Nippers

With all the Olympics going on, we felt we should continue the theme with a 'sporty' blog today! This is North Devon's weekly mini-olympics for our kids...

Surf Life Saving is an international organisation for 8 - 13 year olds, known as 'Nippers'. There are many Nipper clubs across the UK and the world. We hadn't come across them until we moved to Devon and then discovered there are 4 clubs in North Devon; Croyde, Woolacombe, Saunton and Bideford. We decided to join the Croyde Surf Life Saving Club, being our most local (and the best, of course!). 

We have 3 members of the Pickwell Family who love Nippers and go along twice a week; Zac, Molly and Liza. Zac has been a member for 2 years, and Molly and Liza started this year. Steve and Richard are adult members (more on that in a future blog post).

In the Summer, Nippers meet twice a week on Croyde beach. We all meet at the hut next to the national trust car park to sign in, get in to our groups, collect boards and then head down to the beach. Once there, everyone has to do a warm up run across the beach and back, before starting games and activities in the water and on the beach.

The children are taught about safety in the sea, how to cope in different conditions, what rip tides are, how to duck dive waves, how to wade, how to swim in the surf, how to body surf and how to ride and race on paddle boards. It really is great fun and the kids love it. Parents get involved and get in the water too. Sometimes you wonder who is enjoying it more? The adults or the children?!

There are 5 opportunities to compete in Nippers competitions throughout the year. The Devon Pool and the National Pool championships, the Devon Beach and the National Beach competitions, and the Goldcoast.

This years Devon Beach competition was held at Putsborough and Zac and Molly both took part.

Competitors have to wear their club hat - black and orange are Croyde's colours. If you think Zac looks funny, you should see it when the adults have to wear them for their competitions! Hilarious! Steve whipped his off before i could see and take a picture...boo...probably good for our marriage though on the bright side:)

The events range from swimming, paddle board races and relays to beach runs, relays and 'flags'. Flags are my favourite thing. Everyone has to lie down in a line facing away from the flag (which is a bit of wood or pipe they stick in the sand) then on the whistle they have to jump up, turn around and run to grab a flag. Its a bit like a beach version of musical chairs. Each round there is one less flag so 1 person goes out.  

The Pickwell gang ended up bringing home 2 silvers and 2 bronze medals. Well done guys! Obviously its all about the taking part and not the winning ;)

Overall at this particular competition Croyde came in 3rd place, behind Saunton and Woolacombe. At the end of August we go to Portreath for the Nationals. 

Come on Croyde!

The Shack

Hiding down our driveway is our gorgeous Shack.

It didn't used to look like this when it was a tractor shed!

We just always felt that with a view like this out of the window, it was a bit wasted on a lawn mower! 

So we made it dry  

and warm

and covered it with wood

and made it pretty.

We can now proudly present (well, as of Easter, ahem)

Our Games Room / Surf shack / laundry room. But how is this possible all within that space? You may well ask..

This is the interior of the Games Room.

We have a fabulous new table-tennis table,

complete with a selection of bats and balls;

a den building kit, with instructions, for you to take into the garden and create yourself;

a lego area for those who are partial;

oodles of toys in labelled baskets;

and for those with artistic flair

there are lots of colouring things to enjoy.

For the active, or those children who need more wearing out than others, try these 'nature spotting packs'. 

There are all sorts of things to discover in our adventurous garden.

and as if that wasn't enough,

there is a treasure hunt, a hedgehog hunt, a flower press 

AND a pirate Island activity that involves designing and decorating your own flag 

 then finding our secret island in the wood, claiming it as your own, and hoisting up your flag on the enormous pole!

After all that lot you might just want to collapse in a comfy armchair 

gaze at some calming Dick Bruna artwork

and read a book!

You see the door on the far right hand side? That is where the laundry is!

This is the other side of the Laundry, if you were accessing it from the outside.

I think my two favourite spaces in the whole of Pickwell 

are Amity and our Laundry!

