A typical Yorkshire Rag and Bone Man in Mid-Winter!

After a busy and productive day in the North of England, I was checking my map for the best way to exit Bradford, in order to drive past a new customer. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a rag and bone cart full to the brim with a collection of exciting recycled goods. For the past few years, I’d be wanting to get a photograph of one. In Yorkshire, the highway verges often have horses grazing, while chained to a post. In most towns, especially Bradford, you’ll come across a horse and cart on the roads. Indeed that day in Bradford I’d already seen 2, one of which had been negotiating the ring road using the middle lane and forcing all traffic behind to a standstill.

Eager not to miss my opportunity, I jumped out the car and set off back to the cart 200 metres behind. As I approached, the best photo looked to be from behind. I had my phone in my hand as I walked past. The tinker on his cart, noticed my phone as well. To be fair, he may have mistaken me for the social services, however he was off his cart in a flash and coming towards me with a pair of pliers! Quick as a Jaffa Cake, I was across the road and running back to my car. I jumped into the blue machine, with the bemused tinker left empty handed in the road. I definitely got the giggles being chased out of Bradford with a pair of pliers, but the truth remains…we’re a bit soft in the south. No one down here needs to carry a bow and arrow still…whereas up north…

I think there have to be key criteria.

Most important feature – a river of majestic quality.
Historical buildings/landmarks which leave a lasting impression, and could not be mistaken for any other city in the world.
Parks and open spaces, especially squares

You can look at photos or drive through a city and get impressions, but really only by walking around and living in the city can you really get a feel. And to judge a city this must be the most important criteria of all. Therefore like all great debates, ‘ what is britain’s second best city is purely subjective!’

In the last three weeks I’ve been lucky enough to visit the three cities that I think can claim to be Britain’s Second city and London itself.

The obvious choice is Edinburgh, with it’s ordered streets and iconic landmarks. It also has a botanic garden which is extraordinary, and Arthur’s seat. From this vantage point you can only marvel at the city. I’d argue that without a major river at its heart, edinburgh loses a beating heart, and the docks on the firth of forth are disjointed from the city. Without this pulse I think Edinburgh loses some identity, some focus…some life really – as I said this is subjective, please argue against me.

Edinburgh has been discounted. Newcastle fills the void left by a lack of river. The Tyne is the heart of the city and Sunderland and Gateshead also! It has been the heart of British shipbuilding for over a century, how sad it no longer has the Swan Hunter dockyard. The river area has been restored in the last 15 years and now rivals anything, the millennium building ( it looks like an armadillo), the bridge, the Baltic flour mill and of course the mini Sydney harbour bridge. The heart of the city has great architecture, and the feeling you get living in the city is second to none. The city is vibrant, the people are wonderful and you can’t help falling in love with Newcastle and the geordies – ‘howwwaaay!’. But it lacks green space/squares to take my second spot. The town moor is as bleak as it sounds, and jesmond park is very small, but pretty.

Bristol gets my vote. Not only has it an abundance of landmarks – the suspension bridge (Brunel!), the cathedral, Cabot tower, the harbourside, the university, park street, but it also has green space and squares. Clifton is full of squares and parks and also has the common as well. There are some rough areas, but cities need those. The regeneration in the heart of the city is incredible, leaving a waterfront on the river Avon filled with ships and pleasure boats with cobbled streets and ancient wharfs next door to modern buildings with chic restaurants. The river Avon flows into the Severn estuary and is dramatic, with the gorge to the west of the city. Bristol is the capital of the west, it easily trumps Cardiff as a city, however doesn’t has a government or assembly in situ. It has spirit, albeit quite a hippy vibe, with multicoloured houses. Its very keen on cycling, though watch out for all the hills. I love Bristol and would love to get to know it more…it’s my second city and deserves to attract tourist and business alike. Brunel and Bristol, hand in hand the second greatest…?

