Category: Features

I AM not sure where June has gone? It has been a month of variable weather, but really good for gardens. The vegetable patch continues to be an absolute treat and I am now picking produce on a daily basis, not to mention at least one bunch of Sweet Peas a day.

I wonder if the success is due to that amazing product ?Organic Extra? from www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk that I scattered on the ground back in April. The polyculture approach is also proving a success ? I don?t seem to have had a glut of anything thus far.

One of the highlights of this month was an invitation to visit Highgrove in Gloucestershire. In my naivety I hadn?t appreciated how difficult it is to get tickets, so a big ?thank you? Jane for organising this amazing trip. I had seen the articles and read the books, but it doesn?t prepare you for the beauty of the place. The art of design is simplicity and this garden has it.

I loved the bold use of hedging ? a dominant feature ? mixed with ?controlled? wildness and a minimalist use of colour. There was humour and tranquillity with the garden – separated into rooms, each with its own identity and feel. The stumpery did not disappoint. It had texture in the stumps and a clever use of beautiful ferns and hostas, interspersed with Alliums. The sound of water cascading into a pool with a central sculpture topped with a giant Gunnera giving the humour aspect. The only colour was white.

In between the ?rooms? there are swathes of meadow planted simply with bulbs, including Alliums, irises, daisies and yellow rattle to name just a few. The paths are wide and generous and against the backdrop of large mature Yew hedging it was beautiful.

It didn?t matter where you were in the garden, HRH has made the very best use of vistas. The eye is constantly being taken into the distance and attracted on occasion by something as simple as a seat and at other times a stunning sculpture or bespoke building.

We were not allowed to take photographs, but I have half a note book filled with sketches and plant combinations and some very clever and inspiring ideas. I now need a few gardens big enough to incorporate some of these!!

The walled vegetable garden was a beautiful mix of herbaceous and vegetables with a central water feature and four quadrants.

Although open to the public, this garden maintains the feel of a very private person who is passionate about the environment. I do feel privileged to have had the experience and would go back again.

Our day was crowned ? again a surprise to me ? with a champagne reception with quite delicious canap

DEBT is a growing problem both nationally and locally. Only last year Thame CAB office dealt with 434 enquiries about debt. In these days of the credit crunch and concerns about job security, we are all anxious about where our money goes, from paying the mortgage or rent, to buying new shoes for our growing children.

Whatever your financial worries, the free, confidential, independent debt advice that we offer can help you resolve them and prevent similar problems happening again in the future. Don?t bury your head in the sand. Give yourself this financial health check today!

Debt ? the danger signs

? Do you avoid opening your bills?

? Do you have no savings and live on an
overdraft?

? Do you regularly use your credit card to get
cash or pay for your shopping?

? Do you not know how much you owe?

? Do you only pay the minimum payment on your
credit cards?

? Are you borrowing money to pay off other
debts?

If you do any of these, you could well be on the road to a debt problem, so get advice as soon as you can before it gets worse. For free, confidential and independent advice click on www.adviceguide.org.uk or telephone Thame Citizens Advice Bureau:for an appointment 01844 217186.

Photo: Tom Fox, the Manager of Thame’s Citizens’ advice Bureaux

SARDINIA has been, and gone. What a beautiful island with its white sandy beaches and turquoise sea. Our house was more than we had hoped for with stunning views across mountains and sea. The only noise we heard was the ocean and the birds, not even a human voice. It was heaven.

Sadly, I managed to catch a virus on the way out which has rendered me completely doo lally and two weeks later there is little or no improvement! It has affected the inner ear and I am finding it very disorientating to head off in one direction only to find myself involuntarily six paces closer to any point of the compass. It is even worse when lying down, reading or watching television. Not being one for sitting still at the best of times, it is frustrating to know the ?safest? place to be is sitting upright in a chair doing nothing?

