Dance for Gaza

You may have seen in previous posts that Steve and I are both part of a group of local runners here that have become known as the 'Baggy Breakfast Club'. Earlier this year seven of us entered the Gaza marathon to raise money for the UN's humanitarian work with refugee children in Gaza.  

After several months of hard training we were all really disappointed, on so many levels, to hear the news that the UN had been forced to cancel the marathon after Hamas took the decision to ban men and women running in the event together.

  

Undeterred, we quickly focused on trying to find an alternative marathon and were amazed to find that just two weeks later was the inaugural 'Right to Movement' Palestine marathon in the West Bank in Bethlehem! Really sadly Steve is not able to make the amended date - which is really gutting!  

 On Friday night the runners, along with the Pickwell crew, hosted a local fundraising night here at the Manor called 'Dance For Gaza'.

  

 We chose a few themed elements to the night to try and give it a middle eastern feel. Firstly, we served Arak - a traditional aperitif from the region. A translucent coloured, aniseed flavoured drink of about 57%.... It is definitely an acquired taste!

   

 Mind you Katie definitely looks like she is making a good job of acquiring it! 

 So to go with the Arak a few delicious Mezze, courtesy of Damian & Ali (thank you guys!). 

Then to follow magnificent lamb kebabs, courtesy of the culinary skills of Tracey and Jake. 

"Oh no they've caught us.... quick back to the bar and look busy!"

 Sa'ad bought Fezes for the running boys on the bar. The look was much more Tommy Cooper than 'authentic Turkish headwear'! My favourite Tommy Cooper joke of the night: I said to the gym instructor 'Can you teach me how to do the splits?'. He said 'How flexible are you?' I said 'I can't make Tuesdays'.

It wasn't just the Fezes as uniform. Dave (our Kiwi runner) insisted on wearing his now infamous 'stubbies' for the night. A 1970's trend that perhaps should have been left there rather than resurrected!

If proof were needed it looks like Nige in his pullover is having more luck with attracting the 'ladies' than Dave in his stubbies!

The final key middle eastern theme of the night was our 'Shisha Palace' (lovingly created in Sa'ad's bell tent).

Many thanks to Medhat from Bar Venezia in Exeter for his very generous loan of the Shisha pipes and to Sa'ad for his kind donation of the tobacco.

Damian was a natural in his role as shisha host for the evening "You want hubbly bubbly?"

Anna looks like she was particularly enjoying the experience.

Nige adopted a less traditional grip on the shisha pipe.

Whilst it took Susie a while to realise that her pipe had got disconnected "This apple tobacco is so smooth... its like the air".

Damian's role as Shisha host made him the most popular man of the night. Men wanted to be him. Women wanted to be with him.

His popularity was closely followed by Pete Cox whose dance offs are not to missed.

Throughout the night great tunes were spun by DJ's Pete Robinson and Steve Baker. Thank you guys! It took a while but eventually everyone did 'Dance for Gaza'.

There were a couple of reminders throughout the night that this was all to try and help give Gazan children the opportunity to have some glimpses of the sort of childhood that our children take for granted.

Thank you to everyone who came and made Friday such a fun night and helped to raise over £1300.

So on Sunday 21st April we will be attempting to  run 26.2 hot miles around Bethlehem. If you want to check out more details or throw in a few quid you can find our giving site here.

A Royal Visit to Braunton!

Ever-since I can remember I have been a fan of the Royal family. I have to say now, from the outset, I am not representing the whole of Pickwell in this blog post! I think the rest of the team feel warmly towards our monarchy, but really it is only me who has the level of excitement that warrants a whole blog post. 

It is no wonder when you see how I was raised...my mum was ever so fond of a home-made hat.

This is me, in 1977. It was the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. Our village celebrated with a street party. As you can see, I had a GREAT time!

 In 1980, the village all turned out again, this time for the wedding of Charles and Di. This is my sister. Despite my mum's best efforts, I'm not convinced she felt at home in that strange ensemble.

I mean, it's no wonder I get so excited about the Royal family, it was ingrained in me right from the start.  So when I heard that The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were coming to Braunton (a village just up the road), in the wake of the terrible flooding there, you can imagine my excitement.

My friend Sarah and I were determined to get there to see them. Sarah's husband Pete Cox was the official photographer for the visit. I'll point him out later.

We could see the crowds as we approached in the car.

It looked like everyone was waiting in anticipation..

Which was a relief because we were late and we thought we were going to miss them.

As we walked from our parked car towards the village, a policeman said 'Watch your backs ladies, you're about to be run over by the Royals!' As I turned, I saw a very smart car heading towards us..

and THERE THEY WERE! Even though I was holding my camera in my hand, all I could think to do was drop it and wave madly (and in a slightly unhinged manner) into the window straight at Camilla. I thought that was bad, but Sarah said she found herself jumping up and down...I think I came off lightly!

