MARCH 2019 | FREE
A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR
THE TIES THAT BIND with David and Kim Squirrell of Ink & Page
bridporttimes.co.uk
WELCOME
C
onversations in raised voices over the rhythmic clatter of a printing press is something I have been familiar with for 26 years. Indeed, the humble publication you currently grasp is the culmination of my persisting fondness for the medium. The pace of modern print production is frenetic, so to find oneself in the company of David and Kim Squirrell is something of a welcome antidote. Their contemplative crafting of hand-bound notebooks imbues such worth that to use them requires a touch of courage. A blank page can, after all, be a beautiful, intimidating thing. Which leads me to extend an invitation to you, dear reader. I offer these pages as a platform, an opportunity for you to celebrate your town, share your stories and champion the good in others — a conversation, away from the clatter. Have a wonderful 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.
Simon Barber Evolver @SimonEvolver @simonpaulbarber evolver.org.uk Alice Blogg @alice_blogg @alice_blogg aliceblogg.co.uk Molly Bruce @mollybruceinteriors mollybruce.co.uk Caroline Butler BSc (Hons) MNIMH herbalcaroline.co.uk Fraser Christian Coastal Survival School @CoastalSurvival coastalsurvival.com Alice Chutter Yoga Space @yogaspacebridport yogaspacebridport.com Kelvin Clayton @kelvinclaytongp greenthoughts.me philosophyinpubs.co.uk Rosie Gilchrist Tamarisk Farm @ tamarisk_farm tamariskfarm.co.uk
2 Bretts Yard Abbey Corner Sherborne Dorset DT9 3NL 01935 315556 @bridporttimes glen@homegrown-media.co.uk paul@homegrown-media.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk Bridport Times is printed on 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 | March 2019
Kit Glaisyer @kitglaisyer @kitglaisyer kitglaisyer.com Charlie Groves Groves Nurseries @GrovesNurseries @grovesnurseries grovesnurseries.co.uk Emily Hicks Bridport Museum @BridportMuseum bridportmuseum.co.uk Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber and Flooring @BridportTimber @annabellehuntcolourconsultant bridporttimber.co.uk Little Toller Books @LittleToller @littletollerdorset littletoller.co.uk
Will Livingstone @willgrow willgrow.co.uk Stephanie McCulloch Porter Dodson stephanie.mcculloch@porterdodson.co.uk porterdodson.co.uk Gill Meller @GillMeller @Gill.Meller gillmeller.com Anna Powell Sladers Yard @SladersYard @sladersyard sladersyard.wordpress.com John Puckey Marine Theatre Lyme Regis @johnpuckeypaint marinetheatre.com Max Riddington Bridport Arts Centre @bridportarts @bridportarts bridport-arts.com Charlie Soole The Club House West Bexington @theclubhouse2017 @TheClubHouse217 theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk Emma Tabor & Paul Newman @paulnewmanart @paulnewmanartist paulnewmanartist.com Cass Titcombe Brassica Restaurant @brassica_food @brassicarestaurant_mercantile brassicarestaurant.co.uk Chris Tripp Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group dorsetdiggers.btck.co.uk Esmeralda Voegele-Downing The Bookshop @bookshopbridprt @thebookshopbridport dorsetbooks.com Sally Welbourn Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife @dorsetwildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
44
MARCH 2019
6 What’s On
42 Archaeology
66 Interiors
14 Arts and Culture
44 INK AND PAGE
72 Gardening
28 History
52 Food and Drink
78 Philosophy
30 Wild Dorset
58 Body and Mind
79 Literature
36 Outdoors
62 Legal
82 Crossword
bridporttimes.co.uk | 5
WHAT'S ON Listings
Town Mill Arts, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU.
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07812 856823 trudiochiltree.co.uk
Bridport Scottish Dancers
for Beginners
Tuesdays & Thursdays 10.30am
LSI, East Street. Info: 07881 805510
Walking the Way
& social dancing. Info: 01308 538141
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Starts from CAB 45 South Street. 30min
Every 4th Wednesday 7.30pm
01305 252222 sarahdavies@dorset.gov.uk
George Hotel, South Street. Read Kelvin
Bridport Children’s Centre.
Tuesdays 7.15pm
____________________________
____________________________
____________________________ Mondays 10am-12.15pm Watercolour Painting
£15 per session, first session half price.
Wednesdays 7pm-10pm
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Church House, South St. Instruction bridportscottishdancers.org.uk
marion@taylormade.demon.co.uk
to Health in Bridport
Mondays (term-time) 6.30pm-8pm
walks, with trained health walk leaders. Free.
Philosophy in Pubs
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Clayton’s monthly article on page 78
Bridport ASD & Social Anxiety Support Group
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For teens 11-18, parents & carers
Uplyme Morris Rehearsals
Every 1st Thursday 10.45am-11.45am
Mondays 7.30pm-9.30pm
The Bottle Inn, Marshwood. Uplyme
Morris on Facebook or The Squire on
Community Coffee Morning
07917 748087
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St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington.
Folk dancing with recorded music (live
Tuesdays 7.30pm-9pm
Free coffee, cakes & parking
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Bridport Folk Dance Club WI Hall, North Street, DT6 3JQ. music on 25th). 01308 423442
Bridport Sangha
Every 3rd Friday 10.30am-3.30pm
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Meditation Evenings
Bridport Embroiderers
Mondays 7.30pm-9pm
Quaker Meeting House, South St.
St Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington.
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Bridport Campfire Women’s Coaching Group
Contact David Will 07950 959572
01308 456168
67 South Street. £5, all welcome
Every 2nd Tuesday 7.15pm
Every Saturday 10am-12pm
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Bridport Sugarcraft Club
FREE Chess Club
Mondays 7.30pm-9.30pm
Ivy House, Grove Nurseries, West Bay
LSi Bridport, 51 East St.
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Bridport Choral Society No auditions, just an
Road, DT6 4AB. £5, first visit free
lsibridport.co.uk/chess-club-on-saturdays-2/
enthusiasm for singing required!
Wednesday or Thursday 9.30am-
Saturdays
bridportchoral.wordpress.com/Facebook
12.30pm (term-time only)
Willow Workshops
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Painting & Drawing Art Classes
Tuesdays 10am-1pm
Mangerton Mill Artist Studio.
Studi0ne, Broadwindsor Craft Centre
Art Class
6 | Bridport Times | March 2019
£16 per lesson. Tara 07505 268797
jojo.sadler@hotmail.co.uk 07531 417209, booking essential
D I S C O V E R | E AT | S H O P | S T AY | C E L E B R AT E
Welcome to Symondsbury Estate set in the beautiful Dorset countryside just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast, with fabulous walks, bike trails and award winning produce. Enjoy lunch at our kitchen, visit one of our seasonal events or browse our home, garden, gift shops and more at Manor Yard... ...isn’t it time you discovered Symondsbury Estate.
SY M O N D SBURY E S TAT E
+44 (0)1308 424116 www.symondsburyestate.co.uk The Estate Office Manor Yard, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG
WHAT'S ON Shipton Gorge Village Hall. 01308
FB: uptonmcintoshwilson
artsreach.co.uk
Friday 8th & Saturday 9th
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Bridport Youth Dance presents
a Dream Fulfilled
Monday 4th - Sunday 10th
Our Time Is Now
Bridport United Church Hall, East St.
Fashion Week
Electric Palace, Bridport.
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news/theres-no-business-like-sew-business/
____________________________ Friday 1st 7.30pm-9pm Dorset Wildlife Trust Talk Kimmeridge Museum -
897407. £8, £6 u18s. johnosbornewriter.com
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dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
Bridport Arts Centre. bridport-arts.com/
Friday 1st 8pm
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Saturday 9th 10am-4pm
Rock ‘n’ Roll Bingo, Quiz & Disco
Tuesday 5th 7pm
‘A Space for Living Spirituality’ -
The Tithe Barn, Symondsbury Estate, DT6
Illustrated talk on the poetry of
Series 7, Event 1 ‘On Forgiveness’
6HG. £8 online. symondsburyestate.co.uk
Sylvia Path & Ted Hughes - The
01308 424116
Life & Death of a Love Affair
Quaker Meeting House, South St.
____________________________ Fridays 1st, 15th &
LSi Bridport, 51 East Street. Free. lsibridport.co.uk
29th 10.15am-11.45am
electricpalace.org.uk bridportyouthdance.org.uk/ ____________________________
Donations £10 - £40, bring & share lunch iona.lake@aol.co.uk
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Saturday 9th 2pm
Oops WOW Messy
Thursday 7th 10.45am-11.45am
Bridport Heritage Forum -
Toddler Art Groups
Coffee Morning
Light to Darkness: From
Bridport Youth Centre, Gundry Lane.
St Swithun’s Church, Bridport.
War to New Beginnings
Info: oopswow.co.uk
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Remembering WW1 in stories & song.
£8 per session. Booking essential.
Free cup of coffee & cake
Loders Village Hall, DT6 3SA.
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Thursdays 7th March -
Saturdays 2nd, 16th &
4th April 1pm-2pm
Members £1.50, visitors £3
23rd 10.30am-4pm
Therapeutic Writing Course -
Saturday 9th - Friday 22nd
Be Calm Be Happy
Conversations
Transition Town Bridport: Bridport
Mediation Course
Bothenhampton Village Hall. 5 week
Green Fortnight 2019 - Food,
george@georgegottscounselling.co.uk
that Doesn’t Cost The Earth`
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Friday 8th 9.30am-12.30pm
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Saturday 2nd 7.30pm-11pm
Driftwood Heart Workshop
Saturday 9th 7.30pm
Bridport Ceilidhs
The Barn House, Loders, DT6 3SA.
BSO Trio of Flute, Viola & Harp
info@boarsbarrow.com 07771 588999
482552. £10, £6 u18s, £25 fam.
Meeting House, 95 South St,
DT6 3NZ. By Plum Village UK. Info: 07950 959572
featuring Oxford Nags Church House Hall, DT6 3NW.
Tickets £8 in advance from Music
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course at £7 a session. 07747 142088
Farming & our Future - `Eating
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transitiontownbridport.co.uk
Bookings Boarsbarrow.com
Litton Cheney Village Hall. 01308
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bsolive.com | artsreach.co.uk
Shop, South St or via 01308 423442
Friday 8th 7.30pm
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bridportceilidhs.wordpress.com
Shelby’s Elbows
Sunday 10th 6pm-9pm
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Charity Music Night
Bridport Soup
Sunday 3rd 12.45pm-4.30pm
The Tithe Barn, Symondsbury
United Church, 34 East St. Live,
symondsburyestate.co.uk
tickets.eventbrite.co.uk
Rhythm Tap Workshop Loders Village Hall, DT6 3SA.
2 years of tap experience needed
Estate, DT6 6HG. £5 01308 424116 ____________________________
crowd-funding event. bridport-soup____________________________
chrisholland2845@gmail.com
Friday 8th 8pm
Monday 11th &
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Jess Upton Gig
Monday 25th 7.30pm
Sunday 3rd 7.30pm
Chapel in the Garden, East St. £10.
Biodanza @ Othona -
John Osborne - John Peel’s Shed 8 | Bridport Times | March 2019
07977 273767 info@jessupton.com
Express, Connect, Relax!
MARCH 2019 Othona Community, Coast Road,
door. Profits to Bridport Food Festival
The Marine Theatre. Tickets £20+ from
partner needed. £8-£10. 01308 897130
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Burton Bradstock DT6 4RN. No dance
2019 & local food projects
TIC marinetheatre.com & 01297 442138
biodanza-bridport.co.uk
Monday 18th 10am-4pm
Saturday 30th 12pm-3pm
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Vinyl Saturday Record & CD Fair
Bridport & District Gardening
Tuesday 12th 2.30pm
United Reformed Church, East St. Records,
Club Spring Show
vinylsaturday.co.uk hdicksrecords@yahoo.co.uk
Info bridportgardeningclub.co.uk
Bridport Heritage Forum - `The Kitchen is the Key to Victory` Women Food on the Bridport
cds & memorabilia. £1 07548 278276
United Church Hall, East St.
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Homefront 1914-1919
Tuesdays 20th & 27th 7pm
Saturday 30th 7.30pm
United Church Hall, East St.
Discover your Family Tree
Bridport Shakespeare Company
Members: £1 Visitors £3. 01308 425710.
present Hot Night
jferentzi@aol.com
The Tithe Barn, Symondsbury. £15.
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Q & A and help clinic 01308 424116 symondsburyestate.co.uk
Chapel in the Garden, East St.
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£17.50 from TIC 01308 424901 bridportandwestbay.co.uk
Friday 15th 7.45pm Bridport Folk Festival
Thursday 21st 7pm–9pm
Fundraiser:
Pieropan Soave & Allegrini Tasting
Saturday 30th 8pm
Mitchell & Vincent
Seaside Boarding House, Burton Bradstock.
Jazz Night
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£18 or £36 with dinner. 01308 459511
Bridport Town Hall, East St. £10.50
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Patrizia Baldini of Liberty Wines, £20
Sladers Yard, West Bay, DT6 4GD.
01308 424901 bridportfolkfestival.com
Thursday 21st 7.30pm
____________________________
Bridport Gardening Club
sladersyard.wordpress.com
Saturday 16th 7.30pm
Annual General Meeting
Charity Spring Ball
WI Hall, North St. Non-members
Fairs and Markets
from Bridport TIC.
Freshwater Club House, Bridport.
