A Summer to Savour
- Daisy Steel
- Aug 3
- 3 min read
Summer always seems to have a different rhythm. The diary fills with garden parties, barbecues and long evenings spent catching up with friends, and after what has been quite a challenging year for our family, I’ve found myself appreciating every minute of it.
We were lucky enough to spend a glorious week in France with family and friends, staying in a beautiful château surrounded by vineyards, sunflower fields and some spectacular sunsets. Becky, my fellow When in Frome presenter, joined us too, so naturally there was plenty of laughter, good food and more than a little podcast planning over a glass of rosé.
Back in Somerset, the celebrations have continued. One of the highlights was our friends’ 25th wedding anniversary party, which had the wonderfully bonkers theme of Circus Disco. Johnny fully embraced his role as ringmaster, while I squeezed into a blue sequinned jumpsuit complete with a burlesque-style feathered headpiece in my best attempt at a trapeze artist. It’s not every day you get the chance to dress like that, and it was one of those joyful evenings that reminds you just how lucky we are to have such wonderful friends.
Appreciating the Little Things
The glorious weather has made it even easier to enjoy life outdoors. Johnny continues to recover brilliantly from the stroke he suffered earlier this year and is now taking our Labrador, Buttercup, on long evening walks to build his strength back up. Buttercup, meanwhile, thinks all her Christmases have come at once. She’s never been so well exercised. The dog, that is!
Cocktails and Community Spirit
July was also a busy month for Frome FM. Becky and I somehow volunteered to run the bar at the station’s Summer Fundraiser, with my son Joe stepping in to help keep the cocktails flowing. Our Moscow Mules turned out to be rather more potent than we’d intended, but thankfully everyone survived!
The day featured everything from maypole dancing to the chance to make your own radio show, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Best of all, thanks to everyone’s generosity, we raised around £1,500 to help support our community radio station. Joe was an absolute star behind the bar, and we couldn’t have done it without him.
Celebrating Frome's Makers and Shakers
Putting together this month’s edition of the When in Frome podcast, Makers and Shakers, reminded me once again why I love living here. Every interview introduced me to someone who’s quietly making a difference to Frome in their own unique way.
We begin with the Shakers. I caught up with the latest developments at Mayday Saxonvale, met Andy Harding to hear his inspiring vision for Communa, and visited Frome Museum to discover the extraordinary legacy of photographer and human rights activist Alice Seeley Harris. Becky tells us about a new women’s group at The Good Heart, while our August Local Legend, Sue Paxton, shares how her charity, The Pod, has changed the lives of children and young people with additional needs and their families.
Then we celebrate the Makers. Sonia and I spent a fascinating afternoon at Black Moon Tattoos, where we not only watched her have a go at tattoo artistry but also learned about the studio’s heartfelt fundraising campaign to support one of their own artists as he undergoes treatment for cancer. Sonia also met street artist Nadia van Kampen, better known as Inkblot, to hear about her exciting new creative project for local teenagers, while I had the pleasure of visiting master bookbinder Kate Holland, whose passion for keeping the traditional art of
bookbinding alive is completely infectious.
Listen to the Latest Episode
The August edition of When in Frome: Makers and Shakers is available now on Frome FM, on Fabulous Frome and wherever you get your podcasts. I hope you’ll enjoy meeting this month’s makers and shakers as much as we did.
Written by Daisy Steel.
Journalist, columnist and podcaster
Comments