Ramsgate: It's Buno!

Strings' Wildlife Garden

As soon as we bought our house, I bought two bird hoppers and hung them up on the same tree in our back garden. However the birds have been giving it a wide berth and I was beginning to think that the local cats were spooking them. Three months later and with not a bird in sight, I decided to move one of the hoppers to our cherry tree, which is quite leafy. On the second day after the move, I spotted a Great Tit plucking seeds for the hopper. Whoooopeeeee!! Finally some bird action. Hopefully the feeder is in the right place now and I may have to move the other one.

Margate: International Kite Festival. Lots of kites and very pleasant weather. Margate is definitely starting to grow on me.

Margate: Strange birds.

Canterbury: Steve welcomes one and all.

Canterbury: Kent Food and Drink festival. Stall almost ready. Roll on the punters.

Yomp Fallout

We all had a brilliant Yomp; there was lots of male bonding, a few pints of ale and some good, honest sweat. However, there were two sour notes. The first was Steve's trainers. These trainers have been on planet Earth since the dinosaurs were tearing up trees but, unfortunately, they walked their last steps on Saturday. Steve was devastated and will have to look for a replacement pair for next years Olympic Yomp. The second is Keith's feet. Keith powered his way around the isle but his feet are now retaliating. Large, ugly blisters are giving him grief and we wish him better.

Drumming

And the award to the most serious drummer goes to........... Beth Stringer. Whilst down the harbour on Saturday, we popped in on the Firefly festival and Georgia, Beth and Jed each had a drumming lesson for five minutes. Top fun

Pegwell: Yomp almost over.

Broadstairs: Yomp on!

Isle of Thanet Yomp 2011

On Saturday we will be yomping our way around Thanet. Steve, Kaiser Keith, Eddie and myself (and maybe even Deano) will be risking blisters and cramp for the satisfaction of completing a marathon walk of about 22 miles. Hopefully Parkes will be able to join us at some point, to inject the female point of view into our conversation. This will be the fifth time we have marched around Thanet and the event never seems to lose its appeal (well, maybe for Steve and myself).

Dumpton Gap: Beth starts school tomorrow. Where did the time go?? The parents are quite chilled about this as she has already done the school-thing in Spain and she coped brilliantly. We think she is ready and will love it.

Ash: It was the East Kent Golding hop harvest down on the farm in Ash today. The wheels of industry were turning rapidly early this morning and we were gathering large amounts of fresh hops for Gadds' Green Hop ale. A good crop this year? We'll have to wait and see, but the smell coming from the copper today suggests things should be just dandy.

Ash: Ladies and gentlemen; I present to you the Hop Picking Machine.

Ash: The hop picking machine hoists another vine skywards. There was a lot of romance in seeing a machine, used for many decades and for many harvests, cranking away. Did I feel safe? Yes, I think so.

Ash: Drying the hops over hot air. Eddie looks on lovingly.

Captain Dog's ears may be getting larger and hairier but they don't compare to this pooch. He'd have trouble trying to find headphones to fit him.

Singapore Noodles

Over the last four evening I have solely eaten Singapore Noodles (3 M&S dishes and 1 courtesy of Mr Charles Oniye). I had better learn how to cook this dish as buying ready meals costs too much.

250g rice vermicelli noodles
vegetable oil
150g pork fillets , cut into strips
12 raw peeled tiger prawns , fresh or frozen
3 garlic cloves , crushed
2cm piece ginger , grated
1 onion , cut into thin half moons
1 red pepper , sliced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
300g beansprouts
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch fresh chives , chopped
4 eggs , beaten
2 red chillies , sliced
2 limes , quartered

Soak the noodles following the packet instructions and drain. Heat some oil in a wok and fry the pork until it is browned and just cooked through, tip onto a plate. Add the prawns and fry until cooked. Rinse out the wok.

Add a little oil to the wok and fry the garlic and ginger until light brown. Add the onion and pepper and cook until just beginning to soften, then add the spices and cook for a minute. Add the bean sprouts, noodles and about 2 tbsp water and toss everything together.

Add the soy sauce, some seasoning and chives and stir for another minute. Push the noodles to one side of the wok and drop in the eggs. Cook, stirring for 1 minute then stir through the noodles.

London: Beth with crisps and film.