____________________________
welcome. bridportgardeningclub.co.uk
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Weekly Market
£20 07983 712156
Friday 22nd 7.30pm
Every Wednesday & Saturday
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Nick Wyke & Becki Driscoll
Saturday 16th 7.30pm
The Chapel in the Garden, 49 East St.
South, West & East Street
Entertainment, one course meal, raffle.
St Patrick’s Day Ceilidh The Tithe Barn Symondsbury Estate,
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English fiddle partnership. £8 advance,
Second Saturday of the month
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9am–1pm, Bridport Arts Centre
£10 on door wegottickets.com/englishfiddle
Farmers’ Market
symondsburyestate.co.uk
Tuesday 26th 2pm
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U3A talk - ‘The Age of Pyramids’
Every Saturday, 9am–12pm
Saturday 16th 7.30pm
Bridport United Church Hall, East St.
Country Market
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DT6 6HG. Fancy dress. 01308 424116
Non-members £2. u3asites.org.uk/bridport
WI Hall, North Street
@ The Lyric Theatre, Barrack Street.
Wednesday 27th 1.30-4.30pm
Every Sunday, 10am-5pm
Tickets £10 - Bridport TIC 01308
Maiden Newton Art Group
Local Produce Market
424901 bridportandwestbay.co.uk/tickets/
Workshop ‘Considering
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Landscape & Still Life Painting’
Customs House, West Bay
Sunday 17th 9am-12pm
Maiden Newton Village Hall DT2 0AE.
Last Sunday of every month,
Bridport Story Cafe - In The Deep Heart’s Core
Bridport Local Food Group presents Bridport Best Breakfast St Mary’s Church Hall, South St.
Tickets from Bridport TIC or at the
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Non-members £5 inc refreshments
10am-4pm
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Bridport Vintage Market
Friday 29th 8pm
St Michael’s Trading Estate, DT6 3RR
Penguin Café
____________________________ bridporttimes.co.uk | 9
PREVIEW In association with
Hugh Dunford-Wood The Craftsman’s Contract (linocut)
MAKING DORSET 9th – 30th March, Monday – Saturday, 11am - 5pm Furleigh Estate, Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset DT6 5JF For those who missed the exciting ‘Fifty Dorset Makers’ exhibition
latest exhibition will showcase over half of them.
another chance to see some of Dorset’s very talented makers
international reputations, so this exhibition of ceramics, glass,
world-class vineyard and winery set deep in the Dorset countryside.
furniture - presents a rare opportunity to see a wide range of
and book launch at Wolfeton Riding House in 2017, here is
together again in an exclusive group show at Furleigh Estate, the Dorset Visual Arts, the organisation behind Dorset Art
Weeks, launched its long-term initiative, Making Dorset, in
Many of the makers have important national and
jewellery, metal, stone, textiles and wood - including spectacular the best of Dorset making in one place.
July 2017 with their first publication Fifty Dorset Makers,
furleighestate.co.uk
together 50 of Dorset’s finest contemporary makers, working
dorsetvisualarts.org
produced in partnership with Evolver. The initiative brings
in a wide range of craft and other making disciplines, and this 10 | Bridport Times | March 2019
making-dorset.org evolver.org.uk
DIANE CLUCK Friday 26th April
doors 7pm, performance 8pm Advance tickets £8 - £10 (+ booking fee) from www.otherside-dianecluck.eventbrite.co.uk
“She made me rethink my singing instincts. Diane is not just an amazing and interesting singer, she’s a philosopher.” Sharon Van Etten “I grew up on 60s music, but my first contemporary music love was Diane Cluck.” Laura Marling “She is likely one of the most refined and elegant songwriters in all of neo-folkdom. A brilliant idiosyncratic guitarist, a witty and wise lyricist, an imaginative melody writer with a powerful voice; her dark and introspective tunes are utterly captivating. Watch her spellbind the room.” Village Voice, NYC “When Diane sings, I am lost in a realm of infinite possibilities. She breaks me down, she gives me chills, she makes me cry–this is when I love music.” Bianca Casady (CocoRosie) “She takes the voice to the brink of a new and beautiful language.” Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) CHURCH STUDIO HAYDON DORSET DT9 5JB
A series of talks, live performances and screenings + food and drink of an interesting ilk In association with
What's On
PENGUIN CAFÉ
John Puckey in conversation with Arthur Jeffes
W
hile walking down a back-street in Kyoto in the 1980s, Simon Jeffes came across an abandoned harmonium. He pinned a note on it saying he would come back and rescue the instrument, if no-one minded. No-one did seem to mind, so he installed the harmonium at a friend’s house and wrote a piece of music on it. In turn, he toured the world with Penguin Café Orchestra playing Music for a Found Harmonium. Even if you haven’t heard the band, the stories of Penguin Café Orchestra are so delicious, it’s difficult to not be charmed. You probably have heard them though, even if just by chance, on films and commercials. The music is endlessly inventive: part-minimalist, partpop, with curious patterns and rhythms plundered from across the world. Signed to Brian Eno’s label and touring with acts such as Kraftwerk, the band was oddly cool: one of its pieces is a loop of a telephone dial tone, with strings and guitar but with a rubber band playing the bass line. Ten years after Simon Jeffes’ death, his son Arthur reinvented the band. While many of us are wary of walking in our parents’ footsteps, Arthur explained that taking on the name and music of his father’s band was important. ‘It was really lovely to just have the music being played live again, because my Dad died when he was very young. He was a very lovely man. Music was an important way of being with my Dad: this thing of being able to play together on a piano, this language of being able to communicate together. Being able to play the piano instead of doing homework or chores was formative. I felt cheated [when he died], so it was nice to reclaim something that was good out of what was a very sad episode in our lives. And it sort of took on its own momentum.’ It is hardly surprising; the band has eleven members from bands such as Florence and the Machine and Razorlight, alongside classically trained musicians from the Yehudi Menuhin School. This eclecticism is from Arthur’s broad music taste. ‘I’m very faddy but I’ll get obsessed with a film, musician, or a band. I’m currently obsessed with John Bonham, so I’ve spent three months listening to Led Zeppelin. I just watched Blackkklansman, the new Spike Lee film, and the music for that is really good.’ 12 | Bridport Times | March 2019
The current line-up he describes is a super-group. ‘We’ve got Cass Brown from Gorillaz on drums, and Neil Codling from Suede. Penguin Café sits quite happily, so we can all do other things and then come back to this.’ The ‘other things’ for Arthur are normally to do with music. ‘I’ve done a lot of TV and advert music. With producing, I do a lot of folk music, such as Sam Lee.’ Sometimes though, as Arthur notes, they are more diverse. ‘Around 2006, there was a slightly odd set of circumstances. I ended up going on a trip with BBC2. They were making a programme recreating Scott’s last expedition, using 1911 equipment. There is a family connection because my grandmother was married to Scott. This gave the organiser the false impression that
I was an outdoorsy type. It was only when we were on the way to Greenland and everyone was talking about their expedition experiences that I said I hadn't done anything like that before. There was silence.’ The band is working on a new album. ‘It’s a sound that will appeal to those who listen to electronic music, but all the instruments are recorded in the studio. I like electric, not electronica. Even if we don’t get to that place, it’s always interesting where we land.’ The new album will be on the Erased Tapes label. Known for experimental artists such as Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds, Arthur explained how it allows him to bring new compositions to Penguin Café. ‘We get to reach a whole new audience, with a crossover between classical and electronica that Erased Tapes represent very
well. It’s a new take on the original ideas of my Dad’s.’ Pieces such as Perpetuum Mobile and Music for A Found Harmonium are always going to be heard at a Penguin Café concert, although they never get stale for Arthur. ‘The nice thing about those pieces is that they have a meditative repetition, so you can play them a thousand times and still find tiny ways to improve them. Being in the Penguin Café world anchors us quite nicely.’ Penguin Café play The Marine Theatre at 8pm on Friday 29th March. Tickets from £20 via website (booking fee applies), in person from Lyme Regis and Bridport Tourist Information Centres, or call 01297 442138. marinetheatre.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 13
Arts & Culture
PHILIP SUTTON: MY SHAKESPEARE
Curtis Fulcher, Director, Bridport Arts Centre, in conversation with Artist and Honorary Patron, Philip Sutton
P
hilip Sutton RA helped design the Labour Party’s red rose logo, launched the Globe Theatre with Sam Wanamaker and now has a free exhibition of his Shakespeare paintings at Bridport Arts Centre, close to where he lives in West Bay. Aged 90, he still paints every day and enthralls with conversations about art – ‘you have to marry a line’ - and his friends, everyone from the late Anthony Armstrong-Jones to the local taxi driver. Phil’s Jewish family fled to England from Latvia and he was born in Poole but grew up in Leyton, east London. The youngest of four sons, his eldest brother was killed on his first RAF mission in WWII while another brother is a survivor of the D-Day landings. After national service, Phil won a place at the Slade School of Fine Art on the strength of his drawings, including the birds he drew for cards his mother would send to friends and family. By a stroke of luck, composer Benjamin Britten’s partner, Peter Pears, saw one of Phil’s paintings in a gallery window, bought it and asked to meet the artist. The friend he had painted was Tony Tice who later committed suicide. Ironically that painting would change Phil’s life forever. ‘Ben, Peter and I had lunch and they said they had this empty cottage in Suffolk and asked if I would like to see it,’ remembers Phil. ‘I said no, I don’t need to see it.’ Newly married with a son, Phil and his wife had nowhere to live. ‘So we went on the train with the baby in a cardboard box because we didn’t have a pram and stayed in Suffolk for the next four years. It was a miracle.’ Phil became involved with the Globe Theatre when 14 | Bridport Times | March 2019
his friend, film director Sam Wanamaker, sought to establish a replica of the original 16th century building on the banks of the River Thames. Sam wanted a gallery and told Phil, ‘You must do something with Shakespeare.’ Phil remembers the moment as, ‘like saying you should climb the Matterhorn.’ He went on to fill the space with Shakespearean paintings. Sadly, Sam died in 1993 but his dream lived on and the Globe opened to much acclaim in 1997. Zoe Wanamaker, Sam’s actor daughter, described Phil’s work as, ‘Joy, energy and colour, I think that’s the secret.’ One of Phil’s Shakespearean portraits has been displayed in Shakespeare’s home at Stratford-on-Avon, while his glorious painting of Elizabeth I is the cover for the My Shakespeare exhibition programme. Phil lives on the Dorset coast. ‘I find inspiration everywhere but I love the sea.’ He often uses a quill from gulls’ feathers found on the beach. ‘It’s very sensitive to pressure and records every slightest thing your fingers do, like a nerve centre. Then all you need is a pot of ink and some paper.’ ‘Painting is part of who I am,’ says Sutton, ‘I get up early and still work hard every day. It’s a great privilege.’ bridport-arts.com Philip Sutton: My Shakespeare, Bridport Arts Centre, Saturday 2nd March - Saturday 4th May. Accompanying films, workshops and events will be running throughout the exhibition.
3rd ~ 7th May 2019
Celebrating Cel lebra e ting our
20t 20th h SEASON
FEATURED EVENTS FRIDAY 3RD MAY Nicola Benedetti CBE
MONDAY 6TH MAY Organ Recital: James O'Donnell
SATURDAY 4TH MAY Tenebrae: England's Finest
MONDAY 6TH MAY
SUNDAY 5TH MAY Let There Be Love
MONDAY 6TH MAY Fantasia
MONDAY 6TH MAY The Pity of War
TUESDAY 7TH MAY Alexander Armstrong
Sherborne Abbey Festival Orchestra
20th Century English Choral Music
Claire Martin OBE and Ray Gelato 'Godfather of Swing'
Narrator, Petroc Trelawny
(Westminster Abbey)
With bass David Soar as Elijah
Disney's classical music animation for children, with Moviola (U Certification)
and his band
PLUS MUCH MORE...
In all there are 30 concerts and events including children's workshops and pop-up performances Up to 70% of events are FREE ENTRY For more details and to book tickets visit Sherborne TIC or online at: www.sherborneabbeyfestival.org Sherborne Abbey Festival is run on behalf of Sherborne Abbey PCC: Registered Charity No.1130082, to support its charitable activities in the field of music.
