job. She explains, ‘Flowers are very creative things to be in the company of. For me it was also very important to know where they came from; which led me to wanting land of our own. It is important to me that the flowers are grown in a low impact way. We grow our flowers using permaculture principles, which includes things like companion planting. > bridporttimes.co.uk | 49
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Zanna’s ethical motives coincide with a trend in floristry for looser string-tied arrangements, ones that team perfectly with Sharon’s salvaged wares. And here, Kate takes centre stage. Kate trained with celebrated British florist Nikki Tibbles of Wild at Heart in London, working for the well-renowned florist Scarlet and Violet before following her heart (and her mum) and returning to Dorset four years ago. ‘I had always wanted to move down,’ she explains ‘and Bridport is such a special place: creative, with a great vibe.’ Maybe it was serendipity or the fact all good things come in threes that led her to hook up with Sharon and Zanna. ‘I’d love to get a plot of land and grow flowers,’ adds Kate, who works with Zanna for weddings, ‘but I’m not at that point yet. Having worked in London for over 20 years I moved to Dorset because I wanted to have a more pared-back approach. I love working with local growers and totally support the British Flower industry and when I can, I always try to source from local growers: dahlias and tulips from Charlie McCormick, roses from Emily Cave in Litton Cheney, blooms from Angela Brooke-Smith at Flower Fusion in Devon and obviously from Zanna! I also spend a lot of my time foraging for my arrangements. However my passion is for beautiful flowers and at certain times of year and depending on what I need, this does mean that I have to sometimes import them. But I am not someone who would go for extremes such as Sweetpeas in December. The reality is that when I am creating flower arrangements for local businesses such as Brassica and The Bull Hotel there are certain flowers that I rely on for the colour and structure that they provide and they may need to be imported from abroad.’ So over that cup of tea at the Red Brick Café, Sharon, Zanna and Kate hatched their plan – a collaborative pop-up, showcasing three unique yet perfectly suited talents. Kate explains, ‘The idea is to have a bit of fun and offer workshops for people who want to learn how to make their own wreaths or floral crowns. We also want to celebrate the resurgence of British-grown flowers and what better way to show them off than with the best of British-sourced salvage? The Floral Store will be open Wednesday - Saturday for three weeks from 28th March, at The Old Bakery, 42 East St, DT6 3LJ. Sharon@oldalbion.co.uk Zannahoskins1@yahoo.co.uk flowersbyramblingrose@gmail.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 53
THE
CLUB HOUSE
GIN TASTING Wednesday 18th April 7pm for 7.30pm start ÂŁ27.50 per person (100% deposit required per person) A selection of three local gins to taste alone or with tonic and two gin cocktails served alongside a selection of canapĂŠs to compliment each drink. Bottles of gins tasted available to purchase afterwards. Hosted by The Club House with the expertise and knowledge from Lloyd Brown of Grey Bear Bar Company. 54 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Image: © Andrew Montgomery
Food & Drink
CHOCOLATE RYE BROWNIES WITH BAY AND ALMONDS Gill Meller, River Cottage
B
ay has always been part of my life and my cooking. My mum loved using bay leaves in her cooking too; I remember picking it for her from the garden, you could see the tree from the kitchen window. ‘Here you go’ I’d say. She’d tear it between her fingers, smell its scent and then pop it in the pot. It may have been a soup simmering away over a low heat or a
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rich hearty stew or perhaps a bolognaise, for what is a bolognaise without bay? In fact, I was always pleased to find the leaf on my plate because it tasted so good. There is a bay hedge in our garden - it’s a big one, so I don’t think I’ll ever run out! Every so often it needs cutting back though, so it doesn’t get too high and block the lovely view. We pile the bay clippings up and after
a few weeks they can be burnt. Burning bay like this will never be a chore. It roars and crackles and the thick smoke bowls and curls, but it is the smell as it burns that I love the most. In the summer I’ll use bay on the BBQ. It’s beautiful with fish, particularly mackerel. I like to lay fresh sprigs over the grill as the fish is cooking. The bay gets hot, then begins to blister and spit, then eventually it erupts into flames. More often than not it’s a sign the fish is cooked. As a rule I’ll always opt for fresh bay leaves over dried. I prefer its greener, purer fragrance. I’ll tear it, just like my mum did, or cut it with a knife; this releases the essential oils which are trapped within its waxed, fleshy surface. It’s like crushing spice or scrunching herbs. I always like to experiment with ingredients, particularly herbs. I find their wonderful aromatic qualities lend themselves to so much more than the obvious uses. These gorgeous brownies are an example of that and are well worth trying. I like to use rye flour and a good chocolate as they are extraordinarily delicious together. I often use rye in place of a plain flour in my baking – it brings its delicate, roasted, nutty notes to chocolate cakes, fondants and biscuits, and plays off the bitter qualities of dark chocolate in a new and wonderful way. The bay accentuates and permeates the chocolate-and-rye marriage with its distinct perfume. A crunchy, sugary almond topping finishes off the brownies with an amazing extra texture. Ingredients