It must have looked terrifying to poor Camilla to have these middle-aged women leering in at her. I'm not sure we painted Braunton in the best 'first-impression' light. Afterwards I was so cross I didn't get a picture of it. I think it was the shock.

The sleek black car pulled into Caen Street and we heard the crowd cheer and applause as Prince Charles stepped out...

and there he was! (not sure where Camilla was at this point, possibly trying to get over the weirdo's she just saw in the car-park?)

Flanked by security, it looked impressive.

I didn't think they looked that scary. In fact one of them could have been my Dad, and he's got muscles like a sparrow's knee caps.

You could feel the electric atmosphere in the crowd. My heart was beating in my chest.

He started to head straight for me! I did wear my bright blue hat, in a hope he would be drawn in my direction.

I struggled to get through the crowd. 

This lady was my final obstacle, but she was moving for no-one, hat or no hat.

So this was as close as I got,

Before he moved away :(

The car moved along very slowly behind them the whole way down the street.

As it passed by the school children, they noticed they could see their reflection in its black, shiny body.

The girls found this to be most entertaining,

and the boys started an entire silly face-pulling and dance routine. It was hilarious to watch.

I took a picture of the driver because he had a spirally white ear piece, that reminded me of Jack Bower.

There were so many cameras and microphones.

Camilla is in the red coat (in case you hadn't noticed).

I recognised quite a few of the photographers from our weddings.

They went into five shops along the road and met some of the worst-affected flood damaged businesses.

The Gulf Stream Surf shop boys looked very pleased to have met Prince Charles! This shop is the place to go for the best board shaper in North Devon. Steve got his 'fish' board from here for his 40th Birthday Present.

Next stop, the Newsagent.

I was quite pleased with this pic!

You can see Pete Cox (Sarah's husband and official photographer extraordinaire) in the background here, in a smart grey suit! Prince Charles and Camilla went in and out of the shops,

While everyone waited patiently for a glimpse

and occasionally they would cross the road to the crowd and say a quick hello.

I really felt the whole village had risen to the occasion, 

with the great turn-out of people,

 the decoration and the welcome notes everywhere.

This one was in my favourite 'home' shop, Kittiwakes. Despite being devastated by the river water, they have cleared it all up, totally refurbished and just launched a beautiful new shop. 

The stationary shop even had a revolving crown in the window!

The end of the day brought a last highlight. I spotted the wonderful lead singer of the Military Wives Choir! The choir all live at the Army base close to Braunton, and one of the singers used to be in our cleaning team, so we have been following their progress with excitement.

This was Pete's favourite picture which he felt summed up the day. Prince Charles had commented that he loved her hat. (That's the last time I wear that blue hat, I'm getting one with plaits for his next visit).

 Great work Pete

x

Eating In Style

Do you remember our Gold Ball in December? As well as it being a brilliant night, 

with lots of very silly moments (fyi this was NOT my Ball outfit, I had to wear this to protect my dignity), we somehow managed to raise £6,500 for two wonderful surfing charities - Umthombo in South Africa and Surf Relief UK here in North Devon.

Our biggest fund-raiser was the charity auction. There were some amazing things that people had donated. Everything from a ski holiday to..

 a luxury weekend away at an award-winning glamping site (The Bivouac), to signed Freddie Flintoff's boxing gloves,

and a meal cooked for you in your own home, by our local gastro-pub 'The Rock'. The Rock Inn is the most popular choice for the Friday night of our wedding weekends. There is a conservatory out the back which can seat a large number, perfect for an arrival meal for guests.

When they are not cooking great food, The Rock is most well-known for its sponsorship of a very successful and talented local Netball team - 'Georgeham Rocks'.

(well, not really but we try our best).

So a group of us got together and, thanks to the cool, calm and collected Mr P, we successfully bid for the Rock meal in the charity auction!

It took place on Thursday. We were very excited. Everything looked amazing when we arrived.

As soon as the coats were off, the charming Mark (front-of-house at The Rock) served us Prosecco, Tempura King Prawns and

a smoked salmon delight!

We ate and drank sitting by the fire and feeling like royalty.

Everything had been thought of. They brought the tablecloth, the glassware, the candles, the lot.

Scott, our chef, has had extensive experience in this area. He used to work for an agency that supplied chefs for people's own homes. 

His CV is pretty impressive, he has worked with Marco Pierre-White in L'escargot and many other places that I can't pronounce. We are lucky to have him in our Shire.

So, to kick off: Amuse bouche of beetroot and vodka jelly with a cauliflower puree.

The colours were gorgeous.

My favourite dish came next - pan seared king scallops, quenelle of crab, crispy pancetta and sauce Jacqueline. Delicious!

Next up..line caught seabass fillet with a saffron and mussel beurre blanc.