Despite these problems I still headed off to Chelsea to do my stint for the Society. I am sure the 5.00am start did nothing to improve my well-being! It was a good day with only a few odd showers which I managed to avoid. Not as inspiring as usual, but there were one or two gardens that really stood out. Not least Auf Nordfjell?s garden for The Daily Telegraph. His use of materials and planting made it for me ? so tranquil, yet elegant with his very clever melding of architecture and nature. Luciano?s step into using colour also paid off and his combination of plants left me wondering whether or not I liked it? It was very clever, but almost impossible to reproduce to look as it did for Cheslea week.

I could write reams on the subject, but as always one of the highlights for me is to meet up with fellow designers, suppliers and old friends ? not to mention bumping in to one or two clients. Our stand had pole position opposite Thomas Hoblyn?s garden and we were privy to many a filming session of the said garden, watching Andy Stugeon and Nikki Chapman getting soaked. Andy came and joined us later on the stand and it was good to catch up as we both use the same contractor ? recommended to Andy by myself.

I found lots of goodies, including some much sought after seed for one of my clients. All I have to do now is to successfully germinate it and nurture the plants ready for planting next spring. Inspired by Italy I now have even more seeds for the vegetable patch! I found new (and old) suppliers of wonderful furniture and a superb blacksmith/iron worker who can make almost anything. All in all an excellent day out.

I love June in the garden ? the vegetables are continually giving pleasure and if organised the crop rotation almost takes care of itself. The main garden is looking a picture with constant promises of new blooms and surprises. There is very little earth showing which reduces the weeding and I find I can sit back and enjoy the sunshine and lazy weekends with friends. Let?s hope we really do get a summer this year?

RECIPE
ARTICHOKE AND WARM POTATO SALAD
500g New Potatoes
4tbs Olive Oil
Juice of a lemon
Grated Parmesan
350g Preserved Artichokes
Bunch of parsley
Handful of mint

Steam or boil the potatoes until just soft. Drain and set aside. Put the lemon juice, olive oil and parmesan in a bowl and add a little coarse ground black pepper. Mix well.

Slice each artichoke into four and each potato in half. Add to the dressing whilst the potatoes are still warm. Add the Parsley and Mint, toss well and serve. Delicious with almost anything.

SEASONAL TIPS
Cut back perennial flowers as this will help to produce a second flush.
Remove poppy heads, unless you want them to seed naturally.

Divide bearded Irises after flowering. The tulips will have died back by now. If you are going to leave them in situ, cut back the flowering stem,
but leave the foliage as this will help feed the bulbs for next spring.
Alternatively, they can be lifted and stored in a cool dry place ready to re-plant in the Autumn.

Fast growing hedges, such as privet can be cut back in June, but do be aware the birds might still be nesting. Box is traditionally (Old Wives
Tale) cut back on Derby Day ? which I believe is in early June?

Prune back spring flowering shrubs, straight after flowering. Remove some of the older wood to encourage new growth.

The lawn can be regularly mowed once a week. To remove excess weeds such as clover and yarrow, go over the lawn with a spring rake before
you mow.

If you have hanging baskets and grow annuals it should now be safe to plant them outside.
Water and feed regularly anything you have recently planted as this will help them to establish. Don?t rely on the rain ? it will not be enough.
Phostrogen is a good all purpose plant food.

VEGETABLE & FRUIT GARDEN
Plant out any vegetables you have sown indoors or in the greenhouse.
As usual, there are just too many to mention here. I am still sticking to growing in blocks fairly close together. This means the range and variety I can grow has almost doubled and I am spoilt for choice. However, it does mean I am not going to get a glut of any one crop and it suits my diet perfectly. I hope to be pretty much self-sufficient this year.

Pigeons, Cabbage White caterpillars and carrot flies are a perennial problem, so do protect your crops with netting ? Wondermesh and Enviromesh are both excellent insect-proof netting.

Remember to nip out the side shoots of tomatoes. I do have an idiot proof guide to growing tomatoes if any of you are interested.