serves 8–10 200g good quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces 180g unsalted butter, cubed and chilled, plus extra for greasing 2 pinches of fine sea salt 4 eggs 100g golden caster sugar 80g soft brown sugar 150g light rye flour, plus extra for dusting 100g whole, skin-on almonds finely grated zest of ½ orange 50g golden granulated sugar 6–8 bay leaves, torn
Method
1 Heat the oven to 160°C/315°F/gas mark 2–3. 2 Grease and lightly flour a medium baking tin (about 20cm x 30cm/8in x 12in). Melt the chocolate pieces and butter with 1 pinch of the salt in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of very gently simmering water for 6–8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the chocolate is smooth and deliciouslooking (don’t let the bowl touch the water). Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside. 3 Separate 1 egg. Divide the white in half as best you can. In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the remaining eggs, as well as the yolk and ½ egg white of the separated egg, with both the sugars until light, airy, pale and fluffy. Reserve the remaining ½ egg white. 4 Beat the whisked egg mixture into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the rye flour until the batter is fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. 5 To make the topping, whisk the reserved egg white in a bowl until light and airy, then fold in the almonds, orange zest, granulated sugar and remaining pinch of salt. Tumble together until the almonds are well-coated and the mixture is fully combined. 6 Spoon the almond topping evenly over the brownies, then dot the bay leaves over the top, pushing the base of each leaf a little way into the batter. Bake the brownies for 20–25 minutes, until they are cracked and firm on top, but gooey in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares. Serve individually with cream, ice cream or thick, plain yoghurt, or serve just as they are with a cup of tea or coffee. This recipe features in Gather by Gill Meller (Quadrille, £25) Receive up to £70 off a River Cottage cookery course. Enter BRIDPORT when you book at rivercottage.net or call Tamsyn in the Events Team on 01297 630302. Offer valid until 31st May on dates until 31st December 2018. For full terms and conditions visit rivercottage.net/ terms-community
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Food & Drink
ASPARAGUS AND LARDO BRUSCHETTA Cass Titcombe, Brassica Restaurant
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t Brassica Restaurant we eagerly await the first of the English asparagus; not only is it far superior to the imported varieties but it’s packed with fabulous flavour. Relatively local to us is New Cross Farm in South Petherton, who provide us with beautifully fresh spears grown just over the border in Somerset. The asparagus season in the UK usually starts around 14th April and continues until Midsummer’s Day on 21st June. Tradition states the season starts around St George’s Day on 23rd April but there is huge competition among the supermarkets to have the first English asparagus on the shelves. Another great producer - Wye Valley Asparagus - have managed to create two seasons, one as early as March and the second in late September to October. This has a premium price but is very popular among chefs wanting to find the best produce. Asparagus can only be harvested by hand as the delicate nature of the spears means they must be handled carefully to prevent bruising. The classic way to cook is to boil or 58 | Bridport Times | April 2018
steam and then toss with melted butter, but asparagus also has a great affinity with eggs – contributing to a superb brunch of scrambled eggs and hollandaise sauce. Note – asparagus is also delicious served raw and can add a very interesting textural variation to a salad. Lardo di Colonnata is an Italian salumi made from cured pig’s back fat. It comes from Colonnata, a small Tuscan hamlet where it has been made since Roman times. The fat is cured with rosemary, pepper and salt and packed into marble basins from close-by Carrara. It is amazing served very thinly sliced on warm grilled bread, which makes it soft and transparent. With the growing British-based charcuterie scene there are increasingly good homegrown versions becoming available. At the restaurant we get a whole organic Berkshire pig every month from a nearby farm and we cure some of the cuts to make pancetta, guanciale and lardo to use exclusively in our restaurant. Westcombe Dairy in Somerset produce some of the
Method