Can you see why?

 I found these gorgeous, 'shabby chic' style tiles as a work-top, and they seem to go so well with the wood. 

Its only small but..

I think it has a really calming effect on you as soon as you walk in.

The smell of the fresh washing may also have something to do with the ambience too?

We have put some washing lines up, and boy, your clothes should dry quickly here.

Behind the Laundry and accessed from the drive is our Surf Shack.

This is a great space for boards/wetsuits/bikes and beach equipment. We have also put some bits and bobs in there for you to borrow while you are here.

Just outside the Shack is a brilliant recepticle for rinsing off those salty wetsuits before you hang them up to dry. 

 So. There you have it. The full guided tour of our little shack. We really enjoyed this project and i have to give lots of thanks and big up whoop whoop (i actually still think i am 16) to Mrs Tracey Elliott, as it was down to her hard work that all the Games Room activities came into being. Nice one Trace (hope you're enjoying France!) x

Delicious Elderflower Cordial

Before the last of the elderflowers disappear, we have just managed to squeeze in a final batch of elderflower cordial. I thought I would share the recipe and a few pics in case anyone else fancied giving this delicious seasonal delight a go.

Millie-Grace  picking the elderflowers..... it seems like we have had a bumper crop this year.

The girls with 10 elderflower heads ready to go. Amazingly Molly joined in with the picking whilst wearing roller blades!

The ingredients are such wonderful colours with the yellow of the lemons and the white of the flowers. The smell is heavenly too!

Chop 3/4 lemons and peel the zest (I added in a lime as I found it lurking in the fruit bowl). Squeeze the lemon pieces as you put them into the pan and add the zest too.

Then in goes 1.5 lbs of sugar....

and 1.5 pints of boiling water.

Give it all a stir, put the lid on and leave it somewhere cool to steep for 48 hours. Next sterilise your glass bottles ready for the cordial. The easiest way to sterilise the bottles is to put them in the dishwasher.......but make sure you time it right to put the cordial into the bottles whilst they are still warm/hot.

To preserve the cordial I added 1oz of citric acid, which I purchased from our local brewing shop in Barnstaple called 'Brewing at Home'.

After 48 hours sieve the mixture through some muslin into a jug and then pour it into the sterilised bottles. Here is our finished product....yum!! We like to mix it with sparkling water as it makes such a wonderfully refreshing drink.....however it never lasts long in our house as it is far too scrummy. Enjoy!

Pete and Ursula are finally wed!

Our house and gardens are looking lovely at the moment.

We hold all our 'pre-wedding' meetings over the Winter so when the couple comes back for their wedding (which are only held in May-July and September) they are always taken aback at how beautiful everything is.

The lawn was cut, the strimming done, the roses pruned...

even our smoking area was looking lovely!

We were ready for the arrival of Pete and Ursula.

and boy did they bring a LOT of stuff! Ursula had been shopping...

This was the gorgeous card box. Note the butterfly theme.

The wedding colours were teal and gold. 

Ursula had bought the butterflies and threaded them into the wreath, along with the blue flowers.

The teal sashes on the chairs gave the room a lift. Craig (a potential son-in-law) was given the job of hanging gold hearts on all the lights

and blue flowers too. (i think he passed the test...Craig - now is a good time to propose ;))

Ursula had bought all sorts of things over the last year and personally sprayed them all gold!

Including these impressive candelabras. 

Here is the woman herself (still in pyjamas!) decorating the chairs.

I'm not sure anyone else has done this with the chairs before, this is a Pickwell first!

Take a look at this cake. This was the last time the cake looked like this...

Firstly, friends Paul and Ian decided to make the Groom more representative of how he actually looks...So they gave him a nice, neat bald patch (made out of icing)

As the night wore on and the drinks flowed, the cake people took on various guises..

this was the most 'polite' one i can publish. The others are on my *other blog ;)

Apparently Ursula and her sisters were trying to shield their lovely parents from seeing too many of the choice positions. 