Custom’s sniffer dog in action

On a clear, bright morning 2 weeks ago, a lorry pulled up on the hard shoulder with its hazard warnings on just near Peterborough; three lanes and a hard-shoulder wide here. As I approached the lorry, the driver opened up the rear doors to his lorry. It was like the start of a football or rugby match with a full team pouring out of the back of the trailer. What transpired to be 15 refugees (no possessions only the clothes they wore) streamed out of the trailer, over the fence by the hard shoulder and started running across the open fields. It’s the part of East Anglia, East Midlands, where the landscape is open fields for as far as the eye can see and the spot the lorry pulled up was completely rural.

The lead runners wouldn’t have been out of place in the Olympics. To see this string of refugees trailing across the field is one of the more extraordinary sights I’ve seen travelling around Britain. I called the police and reported the incident. That evening I had a wonderful call from an Immigraton officer. “Good Evening…did you see the Aliens leaving the Lorry?” By Aliens I guessed he meant the Afghan rugby side which had travelled to England that morning “Yes…”. “That’s excellent news” he quickly responded, “i’ve had dozens of witnesses, but none who saw the Aliens exit the lorry… can you come to Peterborough Police Station and give a statement?” Since I was now in Edinburgh this seems difficult. He persisted, “Do you live in Peterborough?”

I didn’t think Peterborough was a likely option so I volunteered for a visit to any local police station to give a statement if my phone testimony wasn’t enough. This settled it… but I was curious to know a little more. How many refugees were there? “Exactly 15… and the driver, who had a lot of questions to answer!”

How on earth can 15 refugees get through customs (did the dogs have colds?) I think the lorry driver looked as surprised as I was, and is still asking himself the same question.

I went to sleep that night smiling at the thought (I’m sure wrong) of the unfit local PCs chasing Aliens around the Cambridgeshire countryside all day.

I often watch people driving around, nearly all in shinier cars than the Blue Machine, and wonder what they do for a living. We all have aspirations and dreams and earning a crust is crucial in this? But is it that simple? Is this the key to happiness? Certainly most people I meet for work, and they’re usually in rural businesses, rather than on the high street, are really worried by life. This is not helped by the news everyday telling us we’re doomed. This can have a knock on effect, causing mass anxiety and apprehension.

So are we smiling enough? Was it more fun living 10, 20, 30 years ago. I’m sure not, everyone has highs and lows – we’re just in the middle of a group low. There’s no instant solution, but small steps can put us back on the right track. Our local pub has a Monday night village night with excellent prices. It’s very well attended, and gives everyone a chance to relax, unwind, gain solace in the fact there are people out there who’ll listen, offer advice, help for free.

Maybe this is the change – we’re losing the power of people. We’re relying too much on machines, technology – what they tell us. We’re losing the incredible power of people moving in one direction. ‘Done because we’re too many’ – the words of Father Time in Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. Although its true we’re such a large population on a relatively small island, I think it’s ‘Done because we’re so few’. We need a positive response to difficult circumstances – it’s not all about maximum profits Tesco, John Lewis, Shell, BP, Santander…the list of corporates sadly goes on and on? Can you just keep going making bigger and bigger profits forever?

A little help at the petrol pumps would be nice… but a little bit more of old love, smiles, laughs and tickles would be much nicer still… summer’s only just round the corner! Get out as often as possible and mingle…

Unrequited love wouldn’t be the way I’d describe the white vans we often rent in order to deliver large stock items or exhibit at Fairs. These white vans are the rejects of the fleet world, the rejects of the private van world, and find themselves 250,000 miles later as the cheapest vans in the country to rent. Don’t worry that all the lights show on the dashboard before you start or that none of the locks or doors work – it’s a cheap van and will happily get you from A to B. Just don’t look at the seats too closely.

