Oxford win the BNY Mellon Boat Race

Oxford leads Cambridge in the BNY Mellon Boat Race 2013

Easter Eggs

On this cold Easter Sunday the annual Easter egg hunt preceeded the family lunch of roast lamb cooked by the Lieutenant Colonel which was washed down with a fine bottle of red wine.

Onwards to the finish line, Oxford lead Cambridge under Barnes Bridge,

In the afternoon we watched the Oxford eight win against Cambridge in the BNY Mellon Boat Race. As the two boats rounded the bend by Chiswick Pier it was clear to see Oxford had a clear length over Cambridge. The children sat on the wall and gave a cheer chanting , Oxford, Oxford as the boats cut through the calm waters of the Thames.

The chill wind took the edge off the excitement of the event, with specks of sleet falling 40 minutes before the start and a chilling Easterly wind sweeping its way up the Thames. As soon as the boats had passed we headed in for a hot cup of Yorkshire Tea and to watch the prize giving on the television.

As March draws to an end the temperatures didn’t get much above 5.5c with a recorded low during the night of -12c, one asks, will spring show its face soon. In years past I would have taken to a river over the Easter weekend to fish for trout, there will be no fluff flinging for a few weeks as this cold spell is set to be with us till mid April.

Ready all, Row…

Tags

Boat Race, Buckinghamshire, Cambridge, Chiswick Bridge, Mortlake, Oxford, Putney, Race, River, River Thames, Rowing, Terrace, White Hart

Marines guard the Thames

At approximately 4.30pm tomorrow two sets of eight will compete in the annual Oxford v Cambridge Boat Race, sponsored by BNY Mellon. Starting at Putney they will compete against each other until they drop down just past Chiswick Bridge.

I have watched the light and dark blues over the last few weeks practicing as they pull their strokes past The Terrace in Barnes and up past the turn in the river by the famous White Hart pub that majestically overlooks the river with view down to Barnes Bridge and up to the old Stag Brewery.

A Spring High Tide

Yesterday I witnessed one of the highest Spring Tides, it was so high it came up through the storm drains and flooded the road in Barnes at the start of the High Street and under Barnes Bridge, had the wall not been there along the Terrace then most of the riverside properties would have been flooded.

Last year the race was halted when an imposter swam out into the path of the boats. Hopefully this year the race will run its course without any interruption. The Marines have been drafted in to guard the river this year and at high tide today a flotilla of dark ribs cut through the tope coloured water.

Over the last few years the race has been run under leaden grey clouds and this year looks to be no exception. Just after 4.50pm today the heavens opened with a barrage of fine hail to give the garden shed roof a dusting of white.

Having lived for a good part of my life in Buckinghamshire and then Oxon I will be supporting the dark blues, though having said that, if the sky could show some light blue I’m sure that would raise a cheer.

Easter greetings

Tags

Banksy, Brighton, Ceramic, Easter, Eggs, Street Art

Not only are we celebrating Easter but a year ago 5,000 ceramic eggs were placed in the tidal Thames by an artist by the name of Anon. Their identity unknown and with the same Banksy style of guerilla tactics of street art creates art in the form of sculptures to adorn landmarks, are socially or politically topical, placement and floating installations.

Ceramic eggs by Anon found in the tidal Thames

Stuffed ducklings found at Sunbury Antiques Market

To date I have witnessed 10,000 hand-made ‘Anon’ hallmark pebbles placed on Brighton beach, 5,000 floating ceramic eggs placed in the Thames and still being found to this day, 60 ceramic butterflies denoting a £5 note placed along the Thames near the South Bank for the Queens Jubilee, ceramic birds in the rooftop garden at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, paper bags placed around the Olympic Park along with a horde of ceramic coins buried within the complex and most recently a number of ceramic bottles placed outside homes in Brighton bearing the quote from Lawrence Oats of Scott’s Antarctic Expedition, ‘I’m going outside I may be some time’. As an artist Anon is up there but little is know of who they are, all I can say is watch this space and I feel great things lay in store for the future of this artist.

What ever you may be doing this Easter, enjoy. 

Where the wild things are…

Tags

Famers Market, Garlic, Homemade, Nettles, Pasta, Recipe, Scallops, Wild

Wild garlic with pan-fried scallops

A recent visit to the lanes and woods of the home counties resulted in a bountiful haul of wild garlic and new season nettles. Even with such cold conditions these early shoots of spring yield a crop in order to make fresh pasta.

Wild garlic tagliatelle and nettle and ricotta ravioli are two favorites of mine. You can also make a good soup using both the wild garlic and nettles. I have also found clumps of horseradish on our local common, but be warned this is an invasive species if you decide to plant it in your garden.

It is easy to pass these wild gems by if you don’t know what you are looking for, however with these fine ingredients at hand it is surprising more people don’t use this ingredients more. Usually you can find products made with wild garlic and nettles at farmers markets, so if you do find yourself browsing the stalls and see nettle pasta, try it.

Having purchased some fresh dived scallops from the Portland Scallop Company then pan-fried them, they make an ideal starter served with the wild garlic tagliatelle.

A vintage fishing creel found at Sunbury Antiques Market

Recently I found a vintage fishing creel which incidentally makes an ideal carrier to place your haul of freshly picked nettles or wild garlic in as the creel can be easily slung over your shoulder and preserves the delicate leaves when picked from being crushed and bruised.

