October 2022 Archives

Happy Halloween! It is the time for sweets and scares, chilly mornings and crisp evenings with dried leaves underfoot. The air is cool, and there's a musty and smokey smell. Pumpkins are placed on the steps, and some are turned into lanterns with expressive faces. Growing up in the United States, it is a huge deal. Dressing up in a costume as one of our favourite characters and walking around to ask for treats. As I lived in the countryside, I only ever went trick-or-treating. I was never the one to give out the sweets. In the United Kingdom, it isn't such a big deal, although it does get bigger each year. There's also bound to be a few fireworks, but hopefully there's no one throwing eggs and being a nuissance. 

Halloween marks the end of October. We are firmly on our way into November and the winter months from now. I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween.

Leadenhall Market in the City of London has been taken over by a giant monster with purple tentacles. The market has been used as a filming location in the original "Harry Potter" films where it was transformed into Diagon Alley. Apparently, the purple tentacles appeared for the first time last year. It's a perfect Halloween scare.

The tentacles are part of the pop-up Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, which sells spooky and gruesome sweets, "potions", and other horror-related gift sets. Think chocolate brains and chocolate hearts, broomstick pencils, sugar mice, and other novelty gifts that could come out of the "Harry Potter" books.

The pop-up is in place until 11th of November, and there are also a variety of walks taking place around Leadenhall Market for those wishing to explore the city.

Happy Halloween! Last weekend, I had a special Halloween-themed break at the Headland Hotel in Cornwall. The Headland Hotel is a five star resort located at Fistral Bay in Newquay, and it offers spa and treatment facilities, including hot tubs and hydrotherapy facilities (including steam rooms, heated pools, and saunas). I stayed as part of "The Witches" offer, and this included a stay of three nights with breakfast each morning, a two-course dinner on the first night, Halloween afternoon tea, use of the facilities, and a screening of "The Witches" film.

The Headland Hotel was used in the film "The Witches", which was a Disney and Jim Henson production filmed in the late 1980s. I had actually never seen the film before, and I had never heard of it. The Halloween film was filmed almost completely in the hotel, although the dining room was recreated as they needed to do special effects for it, and special effects were done in a much older way than today.

I paid for a grounds view room, which had a slight view of the sea. It was a comfortable room with a large bathroom and walk-in shower.

We were given a set of sugar mice and information about "The Witches" filming with some behind-the-scenes stories.

I was also impressed by this massive Lego replica of the hotel on the first floor billiards room. It was given by a guest.

After settling in, we had a few drinks in one of the bars with some views out to sea. The weather was not nice, though, so we couldn't sit out on the balcony.

We visited the dining room for the dinner on the first night.

I had chicken and ordered a side of broccoli and potato. I had a chocolate mousse for dessert.

The next morning and the following two mornings, we came down for breakfast. I had pancakes on the first night, and I tried to Cornwall breakfast on the second night. We were sat by the window and watched the surfers on the waves, many who had an early start considering our breakfast was at 8:00am.

We spent the morning in the pools, and the afternoon was spent enjoying the Halloween-themed afternoon tea. We opted for a special themed cocktail each. Witches Heart contained vodka, black raspberry liqueur, lime and pommegranate juice, and red wine. The Murky Deep contained spiced rum and Disaronno.

We enjoyed sandwiches first, and we admired the views over the coast. The sandwiches included ham and mustard, cucumber, smoked salmon, and cheddar. There was also a tomato and basil quiche per person.

We had two scones - fruit and plain - served with Cornish clotted cream and Cornish strawberry jam. 

These were enjoyed with champagne.

The sweets included apple and blackberry trifle, pumpkin cake with a dark chocolate witch's hat, treacle tart, ghost shortbread, and white chocolate mouse with raspberry. All of these tasted delicous, but the pumpkin cake was my favourite, followed by the ghost biscuit. I'm not a fan of white chocolate as it's usually too sweet, but this tasted nice too.

While we enjoyed out afternoon tea, the Grand Witch (from "The Witches" film) came around to talk to us and to scare the kids. It was a laugh! We, along with nearly everyone else, got some photographs on the staircase. During the whole experience, it was amazing to see adults and children dressed up in various costumes.

After the afternoon tea, I had a spa treatment, and then it was straight to the little room near the reception to watch "The Witches" movie.

I enjoyed the outdoor pool area, which is open to other guests and not exclusive, on Sunday morning after a trial on busy Saturday. The hot tub had amazing views over the sea.

This is the indoor area with a paddling pool, lap pool, sauna, and hydrotherapy pool.

In the evening of our last day, I took advantage of the comfort and used the "morning room" at the hotel and read most of the book I brought with me.

I really enjoyed the experience, and I loved the Halloween twist and the afternoon tea! 

Lanhydrock is a property with a mansion and gardens in a larger estate located in Cornwall, and it is managed by the National Trust. I visited the property last week, and in addition to the visit to the house, and a very quick walk around the garden, I participated in the Halloween activity "Penny Dreadful Halloween Experience". This was my first visit to Lanhydrock.

The day ended up being very rainy and windy, and there was about a ten-minute walk to the house from the parking. It's down a hill and quite open to the elements except for a line of a few trees. There are some good views with autumn colour.

