Category Archives: Out and About

Summer of countryside love

Profuse apologies, my dear Reader, for my epic summer silence. It seems an age since I was last tip tapping away a little note to you and I can only blame it on lots of work and plenty of lovely things happening at Margot and Jerry HQ, giving me not time at all to resume my position at the writing desk. With Primrose and Poppy at home creating mayhem for almost 8 WEEKS of summer horror, I mean holiday, I haven’t had a moment to even hear myself think either!

Days have been filled with exploring our patch of Hampshire, trips to secluded sandy spots, sampling a lot of local goodies (wine, beer, gin…..) so when we finally headed off for our staycation and annual trip to Tom and Barbara’s shire farmstead, we couldn’t be too downhearted when it weed it down with rain. Lots of time at home too – the spare room has had its bedding stripped more times than a boutique B&B of late! As anyone who knows us well knows, we’re always more than happy to have friends to stay – any excuse for a good gossip over a large glass of something! Continue reading →

Scaling dizzy heights

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The Vyne, National Trust, Hampshire – scene of our big tree climb

As quickly as it was organised, the day came for Primrose and I to complete our biggest country challenge yet. You know, the one I’ve been dreading……no.1 of all the National Trust’s 50 things project – Climb a tree. With this year’s summer of 50 Things already upon us and with so many events and adventures to go on in London and South East, it seemed fitting that we should start at the very beginning with no 1. Continue reading →

Ticking off the list

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The Vyne, National Trust, Hampshire – surrounded by magical woodland

Having had a tricky few weeks with the lambs and a broody chicken to boot, we decided that we all needed a bit of a treat and some time to enjoy outdoorsy adventures (not smallholding related ones at least) a bit further afield. With a half term full of rain and cabin fever setting in……thank goodness for Primrose and her love of lists. You’ll see why in a mo, dear Reader!

Last year, Primrose, Poppy and I spent a whole summer gallivanting round all sorts of fabulous National Trust properties and places around London and the South East in order to tick off our 50 Things list. You may remember that our adventures were featured on NT London and South East’s blog. Ooh the things we got up to! A summer of den building, pond dipping, camping out under the stairs……..all thanks to this magical list! I was going to say that the list is endless but it is a very manageable 50 things – all very good fun and definitely a must for the summer holidays, come rain or shine! To celebrate the launch of the first #50Things weekend of this year’s season, we were very kindly invited to come along to one of our favourite NT places, The Vyne for an afternoon of bug hunting and cake. Who could resist such an invitation, I ask you dear Reader? Continue reading →

Margot, get your gun!

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The shooting ground!

Well, dear Reader, I got my hands on a gun…..or a 20 bore Beretta to be more precise! The day arrived when I finally made it to a fabulous day of clays and cake with the even more fabulous Chelsea Bun Club girls. A lovely group of ladies who enjoy shooting more than shopping and who can bake cakes that would put Mary Berry into serious baking retirement!

I arrived nervous and sure that I wouldn’t hit a thing. For moral support, I decided to persuade a lovely new friend from the village to come along. However, I quickly realised that it was possible that with all her years of country experience, she might well be the best beginner shot! Having listened to the safety briefing, picked up my hat, ear plugs (oh the glamour!) and a box of canary yellow cartridges, I made my way with our group to the shooting ground. I was in shooting awe of the smart ladies with elegant looking black cartridges. Wonderful to see all the gents look twice as 60 ladies emerged out of the club heading towards the shooting ground. Be warned chaps – lady guns and plenty of them. Surely the ultimate in countryside girl power!

Determined that I was not going to hit anything, I opted to go last in the group. Rob, our first instructor was brilliant – his catchphrase for where to place your hand on the gun “Wood is good” had me in fits of giggles…. Poor Rob, he did blush rather profusely! The dear new village friend was predictably good and we all whooped and cheered for every clay hit. The ladies in our group were jolly good fun and not at all the sort of stuffy shooting set I had been dreading an encounter with. My moment of truth arrived as I uttered for the millionth time that I wasn’t going to hit a thing before holding the gun and shouting “Pull”. To my surprise, I hit not just my first one but the four subsequent clays too! Rob rescued my virgin cartridge as a prized souvenir and then said that I was clearly telling fibs.