Arts & Culture
DAVID WEST
MYSTERY AND WONDER Anna Powell, Director, Sladers Yard
Image: Peter Wiles
lthough a recognised English tradition, decorative woodcarving is not a medium with which many of us are familiar. The best-known British woodcarver, Grinling Gibbons, was King’s Carver for Charles II in the late 1600s. Astonishing therefore, and typical of this area, to find David West, one of the finest contemporary British woodcarvers, working away quietly in his workshop by the River Lym in Lyme Regis and currently showing a spectacular exhibition of work at Sladers Yard. Born in London in 1939, just as the war began, David’s unconventional childhood may have sown the seeds of his singular path as an artist. Annotated drawings, which he has been making over the past thirty years and has now published in a booklet, tell of childhood memories filled with very black humour. While his well-behaved older brother was evacuated to the country, mischievous little David was brought up through the Blitz by his mother and alcoholic grandmother in an atmosphere he describes as 'one of love and fear'. He was six years old before he saw his army father. Caned regularly at school and praised only for his painting and drawing, his happiest memories were of running wild on Mitcham Common and playing
in abandoned gun emplacements. David studied painting and printmaking at Camberwell School of Art, teaching part-time at various art schools until 1972. Since then he has worked fulltime as a professional artist on commissioned works and pieces for exhibition. In 1981 he and his wife, fellow painter Barbara Steel, moved to Lyme Regis. For many years David was ‘fascinated by the miniature.’ He spent seven years building a doll’s house and gardens for a private collector, basing the design on a house he had seen as a child. He describes his role as ‘creating a framework or situation which will allow the spectator to enter and partake in his or her own fantasy.’ His ninemonth-long retrospective exhibition at Dorset County Museum 2017/18 brought together many of his witty, fantastical woodcarvings. In 1985 he was awarded a South West Arts Craft Fellowship and went on to complete many commissions and exhibitions including sculptures for Warwick University, a series of 14 carvings entitled Aspects of the Coast and an exhibition that toured city museums across the country. In 1991 he became involved with the restoration of the Town Mill in Lyme Regis. He stepped down as chairman in 2000. During this time, he began
A
16 | Bridport Times | March 2019
David West 37. Waves Past and Present (carved and gilded oak)
David West 17. Shoreline (carved and gilded tulipwood)
David West 42. Sedimentary Rocks (carved and painted spalted birch) bridporttimes.co.uk | 17
Arts & Culture
David West 39. At Low Tide (carved and painted oak)
David West 45. Low Tide (carved and painted spalted birch) 18 | Bridport Times | March 2019
running summer workshops both at John Makepeace’s cabinet-making school at Parnham in Beaminster and in different parts of Japan. In 2008 David was invited to spend four weeks travelling and drawing in Japan. The trip included a walk along parts of the Kumano Kodō, an ancient Buddhist/ Shinto pathway in the Kii Peninsular which winds through the forest linking numerous temples, shrines, waterfalls and other natural features. A profound turning point for David, the trip has stimulated a remarkable Indian summer for him as an artist. At first, David ‘did not know how to express the sense of mystery and wonder the walk had evoked in him.’ A commission to carve new organ-pipeshades for St Michael’s Church in Lyme Regis acted as a catalyst. For the first time he experimented with gilding, under-painting and pierced carving and, using these techniques, went on to make large woodcarvings relating directly to his Japanese drawings which he showed in Lyme Regis in 2010. Three years later his gilded pathway carvings, condensed in size and impact to that of icons, showed together with woodcut prints in his first exhibition at Sladers Yard. Thereafter he was able to see his home surroundings in this new way. The moon, moonlight on the sea, newts in his pond, the surface of the River Lym as it flows past his garden, light effects on the wet cobbled streets around his house, these were the subjects of watercolour paintings and wood carvings that he showed at Sladers Yard in 2016 along with the very first carvings of the tide coming in over the sand and rock floors of the beaches around Lyme Regis. His current exhibition, Tidal, takes this meditative theme to a visionary level. Like watching real waves, his most recent works have a profound and beautifully contemplative quality. Some are gilded in white gold, some are painted, but all are carved in relief on different pieces of timber, much of which has been recycled. Each one different and inspiring, these subtle masterpieces play with the theme, using the grain of wood as ripples in the sand and white gold as light on the surface of the sea. Tidal: wood carvings by David West, new paintings by Anthony Garratt and furniture by Petter Southall is at Sladers Yard, West Bay, until 10th March. For more information please contact the gallery. sladersyard.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 19
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Arts & Culture
Image: Pete Millson
SUZANNA HUBBARD Kit Glaisyer, Artist
This month I met up with Suzanna Hubbard, an illustrator, picture-book maker and visiting lecturer in illustration at the University of Bournemouth. Suzanna has worked with many publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC Radio Times, Gardeners' World, Waitrose Magazine and Marie Claire, where she illustrated their fashion page each month. She was also nominated for a Book Trust Early Years Award for Best New Illustrator and was recently chosen to illustrate a book of love poems to coincide with the BBC Radio 4 series, Love Please. Here she tells of her life and artistic practice.
I
was born in Hertfordshire but grew up on the edge of the Chiltern Hills in an old water mill. My parents hadn’t long settled in the south. Both were Yorkshire people and had moved closer to London for my father’s job in print advertising. My two brothers and I had a happy and carefree childhood, with plenty of space to roam in nature. There was a stream at the bottom of our garden where we paddled and fished during the hot summer months and a small stable yard where I vividly 22 | Bridport Times | March 2019
remember bringing home the odd pony or donkey. I developed my love of art from my father and my love of books from my mother. I can remember Dad recalling his days of seeing David Hockney in his local neighbourhood back home and my first taste of the art world was the huge brightly lit windows at dusk of the old Central St Martins School of Art in Covent Garden which was situated next to my father’s offices. Art & Graphic students populated the area back then in amongst actors and its renowned theatrical present and past. It was an exciting and flamboyant place to experience, constantly open to shift and change. Mum was the daughter of a local minister; her family stem back to working in the wool trade. Her grandfather, Gent Priestley, was related to the author and playwright J. B. Priestley. I loved books as a child, from the early fireside warmth of illustrators such as Shirley Hughes and the friendly work of Gerald Rose to the wistful island adventures of Mairi Hedderwick’s Katie Morag, not forgetting, of course, Alfred Bestall’s Rupert The Bear. >
bridporttimes.co.uk | 23
Arts & Culture
Soon I moved on to the classic fairy tales, the world of Blyton, Dahl, Dorothy Edwards, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia chronicles and the Puffin poets. My love of drawing was fostered by a brilliant art teacher called Mrs Bennett who gave plenty of encouragement and opportunities to explore and develop my drawing. I undertook a foundation course in Art & Design at CCAT (now Anglia Ruskin) and spent many hours drawing at Kettles Yard, The Fitzwilliam 24 | Bridport Times | March 2019
Museum, and The Museum of Archaeology. Whilst there I discovered the house of the author Lucy Boston at Hemingford Grey, and spent time drawing her collections. I was introduced to the painter Elisabeth Vellacott, who, though old in years, was still working every day. Her quiet, ethereal, dream-like landscapes made a deep impression upon me. After my foundation course I took a gap year. I worked for Cambridge City Council in the transport department,
"Elisabeth Vellacott's ethereal, dream-like landscapes made a deep impression upon me."
saved up and spent 3 months travelling in Japan. I taught English to host families and filled sketchbooks as I went. I then moved to London where I applied to do Illustration & Printmaking at The City & Guilds of London Art School. I was fortunate to be taught by some great practitioners; Richard Bawden, Charles Shearer, Christopher Brown, Carolyn Gowdy, Chris Corr, Joan Firmin and Tabitha Salmon. Aged 23 I was offered a place at The University of Brighton to do an MA in Narrative Illustration and Editorial Design under Chris Mullen, George Hardie and Professor John Vernon Lord. I worked for many magazines and newspapers after leaving art college; work wasn’t difficult to come by. I shared a flat in Brighton with my husband, the illustrator Paul Blow. Soon a constant and steady stream of artwork was shipped in and out in the days before the real advancement of the digital age. It was a natural progression to develop both illustration and words to the printed page: I illustrated author’s texts for a short while before attempting my own. The Lady Who Lived in a Car was nominated for an Early Years Award when my son Howie was a baby. Paul had grown up in Lyme Regis and we would visit regularly and then find it hard to leave the unhurried pace of Dorset. So, in 2004 we moved to Bridport and established ourselves early on at St Michael’s Studios, quickly getting to know a new community of artist friends and involving ourselves in the Open Studio events. Our daughter Kitty was born in Dorchester and, alongside motherhood, I taught on the Illustration course at The Arts University Bournemouth for 9 years. When our building was tragically destroyed in last year's fire a great wave of sadness descended upon the arts community of St Michael’s. It was a time of significant change for all who shared studio spaces. I will always remember the words of a dear friend, words spoken by her Greek granny after her town was destroyed during the war: A forest burns, it can destroy wildlife and trees but sometimes this happens to allow new growth, that otherwise would never see the light of day. Eight months on and a new positive chapter has begun. I have recently worked on some illustrations for Penguin Random House and Michael O’Mara Books as well as developing my own card range. New growth indeed. Suzanna has an online shop with original artworks, prints and cards for sale. suzannahubbard.com kitglaisyer.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 25
Arts & Culture
IN CONVERSATION WITH JENNY & JOHN MAKEPEACE Alice Blogg
I
remember visiting Parnham house as a very young child; my mother still speaks fondly of it, especially the gardens. Maybe this was the childhood memory that sparked my love of furniture - a place held in many people’s memories and, at the time, the central point of Dorset’s creative scene. This was the first house of Jenny and John, a husband and wife very much ingrained in Dorset’s art community. They now live in Beaminster, in a house perfectly nestled behind a rounded, undulating, towering, sculpted yew hedge, and playful silver and gold polished gates. 26 | Bridport Times | March 2019
Met by John, we meandered through the well-kept garden with its tall, brown grasses swaying in the wind, along by the restful pond and John’s garden room and round the dividing hedge to find Jenny in her potage garden hiding in the greenhouse. This place is much more than a home, it’s an expression of these two from the inside out. Jenny is a painter, part-time creative potter, full-time gardener, and wife of the world-renowned furniture maker John. It is a privilege to be shown around their private home and gardens and to meet personally two people
Image: Victoria Tapper
who live and support our blooming creative scene here. When I visited, it was Jenny’s first full day out in the garden, sowing the sweet peas, looking forward to spring, the thought that keeps us all going. It is evident from the house and garden that they work hard together. First, a quick tour of the house, including John’s office. As we wander, Jenny talks about the common ground and the areas they are totally in tune with: colour, paintings, collections, placements of furniture, painting of the house, and how she does not get involved in John’s furniture design.
There is a complete trust in each other’s capabilities. Jenny reflects on a time when they were at Parnham, when John flew to Japan and left her to learn and execute perfectly the caning of two chair commissions, her first time ever! We diverge into a conversation about teaching and the importance of getting things right the first time, to not disillusion a person by only giving compliments, to have the time and patience as a teacher to really help someone to learn, to enable perfection and the vision to achieve it. You can see this is a thought within the craft school Parnham, the educational phenomenon founded by John. One of the most magical times in their lives was when their college bought Hooke Park, now owned by the Architectural Association. They thought about Cornwall, but it had few suitable woodlands, then Wales, spending long weekends researching and visiting possible woodlands. They settled on coming back to their home, Dorset, to purchase Hooke Park, a special place in many peoples’ eyes where the use of timber from source could be explored within architecture and still is to this day. It is very evident Jenny and John love the outdoors and we fall into a discussion on the benefits people can gain from forests, economic and social benefits as well as environmental, with the ‘habitat’ given unsustainable priority. John finds the reality of woodlands not being managed sad; I couldn’t agree more. Being within and under trees is fabulous, seeing how they form and trying to bring them into good shape. So much woodland is planted and neglected and not managed these days, with the only economic outcome firewood. Hopefully that can change in the near future. There is too much more to say. We chatted, we laughed, we drank coffee, I even stayed long enough to have tea and cake. It was such a joy to be warmly welcomed in such a magical place. Hopefully they will open their garden and house again soon for you all to take a peek. Find gardening words from Jenny in the Eggardon View monthly. If you would like to hear John in conversation with Gareth Neal discussing how design can be enhanced by the partnership between the traditional chisel and contemporary robotics, led by Sarah Myerscough, pop to Collect at the Saatchi Gallery, London on the 1st March. I’ll see you there. Many thanks to Jenny and John for their time and kindness. aliceblogg.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 27
History
A BUNCH OF KEYS, AN ICING SET AND A TRAVEL IRON Emily Hicks, Director, Bridport Museum
W
hat do these three items all have in common? Regular readers of these articles might be surprised to see my choice this month. Up until now we have written about ‘star’ items in our collections, things that seem particularly unique, or have an interesting backstory. Here, however, are three everyday items that you might find in any museum store. All three belong to our social history collection, are labelled with their catalogue, or ‘accession’, number, wrapped in acid-free tissue and packed in secure, numbered boxes. A bunch of unidentified keys, a home icing set, and a ‘Flamingo’ travel iron. What do they have in common? Very little, other than having ended up in our collection, despite not having any particular relevance to Bridport or our unique local stories. Bridport Museum Trust is responsible for looking after approximately 20,000 objects and 30,000 photographs and archives. Most of these are in storage, with only about 5% on permanent display. Some are brought out for temporary exhibitions and research, but many sit, unseen, in their boxes for years upon end. This is a challenge that most museums face. It’s a familiar picture to any museum curator: amidst the nationally important, socially significant and unique star collections, rest hundreds more generic, eclectic and, ultimately, random items, which have wended their way into the museum over the years, forming a collection more worthy of a bric-a-brac or car boot sale. Whilst it’s easy to love some of these things for their ‘vintage’ appeal, the bottom line is that we have to be realistic. These objects were donated in the days before the concept of any kind of ‘Collecting Policy’ existed, and perhaps past curators didn’t want to upset donors by turning objects down. However, they are now weighing us down. Objects are ‘entrusted’ to museums and should be looked after carefully, in appropriate storage conditions. The simple truth is that we cannot care for every item considered to be ‘old’ or ‘historical’. Every single object, no matter how small, takes up space, needs resources, and needs caring for. Last year, having finished creating our beautiful new museum, we sat down and began to think about how we could solve this problem. We decided that now is the right time for us to begin asking ourselves why we keep certain objects and, perhaps more importantly, what we do with the things that we don’t need to keep any longer. It’s important to us to engage with a range of views, so we will be asking our local community what they think. We have secured a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund to begin a 3-year project to review and rationalise our collections. My hope is that the project will result in some really innovative solutions as to how we organise, care for and tidy up the collection. It will also help us to create space to expand the collections in the future. The people of Bridport can assist in shaping the collections in a way that helps us to really define and celebrate what is unique and special about our town. bridportmuseum.co.uk
28 | Bridport Times | March 2019
bridporttimes.co.uk | 29
Wild Dorset
GET DORSET BUZZING! Sally Welbourn, Dorset Wildlife Trust
T
his year Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) is embarking on its biggest ever campaign to get over 1,000 people in Dorset doing at least one thing to help pollinators in their garden and help Get Dorset Buzzing. Why are we so concerned? It’s widely known that bees are in decline, yet they are arguably one of the most important insect groups on earth, helping to carry out the process of pollination which is responsible for one in three mouthfuls of the food we eat, including chocolate, coffee and strawberries. It’s not just bees that you will see flitting between flowers in your garden; butterflies, hoverflies, moths and some beetles also carry out the pollination process, so it’s important that we create much needed space for them all to thrive. One of the main reasons for the decline of bees and other pollinators is loss of habitat. Wildflower meadows used to provide prime pollinator habitat but we’ve lost 97% of these meadows since the 1930s. The good news is that there’s something we can do to help. Our gardens and local green spaces are potential mini-nature reserves so, if we can provide the space and the food, they will come! Everyone who signs up to the Get Dorset Buzzing campaign, sponsored by our friends at the Gardens Group and Wessex Water, will receive a free pack with everything they need to get started, or try new things if they’re already welcoming wildlife into their garden. The pack will include wildflower seeds, an information booklet and a wall-planner with inspiration 30 | Bridport Times | March 2019
and advice on what to grow and when. We’ll also send you personalised emails with discount vouchers and links to videos and blogs from our wildlife gardening experts at DWT, Dr George McGavin, our President, and Kate Bradbury, who writes for BBC Gardeners’ World. We can’t wait to welcome people into our new community and hear about the progress everyone is making to Get Dorset Buzzing.
