When The Fire Pit announced they had an open evening on I got all excited and popped a note in my diary to ensure I wouldn't forget. There have been several occasions when I've noticed the double decker parked in the field as I've been driving through the countryside and we've always wondered why. On Wednesday I finally found out! Rachel gave me a guided tour of the site while I enjoyed one of their coffees and I also said hello to Sarah as well, it was clear how much passion they hold for the business they have created and their enthusiasm was rather infectious.

Located in the village of Wendling near Dereham in Norfolk, The Fire Pit is an eco-friendly campsite with space for 10 - 15 tents, lovely modern showerblock and washing up facilities (a converted goatshed), lots of playing areas for kids and the piece-de-resistance – the fire pit! The retro double decker bus is now an arts and crafts play area for children (and big kids too, I could have happily spent a good few hours in there myself!).

When the fire is lit in the evening, I can imagine how cool it is to gather around on the benches for a great catch up with others, telling stories, sharing ideas for trips out and generally making memories.

The Wren's Nest is the most amazing structure I have ever seen; it is a handmade hazel bender dome tent made by Matt (Sarah's husband) using local hazel which has been bent over and over in a natural lattice structure, covered in hessian, blankets and recycled tarps. The flooring is made from recycled pallets (but looks phenomenal), runs on solar power with led lighting and power, has a glorious woodburning stove, there are also gas rings for cooking. I was blown away with the natural feel of the Wren's Nest, it was like I had shrunk and walked inside a root-ball of a large tree! Up to 8 people can sleep in here with plenty of space for everyone, yet still feeling cosy. It really has to be seen to be believed!

The Firepit is available for camping, hiring the Wren's Nest, or hiring the whole venue for a party or wedding. I rather like the sound of the upcoming Fire Pit Slow Food festival

Thanks to Rachel, Sarah and Matt for making me welcome at their marvellous site in the lovely Norfolk countryside. If you want to find out more them there is plenty of information on the Fire Pit website.

Sophie

A couple of weeks ago we took a stroll through Foxley Wood in the middle of the Norfolk countryside, North of Dereham, it near Bawdeswell. It's quite a sweet little drive down the country lanes to get there and made for a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.
We last visited in late summer  it was a haven for wildlife with butterflies galore so this time I was unsure what to expect. The terrain was a little soft underfoot initially, which I hadn't banked on but not enough to spoil my boots and there didn't seem to be all that much to see. However, after following the signs for the bluebell trail we soon found ourselves surrounded by millions of bluebells which left me unable to believe my eyes! I've never seen so many in my life. I filmed a short video (one minute or so!) to show you the 360 to help you get the scale.
While we were there I got in some outfit pictures in the beautiful surroundings too.
Is there such thing as bluebell overload? I think not.
Sophie

How perfect is this pink meadow? Hundreds of thousands of flowers brimming with such a joyous bold colour. We spotted the field from quite a way off and I quite literally made a beeline for it, insisting we needed to stop on the roadside for a couple (nearer 50) of pictures. The problem with the beautiful full sunshine is that it washes me out good and proper as well as rendering me all squinty.

However, I am glad I get to show you my Barbour polo shirt in a pretty place as it does deserve a good countryside outing. This is the Mollard Polo Shirt from the Dress Tartan collection (the collar and chest faux pocket drew me right in) and the colour is pearl. In my usual manner I dithered before ordering a size up. I'm glad I did because the added roominess makes for a lovely comfortable fit although I would have been equally happy with the size down.

Barbour are a brand I am pretty familiar with, my mind always tends to think 'waxed jackets' but they make so much more. This year they are celebrating 120 years of trading which is pretty impressive and hold testament to their quality and relevance. From origins of crafting water proof coats for seamen they have grown their range into a whole plethora of garments for a country wardrobe and beyond.

Polo shirts are something I have worn a fair few of over the years although none of this quality! The material is lighter than I expected, silkier and smoother but strong; a far cry from the scratchy thick cheap ones that I used to put up with! The length is spot on too, long enough to tuck in to lower rise waistbands as well as high-waisted yet not venturing into tunic territory. I love the cut of the shirt too, which really lends itself to sitting comfortably and keeps it more feminine than a baggy boxy tee tends to end up on me.

My trusty old brown Primark shorts were my first choice to wear with it along with my River Island suede boots but already I am itching to wear the polo shirt with my tartan skinny trousers and riding boots. For autumn I'm mentally matching it with my favourite long red and blue tartan skirts as well....