Get your ammo girls!

I promise, dear Reader, I really had never shot anything until that moment. Thrilling! The morning continued and we had a chance to try out plenty of other clay shooting thingies (very technical shooting term, I will have you know, dear Reader), firing every which way at you and some bouncing along the ground like rabbits. All the instructors were brilliant and I managed a rather respectable 16 out of 30 on the score card. Onwards to tea and cake – a welcome end to the day. My feet and hands had just about turned to ice standing around in the cold.

Clays and cake- what a marvellous combination!

Might have to persuade Jerry to invest in a new set of Le Chameau boots for me in order to ward off the cold next time?! That’s right, dear Reader, there will be most certainly be a next time and a time after that!! I am truly bitten by the shooting bug and cannot wait to book another day with the charming Chelsea Bun Club ladies. I am so very glad they convinced me to come along. Let me loose with a shotgun and a load of clays any day. Countryside beware – Margot wants a gun!

My first cartridge of the day – first ever smashed clay!

All the fun of the fair

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Oooh I love a country fair!

Jerry and I decided that amidst the moving mania, we ought to make time to experience a few country pursuits before the packers and boxes descend on us (also because I am known for my ‘last minute Larry’ attitude towards such things and the move feels like ages away)! So we packed ourselves off (sorry couldn’t resist the pun) to Highclere aka Downton Abbey for the day and set about enjoying all the sights and sounds of the Highclere Countryman fair! Country fairs, dear Reader, are the summer staple for countryside lovers and a bit of a firm favourite with Jerry and I, bringing back memories of the county shows of our childhoods.

Well, it really didn’t disappoint, the whole day was UTTERLY brilliant. Falconry displays, jousting knights, a food festival tent and hundreds of country stalls from the sublimely satisfactory amount of tweed to the hilarious including a wonderful double take moment when I spied a ‘I’m a NOB’ badge. Yes…dear Reader…a badge for members of the National Organisation of Beaters and Pickers Up. Bet you didn’t know they were using that acronym! I was also astonished by the sheer volume of countryside gear on offer. Just how many camouflage jackets and boiler suits does one need in the countryside? Thank goodness, I had read all the helpful country fashion advice put together by the lovely Bea at Life After London (with help from Out of the City) otherwise I might have come away with some outfits that would really turn heads in our new village!

Primrose has not stopped talking about the real knights jousting!

Perhaps the best thing of all was the fact that we could take Monty too! Child AND dog friendly…! One can see immediately, dear Reader, why such events are universally popular! Monty was adored by many a passer-by with ooohs and aaahs of “Is he is a Springer? He looks just like…” and was thoroughly chuffed with the overwhelming number of opportunities for hoovering up leftover lunches! He was also glued to the Gundog Field Trials and loved watching all the dogs retrieving and jumping over bales! I wondered if he was sizing up the competition for next year’s Countryman fair! Jerry and I (well I say Jerry but it was mostly me) got thoroughly carried away with all the ‘doggy’ stands and we came away with yet another lead for the Montster. That would be lead number 3….. I just can’t help myself!

After 4 hours or so of carrying Poppy, Jerry and I called time on the fair, especially as Poppy was considerably heavier after demolishing a hog roast sandwich with all the trimmings and poor old Jerry was developing every parent’s worst nightmare, “Backpack Back”. With sleepy children and a pooped puppy, we headed back to town and vowed that we would go again next year. Leaving Highclere, Jerry even managed to have the girls spotting ‘Lannies’ (his Land Rover obsession has reached fever pitch now the move is looming closer). It would seem that every journey is now to be accompanied by the excited whoops of ‘LANNY’ from Poppy and Primrose….so the sooner Jerry has one, the better, dear Reader!

LANNNNNNYYYY!

Margot Tries the Good Life

A chronicle of the transformation from self-confessed townie to country bumpkin