1 Put 2 cloves of garlic with the parsley, mint, capers, olive oil, mustard and zest of the lemon in a blender and process until smooth. 2 Heat the oven to 220C. Trim asparagus ends and place in a single layer on a metal baking sheet, toss with olive oil, a few sprigs of thyme and season with black pepper. 3 Roast for 10 minutes then remove from oven and season with sea salt. 4 Brush the bread with oil and grill in a ribbed grill pan until well toasted and then rub with a peeled clove of garlic. 5 Divide the ricotta into four and spread on each piece of toast. Add some of the herb salsa on each piece, cut the roasted asparagus spears in half lengthways and divide between the pieces of bruschetta. Top with some of the pickled asparagus and lastly lay 3 slices of lardo per piece. 6 Drizzle with extra oil and season with lots of black pepper. ____________________________________________
PICKLED ASPARAGUS Ingredients Image: Louise Chidgey
best ricotta I have ever tasted and it regularly features on our menu in some form, along with the excellent Cheddar they produce. Ingredients
16 stems English asparagus 12 slices very thin lardo 4 thick slices sourdough 100ml extra virgin olive oil plus extra for roasting 150g ricotta, preferably unpasteurised from Westcombe Dairy 3 cloves garlic 1 handful of parsley Thyme Mint 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 20g capers 1 lemon Black pepper
Bunch medium English asparagus, 4-6 stems 150ml cider vinegar 150ml water 1 teaspoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 50g sugar Teaspoon salt 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced Method
1 Remove the ends of asparagus stems by bending them near the base - the stems will snap in the right place. Slice diagonally, ideally on a mandolin but a sharp knife will do. Sprinkle with salt and toss in a non-reactive bowl (stainless steel or glass). 2 Put all other ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. When boiling, pour over the sliced asparagus and mix well. Cover and leave overnight. @brassica_food brassicarestaurant_mercantile bridporttimes.co.uk | 59
Food & Drink
BROWN CRAB MACARONI CHEESE
Charlie Soole, The Club House, West Bexington
Image: Katherine Newman 60 | Bridport Times | April 2018
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ere at The Club House we like to try and keep our menu as seasonal as possible. At this time of year, we are looking forward to what Spring will deliver, however there is some delicious produce to be had while we wait. Forced rhubarb has the most fantastic flavour and colour which translates perfectly into a rhubarb fool or can be used in a delicious pie. There really isn’t a lot of fruit around at this time of year but the sweetness and sourness of blood oranges goes well in desserts or in a delightful duck salad. The orange complements the flavour of the duck so well. It also brings out the flavour of chocolate in our profiteroles, which are so deliciously moreish. Mussels at this time of year can be in their prime; some of the best around are from the River Fowey in Cornwall. During the summer months, as the seawater warms, it is hard to come by mussels from the South West as many of the beds are closed due to spawning and algal blooms. We are currently serving our mussels in an Asian-inspired coconut cream. Mussels are so versatile and can take on many different flavours, from aromatic curry spices to smoky bacon and cider. If you love mussels you should really come and try some before the local beds close in the summer. For those of you who like heart-warming comfort foods to help you relax in the warm indoors whilst awaiting spring, our delightfully decadent brown crab macaroni cheese is a dish that will bring a smile to your face. We have added brown and white crab meat to a deliciously creamy sauce made with Ford Farm Coastal Cheddar. The dish is served with a simple salad, with leaves from Tamarisk Farm who are on our doorstep here in West Bexington. The salad leaves are bursting with flavour and are some of the best around. We leave you with this little recipe for what we hope will become one of our most loved classics! Ingredients
Serves 4 50g unsalted butter 50g plain flour 500ml fish stock 100ml double cream 2 tsp English mustard 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce Pinch of cayenne pepper 250g brown crab meat
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 250g dried macaroni 150g grated mature Cheddar cheese 300g white crab meat, picked Panko breadcrumbs Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method