The gatehouse came into view, and this was surrounded by lines of sculpted yew trees and the house at the back.

The gatehouse has a small exhibition on the first floor.

After the gatehouse visit, I went into the main house to see the other exhibit

The house is mainly Victorian, but parts date to the 1600s. There was a fire, and the house had to be rebuilt. The last owners of the property often opened the house to visitors, and some of the rooms were used as a show-house. Lady Robartes (Mary Clifden) was instrumental in making this a show house with some history about the different rooms.

The first room to see was the Inner Hall, and it included a lot of different personal items from the Victorian age. The mosaic floor was installed by them.

We watched a video at the start explaining the house's history in the drawing room, which was where the women went to chat after withdrawing from dinner.

Then, we explored other rooms.

This long room has been broken up by different screens to create a unique space with different trinkets to sit in and enjoy.

The only room to escape the fire that destroyed much of the house was the Long Gallery. The room was set up to be used for entertaining guests and included some of the family's prized possessions, such as rare books. The ceiling, which is one of the highlights of the house, dates from the 17th century and covers the Testaments in the Bible and Gensis themes. 

The next room is the Morning Room, which has tapestries hung in it; these were put in just after the house was restored.

After exploring the house, we went to the "Penny Dreadful" experience. We were given a Victorian penny in order to "buy" the "Penny Dreadful". These were short stories for people to purchase, and the stories were of a horror nature with highwaymen, serial killers, and other gruesome tales. Lanhydrock created their own story about buried treasure and five graves. We went to three different rooms to be told the tale from costumed "Victorian" characters.

After the experience, this part of the house also had a couple of rooms to see, which were decorated with candles for Halloween.

The weather was rainy off and on during the visit, but we made the most of it.

The second attraction here was to visit the kitchens. The kitchens and the different rooms that make up a working kitchen for a large estate. The kitchens included the bakery, pastry area, buttery, scullery, and other rooms. 

I had a very quick wander around the gardens. There is a church next to the house, and this is how the estate gets its name. I didn't visit the church on this visit. There were beautiful autumn colours on display in the gardens.

I enjoyed visiting Lanhydrock and seeing the Halloween experience, which was unique. Hopefully the next visit to Lanhydrock will be on a sunny day.

A new sculpture trail from charities Wild in Art and The World Reimagined was launched over the middle of the summer at short notice, and it toured across several major citites in England and Wales. There were several smaller trails across multiple London boroughs and separate trails in Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, and Swansea. The objective of the sculpture trail was based on the "Journey of Discovery" to help with racial justice and supporting the journey of understanding. I only got time to complete one of the trails before the sculptures were removed on 30th October. I did not get to visit other London trails because the sculptures were so spread out over a larger area, and it would have been better to see them all in one place or closer together to experience more of them.

The trail artwork is based on nine themes through a shared history and common future goals. This includes nine themes - Mother Africa, slavery, abolition, support causes, community and present, common future, and more. The themes allow us to look at the world in a different way and highlight impotant causes.

"The New Union Flag" - GIL MUALEM-DORON

"Our Cup Runneth Over" - SARAH OWUSU

"Yet We Still Arise" - WINSTON BRANCH

"The Timeless Cosmic Calabash/Gourd(s): We Will Mend This Broken World" - FOLUSO OGUNTOYE

"Bought Sold And Gold" - GLEN BROOKS AND JANE MOTA

"Echoes Talk Back" - CURTIS HOLDER

"Movers Of The Past, Shakers Of Tomorrow" - NATASHA MULUSWELA

A lovely early autumn view of St. Paul's Cathedral

"Let Us Not Forget" - KIONE GRANDISON

"The Road To Freedom, Hidden In Plain Sight" - ÀSÌKÒ OKELARIN

"The World Reimagined" - YINKA SHONIBARE CBE

Shaw's Corner is the former home of author and socialist George Bernard Shaw, and it is now managed by the Natonal Trust. At the end of September, I visited Shaw's Corner for the first time. Visitors who wish to visit the property must book in advance for visiting the house as National Trust permit visiting the house by guided tour only. In addition to the house, visitors can explore the garden and see the writing hut in the garden.

We were booked on the guided tour of the home first, and we learned about the house in its Arts and Crafts style, which was built in 1902. It's not too old of a house, and the National Trust took it on due to its association with the author. On the tour, were told about some of the items in the house, which belonged to Shaw and his wife. The rooms in the house have been left as a museum in the way that Shaw wanted to leave them for future visitors. 

The house itself, which was built in 1902, was a rectory for the church. It was larger than it needed to be for the parish and put up for rent. It was rented by Shaw and his wife from 1906 until his death in 1950. (Shaw and his wife purchased the house in 1920.) The house also included 3.5 acres of land, which is a garden, orchard, and small wooded area.

On entering, we were told about the reception hallway. From the hallway, we explored four rooms: the library, the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen/scullery. The staircase is located in the hallway, and a couple of the rooms upstairs were open to view. The hallway includes paintings from travels, artwork gifted from Virginia Woolf's sister, and a collection of hats that Shaw wore for different activities.

