Dale | Pembrokeshire, Wales

Dale has an artsy vibe.

Postcards are painted here, there's sculptors, potters, sketchers and watersport addicts all with perfect tans & sun-bleached manes. 

It's the kind of village-y vibe you only truly get when you're fringed by a calm bay of water & one pub to quench the entire village.

Unsurprisingly Dale is pretty friendly too.  

We stopped off the other morning - where we wiggled our toes in the water, drank big mugs of fluffy coffee & then found ourselves in a village hall come art exhibition surrounded by local pottery & kooky driftwood sculptures.  

⚓

Pimm's Ice Lollies

The best grown up ice lollies.   
Alcohol & ice isn't exactly revolutionary, I know, but sometimes frozen alcohol works really well (especially when it's 30 degrees outside). 
These are cold, sweet & summery. 
They're a little novel, a good talking point & very refreshing. I made them for a bbq last week & handed the 'mini's' mini-milks, & the 'adults' these patriotic lolly pops.

To make (about 10) you'll need: 
4tbsp of Pimm's
25g of icing sugar
200g of lemonade (or you could use cava, ginger beer, sparkling water, prosecco..)
10 strawberries
A few sprigs of mint
And a nubbin' of cucumber, cubed  

On a gentle heat dissolve the sugar in a pan with 125ml of water.  Give it a stir. 

Add 1.. 

2..

 3..

4...tablespoons of Pimm's to the sugared water. 

Pop the fruit into the moulds. 

Add the lemonade & Pimm's mixture to a jug (give it a little stir about). Pour it into the moulds. 

Add a mint leaf to each gold fizzy. 

Freeze overnight.

Before handing them out, run them under hot water so they wiggle out for you. 

Bristol Gardens

Yesterday afternoon we set up camp in the gardens. We found a patch of sun & shade and were happy to be tucked away from the madness of Brighton beach.

Reading our books in the garden, playing a bit of frisbee, a bit of giant tennis, flicking through magazines & drinking litres of (unintentionally) warm water. 
And then we legged it to the seafront & jumped in! (along with the rest of the population of Brighton) 

Summer Live Festival

Last weekend we roasted in the sun. in the middle of a field. with zero shade. 

It was stonkingly hot. 

But the food was sizzlin', the music was good & the drinks were iced. 

Sun & beer tent...ahem. 

After watching Nile Rodgers & Chic do their funkay thaangg (his set was off the scale!) C missed the dinner rush queues and grabbed a smoked pork & halloumi ciabatta. 

Feeling like I was in the spanish sunshine, I knew paella was gunna be a good idea. 

Despite the queue, Paellaria was definitely worth it.
Winning concession of the year '12 they've built up a loyal fan base by touring countless festivals across the land. Follow their festival foodie antics on FB.

They serve a chicken & chorizo paella and a vegetable paella with butternut squash & other veggie goodness. I found some shade and tucked in. 

Then it was time for some music. 

Lively as ever Jay Kay was super entertaining & very sweaty - lilac trousers probably weren't a great idea. 

He also got heckled for looking like a "feckin' leprechaun" by the blokes behind. 

"Typical, eh, for once I come as a cowboy & you all come as red Indians".