The picture I've been chasing....The Bumps!

I've been trying to capture the peaks of North Wales on camera since I arrived here! It's proven to be a very elusive shot, as often when they are as clear as anything with the naked eye, the camera just doesn't pick them up. The furthest point that you can see is actually over 40 miles away as the crow flies across the Irish Sea.

Locally, they say that if the 'islands' are visible then it's going to rain within two days. They really do come and go though, sometimes you don't see them for weeks, and suddenly one evening they are amazingly clear, evenings and late afternoons are a good time to spot them, the light must be right then. Oddly they were all very clear all day when it snowed! Guess they were lighter than the sky?

Only one of the 'bumps' is actually an island. Bardsey - the furthest to the left when they are visible (not in this picture). Then we have the various hills in the Lleyn Peninsular, then the peaks of the Snowdonia Range, which are seen a lot less often. On a really clear day you can see the whole sweep of the bay right up from here, round past Aberaeron, Aberystwyth and all the way round to Bardsey. This picture shows some of the Lleyn, and Snowdonia, with Snowdon itself far right, with the sort of triple peak at the top.

This picture was taken from one of the farm camp sites near us, and they are at a slightly different angle to Cardigan Bay than the back lane where we usually see the 'bumps' as we call them. at about 8.30pm the sky was light just behind the peaks, so for once the camera has captured them!

Strawberry Jam!

For the first time ever, we've had enough strawberries to make strawberry jam with our own fruit! A few times last year we picked quite a few, but they all got eaten pretty much straight away. This year they've come through in small batches, and not been quite so 'perfect' probably because of the dry spell, so it didn't feel quite so sacrilegious to make jam. I've kind of given up with using small jars to pot up jams and chutney, so tend to use these bigger kilner jars now, I find them easier to wash up and store in the store cupboard and then in the fridge when they've been opened. I usually do a smaller spare jar too when I sterilise for any 'overflow' and if I fill both of those I stick the rest in a ramekin or another unsterilised jar and we use it straight away.

First batch (on the left) I made the 'traditional' way, and threw in the 15 gooseberries that had set the bushes this year - it's the first year they have fruited so wasn't expecting much of a crop, and I also put in the contents of a pink grapefruit, to help the set, you can't taste either in the finished product. It did set OK, strawberry jam can be tricky to get to reach setting point, but for the second batch, to make sure, I bought jam sugar, which has apple pectin added. I've never used it before, and was really surprised at the short processing time. Once the jam has come to the boil it gets just four minutes at a bubbling boil, and that's all. You must then pot it straight away.

It certainly keeps a fresh colour in the jam (jars on the right) but I thought the texture a little bit odd. It tastes very fresh and fruity though, but I am wondering if the short boiling will affect the keeping properties? Not that anything tasty lasts long in this house!

I only had blackberry and apple jam from last autumn to offer the guests as home-made, so it will be nice to have something else to offer, and as the growing season marches forward, I hope there will be some other fruit about to make jam with.

Kate

Can I canoe you up the river....

NEVER let it be said that I don't do my market research....Yesterday, I went out to play with cardiganbayactive .

I was asked by some people coming in August if there was any outdoor activities in the area, and after a quick look on the internet, I conacted CBA to ask if they had a daily programme running over the summer? Oh and by the way, as they outsourced accomodation, would they like some of my cards? They came straight back and invited me to an event (Monday) to try some of their activities myself. Object of the exercise was to build links with some of the local accomodation providers, and hopefully manage to exchange some business between us. After a cup of tea and chat, we decided that we would start the day with canoeing.

Canoeing up the Teifi from the wildlife centre was absolutely magical, we went across a small set of rapids, and continued upstream for a while to one of the deepest parts of the river, where the water was so still, the steep sides of the valley and trees were mirrored in the water. There are otters in the river, unfortunately we didn't see any yesterday, but we did see a magnificent pair of herons and four red kites circling overhead. Turning and coming down stream, was a lot faster ride and we shot through the rapids this time, before returning to Cardigan for lunch.

In the afternoon, the choice of activities were sea kayaking, or coasteering. I REALLY wasn't sure that I was up to coasteering, but was persuaded to give it a go, after being promised that they wouldn't make me jump off anything, or do anything I didn't feel comfortable with. We headed off to Ceibwr Bay, nr Moylgrove, which is just over the 'border' in Pembrokshire. I've never been there before and it is a fantasic place, with wonderful geology and wild flowers.

