Royal busy weekend...

What with the Diamond Jubilee, building a walled vegetable patch to make growing things more accessible for my daughter and stocking (and restocking) Southampton Beer Festival - not to mention the festivities at The Wonston Arms in Winchester (I may have forgotten to advertise that in advance) - things have been pretty busy over the weekend.

So, now that it's behind us I guess I can reflect on '146 activities'!

Well, lets start off with a nice photo of the Jubilee celebrations around our way. Yep, it was a small gathering on the neighbours driveway, but it was fun none-the-less.

And so on to more cidery things. Well, I failed to score any wins at either the Hereford Museum Competition or Bath and West this year. Not surprising as both had record numbers of entries and the wins went to well known figures in the cider industry. Competitions are a worthwhile activity though - I like to use them as a gauge for the cider; after all, each year is different.

For festivals, well, Southampton and Wonston aside, the next one coming up is the Southampton SUSU bars (thats Students Union to those who don't attend university:-) Its been another local development for me this year and its great to see students challenge my preconceptions and actually enjoy a real cider instead of something 'with berries'!

Sadly, it would appear that the Florence Arms has closed its doors. I am not sure if its temporary or have any idea of the reason for its closure - I will hopefully be able to report back soon on this. I also don't know what it will mean for the Golden Lion in Southwick either as both had the same landlord. In any case I hope that he is well and that this is just a temporary or planned closure for a short time!

And as for the walled veggie patch? Well, its not quite finished - falling victim to yesterdays bad weather. However, peas and pumpkins are planted in tiny pots, so it cannot wait too long!