The hearts in the staircase pillars are an Arts and Craft style.

After the hallway, we looked at the library. Shaw loved photography, so an old camera was on display as well as a typewriter and William Morris patterned curtains.

We then went into the living area and were told some information about the art and items in the room. The room included a painting of Shaw's wife, which she had painted for a friend but was told to keep it. Also are sculptures of Shaw's hand in marble and the Oscar that Shaw won. Shaw won a Nobel Prize for literature in 1925 and an Oscar in 1939 for "Pygmalion" (known today as "My Fair Lady").

The dining room had several photographs of some of the people that Shaw envied. 

Up the stairs, we saw the bathroom and a bedroom as well as some prizes in a glass case.

The tour concluded in the kitchen.

After the house tour, we had a wander around the gardens. 

Shaw wrote many of his works in the home and the revolving writer's hut in the garden. This hut could be moved to follow the sun's light. Shaw named the writer's hut "London" so that he could tell unwanted visitors that he was in London. After Shaw died, his ashes were mixed with his wife's, and they were scattered around the writer's hut.

We admired the views of the house and the plants in the garden, which were coming to their end in late September. 

We enjoyed the thorough and interesting tour of Shaw's Corner, which was put together very well by the National Trust and volunteers. I always get a lot out of the guided tours as they pick out interesting items and facts. The garden is beautiful as well and would be worth a visit in the summer.

I visited Sycamore Lake Wine Company, located near Columbus Grove in Ohio, with a friend in early September. Sycamore Lake Wine Company opened in 2013, and visitors can enjoy the wines and a selection of food in the tasting room or on the patio. There's also a lake and covered bridge that visitors can walk to, and the grape vines are there too. We had a bit of food here along with our wine tasting flight, and the food was delicious. A wedding was also taking place here, and they were setting up for live music. The venue was extremely busy with people, not including the wedding party as well. 

This is one of the better wine venues that we have been to, and we enjoyed the good selection of tasty food and the wines. Due to the venue being so busy on the visit, the staff were in a rush and not very friendly as a result of this. There was a bit of a "rush" from them to get you to order without really understanding the full description.  

Visitors can try up to five wines. I had a selection of mainly white wines since I am not a fan of red ones. I ordered the below:

Riesling: A semi-dry fruity wine with an apple taste and flower notes.

Chocolate-covered Bridge: No doube this is an ode to the picturesque covered bridge on the lake. It is a red wine flavoured with chocolate and is said to taste like cherry-flavoured Tootsie Roll Pop. (I will agree that it did taste like a cherry-flavoured Tootsie Roll Pop).

Sycamore White: This is a semi-sweet wine that is made with Diamond grapes, which is an old-fashioned "grape" variety.

Cayuga: This semi-sweet white wine has a balance of fruit and acidity. 

Seyval: This semi-dry white wine has a crisp flavour.

I did not have a favourite of the wines, though the chocolate one was different. 

We ordered pizza and garlic bread knots, and the food was very tasty. I preferred the food to the wine.

After the food and wine, we had a quick look around outside and walked to the covered bridge and down to the lake.

Back indoors, some of the other guests thought that I was the official wedding photographer and wanted their pictures taken. I humoured them and took group photographs for them with their mobile phones. It was absolutely hilarious. 

I would return to the venue and hope that the next visit isn't quite so busy, but we enjoyed the venue even though the staff were not very friendly.

Earlier this month, my parents and I visited my brother and his family in Lexington, Kentucky. It was the first time I had been to his home, and it was the first time that I got to meet my young nieces. I'd met the oldest one a few years ago briefly when she was very young. We had a day to do something, and being a Sunday, most places are shut. We decided to go to Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, which has 3,000 acres of land once home to a Kentucky Shaker community between 1805 and 1910. It was the third largest Shaker community in the United States. Pleasant Hill Shaker Village ceased in 1910, and an effort to preserve it as a museum started in 1961. 

The Shaker buildings and farm can be explored to admire the architecture, and some of the buildings contain information about the Shakers and some of their items. A couple of buildings contained crafts and a shop, and there was a cafe too. Other buildings served as hotels or guest rooms with some of them being split into museums and guest houses. The Shakers were known for their craftmanship for creating well-built furniture and items, such as brooms.

Shaker communities all lived together in a commune and worked on daily activities. They were a religious community, and their homes contained areas for religion, schooling for the children, work areas, and living areas. The large house contains bedrooms where the families lived together, and there's also a school house. There's a large meeting house with a single large room that was used to hold events, meetings, and religious services. The Shakers were named as such for their active movements - dancing and shaking - during their religious services. 

The Shaker movement began in the 1700s, and large camp meetings were held with preaching for long periods alongside music and dancing. The community in Kentucky had members sent from New York, and at the time, it would have been a remote place to live.

The Shakers at Pleasant Hill began some decline during the Civil War because they bought and freed slaves; this angered the community, who destroyed some of their buildings. Soldiers who fought in the Civil War on both sides came to them begging for food, and some of the Shaker men then left to fight in the armies. Their lifestyle continued to be less ideal and population or members dwindled.

I explored the large house and its many rooms over four floors.