It was quite cool by then and the sea was a lot choppier than I would normally venture into, but suitably kitted out in a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and a helmet, and with bucket loads of bravado I set off into the waves after the very capable Fiona! It soon became apparent that I really HAD bitten off more than I could chew. To be honest after the mornings activities I was quite tired, and a couple of small attempted scrambles, and wave dunkings later I told her that I couldn't do any more. The sea kept knocking me off my feet, and I was slipping and sliding all over the place on the seaweed. I felt that if I'd gone on any further I would have been a complete liability to get safely back to dry land - as it was she ended up towing me to shore floating on my back, as I simply couldn't stand up! She took me back to the cars, and I sent her and the other novice coasteer back to carry on, while I dried off. I still LIKE the idea of pootling about the bottom of the cliffs in the sea, inspecting the normally inaccessible crevices and stuff...but unless it's a nice hot day and the sea is like a mill pond, I think I should leave it to the young and fit!

Anyway upshot of all this is that there WILL be a weekly program of events from cardiganbayactive all through the summer months, everything from family stuff to more challenging adult sessions, so if anyone comes to stay here, I should be able to advise them what is running, and give them a code to book on with that will give them a £5 per person discount. Simples.

Kate

Elderflower Cordial

The Elderflowers are a bit late this year...but not to worry! But I spotted the other day that the biggest Elder tree around here got there in the end, and I've started off the first batch of Elderflower Cordial. (That's it steeping in the a brewing bucket in the picture above)

It's so simple to make, and such a wonderful summer drink topped up with fizzy water. Being able to make stuff like this from foraged ingredients is one of the reasons we wanted to move out of London (Not that there is any shortage of Elder there!) I did go on some guided forage walks last year, which were most informative, but I've not had a lot of time to make use of some of the local 'wild harvest' yet.

One of the things I wanted to try making, was candied Alexanders, as I tried some last year and it was delicious. Having positively ID'd it with an expert, I now know there is a huge bank of it growing along the road out of Gwbert back into the village. Alexanders is the same family as Angelica, and Parsley...but is most commonly served as a vegetable. It was fantastic candied, like the most fragrant and aromatic Angelica ever.

A guided beach forage identified which of the seaweeds growing at Poppit Sands is Laver, and also that there is no poisionous seaweed in the UK, which is useful to know! However to make a pot of Laverbread, the traditional Welsh delicacy you'd need a huge amount, and it has to be boiled for hours to make it turn into the dark green goo that you can buy in Tesco off fresh the fish counter...So I guess mostly I'll be doing that. Penclwydd is in Gower, which is where the Laver is harvested, so it's a genuine Welsh product, even if it does come from Tesco. We tried several seaweeds on the forage, and someone had made some 'sushi' sheets from Laver (it's the same family as Nori) and cooked some winkles on the beach in several ways...tempura winkles were the best!

I'm offering guests that stay here for a few days a choice of breakfast, and the opportunity to try Laverbread if they want to. I make mine with oatmeal, mixing with the prepared seaweed into small cakes, which are then traditionally fried in bacon fat. I really like it, and of course it's packed with vitamins and trace elements, so incredibly good for you! (Apart from the being fried in bacon fat bit)

Other 'wild' foods we've used since we've been here are nettles, which made a fantastic bright green pesto (that was a James Wong Recipe) and Wild Garlic in a quiche. I'm trying to get some Wild Garlic growing in the garden here, so I have it to hand, and it's a pretty plant too. We've also made some salads with various wild additions, we have Wall Pennywort growing locally, and Jack-in-the-hedge or Garlic Mustard.



Recipe for Elderflower Cordial.

Makes a little over 2L of cordial to be diluted.

20 heads of Elderflowers, newly opened are best, and try to choose ones without insects.
3 Sliced lemons (used unwaxed or organic ones)
3lb granulated white sugar
2 1/2 oz citric acid (can be bought from homebrew suppliers)
2 1/2 pints of boiling water
1/2 campden tablet (Also from homebrew shops)


Place elderflowers in a large container (I usually make a triple batch of this in a brewing bucket) Add the sliced lemons, and sugar, and citric acid and pour over the boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Cover and leave for five days, stirring morning and evening each day.

Strain into another large container, through a sieve lined with muslin and add another crushed campden tablet (this helps to preserve it and stop it fermenting) Bottle in clean bottles which have been sterilised with a brewing sterilising powder like VWP.

Wine bottles look nicest and can have arty handmade labels added, which makes them a nice gift, but plastic 2l fizzy drinks bottles are fine!

We have pictures!

I've got the pictures back from the framer and they are now hanging on the wall in the guest room, and I must say I'm very pleased with them.

