Singing in Wolverton Hall

December has arrived! There’s so many things that make me fall in love with this month: pine needles, sharp blue starry skies, wrapping paper with twine, and singing carols. We welcomed in 1 December with tangerine sugar’d mince pies, champagne, and a roaring fire. But the Christmas cheer started late November for me, singing in the fabulously atmospheric Wolverton Manor.

This grand old 17th century house is tucked away off a tiny lane out in the West Wight. The couple that live there hold concerts in their hall throughout the year. It’s perfect for a relaxed cheery festive celebration. The small audience all crowd in to the kitchen for wine in the interval, and the choir use the snug family lounge as the green room, warm from the wood burner and with every surface full of generations of photos.

The old fireplaces, creaky staircases, rambling rooms, and deserted wings give the whole place an air of Brambly Hedge’s Secret Staircase. And filling it with wintry songs really does make it feel like a midwinter festival. I’m ready to relish all the festivities of December, and I’m starting with this tune.

Inaugural Sunday Brunch

Brunch is my favourite meal. I love the excuse for sweet and savoury on one plate (pancakes and crispy bacon!) and morning boozing (mimosas!) The timing of brunch sets you up for a perfect lazy day, so far removed from the quickly crammed toast of a Monday morning or the snaffled sandwich in front of a computer screen. Brunch says ‘Take your time guys, and can I get you seconds?’

And brunch is the perfect way to celebrate a lovely shiny new kitchen. We’ve been dreaming for years of a bright new kitchen, to max out the space in our little terraced house, and bring in as much light as possible. And this is the result…

We’re so excited to have it all finished. We’ve got more space, more light, and no horrid beige! Open shelves mean we have to be tidier. At the moment the novelty of it all means that we’re keeping on top of the washing up and choosing only pretty mugs for the shelves. We’ve still got some cupboard space to hide the ugly essentials like super noodles..

We invited the Rusts round for a celebration brunch, to show off the kitchen and put it to work. Coffee, mimosas and bacon sandwiches were an easy win. Smitten Kitchen struck gold once again with a delicious ginger spice pancake recipe. Pancakes are my very favouritest, but they are a pain to cook for a crowd. This baked version is an easy alternative I’d heartily recommend. This is the first of many meals I can’t wait to share here.

Nationally Loud

Bleary eyed, our head full of tunes, we’ve emerged this side of the weekend. The National rocked out, as we knew they would. I could hardly believe it as they played track after track from my ‘It’d be great if they did…’ list: new hits, olden goodies, and even this deep-voiced classic for the GoT fans (well, when you’re only a few miles from where it was filmed, it’d be rude not to, right?)

Devendorf the drummer had effortless, loose, mad skills; the Dessner brothers performed in full guitar-flinging style. Matt Berninger carried the stage the whole time, decorously sipping on his red wine, before throwing it high in the sky in true stroppy rockstar fashion. The crowd was a similar pleasing mix of very polite bearded gents, who still got way too overexcited in the crush of the singer jumping off the stage. All good drama for a Saturday night out..

We filled the rest of our weekend in Belfast with lots of other delightful things, but that’s a post for another day. For now, sit back and enjoy a tune.

Off on a Plane

Tom and I are heading off to Belfast for the weekend to see The National play. At the risk of hyperbole, these guys have got to be my all-time favourite band. They remind me of being plugged in to my headphones after walking through the Pyrenees on honeymoon, and they haven’t been far from my top tracks list ever since.

Beyond the music, I’m looking forward to exploring a new city, ambling around with my man, staying in a luxurious hotel, and doing absolutely no homework. Happy Weekend!

Tea Love in Winchester

We’ve had a couple days relaxing in Winchester, catching up with friends and family. It’s been a luscious midweek break, filled with the things that I rarely get time for: morning run, cafe brunch, book browsing, and local shopping. We stopped in at Char today, a tiny shop dedicated to fabulous teas of every variety.

You might pop in planning only to restock your builder’s tea tin, but you’ll leave with visions of first blossoms on Himalayan mountains, treasured hand-picked leaves, and stories of tea varieties passed down generations. If you think wine-tasting has a rich vocabulary, you’re in for a treat. You can nose around, sniffing all of the sample pots, but you’re better off bending the owner’s ear. His passion for his subject is infectious, as he gives you a picture of tea complexities you could never have imagined. You’ll never think of your afternoon cup in quite the same way, and you’ll leave with plenty of new additions to fill your pot.