Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Mar-2020 i Country Life

WE have got in a terrible muddle about badgers. Everyone wants to see a reasonable number of them in the countryside—they’re engaging creatures—but numbers have exploded since the 1970s and the West Country, in particular, is overrun. Dairy farmers have born the brunt of this, as they’re convinced that badgers spread bovine TB, a case supported by the results of the cull in disease hotspots where rates of infection have reduced. To phase out the cull, as the Government proposes, when there is no proven alternative, would be a cruelty to farmers whose livelihoods depend on the health of their herds. But badger numbers are a national issue. They don’t only eat earthworms and beetles, they take the eggs and chicks of ground-nesting birds. Their leathery tongues can cope with…

A PIG excreted a pedometer that started an 800sq ft fire in North Yorkshire last week. Yes, you read that correctly. The pedometer was placed on a pig at a farm near Bramham, Leeds, to prove that the animal was free range. It appears that another pig decided to eat the gadget off its fellow, after which ‘Nature took its course’, according to the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. The copper batteries then reacted with the straw in the pens and began the blaze. ‘A hose reel was used to extinguish the fire and save the bacon,’ reported the service on Twitter. No animals were harmed.…

I HAVE some good news: by the end of the month, the ground will dry out and you will be able to put your wellies away until the autumn. I am confident in this, despite the ground being currently sodden after one of the wettest and filthiest winters I can remember. The reason for my confidence is the fact that the countryside is undergoing its annual rebirth: the grass is growing, the hedges are bursting into leaf and the mighty trees are drawing water up their trunks to unlock their buds. Nature is sucking the ground dry and energy is bursting out everywhere. This morning, I counted no fewer than 11 different wildflowers in bloom, including primroses, dog violets, celandine, wood spurge, comfrey, blackthorn, wild cherry and gorse. The highlight…

THERE are days in every year which make the rest of life worthwhile. They are full of an illusive peace, of an illusive gaiety, of an illusive optimism. In midwinter, in times of gale and autumnal violence, in nights of pitchy, impenetrable blackness or of uttermost storm, one is now and then disposed to think lies the bedrock soul of the woman called Nature. Then come these perfect days: these perfect hours of lingering autumn, when the quiet fragrance of centuries distils upon woods and fields. Then come summer nights full of warm scent of clover, corn, grass and flowers; and happiness born of gardens. But of all these deceptions, the greatest and most precious, because evanescent and long-delayed, are the first sunny days of spring. They leap from the…

Vibrant and floral Viña Laurent, Polemico País, Secano Interior, Itata Valley, Chile 2018. £11.95, Corney & Barrow, alc 13% Once seen as a humble grape, País steps into the limelight when grown on long-forgotten, gnarly old vines. Fruit for this delicious red comes from 150-year-old ungrafted vines and it’s made by former Bordeaux winemaker Damien Laurent and his Chilean wife, Lorena. The vibrant, floral, cherry and summer-pudding palate is backed by crunchy acidity and chalky tannins. A top-value drop. Pair with fragrant curry Main Divide, Pegasus Bay Riesling, Waipara Valley, Canterbury, New Zealand 2015. £13.99, Majestic, alc 12.5% Don’t let the fact that this isn’t bone-dry put you off—it’s fantastic value for money and the marked acidity keeps it fresh, although some botrytised fruit has been added to give…

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Elmley’s 3,300 acres act as a ‘gigantic feeding table for waders and wildfowl’, with a focus on breeding waders, particularly the lapwing and redshank. The landscape looks entirely natural, but interventionist techniques include livestock grazing, water control, micro-topography (digging out rills and scrapes to create gentle undulations in which water can collect), grass management and predator control. Cattle not only keep the sward at the right height, but produce delicious beef. Elmley partners with local farmers to run a combined herd of up to 900 native and Continental breed cows and 1,000 Romney Marsh sheep. In dry years, levels are topped up, abstracting water from ditches and reservoirs to provide the high winter levels favoured by flocks of wildfowl without flooding the marsh and harming the invertebrates upon which many…

