and more strawberries...

Just one of the cakes featuring strawberries that turned up at our Swedish Midsummer picnic  We also lots of other Swedish delicacies, plus some pretty little flower garlands to complete the Swedish vibe.

Thanks to everyone for joining in the fun, with special thanks to Veronika for organising the food, those who baked and contributed home-made goodness and those generous souls who brought along prizes for the free raffle (I'm very much enjoying the Steig Larsson novel that I won).  But maybe, just maybe, the elk took the biscuit.

Congratulations also go Katharine who won our £200 Denman Award token to be spent at Denman College.  We're really delighted!

Well done too to those adventurous souls who braved the threatening rain to help out at the Edible Garden on Friday morning.  We watched Corinne and Sue do most of the heavy work filling up the new beds Tom has built, and were awestruck that Anna cycled from Streatham with her bike trolley full of bricks for the bread oven.  Our contribution of a spot of weeding, tea making and sharing scones and banana cake seemed meagre in comparison.

If you have time do pop in to the Edible Garden this weekend  - Mile End Children's Park Locksley Street - where there are lots of activities culminating in a feast tomorrow afternoon (11-5 today, 11-4 tomorrow).

midsummer!

Strawberries on the beach

It doesn't exactly feel like midsummer, so all the more reason to enjoy a Swedish style indoor picnic at our next meeting this coming Tuesday 19th June.  Did you know that strawberries play a major part in the celebration? Veronika will be telling us all about it.  We'll bring some tasters of Swedish food, and we hope too that you'll be able to bring some food and drink to share to make it a lovely relaxed evening.  And if it is raining, we have the doors open so we can listen to the raindrops falling on the mulberry tree and raise a glass to summer.  Usual place - St Margaret's House, Old Ford Road E2 (behind the Gallery Cafe), 7.30pm for 8.00 start.  Guests are welcome (recommended donation £3).  And don't forget that we'll be picking out our members-only Denman Award winner so if you haven't thought about your entry, visit the Denman site this instant.

Our coffee morning on Friday 22nd June is a visit to the Edible Garden at the children's play park in Mile End Park (entrance in Locksley Street, off Burdett Road).  Come along from 10.30am and have a slive of cake and a cup of coffee.  The garden is coming along nicely - at least a bit of rain is good for that!  There's more information on the Edible Garden blog and information on Phakama's Velela festival that weekend.  Everybody is welcome.  Do come.  Rain or not, it'll be a lovely morning.

while it is not raining...

edible garden stop press!

We are delighted to announce that the Edible Garden is being launched this Friday at the Growing Zone in the Children's Park, Locksley Street, E14 7EJ at the south end of Mile End Park.  The event runs all day from 9.30 until 5.  It's a great spot with lots of promise and especially child friendly.  There is a programme of activity all day - from hands-on work to prepare the space to story sharing, cooking and eating.  There is a request for contributions of salad and veg if you have some to spare as there will be some food preparation and cooking going on too.  Everybody is welcome, so do go along for a while, even if you're not a gardener because there will be a lot going on.

Hope to see you there.

later that day...

We had coffee.  We had cake.  It was oh so green and lush and exotic and all together uplifting.  We all came home happy even though the fabric shop closed too early.  And... IT DIDN'T RAIN!!!

Thank you for being our benefactor and sat-nav, Karen.  You made our day.

ETA: Read more here from Stacey about our day out  

well, well, well

Well done everyone who braved yet another rainy evening to come along to our wellness meeting.  Have to say, there were some lovely brollies.  Karen's butterflies took the biscuit, though Niki's pink brolly and Viven's patterned brolly and green mac were also rather jolly and now I'm determined to ditch my black one and get something a bit more cheerful.  Perhaps I'm feeling a bit more positive after using one of Tracy's homeopathic remedies to give me a bit more zip, or because I had oa yoga class with Amanda yesterday, or because I've been thinking a bit more about what I eat since I heard Gerry's talk about chinese medicine and food types.  Many many thanks to you lovely ladies for your time, to Veronika and Elizabeth for some healthy baking, and to everyone who shared their company.

I'm off to Kew now for coffee!

this week's meetings

Mile End Park  in March

If you've had enough of the rain, come along to our meeting tomorrow Tuesday 15th May  when we will be focusing on wellbeing. There will be a variety of activities and talks about staying well, including an opportunity to learn a little bit of gentle "chair" yoga to help those of you who spend a lot of time sitting during the day.  We'll be meeting as usual at St Margaret's House, Old Ford Road, next door to the Gallery Cafe (go thorugh the gates and follow the path).  Doors open at 7.30pm for a prompt 8pm start.  Visitors are welcome - donation  £3 to cover costs.  Tea and coffee will be provided but if you wish to share a bottle of wine or some home made goodness that would be lovely.

We'll be hoping for at least one rain-free day because on Friday 18th May we are going to be out and about with a visit to Kew Gardens.   We have 20 free entry tickets: if more than 20 turn up, we'll share the cost of paying for extra tickets.  We will meet in the ticket hall of Kew Gardens Underground/ Overground station at 10.45am and will be leaving to walk to Kew Gardens promptly at 11am.  It should take between 45 - 50 mins to get to Kew Gardens station by District Line from Mile End or thereabouts, a bit longer if you are coming by Overground.  It should be a lovely day out; and if it is raining there are all those lovely palms and hothouses to visit.

Look forward to seeing you soon.