An exciting few days in Lyme Regis for one thing!  As a place it’s hard to beat for sea-loving foodies. In May 2021 it provided our first real respite from the demands of covid lockdown and working from home, and did so again this month. Our journey here was surprisingly slow, and as neither of … Continue reading And what will late February bring I wonder?

Well - a very hard frost on one or two mornings - and frequent bright clear sunshine to gladden our hearts. January had the most sunshine on record, and 60% less rain than average… This means the allotment is workable ! The soil isn’t sticky so onion sets and garlic cloves are going in. At … Continue reading And what will early February bring, I wonder?

Week three begins on 16 January 2022 Mid January has moved on from the dull damp days of the New Year and high pressure has delivered a week of bitterly cold nights and some very clear days - once the morning mist has faded as the low sun has got to work.  Walks with picnics … Continue reading And what will late January bring, I wonder?

Week two begins on Sunday 9 January The spell-binding sight of a tree in winter? a book that enthrals? a place that grounds? a person that intrigues? a bird that captivates? music that moves? … or a poem that entrances:- Beowulf - and the problem of ‘knowing reality’ I’d like to claim Beowulf for my … Continue reading And what will early January 2022 bring, I wonder?

We’ll not remember 2021 fondly - as I wrote in last week’s Christmas cards! It was a year of frustrations; interrupted work or school, little chance of travel, loss of the familiar patterns which none of us realised at the time were fundamental to our daily rhythms and mental health; and for some, illness, fear, … Continue reading And what will 2022 bring, I wonder?

Sunday 31 October 21  After a slow start, we drove south (by a more conventional route this time) to meet Niccoletta Bocca of San Fereolo in the Dogliani DOCG, high up above the town. We had been greeted energetically yesterday by two large noisy dogs - which, were they not labradors, I would have considered … Continue reading Piemonte 8: Langhe 2: 31 Oct – 5 Nov 2021

Sunday 24 October 21  We woke at 09.00 and edged our way to a slow breakfast; saying farewell to our very attentive hostess and the very distinctive Villa Sironi and its fine location just off Corso Montebello in Tortona, to drive to Alba via the motorway towards Allessandria, then just south of Asti to turn … Continue reading Piemonte 7: Langhe 1 : 24 – 30 October 2021

Thursday 21 October 21  We left Gavi at 08.15, heading east towards Novi Ligure to pick up the motorway for Tortona; leaving via the toll just north of Tortona and weaving east through acres of industrial estate (and MacDonald’s) until we found a kindly woman in charge of a fuel station willing to tackle our … Continue reading Piemonte 6 : Colli Tortonesi : 21 – 24 October 2021

Wednesday 20 Oct 21 : Ovada  A different model today: a morning of appointments with various producers of mainly Dolcetto in the Ovada Consorzio office itself - half hour’s drive away to the south west. (It’s not a well known nor much appreciated denomination - but we leave no stone unturned) As we left Gavi … Continue reading Piemonte 5: Ovada DOCG : 20 October 2021

Friday 15 October 21  We left La Romana outside Nizza at 09.00 after a warm farewell from La Receptionist, (yes - they use the french!) taking a northerly deviation towards Alessandria to avoid a road repair. The plain of the river Bormida makes a dramatic contrast to the runs of hills, ridges and winding valleys … Continue reading Piemonte 4: Gavi DOCG: 15 – 19 October 2021