On my last trip to Newcastle I needed a white van to take a whole exciting pallet of brand new designs from the Compost Heap. I made the mistake of relying on the petrol gauge in the van. Since the rental company drains the remaining fuel out of every van on return, the gauge must’ve been altered. With a quarter of a tank and fresh wind in my sails travelling north on the A1, the poor white van came to a juddering halt. I managed to pull off the road and roll into a lay-by. Sadly no sign of a petrol station…

I discovered from an elderly lady in her dressing gown that the nearest petrol station was 5 miles away. It was a long walk along an overgrown verge, but actually not too cold once I got going. I did try hitch-hiking, but nobody seems that keen – does anyone ever pick up hitch-hikers now? Luckily the extremely friendly petrol station knew of a local taxi, which popped me back at the poor white van. After 250,000 a few things are going to be falling off…

Hi George
We finally received our order today and I found the long awaited invoice inside the box !
So I will send you a cheque on the first available north bound penguin !

Stanley Garden Centre
Falkland Islands

The motorway is closed at night, until early morning and the lumberjack work all night. They’ve such bright light showing them the way that it looks like daylight in the war zone – we can look down from the bridge in Handcross after 8 o’clock! Also the noise travels in the dead of night, and the digger, cranes with tank tracks, chainsaws and log splitters add to the surreal atmosphere – the whirring, whining and crackings are so alien to the normal quiet of the night.

On turning into the high street, a little crowd had gathered and there in the melee was the one and only Pan pipe man. He really works hard and travels around, for this year alone I’ve bumped into him piping away in Sidmouth, Guildford and now Worcester.

In Sidmouth, on a hot early summer’s evening (there was one this year), he was playing on top of the sea wall, tip-toeing and spinning around as the sun went down, dressed in full headdress, and war paint.

In Guildford High Street, he piped the happy holiday crowd about a month later. Again in full headdress and he even had a drums man with him, and the two of them zig-zagged about, the pan pipes at full volume.

And last of all, here’s him finishing the season off in Worcester. More low key in Worcester – perhaps they’re used to that kind of thing.

Has anyone else seen our hero in any other cities this year?

Pan Pipe Man

1. Lake District –It’s impossible not to be amazed and surprised by the beauty of the Lakes, the colours especially if clouds are creating shadows on the mountains. Each lake has a different atmosphere, and if there was one to walk round I think I’d chose Derwent Water and the mountains surrounding it and a close second would be Ennerdale, for being a little more remote.

2. Cornwall – Possibly not in winter, since certainly the countryside can look a little bleak, however the coastline is spectacular and the beaches perfect at any time of year. Top of the pile this year is Bude – a really interesting town perched on the North Cornwall Coast facing West and the Atlantic Rollers. A surfer’s paradise, but with plenty for the non-surfer with an excellent beach, cliff walks, a canal, a seawall, small harbour, huge salt water swimming pool, plenty of shops / cafes / pubs and a cricket pitch to rival any for position.

3. South Downs – A walk anywhere in the South Downs is good for the soul. High up on Chalk downland, normally with a decent breeze to blow out the cobwebs. The colours are always vivid, the views spectacular and plenty of wildlife. One of the best spots is near Arundel, and last week I watched the sunrise here on the way to Bournemouth, and watched the sunset on the way back – magical.
Other areas worth a special mention – Norfolk Coast, Yorkshire Dales, A drive from Sedbergh to Harrogate through Middleham, Deeside, Cheviots (Northumberland), Dorset Coast, North Devon/ Somerset Coast (Lynmouth to Dunster)
Book a holiday in Britain next year – pack a bag for all seasons, and you’ll be in for a treat!

At this time of year, it’s sad to see the village cricket grounds being put to bed for the winter. It’s a sign of the end of summer, long light nights and return to cold, dark days (it’s not that bad, but feels it in September!). There’s no better sign of a thriving village community than seeing an old village green in full use. Equally the village greens which have been taken for development or have lost their cricket pitches are generally those which have become commuter villages or towns and the community is new and lacking a spirit which sets them apart from these wonderful villages near to Romney Marsh. That’s a guess because I’ve never laid eyes on these villages, but I’d bet Bilsington and Lymphe have active cricket teams formed of the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker who have a huge mix of cricketing ability, but love a chance to relax and spend a day catching up over a game of cricket. This is the essence of village cricket.

