The Screen on the Green – take two

Remember how last week we were bubbling up getting terribly jealous of anyone going to the Dulwich Screen on the Green? Well guess what? Now we’re the smug gang who got to lounge in the park watching Back to the Future on a balmy summer evening.

Laurie gets ready to cycle off

Behold the screen and the green

Staff were ready with a friendly smile (and a glowstick)

Everyone dug in to the beverages...

...and then snuggled up for the main event

TSOTG team was kind enough to make a little extra space so we could lay out our picnic rugs and indulge in an evening of entertainment under the twilight sky. The combination of enormous inflatable cinema screen, beautiful surroundings and a cheeky cider (or two) had us totally enchanted as we celebrated our local park and re-lived a classic movie.  Thanks TSOTG!

www.thescreenonthegreen.com

A pick-me-up on the Underground

On a busy day in London town Anorak spotted this advert on the underground. It really picked us up during a long and difficult day as a great little reminder that big things can come from humble beginnings.

Taking the animals to Hampton Court Palace

Zara and Lou

Anorak grassed plinths

Lou's homemade picnic

Stuart, Zara and Lou tuck in!

Happy knees unhappy weeds, Garden Kneeler promotion

Stuart gets down to business

Lou keeps warm at the Anorak stand

Back in June Anorak was invited to the Hampton Court Palace Festival – a two week music event. We were the only retailer to be invited and had a jolly time flogging our wares and munching cucumber sandwiches amid the stunning historical grounds. Our rabbits, stags and robins seemed very much at home cavorting in the well-kept gardens.

We would like to thank Matthew at Mazury Decking who provided our decked stand for the duration of the event. To see their full range visit www.mazurydecking.com

An old friend popped by the Anorak office for a cuppa!

Luella

Anorak’s dear friend Luella popped into the office for a spot of tea. Although a seemingly normal event, this was actually a very special occasion as it marked Luella’s first visit to us since spending the last few months recovering from a traffic accident involving a bus on Oxford Street. That’s a lesson in careful crossing we didn’t wish to learn so dramatically!

Anorak wants to extend massive thanks to the London Air Ambulance team, who saved Luella’s life and enabled her to be ensconced in our office drinking tea once again.

Information about the London Air Ambulance’s stellar work and the opportunity to make a donation can be found here: www.londonsairambulance.com

The British Open Crabbing Championship

You may have noticed that Anorak loves nothing more than a modest break in one of Britain’s many beautiful and cheery seaside towns. Recently Laurie and Matt ventured to the delightful town of Walberswick, Suffolk, but were devastated to have missed the brutal competitiveness of the British Open Crabbing Championships. Fighting it out for the gold medal and £50 prize money, entrants use top secret bait to try and nab the heaviest crab during the 90min competition period. We also missed out on purchasing a commemorative “I caught crabs in Walberswick T-shirt” leaving our wardrobes utterly wanting for the rest of the year.

Anorak shares our secret tip for where to stay:

Penny’s Cottage is a lovely wee place next to the pub with bagfuls of local charm.

Penny's Cottage

Penny's Cottage

http://www.walberswick.ws/crabbing/crab-links.php

http://www.explorewalberswick.co.uk/pennyscottage/

Blend in with the tomato throwers

Sportsmen and Ragu lovers limber up your arms – it’s time to start throwing tomatoes. Next Wednesday (26th August) is the annual La Tomatina tomato fight in Buñol, near Valencia. Thousands of people will clamber to grab 150,000 tomatoes from the special supplies brought in by trucks, hurling them at friends, enemies and anyone in the line of fire to the eventual effect of making a town-wide passata. Exercise AND dinner.
http://www.fun-learning-spanish.com/tomatina.html

“It looks like we’re heading for a massive crop of conkers”

Image seen at http://www.worldconkerchampionships.com

Watch out for everyone going conkers this Autumn as reports indicate the high temperatures and heavy rainfall that have dominated summer have spurred on this year’s conker crop, with glossy brown nuggets already starting to fall from the trees. We are especially relieved to hear that this will only be to the benefit of the World Conker Championships whose organisers are expecting a record number of entries. Pick your perfect weapon, skewer it with string, and let battle commence.
www.telegraph.co.uk
www.worldconkerchampionships.com/

Team Anorak toast marshmallows round the campfire

Any campfire is incomplete without marshmallows skewered on a wobbly twig dancing above the flames.

As usual, someone burnt their tongue in their eagerness to bite through the singed exterior and feel the soft and sticky middle erupt over their gums.

If you fancy an unnaturally pink gooey treat but don’t have a campfire handy, try one of these marshmallow recipes:
Strawberry marshmallow mousse

Marshmallow and cream scones

Toasted marshmallow cheesecake

Wish you were here!

Mad Hutters

Mini Traffic Jam

Caravan Family

We picked up these postcards whilst on a little seaside jaunt. Produced by Retro Seaside and sporting the designs of Juliet Blaxland,  they perfectly capture the eccentricity of the great British holiday. We also bought a few sticks of rock. www.julietblaxland.co.uk

Screen on the Green

Anorak is very jealous of anyone who is off to lounge in Dulwich Park on Saturday for an over-indulgence of 80’s cheese and picnic food. Tickets are still available for Lock, Stock and there are other screenings taking place across the South East, so check the website for details: www.thescreenonthegreen.com