Opposite was the meeting house, which I also explored.

The cafe had guest rooms above it and a gift shop. The staircase was well-built.

The farm had goats, turkeys, cattle, llama, ducks, and more. There were baby ducklings that had just hatched in an incubator.

Fruit and vegetables could be picked and taken away.

I also got to see a couple of barn cats.

Hillside Winery is located in the centre of the village of Gilboa, Ohio. It's a quiet village next to the Blanchard River. The winery is located in a brick building, which was partially destroyed by the "great fire" of 1926 that devastated much of the town. Hillside Winery was founded in 2007. I visited with a friend, and we selected a flight of wines to drink. Not all of the wines sold here are Hillside's, so we were told which ones were and could select four to try.

We entered the building, which had the bar in front of us with many bottles of wine and other alcohol for sale to the right and a room on the left for tastings. We were told that we could also sit outside.

We decided to sit outside and were amazed that there was a hidden garden instead of just a small patio bit. Behind the building is a large garden with the river and an old steel bridge.

There were plenty of tables, and we were the first ones outside. We were soon joined by others, and a couple of people came to the little gazebo bit to warm up their singing and musical instruments for live music later. It was a very pleasant evening with sunshine and not too hot, and it would have been nice to stay a bit longer.

The first patio bit that we saw is below, but this led down some stairs to the back of the building.

Now, for the wines. I selected the Sauvignon Blanc, Hunky Dory, Viognier, and Traminette. The Hunky Dory is described as an organic blend of Gruner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gras, Chardonnay, and Reisling grapes. I did not have a favourite of the wines.

After the wines, we decided to have a quick walk as I noticed an ice cream shop and a war memorial a few doors down. We went in, and I enjoyed some ice cream, and we went to sit in the little war memorial and eat.

On the drive out of Gilboa, we came across this huge bull decoration. The Gilboa Bull, as it is called, has been sited here since the 1970s on State Route 224. The bull has become a symbol of the village, and it has survived cow-tipping in its earlier days; it is now cemented into place so that people cannot tip it over.

Although I did not care much for the wine that I had, I found Hillside Winery to be a pleasant venue to enjoy live music and a lovely garden. There's also other options instead of wine, so that is a plus for those who dislike wine.

Visitors to Southwark Cathedral will have a chance to see a giant rotating sculpture of the planet Earth until the 30th of October. The sculpture is one in a series of planetary sculptures by artist Luke Jerram, and it was created with NASA imagery from space. You may have seen Jerram's other sculptures of the moon and the planet Mars (which I covered here when it was on display at the Natural History Museum in London early this year). Visitors can see the planet and are invited to experience it with a soundscape of astronauts' thoughts on our lovely planet. 

The sculpture is named "Gaia", which is a tribute to Greek mythology and the "personalisation" of the Earth.

I was booked to see the artwork last Friday, but some unexpectd events happened at work, and I ended up being absolutely shattered by the end of the week, so I visited it yesterday after work instead. I rushed to get there today after another busy work day, with only about 20 minutes to spare. I'd had to re-book my tickets, but walk-ins are welcome. There is only one person checking bags, and about ten walk-ins had gone in right before me and had several large rucksacks and suitcases that had to be looked into thoroughly by one person checking the insides of the bags, so I ended up spending 10 minutes in the queue due to six of these people with large rucksacks and suitcases. Please do not bring large bags and suitcases!

Luke Jerram's "Gaia" is on display from 11th to 30th October of 2022.

Next up in my visits of Ohio wineries is School House Winery (also called Building 6), located near Dover. This winery is a quirky one located in an old one-room schoolhouse, which dates from 1886. There is ample seating outside around a pond, which I didn't see on my initial visit. We were the only customers there at the time, and we visited in the late afternoon on a Thursday. The wines are all named after school-related themes, and food is also served on site.

There are seventeen wines to choose from, but most of the ones on offer are red wines. Some of the names include "Prom Night", "Bully Red", "Spring Break", "Teacher's Pet", "Scholar Red", "Class Clown" and "Teacher's Aide." I tried "Eraser", which was described as semi-sweet, "Teacher's Aide", which is described as a sweet lemon taste, and "Class Clown", which is a sweet rose wine.

I didn't find a wine that I enjoyed here, but I would return as it looks like a fun place. The winery had a lot of food options from pizza to pretzel bites to cheese boards to garlic sticks.

Before I left, I ordered a watermelon ice wine lolly, which was refreshing. It actually wasn't a boiling day, but it would have gone down even more if it had been.

I got to see the grapes growing on the vines right outside the schoolhouse.

Dover, Ohio, has quite a few wineries in a little area. I will re-visit.

White Shutter Winery and Brewery offers a selection of wines and craft beers in a pleasant location. The venue prides itself in events throughout the year with local food trucks. When we arrived, live music was playing, and the venue was popular and busy. Located on Route 30, the winery can be seen from the main road. It's in Nevada, Ohio, which is close to Upper Sandusky. This was our last winery of the day that we visited, and it was in the evening toward dusk on a very pleasant evening that was warm but not humid. 