From Romney Marsh, I headed to Dover to the National Trust Shop perched high on the cliffs overlooking the port. I know this now, but my sat nav had other ideas. I followed the route all the way into Dover and did think it strange there were no NT brown signs, but had faith in my trusty computer friend. Without deviating from the given route (the purple line!), I followed it right into the Ferry port, obviously Sat Nav or Rodney as it is now known, thought I would be able to shin up the chalk cliffs. The problem with the mistake was I found myself on the wrong side of customs and security in Dover port – I guess in France. Some extremely friendly customs and security people asked plenty of questions and realised that Rodders and I were a couple of dimwits and no threat to National Security. Once issued with an Owl pass to place on my mirror, we were able to pass through customs and back into England! And England at its best – beautiful sunshine, miles of stunning Kent countryside to dream about on any long dark winter’s night, and peas on earth.

One thing I’ve always found difficult, much to the annoyance of my wife and children, is juice pouring. It’s hard first thing, but stays impossible all day. If a carton of juice is full, no matter how carefully i tip it, the first surge out of the spout always misses the glass.

This morning was no different – alarm, stumble around, get dressed in corridor, avert falling downstairs by tiny margin, head for kitchen, attempt juice pouring….pour result – very poor!

I was off to Hampshire first thing and traffic was bad due to it being Friday and perhaps the last Friday until people are on holiday. After this week, travelling gets a little easier around the SouthEast, however trips to the Lakes or Cornwall become pretty tricky. No longer are the tourists gentle and relaxed; instead they’re replaced by a mob.

My second stop was at Mottisfont Abbey in the Test Valley. This is an amazing National Trust Property, not particularly large or imposing but instead perfectly proportioned, set in the most beautiful grounds which are famed for their roses in May. The River Test runs through the grounds and large trout lazily rest waiting for bread crusts to fall from happy picnickers. They’re absolute whoppers…

Lazy trout in the River Test

This relaxing driving does mean that many true Rover club members are on the road. Only in Suffolk have I seen more driving glove wearers pottering along. Do the whole of Suffolk head up to the Lakes for driving holidays? One of my grandfathers insisted on wearing driving gloves, but it seems to me to be a dying accessory, except in Suffolk and the Lakes. How do they assist in holding the road or gripping the steering wheel – especially if you’re not driving like Jenson Button?

I think my favourite stretch of road in the Lakes is from Penrith down to Ambleside, following alongside Ullswater initially through picture perfect villages until you reach the Kirkstone Pass. You then wind up a mountain with Scafell Pike, highest mountain in England, over to your right, with stone walls on either side and streams tumbling down the sides of the mountain. You reach the summit and then turn down a little road which tumbles down into Ambleside. The photograph shows the view on the last section of road down into the village.

One of our first customers is in Ambleside – Hayes Garden World. This is a brilliant garden centre, wrapped up in the local community, with a big extension and a huge ranges of not only plants but everything else you can imagine. As the ancient Chinese proverb says “If you haven’t visited the Lake District, you really should…!”

If you’re keen on looking for wildlife and birds in their natural habitat in the West Country, I do recommend a fabulous bird observatory run by the RSPB at Bowling Green in Topsham…the wonderful farm shop previously mentioned just opposite (Darts Farm) stocks the most amazing range of local food so you can find yourself a lovely lunch of pies and pastries and then head along for a few hours of bird watching.