The wine of choice for these dishes was Picpoul de Paiet. La Cote de Flamenc 2011.

It was brilliant being so close to the action and seeing it being masterfully put together. No sign of a horse anywhere (and trust me, I was looking). We delved into some apple and calvados sorbet to cleanse the palette, before we were presented with the next dish.

Now this one pushed the boundaries for me.. Paupiette of guinea fowl stuffed with foie gras and Exmoor blue cheese and thyme jus. I guess I should be grateful as when we arrived in our village in 2008, squirrel was on the menu!

As Scott and the team prepare the next course,

We invested in some high brow conversations (probably along the lines of surfing). This course was washed down with a nice glass of Riebeek Shiraz Reserve - 2007. 

Now I have to tell you that none of the men (apart from Mr H) were drinking (due to a small matter of a marathon in the Gaza Strip coming up), so us girls (and Mr H) were really quite sozzled by this stage. You can tell this by the way I had dumped my knife and fork on the slate in the picture of the guinea fowl! Ha!

Next up: Pave of Spreacombe (a place down the road) venison loin, creamed savoy cabbage and bacon lardons, mini fondant potato and port jus. 

Another wine change...this time Pinotage L'Avenir -2011.

Good idea Mrs P to drink water (I wish I had thought to do that).

A selection of West Country and Normandy cheese (camembert) and spiced fruit chutney followed...

accompanied by Warre's ten year old Tawny Port.

I think Mrs H was getting a bit tired by this point? But we still had another course to go! Also I seem to remember Mark furnishing us with some powerful elderflower cocktail. I think he said the ingredients comprised of elderflower and errr, Gin? 

Now, my friend Mrs P is a very attractive woman normally....

but just look at what this drink did to her! This could almost be a caption shot for what Mr 'sober-as-a-judge' P is thinking at this moment. 

And it wasn't just poor Mrs P, I have no idea what tickled these two?

Sadly I did not get a picture of the dark chocolate soufflé, raspberry compote and vanilla shortbread (and the Chateau Theulet Monbazillac - 2009), but needless to say it was absolutely delicious.

By the time the coffee and petit fours came around, I have to say there was not much room left..

But Mr H and Mr. G, can always be relied upon to keep going (as well as hoover up anything else we couldn't quite manage!)

Oh, and err Mrs P it would seem ;)

Rock Boys, THANK YOU! You did such an amazing job and we loved every minute. Same again next year, yeah?

X

Feed the Birds

The beautiful snow arrived at Pickwell on Friday. I know we had less than others, being so close to the sea, but we have really enjoyed it. It does make everything even more beautiful and magical, just like a scene from Narnia! There are some wonderful photos that Susannah took on our facebook page if you would like to see more. The snow is lovely for us, but always makes us mindful of our Pickwell feathered friends who find it tricky to find food.

Molly got this great book by Stephen Moss for her Birthday which we absolutely love (highly recommended for adventurous, nature loving families). There is an enticing trailer for it on you tube.

We have been out spotting birds in the snow with the aid of the 'guide'. We have a little Wren that flutters around the herb garden that we can watch from the kitchen window and also a Wagtail, who sits on our sill, that we are particularly fond of.

So in light of the challenging conditions, we decided to make some 'fat balls' from a recipe in the book as a special treat to feed the birds.

We didn't have any coconut shells to hand so searched in the garden for pine cones to fill instead. The fat and seeds can collect really nicely into the cone and it gives the birds something to hold onto. First Millie-Grace melted some lard in a pan.

Then we stirred in the seed.

There was however, rather a horrible smell to the melted lard, which was particularly difficult for Molly who is a vegetarian!  She decided to sellotape her nose to escape from the smell! Since making our 'fat ball' lots of people have suggested just mashing the lard and seed together to avoid the smell. We are definitely going to do that next time!!

We then spooned the mixture onto the pine cones....

and left them to cool and harden.

All ready to hang on the tree.

Ta da!!! Lunch is served birdies!

We have put lots of bird boxes around the Pickwell woods to encourage nesting.

I wish we had put a little camera in them, I would love to see if anyone is in there.

Believe it or not this unsuspecting mound of old wood has a hedgehog house under it. We are hoping it has a sleeping hedgehog in it too, shhhhhh!!

So just enough time to play in the snow before it all melts. I wonder what she is making??

And Zac??

Surprise, surprise, a snow man!! Cute!!

A balancing thing?! And then....

a snowman....maybe a slightly muddy Scout sort of snowman!!

All the while Mrs Blackbird was hopping about us until....

Mr Blackbird came along singing at the top of his voice and they frolicked around the garden. Here they are on the roof, courting perhaps? A bit early, I know, but the start of spring is most definitely in the air!!