FACTS/KEY TERMS • Nectar and pollen: Nectar is a sugar-rich fluid produced by the flower to attract pollinators. Pollen is a dry powder which sticks to pollinators who transfer it to other plants to complete the reproduction cycle. • Self-pollination: Flowers which can be pollinated by their own pollen from the same flower or from a flower from the same plant. • Cross-pollination: The transfer of pollen from one flower to another using a pollinator such as a bee. In some cases, the wind or water (rain) will help move the pollen from one plant to another.
Visit our website and sign up to receive your pack and help Get Dorset Buzzing. dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/gdb-signup
Get Dorset Buzzing Sign up to our Get Dorset Buzzing campaign and join our buzzing community to help pollinators in your garden.
Visit: www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST Photos Š Hamish Murray, Tony Bates MBE, Ken Dolbear MBE, Katharine Davies.
Wild Dorset
THE SEEDS WE SOW Rosie Gilchrist, Tamarisk Farm
W
ithout seeds a vegetable garden has few plants and without plants there are no vegetables to eat, and that would be a very sad thing. Choosing seeds, sowing and nurturing them feels like the foundation of a vegetable garden. There are some vegetables such as tubers and cuttings that we propagate by other means but certainly most vegetables are annuals, grown from seed every year. With equal certainty, seed propagation is one of my favourite jobs around the market garden. Spring is the time of year that I have the pleasure of doing the vast majority of the season’s sowing and March is the crucial month. By now I’ve already sown the very earliest crops: peas and sweet peas, and the first of sequential crops of beetroot, lettuces, radishes, 32 | Bridport Times | March 2019
and broad beans to fill the gaps made by hungry mice in the autumn-sown rows. The tomatoes and peppers are already growing in heated propagators. Now most of the other delicious vegetables that make up a market garden can be sown. As commercial market gardens go, we are incredibly low-tech. This extends to our propagation set-up. From the 1960s until recently, Arthur and Josephine used an old heated Victorian conservatory on Manor Cottage. Then, for a couple of years, we worked our seedlinggrowing around the edges of the winter-salad tunnels and waited for the sheep tunnels to empty when the ewes went out to grass. But things are looking up! This time last year we were cladding a polytunnel specifically for propagation with new long-life plastic.
We put sturdy tables in and organised water. It is not sophisticated but it has made a huge difference. It’s exciting that we can give the many thousands of seedlings a good start in life so much more easily now. Even so, I know that at some point this month all the available surfaces will be used and I’ll wish for more, but I spent a lot of time this winter really thinking how to optimise the use of space and we’ll manage when the moment comes! I think we are all tempted to sow that bit extra and I’m guessing that for those of you growing in your back garden or allotment there comes a point in spring when you too have to do some serious shuffling of plants in your airing cupboard, windowsills, cold frame, greenhouse or polytunnel. We’ll go on improving the system too: one thing we’d like is some heat. We don’t have mains electricity, nor have we got a solar energy system except the excellent and basic one of the sun shining on us. Rebecca has been experimenting very successfully with hot beds for some delicate seeds. This old technique involves building a carefully contained and planned compost heap, layering fresh cattle manure, straw and green weeds. This combination breaks down, composting quickly and producing lots of heat. The seed trays are laid directly on the top layer of the compost, which is warm to the touch. The core of the heap is hotter and acts as a heat store, keeping the well-closed tunnel significantly warmer. We may try insulation to improve this further. I’m pretty new to growing, with just a few seasons under my belt, and to say there has been a lot to get my head around is a serious understatement! Learning how to grow strong and healthy seedlings, ready to thrive the moment their roots touch the soil, has been trickier than my naïve self expected. I’d hate to put anyone off growing their own plants but it should be recognised that there are many elements that go into getting it right: compost, the seeds themselves, water, temperature, light, choice of seed module trays, to name just the simplest. And as a commercial grower there is more at stake if it doesn’t go quite to plan. Arthur and Josephine drilled in outdoor nursery beds, or for seed trays used compost made right here, which was good both in principle and in nutrient content. The trouble with our own compost was that weed seedlings germinated together with the vegetable seedlings, using up their nutrients and causing root damage when they were weeded out. We’d like to find a way of doing this better but at present we, like most organic growers I know, use a growing medium accepted by the
Soil Association which is made primarily from peat fragments naturally eroded and deposited in bodies of water in Yorkshire. It is not taken from the peat reserves nor does it damage the moorland habitat. This compost has a monitored level of natural nutrients and trace elements, and it is my job to judge the size of module and watch the growth carefully, responding to signs that it is time to plant the seedlings on or give them a bit of nettle or comfrey tea. The next variable to consider is the seed itself. The choice of varieties and the appropriate use of self-saved seed is an enormous topic, and a fascinating one, but today I am writing about the practicalities of growing. Attending to the practicalities starts with their age and how they’re stored. It is quite incredible just how much variation in lifespan there is. Last year I tried to grow an Italian vegetable, agretti, which has a notoriously short-lived seed life. The seed company said it should be planted within five months, and I did that but even then I had only one seed germinate! Allium seeds such as onions, leeks, garlic and chives have a really short lifespan too. Tomato seeds, on the other hand, will still germinate at four or five years old. Keeping seeds cool and dry is important for their viability and we never keep them – even for a short time by mistake - in the warm, moist propagation tunnel. Besides compost and seeds, which are largely bought onto the farm from the outside world, it is really up to me to try and get the other variables right. Species have different preferences for temperature. Too hot, no good, too cold, no good, and the tiny seedlings are much more vulnerable to unhelpful temperatures and moisture levels than the hearty plants they become. I have nail-biting evenings if the temperature really drops, and some serious watering and moving around of seedling trays if it gets really hot. I’m content to simply pay attention to the weather, covering seedlings with fleece if the temperature is plummeting, checking the seedlings frequently, and watering judiciously. I’d really encourage everyone to give growing vegetables from seed a shot this year even if you grow just one thing. Whatever shade of green fingers you may have, even if you only have a windowsill, get some seeds into soil and nurture the seedlings, then watch them turn into something delicious. It is an immensely rewarding thing. I’m most certainly biased but trust me on this one. tamariskfarm.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 33
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Outdoors
THE PULL OF THE OCEAN
U
Fraser Christian, Coastal Survival School
ndoubtedly my favourite place to be: the sea or seaside. Sitting here now, surrounded by snow, I write this in anticipation of my return to the beach. I dream of sitting on the shoreline, being gently serenaded by the waves lapping and the high calls of the sea birds as they patrol the beach and sea, effortlessly gliding on the wind. Our connection to the seaside is multi-generational and I think we’d all agree that it is an essential destination for many when taking a holiday or seeking time to relax. Our early ancestors made their lives close to the sea for many a good reason. I now head there mainly for food, from the land and sea, that being my favourite subject and one I return to on many occasions. As the seasons change, a new gourmet of edible vegetables and seafood is revealed, unrivalled when we talk of nutrition and vitality. Eating food freshly-picked or caught
36 | Bridport Times | March 2019
by your own hand is a privileged experience, deeply rooted in the memory we take from our ancestors. Our nourished bodies almost smile inside as the food is graciously received and digested. I start to think about what I may or may not catch, forage and generally get to experience in the coming year ahead - though, as with any wild subject, nothing besides fossils are ‘set in stone’. And that, I think, for me at least, is the magic of the coast: ever-changing, moving, shifting and evolving. This wild environment is so important to every living creature on the planet – it’s not just a place to sit, slap on sun-screen and eat ice cream! So here is my ‘bucket and spade list’ for the coming wild year outdoors. Seashore foraging - seaweed and shellfish on the spring tides, gourmet wild vegetables all year round, with early ‘gems’ in spring, to include seakale and wild spinach. Later throughout the year, a list as long as your arm of
amazing tasty and nutritional plants can be found. Seashore fishing from the beach - a most liberating and relaxing way to catch your supper, with bass and mackerel in reach, sometimes from May onwards. I think it’s possibly a skill that anyone who eats fish should possess, as it’s almost the only way you can ensure you’re eating really fresh and wild fish. Hedgerow foraging - along the back of the beaches and inland there are a variety of lesser-known plants, many with the most powerful and gently harmonising medicinal and restorative qualities. Beach cooking - dining alfresco is where it’s at! And after eating food you have foraged or caught, nothing else will ever taste as good. It really is all about the freshness and vitality when we talk flavours and textures. I have been lucky enough to cook for a few top-rated and Michelin-starred chefs, and I still relish the look on their faces as they smile reassuringly, immersing themselves in such simply amazing flavours. Fossil hunting - although I don’t dedicate time to this per se, I do always keep my eyes peeled when on any beach around here. Sometimes tiny, sometimes more extravagant,
a fossil or two always seems to find its way home with me; after all this is the world-famous Jurassic coast! Metal detecting - a fairly new pursuit of mine but most addictive when you have time to slow down and walk along the seashore, letting this clever device scan the shingle in search of a list of treasures. One hopes for gold or silver bullion from a sunken vessel of old, and there are many in the bay, but more often than not it has been a few pound coins in a likely spot; not enough to ‘give up the day job’ but enough for one of my favourite rewards, be it sunny or not - ice-cream! And wow, what a selection we now have in the bay! More gelato than you can poke a cone at! Anyway, however you enjoy the bay, try something new this year and try to get out when you can, even if just to sit and look at the sea - it’s later than you think! If you would like to discover more about the edible treasures of the seashore, the Coastal Survival School regularly runs fishing and foraging courses along the local beaches and is always happy to take private groups. See website for details. coastalsurvival.com
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Outdoors
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On Foot
MAPPERTON ESTATE LOOP Emma Tabor and Paul Newman
Distance: 4½miles (7 miles if linked with Bridport Times November 2018 walk) Time: Approx. 2½ hours Park: Car park in Mapperton, donation box Walk Features: This corner of West Dorset feels particularly secluded with a series of gullies, hillocks and hidden valleys which host a diverse mix of woodland. The walk has a couple of short, steep sections with a longer, gentler climb back to the start. There is also a fine view of Mapperton House towards the very end. NB: Please proceed with caution on the section above Burcombe Wood as it can be tricky and the footpath along it is not clearly marked. Refreshments: Sawmill Café, Mapperton House
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 March, we walk a loop from Mapperton, descending into some of the surrounding hidden valleys near Mapperton estate. It’s a walk with many twists and turns, and an enigmatic-looking hilltop enclosure at its centre. There are some lovely views near the start of the walk across Hooke Park and a patchwork of fields towards the sea before delving into a network of holloways, ford crossings and small ravines. We’ve also designed this walk to link up with our November 2018 walk around Hooke Park and nearby North Poorton, to make a larger figure-ofeight route around this charming and secretive corner of West Dorset. If you want to try this, you can find the November 2018 edition online at bridporttimes.co.uk. >
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Directions
Start: SY 503 998. Look for the car park sign in Mapperton. 1 Turn left out of the car park onto the road and walk up past houses then, after 250 yards, bear off to the right up a road signed as a dead end. Keep going uphill, first right then left, and soon there are good views opening out to your right across a patchwork of fields towards Hooke Park and the sea. This is a good place to see passing raptors including buzzard, peregrine falcon and kestrel. At the top, bear right and follow the track in front of a house, Coltleigh Hill. Walk for another 300 yards until you reach a bridleway sign to turn right, just before reaching another house. 2 The track heads downhill now, towards woods. Ahead is a good view over a hilltop enclosure and there are some lovely solitary oaks spread across nearby fields. As the track reaches the bottom, veer left onto the Jubilee Trail, ignoring the trail through a gate to the right. The track now passes through some woodland with a pond to your right and soon fords a stream. Climb away from the ford as the stream drops away into a gully to your left. The track then bears slightly right to emerge into a field though a large metal gate. Follow the Jubilee Trail across the field, keeping the hedge on your left. 40 | Bridport Times | March 2019
After a few yards, the hedge turns further left but the footpath goes across the field, diverging slightly right from the hedge (if visible, aim for the tower on North Poorton church). The field soon ends abruptly at the top of a small valley, so turn sharp left and descend through a small cutting and then right, down towards a stream. 3 The path fords the bed of the stream, with a house on your left. Go through another metal gate, pass the front of the house, bearing left and onto a track which leads uphill to North Poorton. Keep on the track until you reach the intersection of four paths marked by a sign to the left. (This is the part of the walk which links with the November 2018 walk around Hooke Park. If you want to link with that walk to make a larger figure-of-eight circuit then turn left here and head up the holloway). Otherwise, at this sign, turn right through a large metal gate into a field. Walk slight right across the middle of the field towards the hedge, keeping the farm buildings over to your left. As you near the hedge you will see a gate in the top right-hand corner of the field. Go through the gate, ignoring the footpath sign to the right, into another field. Head straight across this field and, as you cross it, you will see a gate in the far hedge. Go through this gate (which
has a particularly fine closing device) into a field now above the other side of the valley you passed earlier. Walk ahead but start to go downhill; keep a small hillock crowned with a burial mound to your left and a spring and water trough to your right. Pass the spring and trough, now with the hillock above you, keeping ahead and towards the corner of the field with a metal gate. 4 Go through the gate to emerge onto a sunken footpath, along a wooded valley with a fence and fields above and to the left. You will soon meet a tricky section where a small landslide has cut through the path. Carefully climb down and back up to rejoin the path along the fence. Keep the fence on your left; this is a lovely section, with the stream meandering along below you through the woods to the right. After â…“ mile look for a metal gate to your left at a slight angle to the path. (At the time of writing this gate was covered and partly blocked by a fallen tree). Make your way over the gate into the field, now keeping the fence on your right and follow the footpath around the outer edge of the wood. The path goes gently right and into a slightly sunken track and then left on a bend; keep the fields to your left and the wood on your right. You will soon meet a wooden five-bar gate; go through this
and descend into a small holloway. 5 At the bottom, as the holloway emerges into a field, turn sharp right and back on yourself, through a metal gate with clear footpath signs. Walk down this woodland track towards the stream, crossing at another ford and through a gateway, keeping on the track with the stream now on your left. It can be quite muddy along here. Look out for a ruined building on your right and a beautiful little waterfall on your left. Go through another gateway, keeping on the Jubilee Trail, leaving the woodland behind to your left and stay on the track as it winds up out of the valley. 6 Eventually, as you near the top of the valley, the track reaches a metal gate with a cottage on your left. Keep straight ahead on the track and, where this meets the drive coming from Mapperton House, cross the drive and go through a gate into a field. Go straight across this field, heading to the left of buildings and looking for a gate and bridleway sign in the far hedge. There is a lovely prospect of the front of Mapperton House and surrounding buildings from here. At the gate, turn right onto the road and back to the car park. paulnewmanartist.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 41
Archaeology
MAUMBURY RINGS
DARK DEEDS AND LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT Chris Tripp BA(Hons) MA, Field and Community Archaeologist
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t is quite possible that many of you reading this have visited Maumbury Rings in Dorchester to attend an entertainment, whether that was music, drama or the Dorchester Arts Festival. How many visitors know that this space has been the venue for human gatherings for five millennia? People came to this spot for spiritual enlightenment and sport but also for dreadful bloodletting and death, inside this ancient sheltered space where children run and innocent merriment is now had in the early 21st century. In the Neolithic, the last stone tool culture in 42 | Bridport Times | March 2019
Britain, people constructed a ‘henge’ by digging a circular ditch 85m diameter with an entrance on the north-east side and heaped up the soil as a bank on the outside edge - as recorded by Harold St George Gray’s excavations between 1903 and 1913. Into the base of this ditch were dug some 45 11m-deep shafts in which stone tools, flint, a human skull fragment, Grooved Ware pottery and a chalk phallus were found. The place was still being used in the Bronze Age, as a sherd of Beaker Ware was also unearthed. This henge would have been one of many in our landscape.