Later on that day I ended up in the most beautiful town Lynmouth on the north coast of Devon. It must have a been a day of birds. Whilst enjoying my beer battered cod and chips in the local pub two very friendly ducks came right into the pub and enjoyed a handful of bread crumbs which apparently they visit the pub for every evening. Slightly more friendly than the seagulls which the local authority are obviously aware of (see photo!). The other picture of the evening light over Lynmouth just after a huge storm….beautiful.

Dancers seem to float through the sky effortlessly and singers (ok not all!) simply open their mouths to hit every pitch perfect note. What we don’t see is the hours upon hours it takes for any performer to master their discipline. This is certainly the case for me – the veggie illustrator. That ‘Box of Veg’ carrot doesn’t just suddenly look good with boxing gloves on! – it can take hours to produce the final drawing from a simple sketch to a finished greeting card design.

Watching the ease at which children take to the drawing board is fabulous. For 2 days now I’ve been conducting a number of workshops in a road show at The National Trust’s Nyman’s Gardens. Basing myself in their wonderful educational room (aptly called ‘The Potting Shed’), we went through the various forms of art that there are available, how illustration fits into the world and the how we can bring parts of the garden to life as characters for greetings cards. The creative energy that children had in this shady part of the south downs was just incredible. All sorts of flowers, plants, fruit, vegetable, bugs and wriggles started to take shape as ideas and finish up as beautiful greeting cards. Whilst I couldn’t quite work out at which point of the garden we might find an eight legged alien, the imagination, ability, skill and concentration was inspiring. I thank all the kids who turned up for helping me think again about how fun it is to lose yourself in ones drawing.

Who said drawing wasn’t easy – pick up the pencil and just get drawing.

Take that challenge and then think of the exhibitors who have living flowers and plants as their main exhibit. Every year it amazes me to see the wonderful creations that gardeners and designers have constructed for the week of Chelsea. No single leaf is left twisted, flower thirsty or stem bent over.

Questions can be asked: ‘Is Diarmuid’s 60 ft Pink Crane what Gertrude Jekyll had planned for the cottage garden some 100 years ago?’… probably not… but is it not just a huge (ok pink) wheel barrow?

Congratulations to all on what looks like a superb show at SW1. Pimms anyone?

Spotted this wonderful specimen…

And the changes are not just economically for the summer. A landscape which can look quite dull and lifeless in the winter suddenly becomes lush and colourful. Along every stone wall are tiny wild flowers, with pink Campion and cow parsley dominating verges and hedgerows. Leaves are beginning to bulge on the trees and the beautiful, deep green of the spring and early summer, contrasting with the blue of the sky and the sea.

May and June are always a fantastic time to visit these tourist hotspots, such as Cornwall or the Lake District. Often you can have decent weather, but also mixed with a sense of emptiness, you’ve got the place pretty much to yourself and a couple of coach tours from Blackburn. But the best thing is that the change in the season brings fresh optimism to the locals and you can’t help to enjoy the friendly smiles and passings of the day, which by August are getting a little thin and tired of the bad tourists among us.

Highlights of the trip – as usual the Dart Farm at Topsham near Exeter is on its own in terms of Farm shop, developing into a retail village. It really has cracked it and offers so much for the shopper and continues to add new ideas and extras. Driving around the Dartmouth area is a delight, little lanes and hidden valleys and then up to the North Coast of Cornwall. Having looked round Brooks Garden Centre, which is a super family run centre, I popped into Bude for the first time. It’s a cracking town on the sea with amazing beaches. The tide was out so the expanse of sand was truly breathtaking, all the way out to enormous waves, which explains the fact that every other shop is a surf outfitter. An enormous breakwater sits of the town and little fishing boats are moored tucked in behind it. Walkers were able to use the top of the breakwater to get onto the cliffs on the south side of the bay, and this must be a great place to watch a dramatic storm coming in from the Atlantic.

