We had lovely weather here over most of the holiday weekend. A friend came to stay and we popped up to the Spring Fair at St Stephen's church, where I picked up this lovely enamelled brass bowl from India for 2 pounds! I was hoping to do a boot sale on Sunday morning but it got cancelled due to the heavy rain overnight. My guests enjoyed the garden and the cosy summerhouse.

It's the last few days of the Charleston Festival! I went to this talk today, on African history and how it is being reclaimed by people of colour who live on the continent of Africa or whose ancestors did. The panel did a great job in going behind the stereotypes (i.e. poverty and deserts.)This is what the Charleston website said: Zeinab Badawi, award-winning TV presenter and documentarian, will discuss her book ‘An African History of Africa’ which seeks to redress this imbalance. She is joined by Nigerian novelist Ayòbámi Adébáyó, whose first two prize-nominated novels have been praised for shining a light on Nigerian life, and Dipo Faloyin, senior editor at VICE and author of ‘Africa is not a Country’.

I recently read a book about the Windrush legacy, not realising that it was written in 1998 twenty years before the scandal (when our government started repatriating people who couldn't find proof of their right to stay here, after they had been living here legally for over 40 years.)

I am incredibly lucky to have a very prolific grape vine here, growing over the dining room window. I say lucky because it was going to be removed by the vendors, but the estate agent persuaded them to leave it there, when I bought the house back in 2016. The vine produces an abundance of sweet green grapes, but they contain a lot of pips so they have never been very popular with my B&B guests. Last year I looked up recipes for grape jelly or jam, and came across one which combined grapes and lemon juice. I made a few jars and the guests had it for their breakfast toast, or to drizzle across some coconut yoghurt or on the mini pancakes. It went down very well so I shall make more this year. When I moved into Nab Cottage I noticed a plant in a pot near the grape vine, and as it grew I realised that it was Wisteria. I planted it in the ground, and had some trellis put up to support it, and 6-7 years later it has its first flower. Hopefully a few more will appear, but maybe not this year.

Over the last few days, bar one, I've managed to get out in the garden. The lawn has been mown, paths have been cut back (of nettles mainly!), the covered patio has been weeded, and the driveway is nearly all weeded. It was so hot out there today I wilted a bit, and then Charlie got bored and barked at me to come and play with him, so I did that for a while too. He's so good, I forget sometimes that he's still a youngster. Ruby, my old golden retriever, would have just had a snooze whilst I worked away. I have plans to move the picnic table out to the front garden, near the front door, but this involves creating a level patio area out there as at the moment there is a significant slope! It will be good once done as the front garden is south facing, and in the summer guests could breakfast out there or have dinner there.

I read about this festival in my National Trust magazine. I didn't know we had a Council for British Archaeology, but I'm so pleased that we do! Britain has such a rich archaeological heritage, and we are still finding amazing things. I visited Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk, last year for the first time, and found out that when the remains of the Anglo-Saxon ship/burial chamber were made in 1939, they didn't find a body because it had dissolved! All the treasures in there, which are now in the British Museum, indicated that it was a royal burial but to this day we don't know for sure who was buried in that boat.

I'm hoping there will be some archaeological sites near here for my guests to visit, as part of this festival. It seems like they are still putting the programme together.

The best place to be on a hot day. I love sitting by the stream and hearing the running water. Charlie the dog is getting more confident about getting down steepish slopes into the water. I wanted to spend the whole day in the woods yesterday! I must be due a forest holiday! We are so lucky in Bexhill with a variety of places to walk our dogs: Highwoods, Collington Woods, Broad Oak Park, Bexhill Down, The Seafront and Beach, Egerton Park,  and The Polegrove. You can also walk to Hastings along the coastal path (which is a cycleway too) from Galley Hill, or just go up the hill for the view. There's a cafe over the other side of Galley Hill (with access nearby to the Ravenside Retail Park where you will find M&S, B&Q, Curry's, B&M, Tapi carpets and floors, Tesco, Pets at Home and Halfords. There is also a swimming pool.) A little further along the coastal path, in St Leonards, I can heartily recommend The Bathing Hut Cafe which is vegetarian and has very tasty vegan snacks and cakes. Do check whether they are open as it will depend on the weather.

This post is for guests with young children (and dogs.) We are very lucky in Bexhill with our many play areas. The best large scale play area is in Egerton Park, overlooked by Bexhill Museum and a 5 minute walk from the seafront and the De La Warr Pavilion. Dogs must be on the lead in the park. You could walk to Egerton Park in 30-40 minutes.
However, there are smaller playgrounds much closer to Nab Cottage, like this one below on Bexhill Down near St Stephen's Church. Most are fenced in but this one isn't, so you can take your dog along.

There's a fenced playground on St George's Road, at the junction with London Road, a 10-15 minute walk away, and that one has green space around it for walking your dog. Sidley Recreation Ground, also 10-15 minutes' walk, has a fenced play area and an unfenced zip wire, and quite a bit of green space for a little walk with your dog, around the BMX track (pictured below.) Little Common Recreation Ground, which you can walk across Broad Oak Park to, has a fenced playground in the far corner (which is also right next to the Rec car park if you want to drive there.) If you walk from Nab Cottage it will take about 20-30 minutes depending which route you take.

This month St Michael's Hospice has a couple of fundraising events. Check out their website if you fancy paddle boarding along the Rother river, or checking out some Open Gardens. The National Garden Scheme also lists gardens to visit throughout the year. Just search for East Sussex to see the gardens in this area. Some allow dogs on leads. Next month sees the popular Bexfest at the De La Warr Pavilion - tickets are selling out fast!!