"Combatants were carried off for treatment, to live or die, their blood soaking into the earth where people now walk their dogs."
After the establishment of Durnovaria by the Romans in the 1st century AD, the banks were enlarged and seating built into them and the interior was levelled, probably for use as a training ground (ludus) for soldiers. It may also have been for entertainments such as combats. This carried on into the mediaeval period, with jousting and other events taking place. The banks would have rung to the clashing of metal on metal, music, dance and drinking against a background of shouts, grunts and screams of pain as combatants were carried off for treatment, to live or die, their blood soaking into the earth where people now walk their dogs. During the English Civil War, the Parliamentary garrison saw Maumbury Rings as an ideal fortification against an attack by the Royalists, who would have come from the Weymouth direction, so they built a ramp on the south-west side for the installation of heavy guns. An internal terrace was dug into the bank as a firing platform for the soldiers. As you stand on the banks today it is easy to imagine the soldiers looking in nervous dread for the advancing enemy. 160 lead bullets were found in an excavated well, probably made on-site by the blacksmith, ready to be used but discarded for some unknown reason. The monarchy was restored with Charles II whose Catholic brother, James II, eventually inherited the throne, only to be challenged by Charles’ illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, in 1685. When the Duke was defeated at Sedgemoor, 80 of his rebel army were hanged at Maumbury Rings on the order of Judge Jeffreys; they were probably tried and condemned in a building in Dorchester where tea and cakes are now served. Public executions continued to be carried out here into the 18th century, the banks full of people sitting to watch the last moments of the unfortunates brought to this place of execution, a ring of faces the last thing they would see as the rope was put around their necks. One such was Mary Channing, only 19 years of age, who was garrotted and burnt for poisoning her husband in 1705. In the 19th century Thomas Hardy wrote The Mock Wife centred round this sorry tale. Who can say now what drove her to kill at such a young age? Was she more victim than villain, perhaps? Standing in the centre of this green oval the air is still and quiet, at last. Until the next festival that is. dorsetdiggers.blogspot.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 43
DAVID & KIM SQUIRRELL Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies
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ver the last twenty years, Kim and David Squirrell have established themselves in Bridport as artists and makers. David is a book-binder who has gradually built up a following among private clients wanting to preserve their family heirlooms and others who want their books to stand the test of time. Kim, meanwhile, brought up her children, Ella and Reuben, while establishing Symondsbury Apple Project before returning to work on her first passion, art. >
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The fire at St Michael’s Studios last year was a turning point for them. When they found themselves without a studio, it forced them to look elsewhere for premises albeit, they thought, to use temporarily. They had always talked about opening a shop and had had their eye on 29a West Allington, with its high, Georgian windows and elegant staircase. It had once served as a tailor’s shop and it looked to be a perfect place for their work. The owner was keen on a permanent let and once the couple were through the door they knew it was for them. Late last November ink & page opened to the public. Now their handmade notebooks and cards sit among the work of other local makers, such as prints, glass and pottery. Up the elegant spiral staircase is David’s book-binding workshop. David’s decision to become a bookbinder was one of those light-bulb moments. He grew up in Kent and left school to work in the orchards where, despite having ‘green fingers’, he realised he wasn’t destined for a life among the apples; he left after six years. One weekend, while walking on Portland (still one of his favourite places for inspiration) with his older sister, Judy, the thought struck him that he would become a bookbinder. He took himself off to a course in Bristol and, after graduating, moved to Exeter, taken there by
his love of the sea and boats. He found work at Exeter’s Maritime Museum with David Goddard. ‘He became a great friend,’ says David, ‘and offered me a corner of the museum to practise my bookbinding when I wasn’t helping out with the boats.’ It was the late 1980s and that was David’s first bindery. Like David, Kim also came to Dorset and left again. ‘I first arrived in Bridport in the early ‘80s,’ she explains. ‘I stayed with two local artists, met friendly and creative people and spent a lot of time on the beach.’ Her study as an artist took her to university in Exeter where her first child, Ella (who, incidentally, is now also a Bridport-based practising artist) was born. It was Ella who discovered David quietly working in his studio at the boatyard, where Kim had opened a small gallery. Ella used her cupid’s bow and it wasn’t long before Kim and David became a couple. They decided to return to Dorset to live in Symondsbury, where David set up his bookbinding business in the old Post Office and Kim went on to establish the Symondsbury Apple Project, running courses and encouraging people to use and care for their fruit trees. Says Kim, ‘Bridport impressed me so much when I first visited that, six years later, when I wanted to relocate, I came back to stay.’ > bridporttimes.co.uk | 47
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Collaboration forms a key part of their work, with both drawing on nature for inspiration. As well as being an artist, Kim is a poet and some of her work appears on their hand-printed cards. David has more recently begun using his own art-work. ‘David has never considered himself an artist but he can draw,’ says Kim. When we visit his workshop, David is working on a series of prints drawn from botanical drawings he has recently completed. ‘He wanted to learn print-making,’ says Kim, ‘but I didn’t fancy teaching him!’ So David did a course with Cameron Short of Bonfield Block Printers and then went on to focus on his own designs. Their most recent collaboration is the re-invention of the ‘autograph book’. Their inspiration was taken from David’s grandmother’s autograph book that was used more as a ‘book@home’: instead of collecting autographs of well-known people, his grandmother would ask friends and visitors to write or draw something that was personal to them. Inspired by this idea, David has produced a series of these books, with up-cycled cloth covers, for people to create their own book@home, which might also become a family memento. Meanwhile Kim had an idea for David’s’ new toggle notebooks. Through their binding, these books have a hoop at one end and a toggle at the other (you can see the nautical influence here). Each book can be hung from another to create a chain and the rope of books can be hung from a hook on the wall. Kim is inviting local creative practitioners to use a selection of the notebooks that she will install in the shop window as a visual demonstration of the connection between all creative processes. Then the book will be added to their range and find even more applications. Collaboration is clearly vital to their work but there’s also a personal touch. ‘David designs a new notebook for me each Christmas and I write him a love poem on Valentine’s Day or for our anniversary,’ explains Kim. ‘When we visited the Fine Press Book Fair in Oxford, David bought me a letterpress chapbook and we were inspired to use the platen press to do our own. At poetry readings people often ask for copies of the love poems, so that seemed a good place to start. David set and printed a selection of the poems I’d written for him and now we sell them in the shop.’ As well as bookbinding, David is passionate about printing and has bought several presses that are now housed in their print room in St Michaels. The purpose of his practice is to keep the old ways going
and also to produce a lasting product. ‘I have always been interested in printing,’ says David. ‘It began when I learned off-set litho as a teenager, although I didn’t find that very satisfactory. Then, while I was on my initial course, there was a technician who had a small letterpress, called an Adana, and he taught me how to use it. It got me interested in the immediacy of lead-letter printing, how you can just ink up with a penny-sized amount of ink and stick on the paper and print.’ He adds, ‘It’s precise, which is what I like, and now I have several of those presses.’ His collection includes a Harrild ‘Platen’ press that uses hand-set type and rollers. The seller also had trays of type to go with it and David couldn’t believe his luck when his offer was accepted. The once-retired press now has a new working life. Despite his love of print, when it comes to books David is less devoted. ‘I mainly read paperbacks,’ he says. He is, however, passionate about craft, precision and music. David has made a mandolin and is a self-taught player of note, often playing at local weddings. His ‘Monday mandolin’ on their Instagram account now has quite a following. ‘I did toy with the idea of being a luthier,’ he says. ‘I usually have my mandolin in the workshop and will periodically put down my work to play a tune if I’m in need of inspiration.’ So how does this complement book-binding? David says it’s the combination of precision and detail that is so similar. ‘Playing the mandolin is all about being precise with the left hand on the finger board and having equal control of the plectrum.’ He tells me that music doesn’t so much influence his art and craft as tap into how he works. ‘Music is very important to me and it’s such a great thing that I can share with others.’ Sharing is something that is key to this couple’s purpose and David is going to offer bookbinding workshops on the third Sunday of the month. Kim will also run writing and drawing workshops. She says people will often come in and say, ‘I love notebooks but never know what to write in them’ and, as she says, ‘What really makes a beautiful note book is the content.’ A Squirrell notebook takes on a life and journey of its own once it leaves the shop. In the possession of a new owner the humble notebook is elevated beyond the sum of its well-crafted parts. The virgin snow of hand-bound pages will us on, urging us to confide. A blank canvas on which to pour our dreams. inkandpage.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 49
Mothers Day 31st March 2019
Treat mum this Mothering Sunday to a succulent carvery
2 Course Carvery
Adults £17.75 per person Children * £8.25 per person *Applies to under 12 year olds
Pre booking your table is essential
Visit our on-site spa
Call the spa on 01935 483435
Kings Restaurant
Choose a delicious Rosette winning menu Ideal for celebrations or special occasions George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk
THANK THE CLUB HOUSE
IT’S FRIDAY! FOR EVERY TABLE OF TWO
3 COURSES £25PP + A FREE BOTTLE OF WINE EVERY FRIDAY 6 - 9PM
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2 COURSES £18 / 3 COURSES £22 | EVERY SUNDAY 12 - 3PM #gatherandfeast BEACH ROAD, WEST BEXINGTON, DT2 9DG | 01308 898302 WWW.THECLUBHOUSEWESTBEXINGTON.CO.UK
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BRAND NEW GIFT & LIFESTYLE SHOP Staddle Stones Restaurant serving delicious home cooked food 11 individual craft studios | Crafting courses & workshops Large FREE car park | Disabled access to most of the Centre Dogs on leads welcome | Free wifi
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO BOOK CALL: 01308 868362
OPEN TUESDAY - SUNDAY 10AM - 4PM • BROADWINDSOR, DORSET DT8 3PX
Food & Drink
CHEDDAR AND ONION OATCAKES Gill Meller, River Cottage
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espite having taken a bashing over the years, oats are now definitely on the rise as we rediscover the benefits of wholefoods. They are high in protein, low-GI and, eaten regularly, can help to lower cholesterol. They may lack glamour but they are tasty, nutritious and very versatile. Unlike wheat, oat grains are difficult to split into parts. Hence, they are kept intact and eaten as a healthy wholegrain, with just the inedible hull removed. Oat ‘groats’, or whole hulled grains, are steamed to stop them going rancid. They are then rolled flat to make jumbo oats or cut up first and rolled to make smaller, standard porridge oats, which cook more quickly into a finer, less-textured porridge. Quick or instant porridge oats are steamed for longer and rolled even thinner. Some cut-up oat groats are kept as oatmeal and milled into different sizes from coarse pinhead, through medium and fine oatmeal, to the very finest oat flour. 52 | Bridport Times | March 2019
The oat’s insoluble carbohydrates mean that the grains readily retain water (‘oat’ probably comes from the Indo-European oid, ‘to swell’), making them good for many things besides porridge. Blend porridge oats with fruit and liquid for creamy oat smoothies, or ‘thickies’. Add a small amount to cold and hot soups for body. You can even make a savoury porridge with pinhead or medium oatmeal - just add softened shallots/onions and garlic, some herbs and chicken stock and, once the grains have absorbed the liquid, top with fish, scallops or bacon. In Yorkshire, oatmeal is used to make spicy parkin and in Scotland it was traditionally mixed uncooked into hot milk or water to make a drink called a brose. Medium oatmeal is a great crisp coating for fish or chicken as it doesn’t absorb fat in the same way as breadcrumbs, retaining the moisture of the ingredient inside. Pinhead oatmeal is essential for our annual River Cottage haggis-making, giving
walnuts, ground almonds, brown sugar and butter. Finer oats impart a light softness to cakes and oat flour is a flavourful alternative to wheat flour, giving the same thickening properties. Amazing raw oaty flapjacks can be whipped up by whizzing dates, dried apricots, ripe banana, orange zest, coconut oil and honey in a food processor, combining the purée with oats, then pressing it into a tray and refrigerating. The fruit binds the mix, while the oats give body and nutrients: no butter, no extra sugar, no wheat – and no cooking. Using both rolled oats and oatmeal, these cheddar and oatmeal snacks are great to nibble on their own but even better with a few thin slices of ham and a spoonful of crème fraîche. Makes about 20. Ingredients
Plain or oat flour, to dust 100g fine oatmeal 100g porridge oats 1 medium onion, finely diced 75g Cheddar or other well-flavoured hard cheese, finely grated ½tsp fine sea salt Black pepper About 100ml milk Method Image: Simon Wheeler
the right texture and nutty taste alongside the soft offal. Oats toasted in the oven are superb mixed with berries, honey, whisky and whipped cream in the Scottish pudding, cranachan. Oats can be a great alternative grain in a wheat-free diet, but they are not always gluten-free as they are often grown or processed alongside wheat and so may be ‘contaminated’. Guaranteed gluten-free oat products are increasingly available in both health food shops and mainstream retailers. Oats contain a protein similar to gluten called avenin. Some people with coeliac disease (an adverse reaction to gluten) are affected by avenin, although research suggests most are not. This lack of gluten means oat flour won’t make high-rise breads but oats can be used when baking – brush loaves with milk and scatter jumbo oats on top. These toast in the oven, creating a nice crust. They are great in crumble toppings, combined with crushed