1 Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / gas mark 4. 2 Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan on a low to medium heat, add the flour, stir well and heat for a minute to cook out the flour. Gradually add the fish stock and keep whisking over a medium heat until you have a smooth sauce. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the brown crab meat, cream, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season to taste and mix. 3 Cook the macaroni in a pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Add the sauce, 100g of the grated Cheddar and three-quarters of the white crab meat. Mix well, transfer into a baking dish and bake in the hot oven for 12-15 minutes. 4 Mix the panko breadcrumbs with the lemon zest and a little extra virgin rapeseed oil. 5 Scatter the remaining crab over the top of the macaroni, top with the lemon crumbs and remaining cheese and cook under a hot grill for a few minutes until golden. Enjoy! Congratulations to all at The Club House for their recently awarded 1 AA Rosette. Wednesday 18th April - The Club House will be hosting a gin-tasting evening with knowledge and expertise from Lloyd Brown of The Grey Bear Bar Company. Three local gins will be on offer to taste alone or with tonic, as well as two gin cocktails and a selection of canapés to complement each drink. £27.50 per person and bookings are essential. bookings@theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk Thursday 26th April - John ‘Boycie’ Challis, the well-known and loved star of Only Fools and Horses and, more recently, Benidorm, will be at The Club House signing copies of his latest book (available to purchase on the evening). theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 61
Your health matters
NATURALIFE Bridport Organic, ethical supplements, bodycare and health foods 22 South Street, Bridport DT6 3NQ | 01308 459690 naturalifebridport@btinternet.com
Eat yourself well
Bespoke Nutritional Therapy for optimal health Effective solutions for managing: Children’s Health | Healthy Ageing | Hormone Imbalances Energy Balance | Digestive Complaints | Immune Function Weight Management | Mood & Mental Clarity | Fertility To discuss your goals, contact registered Nutritional Therapist Tamara Jones
(BSc hons, mBANT, mCNHC)
tamara@lovinghealthy.co.uk 62 | Bridport Times | April 2018
www.lovinghealthy.co.uk
Vinyasa Flow Yoga Tuesday 6:30-7:30 The Bull Hotel, Bridport Yoga@alicechutter.com 07528 575907
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Body & Mind
WHAT TO EAT DURING THE MENOPAUSE Tamara Jones, Nutritional Therapist and Founder, Loving Healthy
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enopause comes with plenty of unpleasant symptoms, from hot flushes, night sweats and weight gain to insomnia and mood swings. Understanding what’s really going on in our bodies can help us find natural solutions to the health challenges that this phase of life brings. Menopause occurs when you have had no periods for twelve months. On average, women reach menopause at age 51 but it is possible to experience symptoms for years before this; it is referred to as perimenopause. Menopausal symptoms vary with every woman. Some women go through menopause with few or no noticeable symptoms but the majority of women experience a whole host of symptoms, which can be very hard to live with. What causes menopause? 64 | Bridport Times | April 2018
As we get older our ovaries start to produce less oestrogen and progesterone. When this happens, the brain tries to jump-start the ovaries by releasing something known as FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone) and it’s these hormones, as well as the fall in oestrogen production, that cause the symptoms. Simply put, irregular hormone patterns are to blame. Diet
Maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and reducing stress levels can all play an important role in making this transition smoother. Here are some of the foods you should be eating during menopause. Phytoestrogens Phytoestrogens are plant foods that can have an oestrogen-like activity and a hormone-balancing effect
Fibre Fibre helps to maintain regular bowel movements, which are important for efficient detoxification as they help your body to eliminate “old” oestrogen and other waste products through the bowel. Fibre also helps to maintain steady blood sugar levels, which will ease mood swings. Good sources are oats, flaxseeds, chia seeds, kale, broccoli, cabbage and carrots. Healthy Fats Getting good sources of fat in your diet is vital for hormonal balance; healthy fats help to lubricate your body from the inside out. Omega-3 fats are particularly good because they improve fluidity within the cell membrane, reducing inflammation in the body. Omega3-rich fats include sardines, herring, mackerel and salmon. Other good sources of healthy fats include avocadoes, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds. Vitamin E Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps fight cell-damaging free radicals in the body. It has been shown to help manage hot flushes. Some foods that contain vitamin E are almonds, sunflower seeds, avocadoes, dried apricots and spinach. Lifestyle changes
Image: Lara Jane Thorpe
on your body. They naturally and gently increase oestrogen by binding to oestrogen receptors in the body. These plant foods help to balance your hormones, which will help with the symptoms of hot flushes, memory changes and night sweats. Food sources include chickpeas, lentils, miso, tempeh and organic soy. Fruits and Vegetables Fruits and vegetables are your anti-ageing foods. They also contain B vitamins (required for hormonal balance) and a host of other nutrients. Aim to ‘eat a rainbow’ that includes all the different coloured fruits and vegetables. Think of colourful fruits such as blueberries, raspberries and apples and the wide variety of colourful vegetables such as beetroot, sweet potatoes, green vegetables and peppers.
