Check this out! We made halloumi! A couple of weeks ago now Andy and I spent a few days WWOOFing at Canon Frome Court, a community of around 45 people in Herefordshire. As part of our UK tour we've been trying to fit in a bit of WWOOFing, as well as it saving us a few pennies (a few hours work in exchange for accommodation and food) we also wanted to experience different ways of living, both from the ideas of having a small holding, and also living as part of an intentional community. This was our first stay in a community and we really didn't know what to expect. We has just spent a week entirely by ourselves, doing very little, house sitting in Devon, so as you could imagine it was a bit of a shock to the system to drive through the 15ft gates topped with a statue of an eagle with a bloody torn off hand in it's mouth and then down a half mile drive, to a beautiful, though rather daunting, Georgian mansion where we were to join the whole community for dinner just 20 minutes after we arrived. Luckily everyone was very nice, no one tried ...

So today is our last full day at the farm house in Devon. What a lovely week it has been, so relaxing. We've done very little other than sleep, eat, read, sit in the sun and hang out with the various animals there are around. As much as we love the tent and our two hob camping chef it's been amazing to have a real kitchen, and the chickens have provided us with a huge amount of eggs which have contributed to some very tasty meals. Quiche recipe coming up. I'm going to really miss the chickens. They're so funny. The way they walk is ridiculous, and the way they run even more ridiculous. It's as though their head is attached to their legs by a string through their body and it wobbles backwards and forwards faster the faster they go. They hear you coming out of the back door and if they're not already there by the time you have got outside they'll come racing across the yard sliding to a stop by your feet. Bwoooooooaaak! Can't wait until I have some of my own. Despite their cheeky bean eating behaviour I'll also miss the cats. In fact I'd rather they ...

On the advice of the people whose house we are looking after, in an act of blatant anarchistic rebellion, this week I baked my own bread! I've had a bread maker for a couple of years and have been using that regularly, hardly ever buying bread, but I've never actually made it myself. Apart from the fact that it is pretty enjoyable and rewarding and that hot bread straight from the oven with just a little butter is one of the nicest things in the world you could read this post from January for a few more reasons why it's a good idea to make your own. I was a little worried for some reason about making bread. All this kneading, resting, rising, blah blah makes it all seem quite complicated, hard work and likely to end in disaster. So we started simple, just made plain white loaves and I have to say it was surprisingly simple and they turned out pretty well. Basic Loaf 700g unbleached strong white bread flour 1 1/2 tsp salt 425ml tepid water 7g sachet of dried yeast Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl, make a well and pour in the water. Work the mixture with your hands ...

It's local produce day at Panier Market in Barnstaple today, so we headed out to do our "big shop". I remember when I used to go to the supermarket to do a big shop every week, a manic charge up and down the aisles, spending over £100 on rubbish I didn't need disguised as tempting Buy One Get One Free "offers" to put in the fridge til they had gone off. What a change it is from our morning spent here. Various local traders and shops supplying great value, quality, seasonal produce. A leisurely stroll around, contact with real people who in some cases had actually grown the food themselves plus a final food bill of around £20. Hurrah! This meant we had plenty left over to spend on celebratory wine for our 2nd(!) anniversary, which is today. Awww. I didn't quite expect him to come back with 6 bottle though! Must be in the mood for celebrating Bit of a run down: Bargain of the day- 2 homegrown gem lettuces for 30p! Big bunch of beetroot, 79p, cauliflower 39p, more veg. From the cheese shop on the parade of shops we chose a lovely Garlic Cornish Yarg (the middle cheese) ...

[caption id="attachment_61" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Letting the chickens out"] Since taking a few chances and stepping outside of the "normal" way of life it seems I have become incredibly lucky and all sorts of strange and lovely things are happening. Actually I think you make your own luck and if you can slow yourself down and keep your mind open brilliant things will present themselves to you when you would otherwise have been too busy and preoccupied to take your chances or even to notice them. After an sequence of such random 'chance' events Andy and I were asked if we would like to look after a beautiful farmhouse in Devon, with a pony and 8 chickens to look after. It was a difficult decision (erm not really!), but after some thought we finally agreed and here we are. I really hope to have a few chickens myself at some point in the future so this was a great opportunity to see what it would be like. We arrived to find the chicken barn containing 7 eggs which we were very excited about. Later found a whole bowl full in the fridge. What are two people going to do with 30 eggs?! ...