Behind the breakwater at Bude is a canal. I would guess only at the top of the tide can you get boats in and out of here. Cottages and houses run all the way down the canal. In addition to this, Bude has a magnificent sea pool for swimming, which gets flushed out every day at high tide and then is available for safe swimming even when the waves are 6 foot high. And one more thing – the cricket ground at Bude went straight into my top 10 grounds in the world!
I passed through Watergate Bay and watched the surfers up to their tricks – at least 50 surfers out until 9.00pm and then stayed in the old Edgcumbe Hotel above the cliffs with a seaview for £30 – I thought a bargain – don’t tell them! And there was a coach tour from Blackburn staying, with bingo and cabaret.

I visited the Eden Project on the Wednesday, which was looking a picture – and a full programme of events has been planned here this summer, including many music events. On from St Austell to Truro, St Agnes and by lunchtime the St Eval Candle Company just near Padstow, where you can buy the most fabulous handmade candles. They have an excellent range of products and a factory shop for any visitors.

Wadebridge was quite busy in the afternoon, mainly with cyclists doing the Camel trail – Wadebridge is a central place to hire bikes from if you’re considering this. I had to race to Okehampton, having picked up some delicious honey from the Porteath Bee centre near Polzeath (they have hives from Polzeath all the way to St Agnes every 1 mile or so!).
I put the blue machine into autopilot and roared home…

Next stop was at an incredibly friendly petrol station at Millborne Port, who advised my lack of cigarette lighter in the car may be down to a fuse. A chilly ten minutes of fiddling with the fuse box later, my telephone was happily charging again. The further West I went, the warmer the temperature and the crocuses, blossom and early leaves more in evidence. Sidmouth in Devon was bustling and the street cafes full. I ended up staying in Falmouth that evening, a really lovely place to visit with museums, beaches, plenty of places to eat and drink and the wonderful Fal estuary.

I always stay at the Lugo Rocks Guest House, with new owners this year, which is above Gyllivase Beach , the coolest beach in town apparently, though at this time of the year empty! I had a brilliant jog in the morning sun with the sea sparkling and winking away, and the air sharp and fresh – perfect – best way to kick start a day. I had a series of meetings throughout Cornwall and Devon, most notably the Eden Project, who were working around the clock to try and correct all the flood damage they’ve had. They’ve done a pretty remarkable job. Lunch was obviously a traditional Cornish pasty, hot and devoured in two seconds, yum!

My last stop was at the legendary Dart Farm, a great retail happy farm shop with so much to offer, well worth a visit. And I couldn’t resist one of their pork pies for supper in the car on the way home. It may have been a pie too many, but probably the finest one of the lot – best till last.

Wooden or Plastic?

The Christmas rush always happens no matter how organised a person you are. There’s always one last present to find or some secret ingredient forgotten that demands a rush out to the shops. And the shops look so tempting – so many bargains – or apparent bargains with 50% off here and massive sale there. Taking a quick peek at the shelves of a few shops, it’s amazing how much is being produced in China. This is especially true of licenses. For instance any Disney character being licensed to a Toy or Games manufacturer, seem solely to be made in China. They’re able to make everything and anything.

Things have been written about the future Of China recently. Wages quite rightly have been improved, and working conditions have improved as well. However prices are set to rise higher and this will affect the retail price. How much will the consumer be prepared to pay for a non-essential plastic item from China – or how much will a consumer be prepared to pay for an electrical item made in China compared with a British or European made comparative item?

I believe the consumer is prepared to pay more for quality and durability of a product. Standards in China can vary quite dramatically and so unless a factory is established, products can be of a low quality. Most of the big retailers here use well established factories or own the factories in China and so can monitor quality; however I think they’ll be under big pressure in the next 3 years to produce more items in Britain or certainly in Europe.

The Compost Heap actively tries to manufacture products in the UK, and use British Components. This means costs are higher, but at least we know the costs are wages, which are important and the raw materials (vegetable inks, recycled boards, British Companies) are high quality and environmentally sensitive both in method of production and disposal of the item. All our cards are Made in Sussex; Magnets in Devon; Padblocks in Berkshire; Mugs in Staffordshire.

