You’d have been forgiven for thinking me part-wolf last week, given my uncontrollable howling and beastly moods. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have forgiven you; I’d have gobbled you up whole, like I almost did The Mother-in-Law, when she ‘vanished’ my keys for a night. At times like these, it helps to be in the […]
A few months ago, when I was planting out seedlings in The Secret Garden, we met our neighbours for the first time. Or rather they met us. Zippy and Roo were attempting to scale the crumbling wall between our two gardens, in pursuit of their ballsy cat, Henry, who never tires of teasing the children […]
Tonight is the Erev of Rosh HaShana, which, translated from the Hebrew, means ‘New Years Eve’. Unlike the organised ‘People of the Book’, those that inhabit The Mother-in-Law’s house are entangled in the annual maelstrom of preparing for a festival: last minute baking, shopping, cleaning, gardening, and inviting of the renegade West Country Jews. The […]
As summer draws to a close and the fruits of our springtime labours are pouring out of the Secret Garden in abundance, the earth below continues to provide. (In this first year, we’ve grown beetroot, corn on the cob, carrots – OK, maybe just the one carrot – cucumbers, potatoes, tender stem broccoli, a variety […]
When I recently returned from Mallorca – with the irrepressible desire to recreate Catalan bread and the unforgettable image of ‘Banana Hammock’ etched on my noggin – I desperately needed to find a ripe bull’s heart or beef tomato. My expedition was close to being fruitless (ha!) until I had the smart idea to gatecrash […]