• Try to reduce alcohol, spicy foods and caffeine - they can make night sweats and hot flushes worse. • Reduce sugar consumption - it can cause fluctuations in blood sugar balance as well as making you overweight. • Take regular exercise - this can keep your bones strong, improve hot flushes and lift your mood. • Get a good night’s sleep - this can ease symptoms and help you feel more energetic and balanced. • Try to reduce stress - stress is a major cause of hormone imbalance. Join Tamara on a Menopause workshop on Saturday 5th May. The workshop will inform you about natural ways to relieve symptoms and reduce the health risks associated with menopause. Tamara will be sharing her knowledge on diet and nutritional supplements to ease the body and mind during this transitional period. Enjoy a gentle yoga session with Janie (Yogaspace) specifically designed to relax and release tension, level the hormones and stimulate their production. lovinghealthy.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 65
Body & Mind
EXPANSION Alice Chutter
66 | Bridport Times | April 2018
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leeping, moving, breathing through this cold winter I noticed that a natural reaction in my body was to contract - curling up tightly in bed, hunching my shoulders and spine to shelter from cold winds and the weather. Like an animal, my instincts whispered, “hibernate”. The contraction of our bodies in turn affects our breathing and can limit our ability to take deep breaths, making full use of our lung capacity and the muscles of our diaphragm. It can also play a role in our emotional wellbeing and leave us feeling closed-off to new possibilities, people and places. I think that hibernation and turning inwards through winter has its place but I’m pleased (and oh so ready!) that we have an opportunity to open ourselves back up and expand into spring. Expansion (noun): the action of becoming larger or more extensive (Oxford English Dictionary)
Like ferns uncurling in the woodlands around us or new shoots rising to greet the longer, lighter days, we too have an exciting opportunity to open up and embrace our potential again. Our bodies are a powerful place to start this process and simple, everyday gestures can leave us feeling more open, more energised and more in tune with the seasonal shift around us. Start while you’re reading this with a basic body scan. Root downwards through your feet if you’re standing or through your sit-bones if sitting. A subtle tilt of your chin will help elongate your cervical spine, a roll-back of your shoulders will open your chest. Take a deep breath. Rise up taller through the crown of your head as you inhale and consciously keep that length as you exhale. The practice of Yoga promotes balance. Physical asanas (yoga postures) include contracting movements (like child’s pose and forward folds) and expansive movements such as those outlined here. This time of year, I like to encourage the sense of expansion and embrace those wide-open movements. Here are a few to inspire you. Take 10 minutes to explore these and notice how they affect your body, your mood and your energy afterwards. If you can, start to integrate them into your daily routine and enjoy the uplifting sense of expansion that they will bring. 1. Tadasana (Mountain)
Stand with your feet together or very slightly apart. Ground yourself evenly through the soles of both feet and actively engage your legs to stand tall. Relax your shoulders and lengthen your neck. As you inhale lift
your arms up over head, rotating the outer edges of your arms inward. Ground down through your feet firmly to get that sense of lift upwards through your torso and arms. You can introduce a very subtle back bend by gently opening your chest and looking up towards the sky. You can introduce a small side bend left and right to elongate the sides of your body. Take a few breaths here before lowering your arms. 2. Virabhadrasana 2 (Warrior 2)
From the mountain pose step your legs wide apart (about one leg’s-length) and start with feet parallel. Rotate your right foot out 90 degrees and align the heel of your right foot with the arch of your left. Bend your front (right) knee bringing your thigh parallel with the floor and stack your knee above your ankle. Keep your back leg straight. As you inhale lift straight arms wide open so that your hands are level with your shoulders and your palms face downwards towards the floor. Keeping your hips and torso open to the side, gaze softly forwards towards your right middle finger and visualise a straight line of energy between your left and right hand. Repeat Warrior 2 on your left side. Option: If you’re familiar with this posture then play with the reverse warrior variation on each side then adding Parsvakonasana (extended side angle) and Trikonasana (triangle pose) afterwards – all brilliant expansive movements. 3. Bhujangasana (Cobra)
Lie down on your belly with your legs hip-width apart and your forehead resting on the floor. Plant your palms flat underneath the heads of your shoulders with your elbows hugging in towards the midline of your body. Engage your legs and press all ten toes down into the floor. As you inhale imagine the crown of your head lengthening forwards, roll your shoulders open and gently lift your chest into a low back bend keeping your elbows bent. Gaze softly forwards and breathe deeply before lowering back to the earth. 4. Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Finish by lying on your back with your whole body relaxed, palms facing up towards the sky. Focus on feeling open through your body and breath. Give yourself a few minutes of complete relaxation. Alice is a Yoga teacher living and working in Bridport. Her schedule can be found at alicechutter.com alicechutter.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 67
Body & Mind