There was lots of debate here about what was going on the wall in the guest room! Originally I wanted work by local artists...but at the ridiculous prices some 'originals' were going for that wasn't going to happen. Then there was the 'having your cake and eating it' rant from OH about limited edition 'prints' that were actually photographs of originals, and not 'prints' at all! (Ex art student *eye roll*)

Next we considered local photographs, and my mother, a keen wildlife photographer, had actually taken a fabulous picture of some seaweed on a rock down at Gwbert which would have made a stunning picture... I thought it would look fantastic on a texured 'canvas effect' box frame - OH vetoed 'canvas effect' and in the end I admitted defeat, as I wanted more than one picture, and frankly there wasn't another as good as Mum's seaweed in the amongst the other photo's we had!

Shortly before we opened, minus pictures, I put some stuff away in a cupboard and discovered a number of pictures we already HAD, that we'd brought with us when we moved and ran out of wall space for. With the addition of another I'd picked up recently in the Antiques Centre in Newcastle Emlyn, I though there were actually the makings of some nice pictures already in the house. Two of them WERE original etchings that Mum had bought us when our kids were small, One of some ducks in a farmyard, and another small picture of a hedgehog. There were two 'antique' book plates that had been hand coloured, of wallflowers and of a Buzzard, both things that we have here locally... So I kind of thought we had a bit of a theme going. Only problem was a couple of the frames were a bit dated, and all the mounting mats were different colours.

I mentioned that I was thinking of using the Ducks picture to Mum, and she send me a link to ANOTHER by the same artist up for sale on E-bay, of Badgers this time, VERY much a 'local' wildlife theme and close to my heart! Of course I put in a bid, which I 'won' at the original asking price, so that kind of settled the decision. Etchings are by Laura Boyd

I finally decided to have the whole lot framed to match, to be a bit more coherent, and I think they work really well with the colour scheme in the room, and we still have a British wildlife/rural 'theme' going on! The whole lot ended up costing me less than half what some of the 'limited edition' prints going locally were selling for (and I got more space in the cupboard!)

Kate

Starting to get a few bookings coming in now...

Starting to get a few bookings coming in now...which is very exciting!

Despite the fact that you know the area is a popular holiday destination, and that everyone says you are in a great spot for B&B, there was a moment then when everything was finished when I thought 'OH! Supposing no one ever comes?'

The advert on Walestouristsonline has generated three bookings in as many weeks - so was a good choice for the ad it seems.

Today the 2011 Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Good Beach Guide is out and all the local beaches have great scores on water quality...some marks down for some for not having lifeguards, but some of us just like to enjoy beaches by sitting and watching, and soaking up the scenery. In any case our two most local beaches, Mwnt which is walking distance, and Poppit Sands(a 15 min drive) both pick up a 'recommended' award!

It's been really windy here for the last few days...but as always it's amazing to watch the sky change, the light over the hills alters as patches of sun come through, and the cloud formations are constantly shifting. Becase we have such huge vistas from the house, we are able to see the pockets of rain coming (and going) so we can judge a good time to take the dogs for a walk! My dogs do NOT walk in rain, they say it's not in the contract! (Never heard of a Staffie yet who will walk in rain!)

It must be nearly time to plant out the courgette plants, that are currently in the conservatory. Surely we must be past the last frost? My neighbour who has a market garden just up the road, gave me a few fat courgettes yesterday! (But hers are in polytunnels!!! They have a head start!) We've caught up with the gardening after the big push to get the B&B finished, so later in the year we will have some veg of our own - thank goodness. Plenty of our own eggs now though! Time to look out some inventive egg recipes.

Kate

Everything is coming out....

Amazing down the back lanes this weekend. Everything is out! The Campion, and bluebells, with a back-drop of gorse and the sea is amazing. We've noticed that there are bluebells in new places this year, and are wondering if some years are just 'better' than others for certain plants. We don't remember seeing them on the cliffs before, but there are big patches, so they must have been there for a while. The swallows are back too. They nest in the loo's down at Mwnt Beach!

The butterflies have started to appear... We've seen orange tips for the first time this week, quite a few of them, and a couple of other kinds of butterflies about but it's hard to catch them still enough to make a positive ID, let alone get a photograph!

We had our first B&B guests this weekend too, which was lovely. They were very complimentary about the room and opted to try the Welsh delicacy laverbread with their breakfast. Laver is the same seaweed family as Nori the sushi seaweed. We buy it here, ready prepared on the fresh fish counter. 'Prepared' means boiled for hours. It comes as a green goo in a little tub and there are various ways of serving it. Sometimes it's just served as 'hot goo' which doesn't appeal to me, and some who have tried it like that have vowed 'never again!' I mix it with oatmeal until it can be formed into little patties...traditionally they are then fried in bacon fat, but I usually opt for olive oil.

I also have eggs coming out of my ears at the moment...the chookies are all in full egg laying swing, need more guests!!! We've fought our way through two massive quiches I made this weekend, AND had scrambled eggs for dinner tonight! Need to think of new and inventive things to do with eggs!