1 Preheat oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3 2 Dust 2 baking trays with flour. 3 Mix oatmeal, oats, onion, cheese, salt and a grinding of black pepper in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in enough milk to bring everything together into a firm, not sticky, dough. Form into a ball and leave to rest for 5–10 minutes. 4 Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface to a 5mm thickness and cut out rounds with a 6cm biscuit cutter. Place on baking trays and bake for 30 minutes, then flip all the cakes over and bake for a further 5 minutes. 5 Leave the oatcakes on the baking trays for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. River Cottage A to Z: Our Favourite Ingredients, & How to Cook Them (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016) rivercottage.net gillmeller.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 53
Food & Drink
RHUBARB AND ALMOND TRIFLE Cass Titcombe, Brassica Restaurant
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ack in the sixteenth century, trifle as a pudding was a term used for something a bit more like a fool. By the eighteenth century, with the inclusion of jelly and topped with a frothy syllabub, the trifle had developed into the dessert we know today. It usually (but not exclusively) contains layers of fruit, sponge soaked in alcohol and further layers of custard and whipped cream. Jelly is the common development, although I prefer to make trifle without the jelly and adapt the pudding according to whichever fruit is in 54 | Bridport Times | March 2019
season. When soaking the sponge, it tends to be better if it is a few days old as it will absorb the fruit juices and alcohol to a greater degree. With rhubarb, my alcohol of choice is Amaretto. However, if you don’t have this or prefer to switch the rhubarb to raspberries, then Madeira or a sweet sherry will be a perfect substitute. If you are a keen baker then you can make some Victoria sponge specifically for this or maybe use a different cake - gingerbread would work very well or even something with almonds, which will
Ingredients Serves 6
Rhubarb compote 400g forced rhubarb 75g caster sugar a few thin slices of fresh ginger pared zest and juice of 1 orange Custard 400ml milk 100ml double cream 1 vanilla pod 2 egg yolks 30g caster sugar 20g cornflour Assembly 200g plain sponge cake 40ml amaretto liqueur 250ml double cream 40g flaked almonds, lightly toasted Method
pair beautifully with the Amaretto. Forced rhubarb from Yorkshire is such a treat in the spring as it is a welcome break from the overabundance of root vegetables, brassicas and citrus so prevalent in deep winter. If you can’t find forced rhubarb or the limited season has ceased, then you can use outdoor-grown rhubarb but remember to peel before use! The compote is also great to keep in the fridge as a topping for breakfast yoghurt, porridge or granola.
1 Wash rhubarb and cut into 2cm long pieces. Peel strips from the orange and squeeze the juice. Cut the ginger into slices. Toss all together and place in a shallow, ovenproof tray and cover with foil. Cook in the oven at 150C until just tender (check every 10 minutes). This will take 20-30 minutes but could vary depending on the thickness of the rhubarb. When it’s ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool and chill until needed. 2 Put the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the milk and cream. Add the pod too. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. 3 Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in a metal bowl. Pour over the milk and cream mix, whisking constantly. Pour back into the pan and gently bring back to the boil, stirring constantly. Strain through a sieve into a bowl. Cover the surface with silicone paper or baking parchment and allow to cool before using. 4 Cut the sponge into cubes. Place in a glass bowl or divide among six small glass bowls if you want to serve individually. Splash over the Amaretto to moisten the sponge. 5 Pour over the rhubarb compote, followed by the custard. Chill for 3–4 hours to set. 6 Whip the cream until thick. Spoon it over the top of the trifle. Scatter the almonds over the cream. @brassica_food
@brassicarestaurant_mercantile bridporttimes.co.uk | 55
Food & Drink
RED MULLET WITH SAFFRON AND BROWN CRAB, HERITAGE POTATOES AND A CRAB, FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD Charlie Soole, The Club House, West Bexington
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ed mullet is a fantastically delicious oily fish that goes really well with slightly acidic flavours. The orange and saffron in this dish also helps the flavour. I have used pink fir potatoes but if you can’t find them you can use any type of waxy potato, e.g. charlottes. I use Carroll’s heritage potatoes, grown by Anthony and Lucy Carroll at Tiptoe Farm in Northumberland. They grow many different varieties, all of which have so much flavour and can be used in many different ways - even the amazing-looking purple violettas. I highly recommend them if you can find them. Ingredients Serves 4
4 x 250-300g red mullet, head off and butterflied 80g brown crab meat 100g white crab meat 400g heritage potatoes (pink fir) 50g butter Pinch of saffron 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar 1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced Juice of half an orange 50ml extra virgin rapeseed oil 8 segments of orange, halved A few sprigs of dill, finely chopped Finely chopped parsley
Method
1 Place the potatoes in a pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Boil the potatoes until they are cooked through and strain off the water. Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them and then peel off the skin. Chop into 1cm chunks and set aside. 2 To make the dressing for the fennel salad, mix the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and the rapeseed oil together. 3 Thinly slice the fennel and mix in the orange segments. Pour over the dressing, add the white crab meat, chopped dill, season with salt and pepper and mix. 4 Warm the remaining cider vinegar and a tablespoon of water in a saucepan and add the saffron so that its colour starts to leach out. Add the butter and, when it has melted, stir in the brown crab meat and potatoes. Mix well, add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. 5 Heat up a frying pan and add a dash of oil. Season the red mullet fillets and place them carefully in the frying pan skin side down. Flatten them down slightly with the back of a spatula so they don’t curl up. Fry for 2 minutes and turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes until cooked through. 6 To serve, place the potatoes on the plate, place the red mullet on the potatoes and top with the fennel salad. theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk
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Image: Kirstin Reynolds bridporttimes.co.uk | 57
Body & Mind
YOGA FOR YOUNG CHILDREN Alice Chutter
Y
oga became part of my life when I was a teenager after my mum took my sister and me along to a hatha yoga class in our local village school hall. At age 16 I was the youngest person there and I felt like a spring chicken – until we started moving and I quickly realised that many of the ‘older’ ladies were far stronger and more flexible than me. Shortly afterwards I travelled to India and saw the spectrum of ages practicing yoga, from tiny children to wise elders, and it opened my mind to the concept of yoga really being for all, regardless of age. 58 | Bridport Times | March 2019
20 years later I am introducing my own two young daughters to yoga, which is widely recognised as a great tool for child development. I’m finding ways to make it accessible and fun, hoping that they too will develop a life-long love of movement and meditation, because surely that is among the greatest gifts we can offer in this world? Right from birth - Mama & Baby Yoga
One of the highlights of my week at the moment is taking my 4-month-old daughter along to our Mama &
Baby Yoga class. Before she is even able to move herself very much, she can be part of the post-natal practice with me, sitting in my lap as I breathe and gently stretch my upper body, held in my arms as I build up my strength in standing postures, and lying close to me on the mat as I relax. We focus on our babies’ development too: supporting them to sit, gently aligning their spine and introducing song. At this young age she is quietly (and occasionally very loudly!) observing my movement and breath and, as an extension of me in this fourth trimester, feeling the benefits of a more relaxed and recharged Mama to meet her needs. Babies and first movements
Yoga is a great tool to develop balance, strength and confidence. I find it fascinating to see how very young children naturally gravitate towards postures (asana) that I regularly practise as an adult; lying on their tummies and lifting the head, chest and shoulders into a cobralike position (Bhujangasana) is often one of the first, and happy baby (Ananda Balasana) reaching to grab their toes when lying on their backs is usually the second. It reaffirms my belief that yoga is so wholeheartedly good for us that we do it intuitively, without being ‘taught’, simply because of the joy of the movement and the way it makes us feel. How cool is that? It’s such a shame that we can lose that joy of uninhibited movement as we grow older but I believe it’s never too late to reconnect to it. Encouraging and joining in with these first natural movements is a great way to start. Toddlers, play and independence
As mobility increases and babies become toddlers, yoga postures can play a vital role in supporting their independence. Downward-facing dog helped my 2-year-old daughter to learn how to move from the floor to standing and, without prompting, she still loves to stretch out in this posture on a regular basis – playing with the movement by adding in sounds (the first stage of controlling our breath) and stories (building up her imagination and emotional intelligence). For toddlers and young children, postures drawn from the natural world such as cat, cow, lion, cobra, dog, butterfly and tree are a fun and accessible way to support the development of both gross and fine motor skills. My experience with toddlers is that it works well to teach new postures in a play environment where anything goes and the child leads the way. So, you might switch from playing with a train set to learning how to make a bridge with your
body for the train to move underneath or adding in some yoga movements with a nursery rhyme rather than trying anything more formal or lengthy. Young Children
Young children are naturally flexible and yoga can help to maintain this as they grow so that their muscles do not become tight as their bones lengthen. Tapping into vivid imaginations is a beautiful way to develop the practice: melting like ice-creams and being as floppy as spaghetti to relax, saluting the sun to wake up and ‘shine’ or sitting stirring magic spells into large pots to develop core strength and co-ordination. As children reach school-age, counteracting the negative effects of sitting becomes vital; movement such as standing tall in mountain pose or finding strength and opening in the warrior postures can help support confidence and a sense of achievement. As a mother, yoga teacher, and always a student, I’m enjoying the process of learning more about yoga for young children. Here are some local teachers and resources that might be of interest if you have little people in your lives: • Baby & Me post-natal yoga with Aquila Dunford Wood in Bridport and Sharon Cox Button in Dorchester • Children’s Yoga at The Tent for children age 3+ with Sarah Higgins in Easter/Summer holidays, Bridport area • Serenity Yoga classes for children age 4-11 years in Bridport, Yeovil and Weymouth • Dorchester Yoga Kids classes for children aged 5-9 years in Dorchester • Online: Cosmic Kids Yoga on You Tube. Yoga, mindfulness and relaxation for children age 3+ Here’s to raising some sparky, resilient and connected little yogis into the world. Alice is a yoga teacher living in Bridport, currently on maternity leave. Her Tuesday night class at The Bull Hotel is being covered by Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher, Kim Mackie. aquilayoga.com dorchesteryoga.co.uk facebook.com/Childrens yoga at the tent facebook.com/Serenityyoga17 kimjoneswellbeing.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 59
Body & Mind
TOUGH LOVE
Caroline Butler BSc (Hons) MNIMH, Medical Herbalist
P
lantain is a hardy plant. Its tough leaves, growing from a basal rosette, can be found throughout the winter, flourishing again in spring and sending up flower spikes from April through to October. Its year-round availability is one of the reasons why it’s such a useful first aid herb for cuts and bruises. Plantain is a common weed, found growing on roadsides as well as in a lusher form in meadows. Its ability to flourish in impacted ground and withstand being walked over has earned it the name 'waybread', as it grows by the wayside of paths. In North America it was called ‘white man’s footprint’ by the native Americans as, wherever the Europeans went, it sprang up behind them. There are two types of plantain mainly used in western herbal medicine, Plantago major, broad-leaved or greater plantain, and Plantago lanceolata, ribwort plantain, which has long, narrow leaves. They can be used interchangeably, although ribwort is more associated with lung problems and the broad-leaved variety with skin and urinary complaints. Both make an excellent rough and ready poultice when you’re out and about. Just pick and crush the leaves (or chew them if you’re not bothered by green spit) and apply them to insect bites, nettle stings, cuts, bruises and mild burns. Plantain is one of the great herbs that have seemingly contradictory abilities, which give them a greater capacity to heal. It has a lot of mucilage, which is slippery and soothing to inflamed areas, but also contains astringent tannins, drying and tightening and having a toning effect. Together these seemingly opposite qualities work to stop bleeding, reduce swelling and promote healing of damaged tissue, aided by its antibacterial properties. Plantain is one of the best ‘drawing’ herbs, drawing out splinters, infection and inflammation. When my youngest daughter was a toddler she caught her finger in a door and, although she seemed fine, the next day her finger was swollen and sore, and obviously infected. I asked a herbalist friend for advice and she told me to 60 | Bridport Times | March 2019
poultice her finger with fresh plantain and give her drop doses of echinacea internally to help her immune system. It was a challenge putting a poultice on a oneand-a-half-year-old’s finger, and I ended up doing it at night when she was asleep, and putting a sock over her hand to keep it on! The infection cleared almost immediately and I had learnt something very useful. Plantain poultices can draw out embedded gravel from grazes, be applied to wounds, ulcers, mild burns, bruises and sprains. Apart from first aid I use plantain mainly for upper respiratory tract catarrh, as it dries up excess mucus while also soothing inflamed sinus and nasal
passages (that dual action again). This could be a runny nose from a cold, inflammation in sinusitis or irritation in hayfever. It’s also a very useful lung herb, helpful to soothe coughs and asthma. In the digestive tract it acts as a wound herb again, stopping bleeding, toning tissue, reducing inflammation, hence it can be used for conditions such as ulcers, IBS or any condition where there is irritation and inflammation. Its cooling, soothing and astringent actions are also useful in urinary infections. The seed of another plantain, Plantago psyllium, is commonly used to improve bowel function. It contains a lot more mucilage than the leaves, acting as soluble