Next year we’ll be producing keyrings, candles, seeds and cross-stitch patterns all in the UK to add to the range. In addition George and Layla have drawn over 70 new designs of greeting card, including another new range to add to the Compost Heap. I’ll put some images up in the New Year – but needless to say, they’re drawn with the same attention to detail, hours of coloured pencil and love of doing something different, something individual in design.

I hope you all have a fabulous Christmas and New Year. I’m looking forward to a bit of tobogganing this afternoon and hopefully over Christmas. The old wooden luge style toboggans seem a lot faster than the plastic ones?

The South West was pinned into the map for a George road trip this week and what better way than to start the trip at Auntie Hattie’s in Shaftesbury for Bed and Breakfast. On arrival a warm bowl of pasta and sauce ensured a well fed belly to maximise energy levels the next day. Bed well warmed by Basheba the residential black and white mog. Would be a welcome hot water pillow but my allergy got the better of me and so sneezed myself to snooze.

There are a certain breed of sales agents on the road in the morning – I felt very unprepared in my casual blazer and jeans. Note to myself: find large ill-fitting suit (deep brown seems popular), buy large tan tie and prepare the day with a diet of Ginsters, Cola pop and boiled sweets.

Heading over the Tamar estuary the mid morning sun shone bright and helped to dry up any of the torrential floods which had caused such havoc at the tail end of last week. Just up the estuary is a wonderful Garden Centre ‘Tamar View’…if you want to see part of Lap Land close to home, I couldn’t recommend it enough. Reindeer, Snowmen, Penguins, Rabbits all in a wonderful display which must have taken weeks to set up. These reindeer are apparently visited by Father Christmas himself at the weekend!

Best I’ve seen so far this year. Let us know if you’ve seen a better Christmas scene in your Garden Centre.

You can’t head down to the South West without at least one Pasty – the dilemma of traditional (probably more safe) or the adventurous lamb and rosemary. Good choice, lamb down here is good!

Along the south coast, up and over the moors brought me back to Exeter. Yes I did go via Aunt Hattie’s for tea cakes on the return and have already booked in my trip for the New Year.

Strangest thing to see on the road: A truck with 4 old school telephone boxes on top of some logs. One of the telephone boxes appeared to be filled with cuddly toys but couldn’t understand why.

The best route north from Sunny Sussex must be the M40, M42 and M6. My overriding impression while driving at night was the onslaught of other chaps like me, either heading home or travelling to their patch for business the next day. Whereas the Blue Machine, my beaten up old Passat with seats moulded to hours of driving, is my frontline sales vehicle. Most sales car seem to take on the form of BMW 3 series or 5 series if the sales person is extremely talented or Vauxhall Vectras. The night drivers do seem to be predominantly BMW drivers and these drivers seem only happy when three inches from your back bumper. On my route north, sure enough if I was trapped in the outside lane with a maniac on full beam attached to my boot, at least a quarter of the time it turned out to be a BMW – is this the case – more research required into the worst tailgating vehicles?!

Supper – Tebay farm shop – a Beef Growler – like a pork pie, but with beef and horseradish. I was tempted to try there other pie selections – Pork pie with chutney, Ham and Asparagus who would have believed that in Cumbria, Chicken and Ham and Pork and Apple – the agony of choice, probably chose badly, but all looked delicious. What are the best flavours for pies?

On Tuesday morning a beautiful layer of snow covered the hills from Carlisle to Glasgow, smoked snaked up from a few cottages tucked under the folds of the hills. The thought of escaping to a cottage in the middle of nowhere, where your prized asset is a full, dry log shed and the snow shovel is essential everyday seemed highly desirable, especially while sitting for an hour trying to get through the roadworks round Glasgow – they’re there for a year. Why doesn’t the whole city spend one night working on them, in a massive Challenge Anneka and save thousands – millions from, including themselves from at least a year of misery?