Continue to sow salad crops and herbs, such as Basil and Coriander every
two weeks or so to give a constant supply. The Greek Basil,
recommended by my son, is growing brilliantly ? I must have about
thirty plants ? if anyone wants one, just let me know.

Weed the vegetable patch regularly. After only a week away I found mine
had got slightly out of hand. I did a hands and knees job, but now I will
probably keep it under control by gently hoeing on a regular basis.

Protect ripening fruit from birds by covering with netting.

Prune blackcurrants at the same time as picking the fruit. Cut out some of the oldest, fruited wood to encourage new growth.

It is time to thin out fruit. Fruit trees produce too many young fruits and if you allow them all to develop, the fruit would end up small and misshapen because the tree simply can?t provide enough nutrients.
There is a natural ?June Drop?, but you still need to thin them further.
Reduce the number of fruits so that the distance between fruit is as follows:_
Desert Apples 10-25cm
Cooking Apples 15-20cm
Pears 10-15cm
Plums 8-19cm
Peaches 15-20cm

Put straw or matting around strawberries to keep the berries clean.
For more information, visit LINK TO RHS.ORG

GREENHOUSE
Stop the greenhouse from overheating by keeping the windows and doors open. Shade if necessary by using Coolglass ? a temporary white paint. Soak the floor regularly with water to cool it down and raise
the humidity.

I have potted on Cucumber, Peppers, Chilli and Gherkin and will keep them in the greenhouse. It is only 1200 x 1200 ? so I have to be very selective on what stays inside. My Tomatoes and Aubergines
seem to thrive outside.

POINTS OF INTEREST
?We will if you will?
A Government-backed initiative to encourage healthier lifestyles.
The first is to encourage people to eat more home-grown, seasonal and UK produced food.
Visit LINK
for more information.

PLACES TO VISIT
Gardens free to RHS Members
RHS Wisley; Blenheim Palace Park and Gardens; Nymans; Waddesdon Manor; Waterperry Gardens; West Dean Gardens.
For a full list visit www.rhs.org.uk.

FIVE BEE FRIENDLY GARDENS

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond

The National Wildflower Centre, Liverpool

Garden Organic Ryton, Warwickshire

RHS Wisley, Woking

Highgrove, Gloucestershire

2009 National Gardens Scheme
There are too many gardens open in this area for me to mention here, but do visit www.ngs.org.uk for more details. Free leaflets are available in libraries and garden centres.

EVENTS

RHS SHOWS FOR 2009
HAMPTON COURT ? 7TH ? 12TH July
TATTON PARK ? 22ND ? 26TH July
Tickets: 0844 209 1681
BBC GARDENERS WORLD ? 10TH ? 14TH June
www.rhs.org.uk

HARTWELL HOUSE
10th June ? Garden Talk and Tour
RHS Members :

AUTHOR and publisher omitted from feature:
Author: Anthony Poulton-Smith
Publisher: Amberley Publishing

EVER wondered how our towns and villages got their names? Were they a deliberate creation by our ancestors or did they evolve naturally over time? Is there a feline cemetery on Cat?s Brain Hill? Which streets remember the revival of Morris Dancing? Was there really a crossing place for cattle at Oxford? And when did Gibraltar, California and New Zealand come to Oxfordshire?

Oxfordshire Place Names examines the origins of the names with which we are otherwise so familiar. Towns, villages, districts, hills, streams, woods, farms, fields, streets and even pubs are examined and explained. Some of the definitions give a glimpse of life in the earlier days of the settlement, and for the author there is nothing more satisfying than finding a name which gives such a snapshot.

The definitions are supported by anecdotal evidence, bringing to life the individuals and events which have influenced the places and the way these names have developed.

This is not just a dictionary but a history that will prove invaluable not only for those who live and work in the county but also visitors and tourists, historians and former inhabitants, indeed anyone with an interest in Oxfordshire.

VISITING the Oxford Literary Festival recently, Nicholas Newman, of Oxford Prospects magazine, interviewed travel writer, Fran Sandham, author of TRAVERSA, A Solo Walk Across Africa, from the Skeleton Coast to the Indian Ocean.