fibre to normalise bowel movements, and reducing pain in inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. To use plantain on skin, either poultice the fresh leaves or add plantain juice or tincture to marshmallow root powder to make a paste and apply that. For coughs, sore throats or an irritated stomach you can mix fresh plantain juice with honey to make a succus and take teaspoon doses of this as needed. I often include dried plantain in tea mixes for a variety of conditions and it works very well. herbalcaroline.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 61
Legal
IN YOUR BEST INTERESTS
M
Stephanie McCulloch, Legal Advisor, Porter Dodson
any of us now know what a Property and Financial Affairs Lasting Power of Attorney is and how it authorises a trusted person to deal with your money and assets if you become unable to. However, we can be mistaken in thinking that a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney is not so important because our next-of-kin know what is best for us and can make decisions and give instructions to health care providers if necessary. The reality is not necessarily so. The Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney affords you peace of mind that the persons you trust are able to make decisions on your behalf relating to all your health and care needs in the eventuality that you are no longer able to make these decisions for yourself. This covers everything from washing, dressing, eating, medical care, care homes and even life sustaining treatment. The life sustaining treatment point is one that most clients find very important when providing instructions for a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney. This sensitive subject is covered separately in the document due to the weight of its importance. You can choose whether you wish to grant your attorneys the authority to be able to give or refuse life sustaining treatment on your behalf. If you have strong views that you would not want to be kept alive artificially, you would be advised to complete a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney and appoint attorneys that are aware of your wishes. In the absence of appointed attorneys with authority to make these decisions on your behalf, the decision will ultimately rest with the doctors. The doctors and other medical professionals must, of course, act ‘in your best interests’ at all times and may deem keeping you alive artificially as so, even if this is contrary to the wishes that may be known to your family. The only way to ensure your family or loved ones have the overall say on this difficult decision is to put in place a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney. In certain extreme circumstances, if you find yourself unable to make your own decisions and there is no Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney in place, your family may have to apply to the Court of Protection in order to be granted the right to be able to make decisions in relation to your health or proposed treatments. This is an expensive, upsetting, long and drawn-out process. Having a Lasting Power of Attorney in place is much like taking out an insurance policy: one hopes it will never be needed but, if your family or loved ones do need to call on it, it really will prove invaluable. porterdodson.co.uk
62 | Bridport Times | March 2019
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Interiors
66 | Bridport Times | March 2019
TAKE A GOOD LOOK Molly Bruce, Interior Designer
W
e have weathered the storms that sometimes brew both outside as well as inside our souls during the winter months. March arrives, bringing with it positivity and expectation as nature explodes into growth. In the world of interior design, new collections of paint, fabric and wallpaper hit the shelves and we are off again – in my case, compulsively dreaming up new design scenarios and colour schemes at home (whether necessary or not!) or for work, overflowing with ideas. When embarking on a creative project, where do we find inspiration? Do we look to others to help steer our path? The high street, home and fashion magazines, or social media? Or do we seek out the unusual, hidden independent shops, or museums, art galleries and such like. One place we often forget to look for inspiration is right under our nose. As we rush about from one place to another going about our business, watching the clock or, sadly more and more these days, our phones, we forget to take stock of what is going on around us. If we take a moment to stop and look up, inspiration is everywhere. I am of course talking about the great outdoors. One has to admit that when it comes to design, mother nature has got it covered. You only have to look at the intricate structure of a spider’s web, a snail shell, a pineapple or flower head to see genius on full display. For generations, designers have drawn inspiration from nature, and its creations continue to influence many contemporary projects: Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona for example, paying homage to a forest bathed in fractured light; Norman Foster’s Gherkin in London, inspired by a type of sea sponge; Nicholas Grimshaw’s Eden Project in Cornwall, making use of the Fibonacci spiral pattern; and the shell-like sphere of Sydney Opera House in Australia, designed by Jorn Utson, to name just a few. When it comes to interiors, the structural shape of a space is just as important and influences the design process. The interior furnishings often reflect our appreciation for all the wonders of nature using natural materials, colour combinations, and the pattern and texture found in all living things.
This is the perfect time of year to step outdoors and look with fresh eyes, so I set you this task: find ten things in your garden or elsewhere that have colour, texture and pattern. The more you look the more you will see. Take a walk in the woods, visit your local fruit and vegetable shop or florist, go down to the bay and study the colour variations on the wet pebbles and the yellow ochre of our magnificent coastline - you will be surprised at the abundance around you. For me this also includes such things as the effects of weather on a rusty old tin roof, the patina on metals and aged wood, and the distressed layers of paint worn off an abandoned shed. All these things can influence our interiors and feed our soul. Imagine a newly decorated room paying homage to the colour combinations found outside: an evening sky, autumn leaves, or the powdery pigment of a moth’s wings. Your favourite reading chair upholstered in a moss green velvet. A collection of shells or photographs from your travels. Houseplants and flowers. Decorative lighting creating atmosphere by highlighting the special features of a space. As nature often leads the way, the colours on trend this year are the earthier pigments. Ever popular pale pinks are added to with a selection of deeper, more sultry, warm clay pink and brown, rusty hues. Honey creams and mustard yellow/orange ochres are named ‘the new magnolia’ while bold and darker greens (natures favourite) take centre stage over the safer tones of sage. Dark blues also show no sign of disappearing and are great for creating a cosy feel in the bedroom or living room, paired with lighter-coloured accessories and warm lighting. All that aside, you get to choose what you like - the possibilities are endless and, who knows, maybe you’ll be the trailblazer for 2020’s colours. So, let us look up and all around, to hunt and gather life’s gifts and take pleasure in the thought that the best things in life are free. mollybruce.co.uk @mollybruceinteriors
bridporttimes.co.uk | 67
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Interiors
A COLOURFUL HISTORY
N
Annabelle Hunt, Colour Consultant, Bridport Timber and Flooring
ostalgia is a powerful marketing tool. Alongside an increased awareness of the environmental impact of importing raw materials and the amount of plastics we use, recently there has been a revival of primitive paints. But are traditional or primitive paints really more environmentally-friendly than modern formulations? Early oil-based paints dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries contained a whole array of toxic substances such as lead, arsenic and mercury. Health and safety precautions were non-existent and the health of workers employed in the manufacturing process was at enormous risk. Even when dry the paint was deadly and, as if this weren’t bad enough, some pigments also had other rather unpleasant qualities. There is perhaps a clue in the name but the smell of Yellow Sulphide of Arsenic got stronger as time went on. Early house painters would buy their raw materials and mix their own paint. White lead was mixed with linseed oil, turpentine was added to loosen it and then it would be tinted with pigments. Not only was this time-consuming but also the paint was difficult to use and coverage could be uneven. It was slow-drying, and the amber-colour of the linseed oil resulted in rather muddy colours which quickly yellowed and became dull. Frequent repainting was needed as the surface was not very durable and would dust off over time. Limewash, or whitewash, is simply lime slaked in water and is an extremely caustic mix. Most often used in outbuildings and simple dwellings, once dry it becomes calcium carbonate and has enormous character and beauty. Soft distemper, containing ground chalk, animal glue and pigment, was also easy to make and apply and was commonly used as a ‘freshener’ for ceilings, kitchens and bedrooms, especially after bouts of sickness. The downside of both paints is that they are not at all durable and must be completely washed off before the surface can be repainted. Development in paint technology was slow and ready-mixed tins of paint only started to come on the 70 | Bridport Times | March 2019
market in the 1850s, however the paint tended to settle to a hard lump at the bottom of the tin. It wasn’t until towards the end of the nineteenth century that several new types of early wipe-clean emulsions, ‘water’ paints or casein-bound distempers became available. Titanium dioxide, a brilliant white which is used in toothpaste, pills and paper manufacture, was widely introduced by the 1930s, but further development was halted during World War II, as the focus shifted to finding sources of pigments for camouflage for the war effort. After the war, ready-mixed paint was limited to colours that had been around since the 1920s. When Farrow & Ball was founded in 1946, demand was still mainly for institutional, standardised colours. With the Great Exhibition of 1951, the release of House & Gardens’ initial twenty-four ‘useful’ colours and a huge rise in interest in DIY and home décor, came the rise of modern, so-called ‘plastic’, paints. These durable and reliable acrylic emulsions were easy to apply and came in myriad colours for the home decorator to choose from. By the early 1990s, the rebranded Farrow & Ball were becoming known for their historical and heritage colours, all made to original formulations (without the poisonous elements), using age-old methods and each with its own intriguing back-story. However, despite being rooted in the past, Farrow & Ball is a forward-thinking, ethicallyminded company, committed to using only responsiblysourced paper and raw materials. All their paints are water-based and so are kinder to the environment than solvent-based paints and less smelly too; they are kinder to your personal environment as well. Rest assured, there is no actual arsenic in Arsenic. But don’t be tempted to think that because a colour is based on a chip of historical paint discovered beneath layers of redecoration at the back of a cupboard in a beautiful old house in Dorset, it can’t be used in completely modern and avant-garde ways. It can. bridporttimber.co.uk
bridporttimes.co.uk | 71
Gardening
SO… SEEDS Will Livingstone, WillGrow
S
eeds in wax paper packets, fresh compost and the emergence of the year’s first seedlings mark the start of spring for the vegetable grower. I live in awe at the power of something so small and its ability to release such energy with a few elemental requirements. The term ‘seed’ is applied to many forms - seed potatoes, which are in fact tubers; sweetcorn, which is a seed enclosed in a husk or shell; and the beloved strawberry, with its seeds on the outside (those ‘seeds’ are actually fruits called achenes). Regardless of horticultural quandary, seeds are the essential starting point of growing your own food. The variety of seeds available to the home grower far outnumbers the choice of produce available in even the best farm shops and allows us to be creative with colour and taste. I believe it’s the responsibility of the home gardener to grow and save at least some of their own seed. Large seed companies corner the market and control what we should grow, so it’s essential that we save and swap seed to keep old and interesting varieties alive. There are some fantastic companies growing and selling real seeds and some great initiatives for seed-saving co-ops across the UK. Seeds that are ‘native’ to your area will usually perform better than generic hybrid seeds grown en masse; they build up a genetic memory over time, adapting specifically to their environment. Quality of seed can vary, so it’s worth cataloguing seeds that germinated well and seed growers that supplied you with healthy, viable stock. I favour open-pollinated seed, as opposed to F1 (hybrid) seed. Hybridised seed contains genetic material from two parent plants, resulting in vigorous growth in the first year, but seeds saved from F1 plants will not grow true to type. You may get some interesting genetic throwbacks but ultimately you won’t be able to grow the same strong plant you had in the first growing season. Open-pollinated varieties grow true year on year. Once you have purchased or saved your seeds, it is important to store them correctly. Seeds should be stored indoors, in dark, dry conditions; this ensures viability in coming years and saves buying new every season. Most seeds, if stored well, should last two to three years but some, parsnip and agretti seeds for example, will need
72 | Bridport Times | March 2019
to be bought every year. It is wise to buy only what you need so you don’t have too much left over. Seeds have four simple requirements for successful germination: warmth, light, oxygen and moisture. The success of your vegetable patch hangs on getting this right. However, it really is quite simple. It is important to sow your seeds at the right time of year, naturally providing the right amount of light and temperature for your seeds to grow. Sowing conditions are usually indicated on the seed packet, although in some cases they require a little interpretation rather than strict adherence. I experiment every year with sowing times, referring to my diary and adjusting according to last year’s results. Watering is the bit that is easy to get wrong - too wet and the seed will rot, not enough and it won’t imbibe and germinate. Keep the soil damp, not sopping, don’t let it dry out and ensure that your pots and trays are free-draining. ‘How deep do I sow my seeds?’ is a common question. The answer is mainly down to common sense - I sow tiny seeds straight on the surface with a thin layer of sieved compost or vermiculite over top, and larger seeds at a depth of roughly three times their size. This is a loose guideline; you will find sowing becomes second nature with practice. This applies to both indoor and outdoor seed sowing. I sometimes multi-sow two seeds per module or pot, and, once germinated, select the strongest seedling, weeding out the other; this is a good method to use for plants that you find difficult to germinate. I would always recommend sowing into a seed compost rather than a multi-purpose one, as it has a finer consistency and contains just the right amount of nutrients required for initial growth. Once your seeds are sown, avoid watering overhead with a watering can as this can dislodge your careful sowing. Instead, simply place your seed tray/pot in a water bath and let capillary action naturally draw water up the compost to the roots, avoiding disturbance. willgrow.co.uk @willgrow
