“So what is a Smurfette? Noone wanted an answer more than Smurfette herself.” This is the opening line to the 2017 film, Smurfs the Lost Village. This is an immense film and does more for feminism than the recently unveiled Mary Wollstonecraft statue (although that isn’t hard!). The film strives to tell the story of…
Tag: Somerset shines
Holly talks craft kits!
In this interview I talk to Holly, who was inspired to create craft kits that are good quality keepsakes that children treasure and don’t result in lots of clearing up for the parents: a win win situation! Bee and Pea’s Craft Kits is such a fabulous name for such a fabulous venture, and we all…
Somerset Shines is 1!
It’s a year since I launched my blog Somerset Shines and I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learnt along the way. I started the blog to share my joy in moving back to Somerset with my family just over two years ago. So here are a few tips on starting a blog…
Cupcakes and rainbows
Poppy and Branch are two characters from the Trolls movie. This movie offers so much insight into human nature that I just love watching it with my kids. In one exchange, Branch says to Poppy “The world isn’t all cupcakes and rainbows” Poppy replies “Hey I know it’s not all cupcakes and rainbows but I’d…
Ali talks mamas!
If you take a look at Ali’s website, you’ll be reassured that she is as qualified as can be to talk on this topic. However, it’s clear that Ali brings more to the table as a coach and counsellor, with the empathy and insight that comes from lived experience. Interviewing Ali was brilliant, as the…
Sutton Bingham
Sutton Bingham sounds like a rather refined character from a Jane Austen novel. In fact, it’s the site of a reservoir in South Somerset, just beyond the village of East Coker. According to ancestory.com ‘Sut’ is from the Old English word for South and ‘ton’ means enclosure or settlement. ‘Bing’ means hollow and ‘ham’ homestead….
A trip back to East Coker
I borrowed the book “Footsteps from East Coker”, written by journalist David Foot, from Yeovil Library. David was born in 1929 and grew up in Verandah Cottage, opposite the Helyar Arms (then the New Inn). East Coker is a small village in Somerset, close to the Dorset border so I imagine the following reflections of…
Katy talks cakes!
Have you ever wondered what flavour a hummingbird cake is? Well, here’s a lady who can create all of your favourite, traditional flavours and introduce you to a few new ones! In this interview Katy talks about her love of baking from a young age, and the magic ingredients of time and patience needed to…
The mystery of primrose cottages
Do you ever wonder what mysteries might be surrounding the places that you know and love? This story concerns Ilchester Road, the road that runs adjacent to Yeovil College off the Fiveways Roundabout (aka College Roundabout). The bottom of Ilchester Road was the site of a small terrace of six cottages set high up on…
Cream teas and chasing waterfalls
These days (lockdown aside!) you can get a really great cup of coffee in the beautifully furbished and family friendly cafe at Ninesprings near to Goldenstones swimming pool. Visitors to Ninesprings have been accustomed to treating themselves, there was once a thatched cottage where the inhabitants served cream teas. It was located in a tranquil…
Looking for treasure
This post is all about unexpected joys in difficult times; looking for treasure in the dirt. Here are a couple of stand out moments of lockdown life that I’ll remember with fondness. 1. Digging for victory Very early on in the lockdown, my youngest girl decided she’d like to go digging for treasure. There was…
Best quotes about where I live
How would you describe the place you live? I have stumbled across a few quotes recently that described Somerset and specifically Yeovil. The first one evokes the mood of Somerset so beautifully and makes me think of how connected I have always felt to the countryside specifically here. 1. The prolific American writer John Steinbeck…
Somerset Soul 