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October Half Term

10/23/2015

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It’s half term week!!! This either fills you with excitement or a certain amount of dread.  If it’s the latter, the key is to keep busy and there’s plenty to do around here to fill these autumnal days.  Apart from the aforementioned Apple Day on Saturday and the option of a refreshing walk through the gloriously colourful woods, there’s masses of foraging to be done in the fields and hedgerows.  I’ve been gathering the ingredients for my hedgerow jam – namely blackberry, elderberry, rosehip, sloe, rowan berries and haws and of course apples.  It’s going to be a good batch! 

I’ve also been out on the beach, trying my hand at a little sea fishing.  My technique is definitely going to need refining and the dog thinks I’m totally bonkers but it’s a good excuse to be outside, enjoying the stunning scenery and fresh air, a new perspective from which to enjoy a lunch time picnic.  It also afforded me a view across the site of the Porlock Bay Oysters, this exciting new venture is waiting to find out whether they’ve been successful in a funding bid and hope to begin commercial production in April 2016.

When she’s not been at school I’ve been having fun with my daughter, this week we visited Valley of the Rocks for some climbing.  We found some rocks that were perfect for her four-year old stature and she scaled them magnificently, producing a hugely satisfied grin at the top.  Her school teacher reports that her dexterity and confidence are good, I’m not surprised when she zooms up things like this with such ease.  Aren’t we lucky to live in such a beautiful place?  We met a little mouse last time we were there, which was incredibly tame (and hungry as it turned out). And when it’s raining we can still practice our climbing at the Rock and Rapid climbing wall at South Molton.
If you’re in the area with children this week, visit the Big Adventure at Webber’s Post – it’s  a free event hosted by Exmoor National Park and is always a fun day out for everyone with a wonderfully nature-friendly theme.  We’ll be there straight after swimming (I’ll definitely need a lie down next week..!).
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Enjoy your Halloween celebrations everyone and have a brilliant half term!
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In-cider news

10/7/2015

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Hello! We’re in the midst of apple season here in Porlock, being a traditional Somerset village with numerous orchards, we’re hard pressed (oh dear the puns begin) to find a garden or hedgerow without an apple tree in it.  Although it’s a little too early for official verdicts, the crop appears to be a good one and the gang at our pretty community orchard have been out this morning to gather more windfalls.  The first press of the season produced some fantastic, sweet apple juice to be savored like nectar.  Subsequent pressings will help to build a stock of apple juice for sale at the forthcoming Apple and Cider Day.

On Saturday 24 October there will be something for everyone at the Visitor’s Centre, where we’ll all be entertained and refreshed with unusual varieties of apple juice, cider, apple cake and a hundred more apple-themed products and we’ll get to witness the village press in action.  This venerable piece of machinery (which is now located in the orchard behind the Visitors Centre) was built around 1862 and was saved from destruction, restored and returned to its former glory.  Carried out by a small but dedicated team of local people, this enables the Somerset cider-making tradition to stay alive with every pint that is pressed.  Did you know?  Apples are a member of the rose family and are thought to have originated in nutrient-rich mountain ranges of Kazakhstan.  Hmm.  It is tempting to mention our annual wassail and give a rendition of ‘Dead Dog Scrumpy’ at this juncture, but I’ll save that for later.
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The camp site continues to welcome campers and although the season is damp it is unseasonably warm, which helps to dry things quickly. If you’re visiting this weekend, it would be worth popping into the Royal Oak on Saturday evening (from 7.30pm) to enjoy a great local band called Rough Justice – they’re a popular band and will help enliven what is always a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.  Come and relax with a local cider!  
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With thanks to Porlock Community Orchard
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With thanks to Porlock Apple Press
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