GARDEN MEDICINE – DRINK SOME FLOWERS! Caroline Butler, Medical Herbalist BSc (Hons) MNIMH
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or those of us with gardens, it’s time to think about sowing some seeds. How about putting in some annual flowers that are not just a pretty face? Some common garden flowers with beautiful blooms are also used for medicine and can be grown in a small space, whether it’s a patch of ground by your back door or a window box. One of my favourites is English ‘Pot’ Marigold, Calendula officinalis. It grows easily, self-seeds, and has fabulous bright orange flower heads that seem to glow at dusk. If you remove dead flower heads more will keep coming for months and months – I have one plant in a sheltered spot that has kept flowering right through winter. It’s also a good companion plant, attracting beneficial insects to your vegetable garden, and has so many medicinal uses I will have to limit myself here to just a few. The crushed flowers are a great first aid remedy for cuts and grazes, to stop bleeding, prevent infection and speed healing. Made into a tea they can be used as a wash in the same way, and for soothing inflamed skin. If you drink the tea it will aid your immune system and soothe any irritation in the digestive tract, from mouth ulcers to bowel infections; it can also help regulate heavy, painful periods. Calendula has a reputation for improving varicose veins, used both internally and externally, as well as difficult to heal ulcers, and it can be used on cold sores. I’ll stop there, but my point is you can’t have too many marigolds in your garden. Another popular garden plant is Chamomile. It’s mainly German Chamomile, Matricaria recutita, that is used for medicine, as the Roman Chamomile used for fragrant lawns has a more bitter taste and does not have quite the same properties. Chamomile is a low-growing plant with a lovely scent and beautiful, feathery leaves, as well as the daisy-like flowers. Known as ‘Mother of the Gut’ amongst herbalists, the tea will benefit almost any digestive complaint. Use the fresh flowers from your garden to make a tea that tastes so much better than what you get from a teabag of the dried herb. 68 | Bridport Times | April 2018
It’s also known for its relaxing, calming effect, and sipping hot chamomile tea before bed can give restful sleep. Chamomile as a wash, tea or cream can be used for a host of childhood complaints from teething pain to nappy rash, but one of the simplest ways of using it is to add it to children’s bathwater, where it is gently cleansing and a great idea for winding down ready for bedtime. There are many garden varieties of pansy, but the leaves and flowers of Wild Pansy, Viola tricolor, also known as Heartsease, are medicinal. It’s a pretty little plant with violet, yellow and cream flowers, and will selfseed, flowering repeatedly from spring to autumn. It’s frost resistant but will disappear in a drought, coming back with cooler, damper conditions. I use it mainly as part of a prescription for childhood eczema and other skin problems, but it’s also used for inflammatory chest conditions such as bronchitis and harsh, dry coughs, and its cooling, soothing properties can be useful in cystitis and arthritis. Traditionally it was given ‘to comfort and strengthen the heart’, both emotionally and physically, hence the name Heartsease. These plants are just three, smallish annuals that can benefit your garden and your health, but you could make up an entire garden from medicinal plants. In the past, when herbs were the main form of medicine, monasteries and apothecaries had beautiful, formal herb gardens, laid out in patterns to allow easy gathering. In your own garden you will find there is a medicinal herb to suit any space or soil type. Where there is room you can have big, bold plants such as Elecampane, Valerian and Lovage, and then there are the bushy, aromatic plants such as Lavender, Hyssop and Rosemary. Vertical space can be used by climbers such as Jasmine, Rose and Honeysuckle and there are many low-growing herbs that could fit almost anywhere. With a little planning you could turn your outdoor space into a colourful, fragrant and healing garden. herbalcaroline.co.uk
English ‘Pot’ Marigold, Calendula officinalis bridporttimes.co.uk | 69
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Interiors
THE CUBAN EFFECT Molly Bruce Interior Designer
C
uba. During the last few months I have noticed that just mentioning this word produces a certain reaction. The emotions passing across people’s faces when you tell them you are going begin with surprised excitement and curiosity, followed by a comment along the lines of, “Wow! Lucky you. I would love to go to Cuba!” So yes, I am lucky. I have recently taken a trip to Cuba. A long-term dream finally realised. I am not sure it actually happened, save for the fact that I have the photos to prove it. Why did I go? To experience a country with a rich and intriguing history, from the 72 | Bridport Times | April 2018
Images: Matt Hayden and Molly Bruce
slaves and the sugarcane to the rum and the revolution. The music, the dancing, the cars and cigars, I wanted to taste the art and culture. I went for Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. I couldn’t wait to set eyes on the faded grandeur of the old buildings with their elaborate and varied designs. But most of all, I went for the colour, and I was not disappointed. From the moment I set eyes on the first vintage car, I was blown away by everything I saw. Everyone talks about the cars, but I didn’t realise how many there would be! On my first walk around Havana I was struck by the difference in front garden greenery >
bridporttimes.co.uk | 73