With the trout fishing season underway there is nothing better than catching a wild brown trout and stuffing the gut cavitiy with wild garlic and cooking it in foil on the river bank.

Along with the creel found at Kempton was a tin of trout

Ceramic eggs by Anon found on the Essex coast…

Tags

Artist, Banksy, Ceramic, Easter, Eggs, Essex, Mudlarks, Purfleet, River Thames, thames, Tilbury Fort

Found in Essex

Earlier on today I received notification that six more ceramic eggs by the artist Anon had been found on the Essex coast nearly a year after they had been placed in the tidal River Thames.

The exact location of where they were found is still unknown but recent finds indicate that many were washed up on the north shoreline from Purfleet to Tilbury and beyond. In light of this news I am planning a trip to search the shoreline from Tilbury Fort and up and around to Coryton. Late last year I searched the southern shore near Halstow Marshes covering a few miles past St. Mary‘s Marshes and on towards Allhallows but found nothing. However having never been to that part of the world before I was keen to go back to explore the Essex and North Kent marshes.

Having refered back to a map of the Thames I wouldn’t be surprised to find these ceramic eggs washed up between Thames Haven and Canvey Island.

For those who are interested, Anon has been hard at it again but this time placing numbered bottles outside of houses in Brighton and by placing some in prominent positions near Banksy style street art. These bottles have a common thread to last years ceramic egg installation, the bottles are impressed with the words of Lawrence Oats ‘ I’m going out I may be some time’…if the eggs are anything to go by they have been floating around for some time. This time the message is on the bottle as opposed in it…

I may be some time…

One bottle not to recycle but to pass on, a bottle Banksy!

riveregg

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Graffiti bottle on Brighton beach by Anon.

Tags

Anon, Brighton, Ceramic Bottle, Lawrence Oates, Street Art, Walk

Message on a bottle …’Great Scott’…inspired by Lawrence Oates, these may be at sea but the legacy of the ceramic eggs continue!

riveregg

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Hide and Sika…

Tags

Dorset, New Forest, Recipes, Sika Deer, Somerset, Zinfandel

Sika Deer Steak

Last Saturday I was kindly given a Sika Deer steak,deep crimson red with a line of ivory coloured fat surrounding the cut.

I was told by Chris from Winterbourne Game that this was one of the finest deer to eat, totally lean and with its own unique flavour where the fat when cooked has a sweet taste to it. Sika is an Asian species but can be found in the US and in a few herd in the UK, some in the New Forest and in the Highlands.

Juniper Berries

To most venison is just the same but it’s not. Sika has a fine grain in the muscle structure and is much leaner so you don’t want to over cook it, a couple of minutes both sides for a stake is all you’ll need.

Pan fried Sika Deer Steak

You don’t want to overpower the flavour of Sika with strong ingredients such as garlic or steak seasoning, a simple dressing of light olive oil with crushed sea Cornish salt, black pepper and one or two crushed juniper berries is all you need, then pan fry at a high heat. Allow to rest and if required de-glaze the pan with a drop of red wine and a small knob of Somerset unsalted butter from the guys at Gilcombe Farm, add half a bay leaf  and allow the flavour  to infuse .

New season spinach

As new season spinach is around this small leaf variety is an ideal vegetable to serve lightly steamed with piping hot Maris Piper mash.

Finally a good Lodi, Zinfandel or Merlot red wine to go with this.

You can find Winterbourne Game and Gilcombe Farm stalling out at the Barnes Farmers Market each Saturday in SW13 near the iconic village pond. See http://www.somersetorganics.co.uk

A Vintage Heddon Zara – Spook

Tags

Coarse Fishing, Fishing, Found, Heddon, lure, Mortlake, pike, River Thames, thames, Zara-Spook

Heddon Zara-Spook with added dive lip

At around midday today, whilst the tide was out I did a quick check over the wall to see if any tackle had been washed up on the last tide. With most of the coarse fishing fraternity out this week casting their last baits for a few weeks there is a good chance that lost floats and lures will end up being washed down the Thames from the feeding tributaries, many finding their way to the shore between Mortlake and Small Profit Dock.

Vintage Heddon Zara -Spook Lure

Today the only item found was a vintage Heddon Zara-Spook yellow lure, still an effective lure after some 75 years, well since 1894.

Heddon lure found on the Thames

Without question this wasn’t a recent loss as both sets of trebles had rusted away and what seems to be a modification of a dive lip had also perished in the brackish water, however still usable and will be used later in the year for a spot of Pike fishing or possibly used as a surface lure for bass off the South Coast.

Last knockings…

Tags

Coarse Fishing, Esox, pike, Rapala lures, thames

Pike Lure last knockings

I feel a bit like a South Coast fishing boat stranded on the pebble shoreline as I lay here full of cold feeling sorry for myself.

The sun is out and today could have been an opportunity to get a rod out and go off for the afternoon and fish The Cut, a back water of the Thames that is quite productive, however being full of cold with a throbbing headache I’d be best tucked up in bed with the latest issue of Trout & Salmon to read.

Late yesterday morning I took a brief stroll by the river only to spot in the frozen silt and bankside vegetation a fluorescent green, yellow and red pike lure, this being the third found in just over a week.

Pike fishing up at Sunbury Weir is great sport so I would imagine these lures are the outcome of a defeat for the angler and a win for Esox or one of the many floating branches that trick you into a knock by a Pike.

So no last knockings for me this season and role on the warmer weather.