Local sights – Page 11 – Wattle and Ash

Posh services

June 19, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash10 Comments

When you go on a road trip in Australia you inevitably end up stopping at a ‘servo’ to refuel the car, use the bathroom and eat. On busy routes there might be a ‘service centre’ where there is a petrol station and several fast food outlets, but on many country roads, it’s an old style road house – essentially a petrol station with a cafeteria attached.

In England, the ‘service centre’ is known as ‘services’ and most are akin to what you find on the Hume Highway at Yass. As I’ve learnt over the past few months though, there are fancy road-side stops in a few select locations. Welcome to the world of ‘posh services’…

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Local sights, Travel

Slow days on Solway

June 12, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash3 Comments

It’s been cool, wet and windy across much of the U.K. over the last few days but I haven’t minded at all, because Adam and I have been hiding in a little cottage in Scotland.

It was one of those spur of the moment getaways. We both had a clear spot in our calendars and decided a few peaceful days in a glorious setting was just what we needed.

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Everyday life, Food, Local sights, Travel

A day at the fair

June 5, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

Summer is the season for fairs in England, so days after checking out Malvern’s annual Food Festival, Adam and I found ourselves at another Worcestershire classic, Asparafest.

Set in Evesham, a half an hour drive east, Asparafest celebrates the market town’s asparagus farms. It was one of those quirky community events Adam had told me about before we moved to England and I was keen to see it for myself.

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Everyday life, Food, Local sights, Travel

Long weekend, long lunch

June 1, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

Monday of this week was a bank holiday in England. Adam and I both had the day off, so took advantage of our free time to visit the Great Malvern Food Festival. When I lived in Australia, Wagga Wagga’s annual food and wine festival was one of my favourite events of the year so I was keen to check out my new community’s version.

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Everyday life, Local sights, Travel

Badger watch

May 29, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash2 Comments

Lots of people come to Australia hoping to see a kangaroo or a koala. For me in England it was a badger or otter. I daresay my fascination stemmed from the childhood classic, Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, and more specifically the 1980s stop motion television series of the same name, which I can remember watching as a child. Animal people who drove cars, dressed in snappy outfits and had wonderful adventures – what wasn’t to love?!

Adam has always had a bit of a soft spot for badgers. He even gave me a badger mug at Christmas! The vineyard he lived at before moving to Australia was frequently visited by badgers and an allotment he maintained near the village of Cradley, west of the Malvern Hills, was near a woodland where badgers lived. His stories of watching badgers snuffling about seemed magical and he was keen to share the experience with me.

So one evening last week, we made the short journey to Cradley to look for badgers.

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Local sights, Travel

By the canal

May 25, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash4 Comments

I’m sure I’m not the only person who, when thinking about canals, thinks about Venice. Oh the romance of narrow waterways passing by historic stone houses in rainbow colours, a gondolier in a straw hat and stripy shirt and lazy warm days on the water, gelato in hand!

Canals though aren’t just restricted to Italy – hundreds of places have them, England included. The U.K. canal system really rose to prominence during the Industrial Revolution and given the Midland’s strong association with this era, there are plenty of examples of canals near to Malvern.

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Everyday life, Food, Local sights, Travel

Forest foraging

May 22, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandashLeave a Comment

Last week I got a Facebook message from Australian friend Kerri, who’s currently holidaying around the U.K., about a delicious asparagus and wild garlic soup she’d eaten. Intrigued and inspired, especially by some of the images of wild garlic that are appearing on my Instagram feed, I went out in search of some the plants myself.

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Local sights, Travel

Lyme Park

May 15, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash2 Comments

I can remember being a 17 year old school girl sitting in my English class, devouring Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was a world so completely different to my own, yet the story still resonated with me and it remains a favourite book. When we’d finished reading the novel our teacher played the cult 1995 BBC mini-series of the same name, starring Jennifer Ehle, Colin Firth and *that* white, wet shirt scene. Oh how my teenage heart fluttered, not only for Darcy but for the beautiful scenery and those amazing houses. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve re-watched that series. I know the story, but never tire of it.

Last week’s visit to the Peak District allowed me to fulfil a cheesy Pride and Prejudice fangirl moment. Adam and I headed off to the National Trust’s Lyme Park – the property used as Pemberley (exterior only) in the BBC production.

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Food, Local sights, Travel

A postcard from the Peak District

May 11, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash1 Comment

I have a confession to make – up until very, very recently my knowledge of England’s Peak District was based primarily on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I knew Derbyshire was near the Peak District and that’s where Mr Darcy’s ‘Pemberley’ was based. I quickly discovered at the start of this week though, there’s a whole lot more to the Peak District than Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Adam and I chose the Peak District for a long weekend away on a bit of a whim. It was a region I’d never visited and Adam only briefly. What we discovered was towns and villages filled with exquisite stones buildings, amazing scenery and a thriving food and beer scene.

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Everyday life, Local sights, Thoughts, Travel

Friends from afar

May 8, 2017January 20, 2018by wattleandash1 Comment

Adam and I played host to our first visitors from Australia late last week. Kerri and Adrian have been friends with my parents for years – the sort of people in your life you can never remember not knowing.

They’ve been in Italy, Malta and England on a lovely long holiday and made the time to spend the day in Malvern with us.