I had a selection of primarily white wines to try in the wine tasting flight; normally they are the same flight with a selection of whites and reds, but the staff were very friendly, and she made up mainly white ones for me to try since I am not keen on red. 

The vines were planted in 2009-2011, and the brick farmhouse dating from the 1830s is the winery tasting rooms. The winery was opened for tastings in 2014. Outside are fire pits, a stage for the live music, and volleyball courts.

The wines seemed to have a 1960s and 1970s theme with the names.

There were a couple of tasting rooms in the house, and we sat in one of these rooms.

The wines I tried:

Porch Swing: A dry white wine using Traminette grapes with pear flavours.

Summer Breeze: Semi-sweet Reisling grape wine with a honeysuckle aroma.

Sweet Dreams: This white wine uses Brianna grapes, which are a sweet variety.

Happy Daze: A sweet wine with honey flavour using the Edelweiss grape variety.

Blues Man: Described as a sweet wine with a blueberry pie flavour.

I also had a strawberry slushie wine.

The wines were on the sweet side and had a good flavour, but I cannot pick a favourite.

There are some nice views of the vineyard.

We enjoyed listening to the music while we played with two kittens for a short time. I was really worried about the two kittens as they were so friendly, and I was worried about them being near the cars, especially when it's dark and people go to leave the live music. The kittens were very playful and so loveable. I hope that they will be ok.

This was a lovely winery and a lovely venue with friendly staff. 

When I go back to Ohio to visit my family, I like to spend some time in Ohio's Amish Country, which isn't that far from where my parents live. We visited on a warm-but-not-too-humid day at the end of August. We were hoping to see more of them at work in the fields, but we did not see too many. However, we did see a lot of schools in session. We must have passed at least a dozen different small schoolhouses (the one-room ones) with the children playing outside. 

We basically did a road trip following a map. We entered the Amish Country near Keene and went down back roads before visiting Charm, where there were road works taking place, and the road works took a long time to get through. We ended up stopping at Miller's Bakery just outside of Charm. The cookies and cinnamon rolls were delicious here. 

We also stopped off at The Farm at Walnut Creek but decided to leave it for another visit. In the end, we headed to Walnut Creek Cheese, a huge shopping centre that is filled with crafts, kitchen and household items, and a grocery store. We purchased some cold meats, cheeses, and pumpkin cupcakes. They ended up being very good and very "light".

Hillcrest Orchard was next on the list, and my mother suggested it. I'm sure I had been there before. They do sometimes buy apples from my family. We tried some samples of apple cider, and we admired all of the autumn decorations (pumpkins/gourds) out on display.

Lunch was the next stop, and we opted for Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen in Mount Hope, which I had heard was good. (There was also a good pizza restaurant in Sugar Creek, but we opted for comfort home-style food.) This was actually the best meal that I had in Ohio. The chicken was very tender, and I tried the turkey (which I nearly got) that my mother had, and it was delicious and tender too. I ordered a side of corn and a side of fried potatoes. Everything was delicious. My mother and I split a peanut butter cream pie for dessert.

The bloke had salmon, fried potatoes, and broccoli. He said it was one of his best meals as well, and the glaze on the salmon was very good.

Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen is also very popular with Amish as we saw a lot of them and saw a lot of working farmers around too. Mount Hope is known for its argiculture auctions, so it attracts a lot of people for those.

After the lunch, we slowly headed our way back, taking in the scenery and discovering what was around the next bend. Sometimes, we saw wonderful scenery and homesteads.

Sometimes we saw someone working in the field, such as this man and his two young children mowing hay with horses. 

Compared to previous visits to the Amish country, the use of horses and old machinery is becoming a thing of the past. Many are now using vintage tractors and modern machinery. Many also have and use mobile phones, and we saw solar panels on some of their homes.

We enjoyed our visit as usual, and we stopped off at three wineries on the way back home.

Bunker's Mill Winery is located in Cardington, Ohio (near Mt. Gilead and Marion), and I visited with a friend in early September. The winery is located in the village of Cardington, and the bottles of wine are bottled at Cardington from grapes and juices that originate from California and Pennsylvania. The dry red wines have at least two years in oak barrels, and the best standards are practiced. 

Visitors can have a wine flight tasting of up to four wines. I had the following from dry to sweet:

Cayuga Dry is a Lake Erie white wine, and it has a hint of sweet grapefruit and herbaceous flavours.

Chardonnay is a light-bodied dry wine with crisp citrus and melon flavour.

Diamond is a Lake Erie sweet wine variety that reminds me of an old-fashioned grape.

Peach is a flavoured wine, a sweet wine made from peach juice.

Although the wine was okay, I did not have a particular favourite. They were not the most friendly venue and just seemed a little bit distracted. 

The name of the winery is an ode to an early settler named Bunker who settled here in the 1830s. Cardington was the site of a grist mill, a lumber mill, and a carding mill. The village was hit by a tornado in 1981, and many of the buildings had to be rebuilt. 

The winery had a couple of different rooms and a small outdoor area to enjoy the wines. There i also a gift shop in the winery with a large selection of wine and wine-related gifts.

There was a food truck outside the winery at the back serving pork products. Although there were a couple of other people there, it was not a very busy venue.

