The Fine Times Recorder is the Blog’s favourite blog. It gives up-to-the -minute information about what’s on, what to see, where to Eat in Somerset. Wiltshire and Dorset. And it’s FREE. Editor Fanny Charles (the ex-owner and editor of the Blackmore Vale Magazine) writes the occasional newsletter, and this is the latest. Bookmark their website www.theftr.co.uk
WE haven’t been in touch for so long that we are quite ashamed – we hope you have all continued to log on to FTR, read the previews and the reviews, the food news and more. Our only excuse is that 2019 was an amazingly busy year, with the launch of our second book “Deepest Wiltshire”, and then frantic months of getting the book out to bookshops and other outlets, doing talks and other promotional events. And then in the autumn, one of our dearest friends was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; she died just before Christmas, and we and Pippin, the wire haired fox terrier, and Kate, the Birman cat, all miss her very much. She has left a massive hole – she never read the FTR or the newsletters, because she wasn’t online. Instead, she had Gay as her “social secretary” – booking theatres, concerts and more for her, and sharing events that we all enjoyed.
So here we are now in quarantine – we don’t like “self isolation” because it seems to all be part of the me-me-me self-centred society around us. Among the many changes that may come from this wretched Covid-19 crisis, perhaps some will be to make more people aware of their neighbours, and their local independent shops and the environment in which we live. We are lucky to live in Wincanton, a town with a great community and excellent independent shops. Our butcher, pet shop and greengrocer, and Kimbers farm shop up by the racecourse, are all doing deliveries. And we can still walk Pippin from home so he’s not missing out either.
Predictably, Gay has spent the last two weeks changing the Arts Diary, putting POSTPONED or CANCELLED against entries, and now as we enter April, there are no live performances at all. However, the indomitable spirit of the creative sector, like the local food businesses, means that people are finding new ways to reach audiences and customers. We have introduced a new section on the website, Isolational Ideas, where we are reporting on all the streaming and virtual events and activities, from Strode Theatre’s programme, which includes Exhibitions on Screen and NT Live events, to Messums Wiltshire and Hauser & Wirth Somerset offering online tours of current exhibitions and more.
The Guild of Fine Food, based at Gillingham, has been providing regular updates and excellent advice for independent food businesses – all worth reading.
So please stay in touch with us, and keep checking in as we do our best to bring you the latest news. And you can email us at info@theftr.co.uk
And best wishes from the Blog -Ed