We hope that our Pickwell guests will enjoy our amazing wild birds from Owls, to Robins, Buzzards to Greater Spotted Woodpeckers, all frequent visitors to the garden. For the younger visitors there is a 'spotter back pack' in the games room complete with binoculars, spotter sheet, bird book and clipboard. Happy spotting Pickwellers and here's to lots of garden adventures in 2013!!

Heddon's Mouth

In the winter, if the sun is shining you have to be outside.

It was so lovely on Saturday, that we got together with our friends, drove 30 minutes to the edge of Exmoor and rediscovered one of our favourite walks.

It is a gentle and scenic walk of about 25 minutes each way. The walk follows this rushing river 

which leads you to Heddons Mouth -a beautiful wild and rugged beach that can only be accessed on foot.

It has now become tradition to take stuff to make a fire and a big bag of marshmallows to toast over it. 

In fact, I think that's the kids favourite bit.

This is the sound. It is only after you have left that you realise your sore throat is due to you shouting for 2 hours!

 While the kids toast, we make our own fun...

Dave found this unusual stick so hey presto! Game no.1, can you throw the stone through the hole without knocking Jacs unconscious?

Game no.2, what has Mark found? Is it just a big piece of driftwood? 

Nope, its a GIRAFFE! (He was so proud of this)

Game no.3, Can you get across the torrent of water without getting wet? Of course New-Zealand Dave made it...

Err, Steve where are you going? Its the OTHER WAY!

Bottled it.

Mark tried but I don't have a memory of him making it?

Dave entertained us from the other side of the water by creating this sculpture from the washed up debris.

So, game no.4, was trying to knock it down with pebbles.

Game no.5, introduced by the more genteel Ben, started like this...

Then progressed to this..

and once the kids cottoned on, they popped up 

everywhere!

Kieran even began his own 'extreme' pebble piling. It didn't last long..

I'm still unsure as to who did these...but i have my suspicions...Ben?!

This is what happens when you ask a couple of pre-teens to pose for a photo!

 The incredible hulk has nothing on Zac.

So, if ever you were to think life was a bit dull in Devon...now you can THINK AGAIN!

Oh yes. You can keep your cinemas and theatres and restaurants and funfairs and beautiful parks and amazing coffee shops . We got it going on here.  

(We had fun anyway!)

For more on this walk, you can see another blog post from last year http://playeatlaughsleep.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/heddons-mouth-walking-with-friends.html

x

December

You may have heard about the rain and the floods...mostly we have been unaffected, but today..

This is our wood.

The fog hung in the air and it was actually quite beautiful in places, if you didn't need to get anywhere!

This is Rock Hill, a road in the village...well its more of a stream than a road now really.

Hard to think it was only a couple of days ago when the weather was like this.

This month has flown by. 

We held our annual charity ball - this year it was the GOLD Ball. We raised money for 2 amazing surfing charities both at home and abroad. We have learnt much recently of how surfing can be used as a tool to give young people hope, self esteem and respite from difficult circumstances.

The night was an immense success and we raised £6,500 in total. As a team, we were blown away by the generosity of so many people in this community that made this night all that it was. 

So last night some of the Ball team went to the pub to celebrate. I think Tracey is regaling the girls with a story or two?

This week we also had lunch with our wonderful Pickwell team. It's these guys who keep everything looking clean and tidy, both inside and out. We are very blessed to have them.

Always ready to enter the spirit of things, Tracey sports the antlers to get everyone into the festive mood.

Also this week, the school had their production of 'Olivia'. Our kids did us proud! Pickwell has been full of song for the last month, to the extent that none of them can get to sleep at night. The words 'you can't pick a pocket or two' keep going round, and round....

The village hall was packed for both the performances. 

I have to admit I did shed a small tear at the end!

The school hold a great afternoon where the kids themselves design and run the stalls. Every stall is geared as a mini-fund-raiser to make some much-needed funds for the school. This is Liza and Molly's stall. Steve had to forage into the stocking and guess what was inside.

 I stayed up for hours getting things made for Zac's stall at the school fair. He did help for about 15 minutes...to be fair....

We also went to the Christingle service which the kids love...

especially the bit where they get to toast the marshmallows in the candles! (not sure i should be promoting that? - see how I cleverly chose to put someone else's child in the picture, rather than incriminate my own)

Our Pickwell Molly had her 9th birthday last week,

  

and Tracey and Rich ran a brilliant roller-booting party in a local village hall.

Tracey and I had a wonderful night where we learnt how to make these gorgeous angels,

all from this one piece of fabric. 

and a tiny piece of trim.

Thanks to the talented Emma Cocker for teaching us, and Jooley F-S for the cake and the styling :)

So that's it for this year. 

We are all staying around at home for Christmas as our house feels so special and well, christmassy! Our families are coming to us. Lovely.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year. 

Hopefully we will see many of you in 2013...

The Pickwell Gang

xxxx xxxx