MARIE'S MUSES

The past few Sunday evenings have seen Todd and I in front of the television watching this wonderful program on ITV (channel 3) called Britain’s Favourite View. On it,  famous British celebrities take us to their favourite British View, and we get to visit it with them, as well as the surrounding local areas.   They show four different places every week, and every week you get to vote on which of those is your favourite one. I guess at the end they are going to have a round up of all the favourite ones from each week, and then as viewers we will get to vote on a winner from those, and that will be Britain’s Favourite View. At any rate, although we, personally,  have not been voting (duh…after all the latest controversy about voting on televisions shows, we’re not stupid!), we have been enjoying watching the series and I thought this morning I would post my favourite views from the limited areas of Britain I have seen thus far!

The Willow Man

Several years ago we were on our way down from Chester to Devon for a few days break, when on the right hand side of the car this amazing vision appeared in a field, along side of the M5 near Brigwater. A complete and striding man, racing across the field,  made completely from willow. I was totally amazed and enthralled. Standing approximately 12 meters high it is possibly the largest willow sculpture in the world. It sure got my attention and I fell in love with him immediately. (Sorry Todd!)

Llangollen, Wales

Nestled within the beautiful Dee valley in North East Wales, lies the small town of Llangollen. An ancient market town on the banks of the River Dee,  Llangollen lies under the watchful gaze of Dinas Bran Castle. When we lived in Chester,  Todd and I would often drive there on a sunny Saturday afternoon,  and just walk around, stopping of course for refreshments at one of the lovely tea shops. (Impossible to resist!)  It is such a beautiful little town and I fell in love with it from the very first time I visited. Aside from it’s lovely little streets and shops it is home to the International Musical Eisteddfod every July. It also has a wonderful steam railway that you can take a tour on if you are so desiring. It’s just a special place and it holds a corner of my heart.

Clovelly, Devon

Several years ago when we went down to Devon we went to this wonderful little village. It had been raining the whole time we were in Devon, and despite that,  I was still in awe of the county’s breathtaking beauty. Fortunately on the day we were at Clovelly the sun shone down upon us in abundance, at least for the first part of our visit. Set into a steep Devon hillside, Clovelly is one of the most famous villages in the world. The single cobbled high street winds it’s way down the hillside,  through whitewashed cottages festooned with beautiful hanging baskets of flowers. Every nook and cranny is full to the brim with it's quaint and pristine beauty. It was quite simply gorgeous, and let me tell you,  just to walk down it’s high street and back up again was a workout of gargantuan proportions! Not to mention,  the heavens opened and it started raining cats and dogs on our way back up. We were totally soaked through to the bone, by the time we got back up to the top and had to completely change our clothing, but it was worth it!

The Lake District

Long Meg and Her Daughters

When we were staying up in Cumbria two years ago, one of the fascinating things we discovered while we were there was an ancient stone circle called Long Meg and her Daughters. We had to drive for what seemed like miles and miles into the middle of nowhere, and it seemed we'd never get there,  but when we finally did,  we were totally amazed by what we saw. (Can you see her face in this the largest stone?)  Second only in size to Stone Henge, this stone circle lies in the wilds of Cumbria next to a field full of softly lowing cattle and hidden down a long country lane, amidst hedgerows and brambles. I think Keats said it well:

The Lighthouse at Beachy Head

Beachy Head is the most famous part of the Eastbourne Downland. Rising 162 metres (530 feet) above the sea below,  it is the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain. The main reason for Beachy Head's popularity is the wonderful panoramic view which can be seen from the cliff top. If you look east you can see the beaches and town of Eastbourne, the Pier and the Harbour, and then on to Pevensey Bay and Hastings and, on an exceptionally clear day, Dungeness in Kent, nearly 40 miles away. One of the most stunning views from the cliffs is the lighthouse.

It is said that as early as 1670 a light shone to guide passing vessels from the top of the cliffs at Beachy Head. In 1902 under the direction of Sir Thomas Matthews, the Trinity House Engineer-in-Chief, the present lighthouse was brought into service, sited about 165 metres seawards from the base of the cliffs. It took two years to complete and involved building a coffer-dam and a cableway from the top of the cliffs to carry materials down to the site. 3,660 tons of Cornish granite were used in the construction of the tower. It is quite simply amazing to see and on a clear day with the waves crashing at it’s feet, I would call it truly stunning.

So there you have it, some of my favourite views of Britain that I have seen thus far during my seven years here. There are lots more of course, such as this beautiful place I am blessed enough to live. (yes that was a photo yesterday of Todd walking our Jess down the drive) I have run out of time though so will leave you this morning with just these few. Hope you enjoyed this short cyber tour as much as we did when seeing them in person.

Here’s another tasty dish for my zucchini loving friend. They say variety is the spice of life and this delicious dish certainly is different, and spicy too!

Serves 6

This is a Tex Mex dish and a great way to use up some of that glut of courgettes we all have in our gardens this time of year. Courgettes are one of those lovely vegetables that gladly take on the flavour of anything you cook them with. I don’t think there’s anything that you can’t do with them, from tasty and savoury casseroles to delicious moist cakes and breads. This is just another way to showcase their incredible versatility!

1 onion, peeled and chopped

4 tsp olive oil

4 medium courgettes, unpeeled and cubed

½ cup seeded and chopped green chillies

2 cups sweet corn kernels

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup whole milk

½ cup grated medium cheddar cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the oil. When it is just shimmering add the onion and sauté it until it is softly translucent, stirring the whole time. Add the courgettes and chillies. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook, stirring from time to time for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are just crispy tender, but still retaining their lovely green colour.

Add the corn and seasonings and cook for about 5 minutes longer.

Finally add the milk and the cheese, stirring constantly to help prevent the cheese from sticking, cooking and stirring until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately. I could eat the whole pan myself and nothing else!