compared to England. No foxgloves or hollyhocks here; imagine announcing that you’re just popping out to pick a coconut! Abundantly lush palm and banana trees stand right outside front doors, guarded by eightfoot-high cacti, more than a match for any English stately lions. The various shades of green are a striking contrast against the yellow ochre of the crumbling stone buildings. Countless abandoned houses - museum pieces framed by elaborate wrought ironwork, often with trees growing out of them - have a romantic elegance that whispers of a bygone era. The casas we stayed in had a different tile design in every room, high ceilings and doors with coloured glass and shutters leading out to balconies. There was an abundance of art everywhere, and the sound of people and music coming from all directions underlined a powerful sense of community, a country that has had to pull together in order to survive. I loved the fact that there was uninhibited use of colour everywhere. Nothing clashed, each house a work of art in its own right, whether it exhibited stone, marble, tiles, or lavish, intricate detailing. It wasn’t just the historical buildings with their faded pink and blue hues; the new concrete tower blocks too were painted in vibrant turquoise, yellows and reds. It was a colourjunkie’s dream, the norm for me, and I was possessed by a satisfied calm, knowing that I walked in the company of like minds. Since returning home, the difference between England and other countries when it comes to colour has become starkly apparent. I feel even more resolute 74 | Bridport Times | April 2018
in encouraging the use of colour in whatever form to complement and enhance our surroundings. So why don’t we? Are we truly free when it comes to selfexpression? Our country has a long history of deeply ingrained customs dictating what is and what isn’t “proper behaviour”, but it also has its fair share of renegades prepared to reject the stiff upper lip. So I put the cat amongst the pigeons once again, and ask those who like colour, why not use it? Rebel against the fear factor: fear of standing out, fear of failure, fear of what others may think. Life is too short. Break the mould and design to complement the beautiful landscape around us. When the time comes to repaint the window frames consider if you really want them to be white again? Mine won’t be, but then they never were. Our properties may not have the intricate splendour of Cuba, but England has its own beauty that can be accentuated and celebrated. The exteriors of our buildings should possess character, personality and passion. When I travel around Bridport and the surrounding countryside, it warms my heart to catch sight of expressed vibrancy in whatever form it takes, especially on a grey day when we all need a lift. Cuba is a country that doesn’t think twice about expressing itself, and if there is one thing I have brought back it is a renewed commitment to refrain from making apologies. When it comes to design, there is no shame in joyful enthusiasm. mollybruce.co.uk Instagram:@mollyellenbruce
CHARTERHOUSE Aucti on eer s & Va l u e r s We are now accepting entries for our forthcoming auctions: Classic & Vintage Cars Wednesday 11th April Two day auction of Hunting, Shooting & Fishing Items & Asian Works of Art followed by Pictures & Books 19th & 20th April Classic & Vintage Motorcycles Wednesday 2nd May Contact Richard Bromell or Beverley Garrett for advice and to arrange a home visit The Long Street Salerooms Sherborne DT9 3BS | 01935 812277 www.charterhouse-auction.com
Pair of Chinese Millefleurs vases £6,000-£10,000
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A Chinese doucai candlestick Sold for £68,000 St. Edmund’s Court, Okehampton Street, Exeter, Devon EX4 1DU T: 01392 413100 W: www.bhandl.co.uk E: enquiries@bhandl.co.uk
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Gardening
A
CHOCOLATE BOX GARDENS Charlie Groves
t work, every month I meet up with the department managers to discuss what’s happening across the garden centre: what worked well last month and where we could do better. We also look at the sales figures for the previous month and year. When we come to look at plant sales, every year, month on month, we are all always astounded at the growth of sales in the group of plants known as herbaceous perennials. These are the plants that die back to nothing each winter (well, back to their roots) and grow again when things start warming up. They can magically transform bare beds in the winter into luscious borders in a few months and have an amazing range of heights, textures, colours and fragrances. They are most commonly used for cottage garden planting, often in a fairly informal way. Picture a garden surrounding a thatched cottage. There’s a front door adorned with scented roses and climbers, and flower beds bursting with blowsy blooms. A profusion of plants such as hollyhocks, roses, catmint, Alchemilla mollis, fragrant lavender and pinks grow in an apparent glorious muddle, the beds intersected by brick or shingle paths and the plot enclosed at the front by a pretty picket fence covered with scrambling honeysuckle. That’s the typical cottage garden loved by me and so many, but that chocolate box look isn’t just for quaint cottages. It can be replicated either entirely or by taking some elements to create a border in any sized garden, and it can look just as attractive in an urban setting as a country one. The cottage garden owes its origins to poor labourers who had little land but needed to grow food for their family and herbs to treat illnesses, hence they planted vegetables, herbs, and fruit interspersed with a few flowers to ward off bugs. Then, around the end of the eighteenth century, members of the middle-class gentry began to favour the cottage garden look and so began the transformation into the flower-filled setting that we love today. So how do you create your cottage garden? Although they look haphazard, you will need to put some thought into planning it. You are aiming for a succession of blooms to achieve a tapestry of colour. Think of using old-fashioned favourites, including geraniums, roses and foxgloves to create an informal, casual atmosphere, 78 | Bridport Times | April 2018
