At this time of year I notice we are surrounded by food – apples, pears, rose hips, elderberries, blackberries, pumpkins and potatoes. I pick berries from the hedgerow on my short walk down the lane at the side of our house, inspect the pumpkins and potatoes as if they were my own (they’re not) and come back by the orchard to grab an armful of apples.
I’ve made apple butter, apple bread pudding, and apple autumny stodge. I’m thinking about apple dumplings and I’m planning a couple of apple crumbles too.
I’ve not left the country for 18 months, I’ve barely left the county, but this month I’ve been invited to the Dutch Embassy in Paris and I’m so ready for it.
I’ve also been invited to the hospital for a ‘drug challenge’. I’m ready for that too.
Our house was in Fabric magazine.
My face was in Vogue (well, not quite!)
I talked to Virginia Orr from St Margarets House about the Shutter Hub OPEN 20/21 exhibition. If you want gain an insight into the curation process and how Shutter Hub supports photographers through community, creativity and connections, you can watch the interview on Youtube here.
We looked at a Cold War bunker that was for sale, and I made an unsuccessful low-ball offer on a Jacobean mansion.
We’ve found more footpaths, and orchards full of apples, dark as damsons, almost black.
I ate mushroom ravioli at The Old Bridge Hotel with my friend Jon, surrounded by pumpkins, as the river swelled and the rain fell against the windows. Then I ate ice cream.
There was a red onion spillage in the village.
It’s definitely Autumn.
I’ve been sent some interesting things in the post: beautiful flowers from Rachel, an amazing salt selection which I featured in Foodie Finds, a tulip patterned charity tea towel, 30 packets of rice cakes and about two tonnes of unexpected beauty products.
This month’s reading list goes something like this: POETRY. That’s it, that’s all… POETRY. After years of planning, and months of work, the first of many books from Shutter Hub Editions is here and we couldn’t be happier. It’s a beauty of a book. Pages full of 100 photographs, recycled paper, beautifully designed, and only £12. Please buy it here.
We’ve been relentlessly busy at Shutter Hub with the YEARBOOK 2021 exhibition and publication, as well as planning for the Postcards from Europe exhibition at Cambridge University, and Your Body Belongs To You in Saint Gilles Croix de Vie, France, and loads of other things!
And things haven’t stopped at Toiletries Amnesty either. We’ve supported over one million people so far this year, and it’s been hard to keep up, especially when it comes to funding. As we head into winter things are only going to get worse for those who are most vulnerable, but we can all do something to make a difference – and if you want to do something, please consider donating a few quid to Toiletries Amnesty to help keep people clean and safe this winter. Thank you.
If you’d like to keep up with what I’m up to work-wise (talks, events, exhibitions, that kind of stuff), you can find my Agenda on my new website. And, if you’d like updates about all sorts of nice things, in your inbox, you can join my mailing list here.