Tullibardine Distillery was my first stop on Tuesday. A fabulous new visitor centre has been built just off the A74 – blink and you miss the turn. The distillery produced excellent whisky, well worth trying. The village is called Blackford and is named after an ancient King of Scotland lost his wife, drowned in the ford after falling off her horse. A lawyer worth his salt might question this as the stream is little more than 10 yards across and no more than 2 feet deep, even after all the rain we’ve just had. Could the king have wanted to swap wives?

I also visited Edinburgh on Tuesday – what a city this is, so ordered and beautiful. Everything is pristine, no litter or un-emptied bins, folk – as everyone is referred – seem very happy, plenty of joggers at lunchtime and mothers with buggies and even one combining both jogging and pushing a buggy – what’s this bogging or juggies, I think jugging is quite appropriate – anymore thoughts?

I stayed on Tuesday night in a pub in Melrose. Melrose is a fantastic town surrounded by hills and boasting a ruined abbey where the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried. The pub recently been refurbished and the whole town looked well set up for tourists, with plenty of smart pubs and hotels in the high street – tourism is so valuable to rural areas and is a brilliant employer in the regions – we must do more to promote these areas, especially to foreign tourists.

I visited a super garden centre called Milestone in Newton St Boswells – really friendly and family run. A new business, employing at least 15 local folk and yet the local planning authority don’t think so and it’s very difficult for them to expand and advertise their business locally with brown signs. Progress cannot be to the detriment of the surrounding area, but you cannot make progress without change.

After this I headed to Harry Potter country – Alnwick Castle. The countryside from Melrose to Alnwick is unbelievable, a real treasure. As I passed over the River Tweed near Dryburgh Abbey, a fisherman below was battling with a salmon. I stopped and watched him net it and after a quick photograph, he held it in the water a few minutes to let it go – cold hands no doubt! Is it lucky to pass over bridges when fishermen are catching fish?

Alnwick Castle is quite intimidating – the sheer size is breathtaking, and it feels ancient. The castle and gardens are closed to the public in the winter months, but I can’t wait to get back there and have a look around come the spring and summer. Apparently in the garden a canopy is being created with cherry trees, and so the blossom this April should be spectacular. Pink Tulips are being planted as well to contrast the white canopy – sounds a bit Barbara Cartland?

Just South of Morpeth near the village of Stannington, Milkhope Centre is well worth a stop. A rural retail park has sprung up with Farm Shop, gallery, cafe and a cane and pine furniture store all run independently from the lovely old farm buildings.

My last stop was Durham and I got spectacularly lost here in rush hour trying to navigate through the City – definitely one for local knowledge.

Home for tea, cakes and medals for the Blue Machine. Only local trips planned next week – my wife Alice is heading for a charity trek to India to raise money for Wellbeing of Women (WOW). I’ve got the school run and homework for the week – at least the Blue Machine will get out onto the highway!

Welcome to the blog of The Compost Heap! We’re very excited to have it up and running, along with our new website.

It’s feeling very cold and crisp here in Sussex today, although it’s a welcome change to the stormy weather of last week. In the height of a gale last Wednesday a very large greenhouse frame blew past our office window. Seriously! The cows in the field next to our building were luckily safe though. The calmer cold weather is much appreciated!

At the moment it’s all about preparation for Christmas here at the Heap. The first Christmas lights on people’s houses are up, and I’ve spied a few Christmas trees around the place already. I hear the Coca Cola Christmas advert was even on TV last night. Csaba is really busy packing everyone’s orders, lots of Christmas cards and stocking fillers. Only 40 days to go…! Make sure you’ve got your cards and gifts sorted in time before the mad rush. There are plenty of gift ideas on our website!

Over and out for now, there’s a lot of designing and preparing to do for an exciting new range of ours coming out in January. Don’t forget to check our website, we’re always adding new designs!

No rogue greenhouse frames... yet!