bridporttimes.co.uk | 73
Gardening
THE GOOD LIFE
I
Charlie Groves, Groves Nurseries
t should hardly be a surprise that gardening is good for both the body and mind - but have you ever stopped to think about all of the health benefits? This year we have teamed up with the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) who have been researching the ways in which a spell in the garden keeps us healthy. There are the obvious exercise benefits, the health benefits of growing your own and also the therapeutic benefits that come simply from nurturing something that grows into a beautiful or useful item. If you still feel you need some more convincing to get out in the garden, here are a few more benefits that cannot be overlooked. Reduce the risk of strokes - According to The British Medical Journal, gardening can help reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke, and in people 60+ it can help prolong life by as much as 30%. A study by researchers in the Netherlands found that gardening may reduce the stress hormone cortisol in the brain, high levels of which can increase a person’s weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Lose weight and exercise - Keep fit or get fit and burn up calories. An hour of simple gardening could help you burn 330 calories, and a 3- or 4-hour session burns up as many calories as you would in an hour in the gym – and it’s free! Relieve that stress - Gardening can be good for you as it helps to release endorphins, the hormone that helps to make people feel satisfied and relaxed. Concentrating on sowing seeds, digging, pruning or planting in the outdoors, being in touch with nature, helps you forget day-to-day worries. Improve your immune system and reduce the risk of osteoporosis - An advantage of being out in the sun is that it can help you absorb plenty of vitamin D. This can help your body to absorb calcium which, in turn, can help keep your bones strong and your immune system healthy, decreasing the risk of osteoporosis. Grow your own 5-a-day - We are what we eat so eating food that’s harvested at its peak, rather than food that’s picked unripe for easier transport, gives 74 | Bridport Times | March 2019
more nutrients as well as helping the planet and being cheaper. Studies have also shown that people are more likely to eat their 5-a-day if they grow their own. Get creative - Gardening releases our creativity, often without us even realising it: planning the garden for the year or the season, choosing flower colours and plant combinations etc. Healthy activity for children - Gardening gets families outdoors and off computers, helping children to learn about nature and wildlife, about where food comes from and about the limits of natural resources and the importance of using them carefully, as well as teaching
life skills, providing exercise, and improving confidence. Reduce loneliness - Gardening connects people. When you are gardening, it’s a perfect time to socialise with your neighbours and share and swap the fruits of your labour. Dementia - One study following a group of people in their 60s and 70s for 16 years found that those who gardened regularly had between a 36% – 47% lower risk of developing dementia compared to non-gardeners. Responsibility - Maintaining your garden and keeping your plants alive is a great responsibility. This could be beneficial for those with mental health issues
or those just looking for self-worth and purpose, and of course for children. Well, I really hope that’s convinced a few nongardeners to give it a go this year, to have fun and keep healthy, to enjoy the produce you grow and to get pleasure from the beautiful plants in your own little bit of paradise. Look out for our Gardening Is Good For You (#gigfy) themes in store, in our restaurant and on our social channels for more hints and tips for getting out there and enjoying yourself this year. grovesnurseries.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 75
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Philosophy
MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
T
Kelvin Clayton
he way we view and understand our relationship with non-human animals has changed much over the centuries. Whilst I suspect that a residual amount of the attitude expressed in the Book of Genesis still lingers, the one that gives us “dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth�, we now have strong animal rights and animal welfare movements. However, when it comes to explaining why we support or reject any of these, and a multiplicity of other positions, finding a solid argument on which to base our view proves difficult to find, as we discovered at a recent Philosophy in Pubs meeting. The claim that animals have rights, whilst passionately held by its many advocates, is particularly difficult to justify. The main issue here is the need to explain where these rights came from and how we discover what they are. Some would argue that some kind of natural law applies, and that either God or evolution has given certain rights to certain animals. Rationally, or scientifically, such rights are very problematic to uncover. One response would be to place the moral emphasis onto humans and argue that we have a duty to respect animals and give them moral consideration. But, whilst such a position often feels intuitively correct, the problem of uncovering exactly what this duty is, and where it comes from, remains. Another response would be to argue that humans agree to confer rights upon certain (or all animals) in the same way that we have agreed there are certain basic human rights. Whilst this approach seems to me more plausible, it still presents problems. Which animals, for example, have rights? It is surely difficult to justify conferring the same rights on a rat and great ape. But by what criteria do we decide? And, why? And to what extent do you apply the right to life, for example? If marooned on some island with no usable plant food, would we be expected to starve ourselves to death rather than kill and eat another animal? Advocates of the animal welfare position usually approach the problems from a utilitarian perspective. The argument here is that our behaviour towards other animals is justified if the total amount of good produced by our actions exceeds the total amount of harm or suffering caused. This is, of course radically different from the rights perspective, which says that causing suffering to other animals is wrong, end of. My main issue with such an approach, however, involves the calculation of good and harm caused. This seems to me to be an impossible task. So, how do we place our relationship to other animals on a firm footing? Philosophy in Pubs is a grass-roots community organisation promoting and practising community philosophy in the UK. Discussions take place regularly in venues around the country. Anyone can attend and anyone can propose a topic for discussion. The Bridport group meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month in The George Hotel, South Street at 7.30pm. Attending the discussion is free and there is no need for any background knowledge of philosophy. All that’s required is an open mind and a desire to examine issues more closely than usual. For further details, email Kelvin Clayton at kelvin.clayton@icloud.com
78 | Bridport Times | March 2019
Literature
LITERARY REVIEW Esmeralda Voegele-Downing, The Bookshop
You Know You Want This by Kristen Roupenian (Gallery/Scout Press, 2019) RRP: £12.99 Bridport Times reader price of £11.50 available only from The Book Shop, South Street
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risten Roupenian’s debut collection of short stories hurts and heals in equal measures, and at unpredictable moments. Not often does an author do so well to hone in like a missile on your own unspoken imaginings and fears, or to display your paranoias and sneaking suspicions so brazenly that you, yourself, feel exposed. You Know You Want This boasts a wide world of stories, ranging from the surreal and supernatural (The Night Runner, Scarred) to the homely and familiar (The Boy In The Pool, The Good Guy, Look at Your Game, Girl) - and that is not to diminish the latter as anything in the slightest platitudinous. At the heart of this book are themes of gender, monstrosity, and the in-between: each is contextualised such that they can react together in the most unlikely of places. Take, say, an office block in which meek, invisible Ellie obsessively fantasises about biting her co-worker until a prison sentence would become unavoidable. In this story, Biter, as in all Roupenian’s stories, we are engaged in a dance of curiosity and repulsion and, worst of all, a certain knowingness. In Look at Your Game, Girl, we see a girl coming into adolescence in the 1990s, preyed upon by a loner much older than herself, who notes her appreciation of Axl Rose but really thinks she’d like Charles Manson a lot better. If you weren’t a young girl in the ‘90s don’t worry, because the terror Roupenian manages to concoct with a passing comment, a child’s rampant imagination, is universally relatable. That said, the crackling flirtations, perverse fantasies
and shocking appetites many of her characters exhibit enliven the pages with a giddy sense of recklessness and mania. It’s a moreish combination. You Know You Want This presents horror through the lens of mundanity, with a sense of estrangement proportional to that of intimacy. It has the deliciously grotesque ability to draw pain from pleasure and vice versa. You’ll squirm reading Cat Person, the account of a woman’s fledgling romance built on her own ideals that beautify the man in front of her, which ends inevitably in the sort of catastrophe that you’d relish your friend giving you all the gory details about. In The Matchbox Sign, a couple cope with a mysterious sickness that plagues one half, gaslighting ensues, concerns of gender versus credibility rise, surrender looms, and then a twist the size of John Carpenter’s critical accolades leaves you utterly speechless. The Boy In The Pool follows a bachelorette party and a bridesmaid who enlists the bride’s decadeold crush: an actor from a cult movie the friends once watched at sleepovers. In this one, Roupenian demonstrates that she doesn’t rely on the paranormal to work wonders but instead can install the tiniest social niceties with surprising subtext. This book is completely unsuitable for children, it is a fantastic feast for only older teens and adults. Pick up this book. The stories haunt and scintillate you and, honestly, what more could you want? dorsetbooks.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 79
Literature
MARCH An excerpt from The South Country, by Edward Thomas, (Little Toller Books 2009) RRP: £12.00
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Acutely sensitive to rhythms of the countryside, Edward Thomas’s lyrical, passionate, and sometimes political writing merges natural history with folk culture, and gives us a freeform record of the feelings and observations of one of the great poets of the English language.
ext day the wind has flown and the snow is again almost rain: there is ever a hint of pale sky above, but it is not as luminous as the earth. The trees over the road have a beauty of darkness and moistness. Beyond them the earth is a sainted corpse, with a blue light over it that is fast annihilating all matter and turning the landscape to a spirit only. Night and the snow descend upon it, and at dawn the nests are full of snow. The yews and junipers on a league of Downs are chequered white upon white slopes, and the green larches support cirrus clouds of snow. In the garden the daffodils bend criss-cross under snow that cannot quite conceal the yellow flowers. But the snow has ceased. The sky is at first pale without a cloud and tender as from a long imprisonment; it deepens in hue as the sun climbs and gathers force. The crooked paths up the Downs begin to glitter like streaks of lightning. The thrushes sing. From the straight dark beeches the snow cannot fall fast enough in great drops, in showers, in masses that release the boughs with a quiver and a gleam. The green leaves close to the ground creep out, and against them the snow is blue. A little sighing wind rustles ivy and juniper and yew. The sun mounts, and from his highest battlement of cloud blows a long blast of light over the pure land. Once more the larch is wholly green, the beech rosy brown with buds. A cart goes by all a-gleam with a load of crimson-sprouting swedes and yellow-sprouting mangolds that seem to be burning through the net of snow above them. Down each side of every white road runs a stream that sings and glitters in ripples like innumerable crystal flowers. Water drips and trickles and leaps and gushes and oozes everywhere, and extracts the fragrance of earth and green and flowers under the heat that hastens to undo the work of the snow. The air is hot and wet. The snow is impatient to be water again. It still makes a cape over the briers and brambles, and there is a constant drip and steam and song of drops from the crossing branches in the cave below. Loud sounds the voice of leaf and branch and imprisoned water in the languor and joy of their escape. On every hand there is a drip of gush and ooze of water, a crackle and rustle and moan of plants and trees unfolding and unbending and greeting air and light; a close, humid, many-perfumed host; wet gloom and a multitudinous glitter; a movement of water and of the shadows like puffs of smoke that fleet over the white fields under the clouds. And over and through it a cuckoo is crying and crying, first overhead, then afar, and gradually near and retreating again. He is soon gone, but the ears are long afterwards able to extract the spirit of the song, the exact interval of it, from among all the lasting sounds, until we hear it as clearly as before, out of the blue sky, out of the white cloud, out of the shining grey water. It is a word of power – cuckoo! The melting of the snow is faster than ever, and at the end of the day there is none left except in some hollows of the Downs on the slopes behind the topmost of the beeches that darkly fringe the violet sky. In the misty shutting of the light there are a thousand songs laced by cuckoos’ cries and the first hooting of owls, and the beeches have become merely straight lines of pearl in a mist of their own boughs. Below them, in the high woods, goes on the fall of the melting snow through the gloomy air, and the splash on the dead leaves. This gloom and monotonous sound make an exquisite cloister, visited but not disturbed by the sound of the blackbirds singing in the mist of the vale underneath. Slowly the mist has deepened from the woods to the vale and now the eye cannot see from tree to tree. Then the straight heavy rain descends upon the songs and the clatterings of blackbirds, and when they are silenced the moorhen’s watery hoot announces that the world belongs to the beasts and the rainy dark until tomorrow. littletoller.co.uk
80 | Bridport Times | March 2019
Wood engraving by Eric Fitch Daglish bridporttimes.co.uk | 81
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