What a difference a day makes – or more accurately a three hour appointment at the Puppy Beauty Parlour…….
Granted Bob has been digging in the vegatable patch in pouring rain in the “before” picture, but he was SOOOO scruffy we were embarrassed to drop him off for his wash and trim.
Anyway, the lady did a great job and he came back looking fantastic!
Now that Carnival is over we are all getting into the festive spirit here at The White House. My daughter Lucy spent yesterday afternoon wrapping her gifts (wish I was as organised……) and we are all looking forward to going into Wells for a little late night shopping on the 3rd December.
As well as Mulled Cider and Street Food, more than 80 traders will stay open for the event with lots of them offering discounts on their usual prices.
The Carnival is almost on us and we all have our fingers crossed that today’s downpour stop in time!
Taking the children to school this morning the A371 from Wells back up to Dulcote is already closed and the enormous floats are already lined up. The result was a school traffic jam that emulated Fulham, but the floats look fantastic.
Such a shame that I’ll miss it this year (business trip to Brighton) but I’m sure the rest of The White House will be there to enjoy it.
I can’t believe its been a year since we attended our first Carnival and yet the 20th November is now looming large.
For those of you who haven’t yet experienced a Somerset carnival, I would definitely recommend you come along. It is a huge event with enormous floats (a mix of dancing and tableaux) and interspersed with street performers all winding their way slowly through the medieval streets of Wells. Costumes are amazing and the amount of effort that goes into each float is unbelievable. All for charity, make sure you bring along plenty of pennies to throw into the collection vehicles and to find out more and see a video of last year’s carnival, visit http://www.wellssomerset.com/search/entry1045_somerset_carnivals_the_wells_carnival.html
Unfortunately The White House Bed and Breakfast is full for the event but please don’t let that stop you……..
We have finally managed to find a way around the problems signposting The White House, given that we can’t, due to our listed status, have any decent signage attached to the house. And so hopefully, our bed and breakfast guests will no longer find it a problem to find us in the dark.
Bob insisted on getting in on the picture, what a poser……..
This week The White House is taking a well deserved and long awaited break and so we will be “off air” for a short while. We are very much looking forward to meeting up with old friends in New Jersey and also on the itinerary is, yes, you’ve guessed it, a visit to THE White House!
Unsure if they also offer Bed and Breakfast, guessing they don’t, but we’ll soon find out….. Watch this space as we will be back soon with news of our trip.
And meanwhile, we are leaving our own White House in the very capable hands of our elder daughter Melanie.
What a beautiful weekend we had here at The White House in Dulcote. The weather was glorious and we packed loads in; including a visit to the Wells Food Festival and a new load of jam making after a trip to Wookey Hole to collect blackberries.
The Food Festival was very busy and the smells from the numerous stalls were divine. We came home with bags loaded with goodies, including local cheeses and dried meats. Just managed to resist temptation to buy a huge plum pudding for Christmas Day but only after confirming we could also buy online at a later date!
Wookey Hole was awash with Blackberries and although I was on my own for this trip; a waddle of Geese and herd of young cows kept me company (or watched over me to make sure I didn’t take too many) and so Sunday evening was spent making 10 huge pots of Blackberry and Apple jelly (using the lovely Bramleys that Ros gave to me last week from her garden)
And just before we settled in for the evening my daughter Lucy took this lovely photo which really captures just how special a weekend it was.
Although today is the first day in October, the sun has finally decided to shine on us her at The White House and we are enjoying balmy days although the temperature is beginning to dip in the evenings.
Reading the latest edition of Somerset Life there is an article focusing on Autumn days out and its good to see Bishops Palace within their recommendations. With 14 acres of gardens and our famous springs that give Wells its name, it makes a great day out. And if you are lucky you might even see the swans ringing the bell for food. My daughter Melanie and I were lucky enough to see this last summer and there’s a great clip on you tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stGckjlM2tU so that you can see what you are missing……
My timing hasn’t been great this weekend when I, for reasons attached to what I still call “my paid job”, swopped the peaceful surroundings of Dulcote for a busy City life in London during probably one of the most fantastic sunny spells we have had all summer!
Its been great to catch up with friends in the evening and to also see “War Horse” in Drury Lane (well recommended to anyone visiting London) but I’m already pining for The White House and country living. Can’t wait to return on Monday evening and breathe in the fresh air, re-join my family and enjoy an enthusiastic welcome from Bob.
Wells Food Festival returns on Sunday 11th October. This annual event grows every year and last year attracted 7,500 visitors to Wells.
This year, with over 100 producers and street food vendors, the Festival includes an Artisan Market, street food stalls and a family marquee as well as activities; debate; and “The Soup” in Bishops Barn; and a pop up tea room in the Town Hall.
Here at The White House we can’t really get our heads around the fact that a full year has gone by, it seems only a short while ago that we were wandering around the delights of the Festival last year.
Definately worth a visit and I’d be delighted to hear from any of you who have visited the Festival in the past.