How else would you style this polo shirt?

Sophie

Thank you to Barbour for sending me the polo shirt to review. All content and opinions 100% my own, as always.

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It's been far too long since I wrote about running; the hobby I discovered last spring blossomed over summer, lingered in the autumn and died back over winter. I got the fear that I had left behind the days I could enjoy pounding the streets in my running clobber. The treadmill became my reluctant companion for a few months since Christmas but as soon as the evenings drew out I dumped it in favour of the great outdoors, how fickle my affections are. Over the past six weeks or so we have been heading out to run 10ks which at first was dreadfully disappointing – finding it so tough going to make the distance at a significantly reduced pace. It felt like I'd dropped back behind about ten months of training even though I'd kept active over the indoor season and I did question whether I really wanted to persevere with it at all. Then after a couple of weeks Chris volunteered to run with me as he wanted an 'easy' run (thanks a bunch). That 10k training run was absolutely one of the worst runs I've ever been on, the effort I put in to keep going was ridiculous but tried to keep my concentration focussed on keeping my breathing in a relaxed rhythm. I made it round in around three minutes quicker than the week before but felt sick as a parrot afterwards. We ran together for the following three weeks and progress was up and down but still in a positive manner which was a relief – I feel like all the effort is worth it when progress is made.

On Sunday we took part in the GEAR 10k race locally which was a flat, fast, traffic free road race with around 1800 competitors, so easily the biggest we've taken part in locally (we did it last year too as our first 10k race)

My 2014 resolution of setting a new pb was safely out of reach so I wanted to run a race I was happy with as opposed to anything else. The nature of a large race meant that there was so much congestion from the start, which seemed to last for at least the first 2k, giving a most irritating slow start. Despite wearing my Garmin watch I found it difficult to keep track of my overall pace with so many other runners speeding up and slowing down all over the place. My chip time was confirmed at 48:12 which was an exact match for this season's best so I have to be satisfied with that in challenging conditions. My time was just over three minutes faster than my time for last year's race (and beat Chris' time from last year too) which was pleasing but the main difference was my recovery time; I got my breath back far sooner and only felt a bit peaky for a minute then pretty good. My boot camp training coach had come to support us and we had a little chat after the race and I was entirely capable of conversation if dripping a little sweaty.

The most exciting thing is that I feel like the fun has been put back in to fun runs for me, I can look forward to going out for a spin in the sunshine as well as a slog to get a good time. It's not all uphill anymore and I can stay realistically hopeful that progress can be made towards my running goals. Thank goodness.

Sophie

It's hardly worthy of a recipe post but I did enjoy eating this spinach and red pepper omelette and I took a picture specially.

One quarter of a red pepper, a handful of fresh spinach and three eggs – free range.

Chop the red pepper into chunky slices and pop in a frying pan on a medium heat, beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper then add to the pan after a couple of minutes. Throw in the spinach after a couple of minutes before the egg has cooked through, then flip if possible to finish off.

I'm on the prowl for new breakfast ideas as to me the best way to start the day right is with a satisfying meal.

Sophie

Grilled halloumi is something that I've heard others rave about yet somehow I'd never tried myself. When wandering around Lidl at the weekend I spied a block of halloumi and made an impulse purchase, vowing to give it a try to see what all the fuss is about. This dish is more of a cobbled together plateful of things that needed using up rather than a specially planned one but that is sometimes how you discover new combinations of things that get along together. I present:

Grilled halloumi with black pudding, fresh beetroot, stir fried red pepper and spring onions with noodles

The halloumi was grilled upon the good old (new) Tefal Optigrill, hence the rather beautiful lines (I did fear that it would melt into a puddle but thankfully not). I foolishly took two rings of black pudding, cubed and heated steadily in a small frying pan. I only needed one ring as it went far further than anticipated!

What does black pudding taste like? Well, I'd describe it as the texture of dense bread with the favour of tasty sausage. Since trying it at The Crown I've wanted to use it at home so I bought some at the butchers but hadn't got round to making use of it, oh it's so good.

The beetroot worked a treat with both the halloumi and black pudding so I would happily use these three together again. The red pepper, spring onions and noodles were pleasant enough but could have easily been replaced by salad leaves instead for a lighter dish.

How do you like to enjoy grilled halloumi? (Or is it not for you?)

Sophie