Luckily both were present and correct for the time it really mattered.

Our chef Lee, did another fantastic job. The wedding breakfast was a delicious bbq 

with a whole range of

gorgeous looking salads 

and fresh, crusty bread.

The tables were laid very simply just as the Bride requested for the bbq lunch. Later in the day, Lee served up plump bacon sandwiches followed by pancakes with a range of very naughty fillings.

Ursula had designed some special napkins to have through the day with their name and wedding date.

The gold candelabras in the middle and sprinkles in the colour scheme tied it all together.

The weather forecast of torrential rain over Devon somehow missed us as  

guests (these handsome fellows are the Groom's sons and nephews) were able to spend the afternoon outside, playing croquet and tennis and drinking champagne.

The first dance kicked off the nights dancing and with the dulcet tones of 'the Soulman',

banging out 80's hit after 80's hit, the floor was always full. 

Guests were then treated to a wonderful rendition of 'At Last' by Etta James sung by the Bride to her Groom. He certainly seemed to enjoy it!

The Grease number 'You're the one that i want' ended the night on a high.

Ursula and Peter - i hope your married life is as colourful and bright and hilarious as your wedding weekend x

(Thank you to the wonderfully talented photographer Pete Cox for the more professional pics!)

A wonderful walk to a secret water mill

What a find we had on Sunday! After picking up a leaflet in the butcher's shop about a working watermill and tea room we had never heard of, we set off with our lovely friends on an adventure to find it. The leaflet said a 20minute walk out of Ilfracombe along the coastal path. You can drive straight to it but we thought the walk would help us work up an appetite for a cream tea. They always taste better when you feel you have earned it.

As we got onto the coastal path there was a great view looking back towards Ilfracombe harbour. Next time we do this walk, I am planning to start at the harbour as I had not realised how lovely the coastal path is all the way round.

Ilfracome has a new skate park right by the water.

The children had brilliant fun watching, next time they are all plotting to bring scooters!

This piece of coastline is so spectacular, with the rock rising up out of the water!

The path comes out onto a hidden beach.

We set off with us all wondering if we were going to have to climb Hillsborough (that huge hill a couple of pictures ago).

It certainly looked like it at the beginning but.....

We cheated a bit and took the footpath around the back, past the community orchard. It would be amazing to take the red route one day, anyone up for it??

This path was lovely in a more calm and flat way.

Amazing views of the coastline beyond as you start the descent into Hele Bay (pronounced Heal by the locals).

Here is Hele bay itself, from this point you turn inland.

Crossing over the road, only this little sign denotes the treasure that lays beyond along the river.

Here it is 'The old Cornmill' now owned by the very lovely Cathy and David Jones who took over the Mill and tea rooms a year ago.

Here is Cathy with all of her wonderful home made cakes, Devonshire splits and scones. A number of the cakes and scones made with the flour milled just across the path. Can you feel my sense of excitement, I think I might have to become a watermill enthusiast!!

The tea room is also a gift shop, selling all sorts of lovely locally produced things. I particularly love their spotty china.

Here is the waterwheel in full flow. David got the children on a 'millstone hunt' (counting how many they could spot built into the walls and path) whilst we waited for our cream tea to arrive, what great service!

Something about the sound of the water and the turning wheel is so relaxing, not to mention the lovely and unexpected sunshine. The children tuck in!

Here is Richard's cream tea, the scone was made with wholemeal flour milled at Hele Mill.

I had a savoury cream tea; a cheese scone, cream cheese and homemade red onion relish, yum! I am definitely having that again.

Cream tea enjoyed, let the tour begin!

This is how it all works, why use paper when there is a perfectly good wall!

David gave us a tour of the mill, explaining everything as we went.

David had to explain some quite tricky concepts in a way that could be understood by the six, eight and thirty eight year olds among us, no easy task!

Great excitement was had spotting the little wooden mice hidden around the mill.