A friend and I visited Dalton Union Winery near Marysville, Ohio at the beginning of September. We visited on a Sunday, and when we arrived, live music was playing and there was a crowd of people and a food truck. We wanted to do a wine tasting flight, and I also got a wine slushie. The winery is a popular venue set in a lovely area with large homes, which we admired on the journey on the roads into the venue. This was our last winery visit of the weekend and a fleeting visit as it was not too long from closing time. It seemed like a great atmosphere, and we would return again.

The wines that I tried were (from dry to sweet) Bluegrass White, Bling, Aloha, Summertime, Momento, and Peace. My favourites were Summertime and Momento, and they were delicious wines and very easy-to-drink and a sweet wine. I would have purchased some had I known that I would have been able to take it home in one piece. The wine slushie was "lemoncello" flavoured, which was okay, but I've had better.

Dalton Union Winery started out of a love and appreciation of wine. The tasting room opened in 2015, and they expaned in 2016. In 2018, a brewery was also launched and then expanded on in 2019. A food truck and live music happens every Saturday. Visitors can sit indoors in the large tasting room opposite the bar (pictured below) or outside at the front; it's sheltered but a little more open. Unfortunately, some bees were enjoying the time outside as there were bins close by. 

The indoor area is also partially open so that people can enjoy the music. The bar was quite busy, so we ended up waiting awhile to be served. However, it was busy. Had we had more time, I would have tried the food truck, but it left as soon as the music ended, and we were finishing up our wine flights. I would return again.

Shamrock Vineyard is located in central Ohio near the town of Waldo. The vineyard started in 1971 with the planting of vines next to the farm house by Thomas Quilter. The legacy vines are cared for by the grandson and family from 2006, and this is the 38th year. New French hybrid varieties of grapes were planted here, and the hardiest varieties survived the cold Ohio winters. In 1984, Shamrock produced the wines themselves instead of sending the grapes elsewhere to be processed. I visited in early September with a friend.

We were all offered a tasting of each of the Shamrock wines, which are listed below.

Royal Gold: An off-dry white wine - Chablis style

Shamrock Rose: A semi-sweet rose wine

Buckeye Red: A sweet and fruity red wine

Windfall Wite: The sweetest wine

Waldeau Red: A dry, oaked red wine

We met a grey and white cat, which the owners called "Trash Can" because it was discovered dumped in a trash can. People are so cruel. The cat is a farm cat now, and s/he loved attention.

A selection of the bottles of wine are pictured below.

I purchased a bottle of the Windfall White wine. We enjoyed the venue, and we enjoyed the wines. The owners were very friendly and told us the story of the wines and gave us a tasting of the different wines. 

Welcome to my spring and summer 2022 edition of empty products that I have used up over the spring and summer months as I get through my skin and beauty care products. I'm not getting through as much as I would like as I am working primarily from home and have not been out a lot this year. The purpose of this post is that I wanted to post products that I used up to help me remember which ones I would purchase again, and it may help others with deciding which products to purchase too.

Jergens Soothing Aloe Relief: This product is a moisturiser that is meant to be used in seasonal weather. Unfortunately, the packaging broke away, leaving the product to dry out. The product seemed to be clumpy without much scent. Would I buy it again? No. The packaging failed. 

Victoria Secret Beauty Rush Liquid eyeliner: It is a glittery shimmery teal-coloured eyeliner with a small application brush to allow you to line your lids. Would I buy it again? No. I loved the colour and application of the product, but it was too difficult to get out of the tube, and despite not owning it for that long with it unused, it managed to dry out.

Penhaligon's perfume in 'orange blossom': This little bottle of perfume smells fruity and floral of orange blossoms. Would I buy it again? I enjoyed the scent of the product, but it did not seem to have much longevity for me, so I would not purchase again.

Anne Semonin Youth Radiance Elixir: The product promises to moisturise skin and to keep a youthful appearance by targeting hydration to deep layers of skin. It is quickly absorbed into skin, and only a little bit needs to be used. Would I buy it again? I thought that the product was okay, and I would consider using it again.

Swizzels lip gloss - 'kiss and tell': I bought a set of cute Valentine's Day lip glosses that are inspired by the candies. Would I buy it again? No, the product is too clumpy and sticky, and it is not nice to apply.

Antipodes Rejoice Light Facial Day Cream: This day cream promises to plump up and moisturise skin using a variety of ingredients, and it is lightly scented. Would I buy it again? No. The product did not really absorb into my skin and felt a bit heavy.

Patisserie de Bain bath and shower cream in 'Strawberry cupcake': This bath and shower gel (called a cream) smells of strawberries and cream. It's a delicious scent, but that was the only decent thing about it. The product did not lather up much at all while using it in the shower. Would I buy it again? No.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream: The product promises to soothe eyes and brighten any dark circles. Would I buy it again? No. I did not see the benefits, and the product seemed to irritate my eyes.

BonBons Flavoured Lip Juicer 'wet shine': This highly-glossed lip gloss is in a purple colour, and it smells like boiled sweets. Would I buy it again? No. It is far too sticky for me and dried out my lips.