• When is a worm not a worm? When it’s a wyrm. The word we use derives from the Old English wyrm, a poetic term for a serpent or dragon, a regular figure in a number of widespread mythologies, often large and fearsome, and mercifully unrelated to our helpless little earthworm • In this country, the North-East suffered several legendary horrors. In Handale in Yorkshire, a serpent that ate women was slain by a hero called Scaw. In Co Durham, the Lambton Worm, the subject of a dialect song and inspiration for several novels and films, grew out of a lamprey fished by local heir John Lambton when he should have been in church. It terrorised villages along the River Wear, killed many who confronted it and was dispatched by…

• General manager Philippe Perd is partial to a competitive round of pétanque in the hotel gardens— he ‘always wins’, however, so start practising now • The old town of Antibes and the Picasso Museum—built upon the foundations of the ancient Greek town of Antipolisare both worth exploring • Book in for a massage at the hotel’s in-house spa—a discreet building, hidden among manicured gardens • Ask for a room in the Eden-Roc Pavilion —they all enjoy uninterrupted views of the Riviera and sunset…

Sow tomatoes As commercial growers harvest their first fruits, amateurs sow their tomato seeds. Choose your favourite for this year, then take a clean seed tray. Overfill it with fresh compost and strike off the excess to leave the surface level. Press down to achieve an even, lightly firmed bed. Sow the seeds uniformly, so that no two touch, then use a fine riddle to cover the seed with a loose layer of compost. Label with name and date, then water by resting the tray in an inch of water until the surface glistens. Drain, set aside and repeat as necessary.…

CRITICS are often snooty about amateur theatre. Kenneth Tynan described it as ‘an exhibitionist alternative to bridge’ and James Agate, in his heyday at The Sunday Times, used to say that the difference between amateur and professional actors was that the former lacked the technique to convey emotion when they felt it, whereas the latter had the skill to express it even when they didn’t. Now, a critic, Michael Coveney, has come along with a richly entertaining and informative book, Questors, Jesters and Renegades (Methuen), that at last does justice to the massive contribution of amateur theatre to national life. ‘Both are in it for love. The only difference is that one gets paid and the other doesn’t’ One of Mr Coveney’s sharpest points is that almost all the…

Thirsty shoppers German supermarket chain Lidl has announced plans to open its first pub. The firm confirmed it is hoping to open and run the pub next to its Dundonald store near Belfast, Northern Ireland. The site will also contain an off licence Jurassic Park The world’s smallest known dinosaur has been discovered frozen in amber, say scientists. The specimen was found in Myanmar and is estimated to be the same size as the bee hummingbird, which weighs about 2g Irony A conference on Nidoviruses, the order of viruses that includes coronavirus, has been cancelled, because of coronavirus. The Nido2020 conference, which was due to take place in May, has been postponed to 2021…

WE recently had a three-year-old cousin to stay in London. Having been brought up in remote countryside, she was gratifyingly astonished by the planes roaring overhead and even the sight of double-decker buses. Throughout her stay, she has shown remorseless interest in her older cousins, waking them up early and following them unceasingly around the house with demands to play. They have loved the attention and, in return, indulged her with games and stories. One lunchtime, they also achieved the remarkable feat of persuading her that the carrots on her plate—which she claimed to dislike—were, in fact, broccoli (and, therefore, delicious). Such efforts took their toll, however, and when one of my children observed with feeling that ‘toddlers really are hard work’, I struggled not to laugh. Meanwhile, it’s been…

The grit in the oyster QI have a new colleague and I hate them. I’m not exaggerating—the moment they open their mouth, I get an overwhelming urge to poke them in the eye. I can barely stand to be in the same room as them, which is a bit of a problem in an open-plan office. Might hypnosis be the key? W. M., Hertfordshire A Open-plan offices, like having one’s dining room in the kitchen, are one of the most ghastly aberrations of the 1980s. There’s no escaping the enervating clatter or the needling stench of onions. Yet, as my sob-sister Mary Sunshine (or sob-brother, as it turned out) trilled in the musical Chicago, There’s a Little Bit of Good in Everyone. Your colleague, new to the tribe, has…