This is Molly starting ‘the National Engine’ built in 1928. This would have powered the Mill if there was not enough water. Oh my goodness it was noisy!

This is the only picture I took of our lovely guide and host David. I wish I had got him to pose. He was so warm, welcoming, engaging and inspiring. He captivated our attention and we learnt so much on the way round. He let the children ask questions and have a go at all sorts of things inspired by their questions. They even ended up grinding corn in a pestle and mortar to further understand what corn is made up of.

At the end of the afternoon we could not help buying some Hele Mill flour to take home.

Ooh what shall we bake?

Delicious shortbread, Millie's favourite. What a treat to have found such an amazing place at the end of a gorgeous walk, made all the more special by David and Cathy and their wonderful hospitality. We will be back!!

Iain and Nicola's Wedding

Last weekend the wedding of Iain and Nicola took place in glorious sunshine, a miracle given the wind and rain of the week before. The wedding was truly beautiful with Italian influences (especially on the menu) and gorgeous bright colours of summer with corals, yellows, blues and whites all mixed in with some hints of vintage. So let me take you on a journey through some of my favourite bits and inspirational ideas.

Nicola, her mum, bridesmaid, sister and 'mother in law to be' worked together on Friday putting together all the flowers for the tables and windowsills. They were arranged in vintage cut glass vases, rose bowls and tea cups that had been collected specially over the last year.

The flowers were such glorious colours.
And the mismatch collection of vases and candles looked really effective. Well done girls!

Iain's family went off to Croyde beach to gather sand for the 'lolly buckets', I particularly loved the moustaches and the lips.

Peter, myself and Hannah (Nicola's sister) put up this lovely garland of flowers and glass teardrop lights on the hall chandelier. It looked really pretty with the staircase all matching but played havoc with my vertigo trying to grab the chandalier over the banister, aghhh!

Guests felt really welcomed with local Devon fudge, a fridge full of yummy breakfast and a welcome letter from Iain and Nicola. Brilliant cartoon at the top!

From the menu's to the door tags and so much more, Hannah had done amazingly with the graphic design. What a talanted sister to have!

So with the ballroom looking fabulous.....

and the scene set for love, the guests arrived and they all set off for Friday night at one of our marvellous local pubs 'The Rock'. By all accounts a great night was had by all.

On Saturday morning the sunshine was out and we set up for the wedding in the Italian Garden. Nicola and Iain had hired in these great Chivari chairs and roses tied along the aisle added a special something.

These were placed on each chair...too cute!

Some last minute lippy before the ceremony.

Nicola looked absolutely gorgeous.

Down the aisle she went with her lovely dad Derek.

It was a beautiful service.

Congratulations!! Jamie Bott was their photographer, Jamie is a wonderful local boy who's photo's we love and really enjoy working with. Thank you Jamie for this one! It also shows Nicola's incredible bouquet by Deryn at 'Twigs' .

Prosecco on the lawn and terrace was followed by cocktails....

Nicola and Iain chose to serve their favourite ‘Dark and Stormy ‘ cocktails inspired by a trip to Barbados. They went down rather well, I don't think 4 is a great idea though Matt!!
This super bucket of Chinese paper parasols came in very handy in the glorious sunshine.


They looked really beautiful.

I am devastated that I didn’t take any photos of the food as the Italian inspired menu was completely delicious and had lots of fantastic reviews from the guests. As part of the trio of puddings Lee the chef made the Limoncello by hand in a traditional Italian way which took months, now there's dedication!

The first dance followed by a lot more dancing.

On the mantel piece photo’s of Iain and Nicola documented lovely times that they have had in Devon in the past that has made Devon such a special place for them.

Great idea.....the frame awaits a lovely wedding photo.

Photo’s on a string.

The sweetie table made a great snack stop in the evening.

I wonder what could be in the dressing up basket??

ooh, glow in the dark heart glasses.....you look gorgeous Hannah!!
What a completely lovely weekend, congratulations again Iain and Nicola!