Petites nail polish in 'Plum Frost': This nail polish has a metallic finish, and the colour is a dull pink/purple. Would I buy it again? The product was okay initially, but it has a tendency to clump when applying, so I would not purchase again.

The White Company shower gel in 'Flowers': This little tube of shower gel has a floral scent and lathers up, although it was difficult to extract from the tube. Would I buy it again? I love the brand, but I wouldn't purchase the shower gel again; I'd purchase this scent as a room spray or candle.

Caudalie Vinpoerfect: This product promises to remove dark spots and help achieve a radiant complexion. Would I buy it again? No, I did not see the hype about the product.

Bath and Body Works Shimmer Mist in 'Beautiful Day': This scented perfume mist has a light gold shimmer. The scent reminded me of spring with a fresh floral scent. The scent does not last long, but it provides a quick "pick me up". Would I buy it again? I love the brand, so I will purchase these products again.

Bath and Body Works Hand Soaps in 'Watermelon Lemonade' and 'Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin': These hand soaps have a lovely fragrance, and I received so many good comments from guests when I had these out to use, especially the watermelon one. Would I buy it again? Yes. I loved the watermelon scent and would purchase it again, but I was less keen on the pumpkin one.

Penhaligon's body lotion in 'Empressa': This body and hand lotion is made using their popular 'Empressa' scent, which is a sophisticated and grown up floral scent using peach, blood orange, and vanilla. Would I buy it again? I did like the scent, so I would purchase it again but not as a lotion.

Carmex lip balm: This lip balm deeply moisturises lips and can be used on other skin areas that need some TLC too. Would I buy it again? Yes, this product is amazing and really helped fix my dry lips.

7th Heaven Tea Tree Peel Off: This facial mask uses tea tree oil, which is good to help with acne and blemished skin. This is a peel off mask. Would I buy it again? Yes.

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Scrub: Body scrubs help to remove dead skin and exfoliate, which helps to add moisture and remove dead skin cells for improved skin. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Pengaligon's Maduro Leaf Candle: The scent of the candle evoked a luxurious and grown-up and relaxed mood to me, and I had this in my bedroom while I read a book. According to the product description, it evoked wood panelling, leather armchairs, and cigar smoking - a gentleman's club. Would I buy it again? Yes.

Lush Dark Angels facial scrub: This product 'Dark Angels' is a charcoal-infused facial scrub that helps to repair blemished skin and remove excess oil. Would I buy it again? Yes, but it needs to be used up quickly as the prouduct tends to dry out.

Next in my posts about Ohio wineries, I am covering Silver Moon Winery in Dover, Ohio. This is one winery amongst a small cluster of wineries in the area. Silver Moon Winery has a modest building filled with different wines, crafts, gifts, and other food items. There is a small seating area inside the building for people to sit down and enjoy the wines. I went in to have tastings. This winery was founded in 2004, and it started a focus on educating others on how to make wine. Over fourty different types of wine are sold in the shop with their wines being sold throughout Ohio.

The little building can be seen off a major road. I was allowed to have four tastings, and I also ordered a wine slushie. There are two varieties of wine slushie to have daily.

The favourite wine that I had here was called "Diamond". The lady behind the counter explained that it tasted like an old-fashioned grape variety. It is a sweet wine, and it did taste like an old-fashioned grape variety. I would have purchased some had it not been much of a hassle to take it back. The Northern Nights was the wine slushie that I had, and it was also pretty nice. I definitely preferred the sweet wines from here.

Dover, Ohio is a great place to visit for a small cluster of wineries in one area. I shall return!

In early September, a friend and I headed over to Five Vines Winery, and I'll start out by saying that we really enjoyed this winery. Five Vines Winery is located in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and there are three acres of French-hybrid grapes: Frontenac and Chambourcin (red) and Traminette and Vidal Blanc (white). The name comes from five grapevines that were brought home by the eldest daughter, and the barn where the tastings happen was a horse barn that was used for raising horses for 4-H projects.

There were plenty of places to sit, and we were the first ones to arrive, but the winery got busy in no time. 

We ordered a platter of cheeses, crackers, and meats to go with our wine flights. 

I tried six different tastings in the wine flight and a wine slushie. Traminette is described as a dry white wine with crisp tropical flavours. Lucky Number 7 is a semi-sweet white wine with hints of pears and pineapple. Unbridled is another semi-sweet white wine with apricot and honey flavours. The Rebel's Reward is a semi-sweet red wine blend with jammy red fruit flavours. I also tried two flavoured wines that were a little different.

The Jolly Rancher is a sweet grape wine with with natural watermelon flavour, and I found that it did taste like the popular sweet. 

The Jalepeno wine is a dry white wine with a subtle fresh jalepeno flavour. 

The strawberry slushie was nice too, though I preferred the Georgetown Winery (in Cambridge, Ohio) version.

After completing our wine flights and nibbles, I had a wander outside to see the grapes. There is an outdoor area with a bar so that visitors can enjoy the wines outdoors too.  

Overall, this is a lovely winery, and I will return. What was my favourite wine? I loved the Jalepeno wine. It tasted like freshly-picked Jalapeno peppers and had a slight heat to it.

