Hurrah! It looks as if Spring has finally arrived! Longer, lighter evenings, bluebells, lots of colour, and warmth! How I soak it up. I’ll say it again… warmth. It’s what I’ve been missing all this time. Just as well really that Spring has arrived, because actually it’s just about to be pushed aside by Summer! (I hope you’re listening well, Summer – we’re looking forward to you coming to visit. Although whether we want it to be as hot as it was a couple of days last year is debatable. Maybe spread the heat out a bit…please)
Actually, I think it was the arrival of our ice cream machine (doesn’t that trip off the tongue so nicely?) that made Spring think that perhaps it had better put in an appearance. I’m sure it’s no coincidence that as soon as we start selling ice cream, the weather gets better. Has anyone else made the connection, or is it just me?
Talking of ice cream, I must tell you about the most delicious new Summer flavour that Caroline’s Dairy has come up with: Rhubarb. Unusual and very intriguing. Not as sweet as some flavours. I love rhubarb, slightly tart and tangy, and very tasty. Actually, perhaps I ought to leave it to the expert to describe it to really get your taste buds watering. So, here, in her own words:
‘Conjuring up the classic taste of English summer, the new flavour from Caroline’s Dairy combines rhubarb, the delicate champagne of fruits, with cream, giving the quintessential summer flavour which is made for alfresco dining. Simple. Honest. Delicious.’
And there we have it, without even the slightest artistic licence or exaggeration!
Caroline’s Dairy make their traditional, luxury ice cream on their farm in Sidlesham, near Chichester, in small batches, using the milk from their own dairy herd. And, according to Caroline, that makes it taste like no other.
News is certainly getting around about the shop. The current mayor of Worthing attended the Queens Award for Voluntary Service celebration last year, and a former mayor, Bob Smytherman, popped into the shop, dressed in all his regalia, several weeks ago. See the photo of him to prove that he really did make an impressive entrance. Very impressive. (He was actually in Findon to open the Summer Revels at the school, but we don’t need to mention that.) I just hope he didn’t ring his bell too loudly – that would have chased all the other customers away (not to mention the volunteers and staff).
And, while I’m talking about publicity for the shop, and, incidentally, Findon, I hope you all saw the clip on BBC South featuring our post box topper fairies, Gill Gostick and Gay Hibbs. They do such a fantastic job – they thoroughly deserve the recognition. Their topper celebrating the coronation was superb, far more impressive than any other I’ve seen ‘in the flesh’ or photographically. (Is that a word? It is now!) Having the post box with its toppers just outside the shop is a real draw.
Now it might have escaped your attention, but the defibrillator has been moved to the wall just behind said post box. I know it’s not as striking and eye-catching as the post box (one of the largest in the country, even without any toppers), but it’s of paramount importance that we all know where a defibrillator is in case of emergency. Swift use of one has saved the life of at least one person living in the village. So please, please take note of its whereabouts, in case the unthinkable happens, which of course we all hope never does. So, this month, I end on a serious note, but necessarily so. I’ll test you all next month!
Jean Burden
