I mean for a start, did you know you could grow mugs on trees?
Or that you could get a shop which sells harps, zithers, guitars, magic charms, pestle and mortars, Victorian newspapers, soap, craft jewellery, joss sticks, Japanese versions of Confucius, books on palmistry, folk Cd's, statues of Buddha and vintage clothes (see The Exchange https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Exchange-Totnes/477126105675696)
Its also a town full of alternative shops, with crystals, incense and reiki healers which really is quite different and magical. Green Men like this below are commonplace and I think are very beautiful. If you are interested in the Green Man motif, please look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Man
I am not particularly knowledgeable about them myself.
The ghosts and goblins of my own childhood are rather different. The one that sticks in my mind the most is the Shucky Dog of the East Anglian Marshes (which you will recognize as the Grim of Harry Potter, if you're a fan). This great black demon dog allegedly haunts remote places and preys on lone travellers. My cousin, Thomas, always swears that he was followed by one once when shooting out on the Wash on the Norfolk-Lincolnshire border and with a genuine look of terror when recounting the tale of being followed by Old Shucky, I am rather inclined to believe him. I, myself, swear on my mother's life that an old lady used to sit on the end of my bed as a child, and interestingly, my Dad says that his grandmother reported that the same thing happened to her. Apparently more people in the UK believe in ghosts than in God so who knows, maybe we're just a very superstitious bunch.
Anyhow, accompanied by our friends Owain and Helen we revisited The Albert (http://www.albertinntotnes.com/) and had the opportunity to see where they brew their own beer out the back. We were shown round by their lovely master brewer, George, and what was amazing to see was a small working micro brewery, the real deal, in action. They have their Albert Ale and the Shark Island Stout and I honestly cannot recommend enough this lovely pub, with its good food, tasty beer and welcoming staff.
Another amazing thing about Totnes, is its castle. It's a proper castle, like little children draw. It was amazingly windy up there (we were hit yesterday by a severe storm 'Emily' named after the Bronte sister who died 160 years ago this week) but the views were absolutely phenomenal. Its around three quid or so entrance and I have spied a number of beech trees on its periphery so I know where I will be heading next Autumn on my foraging travels.
While Owain was here, we also went back to our old favourite haunt, The Bridge Inn in Topsham. I had a pint of the Barnsey Ale (http://www.bathales.com/our-ales/aid/barnsey/) and my usual meat pastie with chutney and a generous slice of fruit cake and cheddar, my late grandmother's favourite and quite common in the North where she was from. This pub also ranks highly amongst my recommendations for pub goers though I never cease to be amused by the 1914 pub hours. Basically, for our American readers, the government in 1914 changed the pub hours as part of the Defense of the Realm Act so that soldiers couldn't get drunk. This pub has kept the hours, but to be honest it only adds to the charm.
We also managed to try out a new pub in Topsham, the thatched Exeter Inn. Though not as charming inside as the Bridge Inn, it had a number of well kept ales, friendly staff and a lovely warm fire which was a welcome respite from the inhospitable weather outside.
So, there you have it. Foraging wise, I have been drinking more sloe gin, checking on my pear liqueur and cherry vodka and basically plotting my next move after Christmas. I have designs on making my own beer (and have started collecting bottles, saves taking them all the way to the recycling bank any road) and some wine. A colleague at work has offered to show me how to make things like Rhubarb wine so I will be doing a bit of research over the holidays.
Last bit of news, is that our cat, Stanley, has been rechristened once again. Named after the first king of the English, Athelstan, he has, like David Bowie, gone through a variety of different persona including Athelstan Aetheling (prince), Athelstan Rex (king) and Stan the Man. His latest is (and if you watch GOT you will understand) Stanley Barratheon thanks to his Wncwl Owain and he has been enjoying dressing up as Santa immensely. I don't know how often I will be able to update the blog over Christmas but I wish you all a very good one and a very Happy New Year! Til 2014!
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