This was the last winery that my friend and I visited in the evening after a busy day visiting attractions and a couple of other wineries. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the Oak & Brazen Wine Co. creates wine from grapes and juice sourced from California to Washington state. When we arrived in Delaware, we had no idea that there would be an event going on. The town was packed, and we struggled to find a parking place near where we needed to. We had a bit of a walk, and we soon saw that there was a festival atmosphere with different stands set up, classic cars, and much more. After looking up what the festival was about, it was "First Friday Back to School Bash", and it had live music, games, inflatibles, dunk tank, community vendors, late-night shopping and more.

So, obviously, all of the restaurants and bars were packed. I was able to order a wine flight and tried Sauvingnon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Moscato, and a strawberry wine. They were ok, but they tasted more like the wine you get in the supermarket and were a bit average really. I sat outside on a table to have it as there wasn't anyplace inside to sit; it was packed. 

The Oak and Brazen was founded in 2017, though the founders had previously had experience at other wineries. 

Delaware, Ohio feels very much like a student town. One of the big universities are here - Ohio Wesleyan University.

The bloke was hungry and was crying for food, so we went on the look out for food. I came across Son of Thurman restaurant and bar, and I had mozarella sticks and a chicken burger with fries. The food was delicious and one of the best meals that I had in Ohio. Everything was tasty, including the fries. I was not too hungry, though, so I could not eat much of the meal.

Before we sat down in the restaurant, I had a quick look at the classic cars. When I mean quick look, I mean quick look as they all drove away soon after I arrived. There was a classic MINI with a Union Jack roof.

I would have loved to have stayed here longer and enjoyed looking at the classic cars and around the different shops. 

Tom's Ice Cream Bowl is a famous institution of Zanesville, Ohio that has been in operation since 1948. The ice cream shop is famous for its ice cream and chocolates and is also a cafe serving up food in a canteen-style  layout and building that looks as though it belongs in the 1950s or 1960s with diner stools, subway-tile cream bricks and signage.

The speciality is, of course, ice cream. It is served out of soup bowls because ice cream dishes are too small, and you get a generous portion in the bowl. These can be topped with hot fudge, nuts, sauces, and even marshmallow, which I tried. The ice cream was delicious.

I've eaten at Tom's Ice Cream Bowl previously when I was much younger, but it's one of those places that I always thought was over-rated after living half of my life here.

I visited with a couple of my friends after enjoying some tacos at a new taco street food restaurant on Linden Avenue, which I also found very good. The ice cream finished the day off nicely. I really enjoyed catching up with my friends.

Despite being born in America, I had never been to a drive-in restaurant. These were commonplace from the 1920s when more people purchased cars, and their popularity must have lasted until the 1950s or 1960s. Stewart's Drive-In originated in 1924, and it is famous for its root beer floats. Root beer floats are root beer soda topped with a scoop of ice cream. The root beer floats come in frosted mugs. The idea is that visitors drive up to a parking space where there are speakers and a sign with the menu. Visitors order their food, and it's delivered to their window on a tray, which is placed down over the car. 

The tray is attached to the car with the window rolled down. (Visitors can also eat at a picnic bench.)

I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and funnel cake fries for dessert as well as a cola. I don't like root beer. The food is good no-fuss, and the portions were not sickening. 

Stewart's Drive-In is open from spring to the middle of September. I recommend it and will return.

I've previously covered the street art of Jay Kaes whose work uses bright colour and an illustrative style. Jay Kaes moved from Spain to the UK, but he paints all over the globe. His work depicts social themes, and he has worked with a number of large brands. His work also has a hint of popular culture, technology, and fantasy themes. In some of his artwork, he appears to criticise the rule of social media and technology as easy gratification and people being absorbed by it.

For more work by Jay Kaes on this blog, see the links below:

Street Art by Jay Kaes
Meeting of Styles Wall 2018
Jay Kaes Refreshes Pedley Street's Street Art
Jay Kaes and Falko One Murals on Old Street
Jay Kaes on Pedley Street
Early January Street Art and All-Female Paint-up in Blackall Street
Mural on Old Street by Kaes and Core246
The Final Days - Leonard Street and Blackall Street (Street Art)
'Meeting of Styles' London Street Art Festival 2014

Street artist "Hello the Mushroom" is known for colourful and cute paste-ups around east London. The artist, originally from Portugal, was known to add paste-ups to London's streets for quite a few years. Some of the paste-ups can still be seen in a worn state in some of the alleys, but the artist left for Oslo in 2020. She has a background in digital media and the visual arts, and she likes cats. Her lasts paste-ups in London featured cats as a "goodbye" to the city that she called home for several years.

Perhaps she will return to London at some point and add more paste-ups.

Those who have walked around east London's streets may recognise the dark landscape style that street artist Ed Hicks paints on hoardings and walls. Street artist Ed Hicks, also known as Hicks, started painting in London in 2007 as part of a street art crew. His dark landscapes are not planned up front; he creates shapes and morphs them into landscapes and subjects. Below are some of the murals that I've photographed over the past few years.

More street art by Ed Hicks on this blog can be seen below:

Connectivity Matters Wall in Shoreditch
Meeting of the Styles 2018