Oodles of fun VERY much enjoyed your I recent article on labradoodles (March 4)—they are, without doubt, wonderful dogs, although I feel that a Clumberdoodle takes some beating. They have the calm stoicism and dogged determination of the Clumber spaniel, mixed with the joyful love of life of the miniature poodle. I may be a little bit biased, as I’m the proud owner of four-month-old Bertie—who’s unusually clean in this photograph. His usual state is covered in mud. Della Hathaway, Somerset Row, row, row your boat YOUR article on independent-school gold-medal Olympians (February 26) refers to Shiplake College and Ben Hunt-Davies’s gold in 2000, but you omitted Will Satch’s gold from the men’s eight in Rio 2016 (right, with Satch at stroke), building on his bronze in a pair…

‘I grew up with Patrick Caulfield’s screenprints. My late father was a keen collector of contemporary art and I remember him taking me to West End gallery openings, including several Caulfield exhibitions. I particularly like the ‘Morning, Noon, Evening, Night’ series for its simplicity of line and rich colour. I don’t know if the echo of Hogarth’s similarly titled series–of course, very differently realised–is deliberate or not. Caulfield’s prints will hang in any interior and appeal across the generations. But they are also highly distinctive, immediately recognisable and characteristic of his era. I love them’ PATRICK CAULFIELD enjoyed the particular honour of being an artist admired by other artists. His friend and contemporary, the late Sir Howard Hodgkin, said of him: ‘Many 20th-century artists make paintings about paintings, but…

THERE seems, at first glance, to be precious little linking the mussel and the mouse. One is an edible bivalve mollusc that dwells in waters both salted and fresh. The other, a furry rodent with a penchant for cheese. Yet the word ‘mussel’ is derived from the Latin word mus, meaning mouse. Not because the shellfish squeaks, runs up clocks or can be fried up and given to children as a cure for bedwetting (yes folks, get your arcane folklore remedies here). Rather, the shell resembles the body of a mouse. Seriously, put a picture of the mussel on its side, add ear, eye, whiskers and a tail, and the connection becomes clear. Unlike the mouse, however, the mussel is near universally loved; cheap, endlessly adaptable and packed with piscine…

Tailored to perfection Designed to suit the proportions of this room, this large, bespoke, oak island is inspired by a tailor’s table. Kitchen prices from £100,000, Artichoke (01934 745270; www.artichoke-ltd.com) Aged beauty For the look of aged salvaged flagstones, these handfinished Purbeck New Reclaimed floor tiles, £200 per sq m, are just the ticket. Sourced from Artorius Faber’s own quarry in Dorset, they are transformed from block to tiles at the workshop in Somerset (01935 847333; www.artoriusfaber.com) To the rescue When they learned that London’s decommissioned firehoses were destined for landfill, design duo Elvis & Kresse mounted a rescue, reclaiming more than 200 tons of the material to make luxury bags and accessories. Now, the pair has collaborated with British Standard Cupboards to produce a range of hand-stamped cupboard door…

Maianthemum racemosum , AGM A rhizomatous perennial similar to Solomon’s Seal, with elegant arching stems and greyish-green elliptical foliage. The flowers, however, are quite different: fluffy, creamy white star-bursts that are deliciously fragrant. It prefers a partially shaded, sheltered spot, on neutral to acid soil. Very hardy. Height 3ft, spread 1ft 6in Staphylea colchica White bell-shaped flowers smother this handsome, vigorous shrub in spring, the common name of which, ‘bladdernut’, is from its large, greenish-white fruit. Panicles of blossom can be up to 5in long and smell of orange blossom. The name derives from Colchis, a kingdom of Georgia, where the buds are traditionally preserved in salt and eaten. 13ft by 13ft Ilex aquifolium Hascombensis The narrow, finely-toothed, glossy leaves of this holly are tightly knit, responding…

FOR the first time in some years, I will not be able to visit Paris for the Salon du Dessin in the Palais Brongniart, March 25 to 30, and the contemporary Drawing Now fair in Le Carreau du Temple, March 25 to 29. I would very much like to see what the promised revamp of the Salon’s decor in the former Paris Bourse is like, as the stands and layout had begun to look a little tired. There is nothing wrong with basic simplicity, but the quality of what is usually on offer deserves a slightly more sophisticated presentation. There are now 39 stands to be fitted in, which has made the traditionally packed preview difficult for serious buyers and the later days could look rather thin. A promising…