and plant them close together allowing plants to flop over and weave through each other. Blowsy, fragrant and self-seeding choices will help you create the look, and a colourful mix of bulbs, perennials, annuals and flowering shrubs will give a year-round vision with more structure. Consider the height and spread of the plants but try some taller plants like delphiniums with their impressive flower spikes in the middle to give some random spikes of colour. For focal points, have honeysuckle scrambling up fences and over obelisks, and wisteria, roses or clematis around the front door. Perennials such as phlox, aquilegia, hellebores and violets can be planted in clumps to create a backbone when they flower year after year. For that true cottage garden look make sure you sow annuals like calendula, nigella, cornflowers, cosmos, lavatera, nicotiana, zinnias and biennial foxgloves that so beautifully fill in gaps. Once up and going these will self-seed year after year. For winter interest, include some evergreens and if you have the room, just like the original cottage gardens, incorporate edibles. Try step-over-apples for boundaries with lavender or chives to edge the paths, intersperse medicinal and aromatic herbs such as lemon balm and perhaps some chard or cabbages between flowers. When it comes to paths take inspiration from your property so you create a harmonious feel by using materials such as wood chip, weathered bricks or gravel - they should meander rather than being straight lines, with plants such as Alchemilla mollis trailing over the edges. You could even get some groundcover to grow in the path itself such as thyme, chamomile or Soleirolia (also known as “mind your own business”). This is not a low-maintenance style and keeping a cottage garden blooming takes work with mulching, watering, feeding, deadheading, cutting back, dividing, planting and constant tweaking of your design but it will definitely reward you by attracting wildlife and pollinators to your garden. Remember you can always start small by just creating a single cottage style border; even a few pots on a patio can give you that cottage garden feel. grovesnurseries.co.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 79
Literature
LITERARY REVIEW Antonia Squire, The Bookshop
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. £8.99 (Random House) Exclusive Bridport Times Reader Offer of £7.99 at The Bookshop
W
ade Watts was born into a world in crisis. Fossil fuels long depleted, air quality dangerous, food and water barely sufficient for the population. In short, life sucked. Which is why most people spent most of their time in the OASIS. James Halliday was a weird and geeky kid with no friends and no social skills. What he did have was an obsession with video games. This was somewhat unusual in 1979, but he begged his parents for the latest ATARI console, and there it was, waiting under the tree on Christmas morning. Thus began a love affair that changed the world. For when a weird and geeky kid with no friends and no social skills meets another weird and geeky kid with excellent social skills a partnership is born. James Halliday and Ogden Morrow created a video game company and then created the OASIS. A totally immersive online world where life was good. Wade Watts grew up in the OASIS. From the time he was big enough to don the haptic gloves and visor he played and learned while logged on. He went to school online, made friends online, had a life in the virtual world of the OASIS. Everyone did. And then, in 2040, when Wade was thirteen years old, James Halliday died without friends or family, leaving his entire fortune and
control of the OASIS to be won in a competition - the most devilishly devious competition that could possibly be conceived by the most brilliant man on the planet. And James Halliday did not want just anyone to take control of his legacy, he wanted it to go to the right person. Wade, using his avatar Parzival, was now on a quest to find three keys to open three gates and find the ultimate Easter egg. Along the way he makes friends (but not too friendly), allies (but not too allied) and enemies (the powerful, ruthless and deadly kind). This is a fight between good and evil to see who will rule the (online) world. It is also a homage to the 1980s, a decade overlooked for its decadence and lamentable lack of style but which for those who grew up in it (like James Halliday) was childhood and home. Ernest Cline has created a brilliantly original world with danger, intrigue, massive amounts of humour and more ‘80’s references than are probably healthy for anyone. I absolutely loved it the first time I read it. I loved listening to the audio. And I can’t wait to see the film - they say it’s Spielberg’s best. dorsetbooks.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 81
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MARCH SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Intended to appeal to ordinary people (8) 5. Bitter-tasting substance (4) 8. Deep fissure (5) 9. Belgian city (7) 10. Import barrier (7) 12. ___ crow: Eurasian crow (7) 14. Small fast ship (7) 16. Series of boat races (7) 18. Characterised by constant change (7) 19. Sprites (5) 20. Utters (4) 21. Interpret in a certain way (8) 82 | Bridport Times | April 2018
DOWN 1. Stride; single step (4) 2. Flat; two-dimensional (6) 3. Glare of publicity (9) 4. Clean-___ : without a beard (6) 6. Happy (6) 7. International negotiator (8) 11. Unlimited (9) 12. Popular party game (8) 13. Business organisation (6) 14. South American cowboy (6) 15. ___ Reed: English actor (6) 17. ___ of Wight: largest island of England (4)
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