LIKE many before him, Fran Sandham felt the pull of Africa. This sense of adventure led him to undertake a trek from Namibia?s notorious Skeleton Coast to Zanzibar on Tanzania?s Indian Ocean coast. This amazing 3,000 mile walk took him across some of the wildest parts of Africa; it was lucky for him that the locals were, for the most part, friendly.

Inspired by the great adventures of noted Victorian explorers, David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley, Fran had felt the call of the wild. Like these two famous adventurers he was to find it a life changing experience. Before his trek across Africa, Fran had been a quiet bookseller, surrounded by books telling of the adventures of famous travellers and explorers. Since his African adventures he has become a popular travel writer, and, for several years, editor of the well-liked Rough Guides series of travel guides for others with adventure in their hearts.

I interviewed Fran following his talk about his book ?TRAVERSA? that recounts his African journey on foot, in a room lined with paintings of notable academics overlooking Oxford?s Christ Church meadow.

As for Fran himself, he, was dressed in a smart broad pinstripe suit, which somehow clashed with his rugged features. During the course of the interview Fran revealed himself to be a self-deprecating and likeable, humorous person, who reminded me of that other great writer, the creator of Morse, Colin Dexter.

Fran realised that his Reginald Perrin dream of trekking across Africa was going to cost him at least

AS summer approaches, The Dinton Hermit Inn, in the peaceful hamlet of Ford, near tHAME, is focusing on the forthcoming season of ?al fresco? dining.

With new garden furniture now in place, diners can enjoy lunch or dinner in the beautiful and peaceful garden surroundings, overlooking the Buckinghamshire countryside. Or the gardens make a lovely setting for an afternoon tea, with home made scones, jam and of course clotted cream, along with a wide choice of teas.

Alternatively, you can relax in the sunshine with a chilled glass of wine or a pint of one of the guest beers.

Children are welcome at The Dinton Hermit Inn, with a range of dishes on the menu that are suitable for children, that they can enjoy in the restaurant and in the large pub garden – ideal for a lazy family afternoon.

The Dinton Hermit Inn is just a few miles out from Aylesbury and Thame, in the middle of the most peaceful Buckinghamshire countryside ? a great place to escape to for a quiet lunch.

This historic inn dates back to the 17th Century and is named after the legendary ?Dinton Hermit?, a parliamentarian sympathiser during the Civil War, who was reputed to have been one of the executioners of King Charles I.

The Dinton Hermit is open all day, every day. To book a room or a table for lunch or dinner you can contact The Dinton Hermit on 01296 747473 or email relax@dintonhermit.co.uk.

THAME’S very own Speakers Club is watching BBC Television?s new reality series, The Speaker, with great interest.

“The programme is clearly highlighting the important role that conquering the fear of speaking in public can play in helping people build confidence and enhance achievement,” says Club President Jean Gamester. “As a club devoted to helping ?ordinary? people acquire strong speaking skills, we are ourselves learning from the programme.”

Filmed during the summer and autumn of 2008, The Speaker follows the fortunes and misfortunes of a group of teenagers from across the UK as they set out to demonstrate that ?ordinary? people of whatever age can achieve extraordinary things. With the right coaching, encouragement and mentoring, the teenagers at the centre of The Speaker are competing to be recognised as the best speaker in their peer group, developing remarkably as individuals as the experience unfolded.

Thame Speakers Club meets at 7:45pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month in Thame Snooker Club, St Andrews Court, Wellington Street, Thame, OX9 3WT. If you enjoy The Speaker you will also enjoy the finals of the Toastmasters South of England Division speech contest at Thame Snooker Club on the April 19, 2009, at 10:30am.

The show ? perhaps best described as an Xfactor or Pop Idol for public speaking ? makes fascinating viewing, and is sparking off a wave of interest throughout the British Isles in the underlying subject: public speaking. Some people regard Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit international organisation, as a de facto University of Public Speaking for adults (18 and over). It is active in your area, and open to all, regardless of sex, creed or colour.