MY hands are a sight. There is nothing to be done about the cuts or broken nails, of course, but I had thought that some vigorous scrubbing with a stiff brush would remove the black and green stains and return them to their normal hue. It is all Voltaire’s fault. I was too lazy (and too dim) to read the great masters as a teenager, but, wishing to impress, spent many hours memorising their quotations. Barely a day passed without my, in an Adrian Mole-esque way, slipping a badly pronounced ‘“Quae te dementia cepit!” as Virgil said,’ or a ‘Nietzsche put it well when he pointed out: “Tatsachen gibt es nicht, nur Interpretationen”’ into my conversation. Amazing, really, that I wasn’t beaten up at school more often. Anyway, for almost…

Modern hairdressers Rob Ayton, from Devon, is Britain’s latest world champion—winning the award for the best mullet on the planet at a ceremony in Australia. Mr Ayton took home the top award at Mulletfest, where categories include grubby, vintage and extreme The high street Wild boar in the Forest of Dean are wandering into local villages, as a result of ‘immoral’ photographers feeding them peanuts. The pigs would usually ‘run a mile’, according to The Boaring Truth, a local volunteer group, but a ‘small proportion have been fed by humans and are now tame’ Your first car A nostalgic car fan in Edinburgh was shocked to discover that his first-ever car had been turned into a barbecue. Derek Carroll bought the 1965 Chevrolet Impala for £100 in 1976, but sold…

THE article on the Underground maps and disparate facts (‘Going underground’, March 4) was fascinating, including which of the two stations use all five vowels in their names—Mansion House and South Ealing. Long ago, I was asked which station was the only one not to have any of the letters of the word ‘mackerel’ in it. Does anyone know who on earth came up with that one? In case you didn’t know, the answer is St John’s Wood. The writer of the letter of the week will win a bottle of Pol Roger Brut Réserve Champagne…

‘Our core collections were never assembled with a business case in mind’ EVEN Athena—optimistic as she tends to be—had no cultural expectations of last week’s Budget. The only outside hope was that a government eager to address the housing shortage might make changes to VAT. Unfortunately, however, the Chancellor, in common with all his recent predecessors, left completely untouched a system that exacts tax from those who would repair existing buildings and exempts those who want to build new ones. Athena’s disappointment at this state of affairs increases with the years. She lives in hope that, one day, a government will cease to offer financial incentive for demolition (with all the waste that implies), at the same time as actively discouraging the kind of regeneration projects that our countryside, towns…

Originally, Elmley, named after now-vanished elms, was its own island. Its moment in national history came in 1688, when James II was attempting to flee England; local fishermen, having mistaken him for a hated Jesuit priest, removed his money and had him locked up in the farmhouse, until he could be taken to Faversham. (Eventually, the King was released and allowed to slip away, in humiliation, by his son-in-law, the Prince of Orange, who took the throne as William III—he did not wish to make him a martyr.) The farmhouse was extended in the Victorian period and has recently been added to again, with a bespoke kitchen faced with glass doors from which the wildlife can be watched in comfort.…

THE first award, in 2019, attracted a wealth of fascinating entries from houses around the country, including a family kitchen created by joining half a dozen rooms together and another that was furnished with re-purposed items from elsewhere in the house. Together, they demonstrated that there are plenty of ways to solve the problem of creating a kitchen in an old building. To be eligible for entry, the kitchen must be a listed part of the main historic building of a ‘house member’ property and be in regular working use by the family. The three shortlisted entries will be photographed for a feature published in COUNTRY LIFE and Historic House magazines and the winner announced at the Historic Houses AGM in November. For details of how to enter and the…

WHEN Aubrey Beardsley died at Menton, only months after his 25th birthday, Oscar Wilde wrote: ‘There is something macabre and tragic in the fact that one who added another terror to life should have died at the age of a flower.’ Diagnosed with tuberculosis when still a child, Beardsley knew that his time was circumscribed. The knowledge, however, seems to have powered and focused his artistic development. He was, as this compelling show makes clear, both wonderfully precocious and impressively prolific. But what is really astounding is not the volume of drawings that he created in a working life that spanned only six years, or even their exquisite quality, but the great variety and the sense of development. Working almost exclusively in pen and ink, he absorbed and mastered the…