Sean Kennedy, a committed member of Toastmasters International, acted as programme consultant on The Speaker, and was involved with it from conception through production to broadcast.
He is even firmer than ever in his belief that one of the keys to success and happiness lies in having the confidence to speak in public, and in Toastmasters International as a first-class way to acquire that confidence. “I have had some wonderful experiences over the past 8 years since I sold my business, but over that time the most significant and life changing decision I ever made was to walk into a Toastmaster club. I have seen, read about and experienced dozens of personal development concepts – hand on heart, the Toastmaster programme is the single most effective and value-for-money personal development tool out there.
“The biggest lesson I have learnt from TM is that anyone can become a competent speaker, IF they are willing to put in the time. I have seen hundreds of people including myself, grow from nervous to natural and from self-conscious to self-confident.”

Member of Thame Toastmasters, Richard Moore, said: “I only wish I had known about Toastmasters International in general and Thame Speakers in particular several years earlier.
“It is no exaggeration to say that in many respects in has changed my life, much for the better. I know I am not alone in that. Companies ? and governments- would pay thousands of pounds of pounds for this training, which takes place in a positive, constructive, supportive environment. We offer it for pounds a month!

“I agree wholeheartedly,? added Mary Walters. “As I worked my way through the basic project manual and took on different responsibilities at our regular club meetings, I was acquiring not just speaking skills that I could never have dreamed of but also a confidence that I never believed I could have. As a by-product, I have also acquired new organisational and leadership skills. Oh, and a fantastic social life. And not just in Britain/Ireland. There are Toastmasters clubs all over the world; visiting one when travelling on business can be a much better to spend downtime than sitting in a hotel room watching television.

“We have regular social gatherings and I have made so many new friends,” says John Feore. “I would recommend it to anyone as a way of boosting the enjoyment of everyday life.”

“Toastmasters is not just an incredible personal development tool; it is also a great social experience,” continued Sean Kennedy. “As the son of an Irish publican I never thought I would say this but forget about the pub, join a Toastmasters club!”

If you would like to know more about Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit global group founded to help ?ordinary? people acquire essential speaking and leadership skills, contact Richard Moore directly on 007789902388, or email him at richardmoore@thamesperakers.co.uk.

Further information is available from www.thamespeakers.co.uk. The group actively welcomes new members looking to acquire or improve public speaking capabilities and leadership skills awareness.

NB Thame Speakers is the local branch of Toastmasters International. Meetings are held at the Thame Snooker Club, St Andrews Court, Wellington Street, Thame, OX9 3WT on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. There is parking if you enter the club from Wellington Street, or you can walk through the short lane beside Delphine Art at 27 Upper High Street.

Photo: (Courtesy of The BBC) The three judges, Jeremy Stockwell, Jo Brand and John Amaechi who must now whittle down from the final eight, the young winner of The Speaker.

Now here was me thinking (at the time of writing) that the weather was beginning to pick up and we were well on the way to spring. What a shame to hear we are likely to get Baltic weather, including snow, next week.
It was such a delight last weekend to get into the vegetable patch and dig over some more beds in preparation for planting. I managed to sow my sweet peas and tomatoes which now have pride of place in my office. The broad beans, sown in December are just beginning to poke through and the snow drops are out. No small wonder I was living with false hopes?

The Spring 2009 Bulb Catalogue came through this week. I know I have spoken to quite a number of you about Gladiolus callianthus and now is the time to let me know if you want me to order them for you. This is the most astonishing plant ? flowering late in the summer and lasting almost through to the first frost. It is a delightful creamy white, with a deep purplish centre, but its beauty lies in the longevity of flowering and the most amazing scent. My mother grew them in pots outside her back door and mine were just outside the office, giving off the most delicious smells. They have flowers resembling tumbling water with as many as 8-10 per stem. The cost is

AS I write this, my latest dispatch ?from the front? of London eating places, I?m absolutely furious!
Gordon Ramsay has, for the couch food guru, become a god, the Adonis of gastronomy, a genius amongst chefs. Well, after tonight?s experience, I for one am thoroughly disillusioned.
How can he have the audacity; the bare-faced cheek? How can he cross the pond and dare to ?entertain? us by tormenting and blatantly taking the rise out of incompetent restaurateurs then claim to fix them up in a flash?

York & Albany is the latest branch to spawn from the Ramsay family tree and is as bland, boring and nondescript as a restaurant and bar could be. I?m not even going to bother explaining where it is: it?s that rubbish!

What he has essentially done is this: taken a beautiful old building, spent a few quid on dull pastel coloured bits and bobs in an attempt to ?do it up?, but not so as to loose the character ? two inch gaps under the doors, single glazed iron framed climate-change-inducing windows are just a couple of examples ? and staffed the place with jesterly dressed, eastern European morons who have received no apparent training and therefore know sod-all about any of the things on offer.

My partner and I didn?t bother to eat as we couldn?t even get a drink out of the lounge waitress as she, and the other staff, messed around whipping each other, joking and singing whilst the frumpy, simple- looking manager did endless snail-paced laps of the draughty, miserable room.

I would venture to suggest that Gordon gets out of the TV studio, stops flogging low-grade Gin and BT technical services, stops telling the yanks how to fix up their restaurants, and focuses on getting his own house in order. People patronise his establishments with a level of expectation that accompanies such culinary mega stardom and anyone with half a brain can see that the place is utter rubbish. It can survive only on so-called food tourists: People who go out wearing enjoyment blinkers, mesmerised by just being there ? obliviously to the fact that they are eating food served by village idiots in a dull, characterless, over designed temple of pretence and marketing prowess.

No doubt the food is ok ? as Ramsay prodigy Angel Harnett is ?at the stove? but I care not a sausage! The passion, love and obsession that makes a great restaurant is totally absent here. There are so many great places in town that ooze a commitment to doing what they do well, so spend your hard earned cash elsewhere.

I feel at this stage that I should clarify something: Gordon Ramsay currently ?runs? around 20 restaurants, and is supported by a loyal army of dedicated henchmen ? and women who keep the standards up. Forget right now, any thoughts you have that when you go to a Ramsay restaurant he is in the kitchen. Forget also, any thoughts you have that one of his henchmen are there either. Angela Harnett is currently overseeing ? in addition to York & Albany ? her Mayfair restaurant Murano, plus restaurants in New York and Dubai. Who the duck is in the kitchen?

How diluted can something get before it becomes unrecognisable? This diluted is the answer.

I must apologise for not maintaining my commitment to this column. It was Christmas, I?ve been to The Netherlands and Prague, and I?ve started a new job. My mind has ? as can be expected ? been on other things but have no fear, I am back in the culinary driving seat and will hopefully bring you better news in the coming weeks, as I continue to offer (hopefully) more useful advice on where to eat and drink when you visit The Smoke. In the mean time, if any readers wish to send me some feedback, or ideas on places to visit then I would love to hear from you. Hopefully mum will tag my details on to the bottom of this passage of opinionated drivvle. God, Ramsay makes me mad!

NB Reminder of disclaimer: The views expressed in this feature are NOT those of Thamenews.net which bears no responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of any part of this article. Besides, it not worth sueing us Gordon, we are paupers, live in a tent and are currently living on baked beans!

To contact Eddie with your feedback to this, or any other of his contributions, email him at:
eddie@useyourloaf.net

Image: a shot of the York and Albany, from the York and Albany website

MAY I start by wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. Christmas was a bit of a whirlwind here. Jim arrived home on the Monday and didn?t leave until the following Wednesday. We seem to have been doing an enormous amount of entertaining and catching up with friends and family. All in all a wonderful break.

I did track down the monkfish cheeks and can buy them for