August, You've Been Glorious

What a glorious August it’s been. I’m perhaps appreciating all that sunshine even more now that it seems to have disappeared, just in time for a rather soggy Bank Holiday weekend. Looking back, we really were spoilt, with long sunny days that made Frome and the surrounding countryside look particularly beautiful.

Some of those sunny days have been spent looking after our granddaughter, which my husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed. There is something rather wonderful about seeing the summer through the eyes of a little one, although I’d forgotten quite how exhausting it can be! We’ve loved having so much time with her and making the most of being outside.

We had a fabulous afternoon at the Corsley Village Show, one of those brilliantly British summer occasions that somehow manages to be both fiercely competitive and completely charming. There was an added reason to celebrate when our friend Christian, who lives in the village, won the prize for best honey. We were ridiculously proud, although I’m not sure quite how much credit we can claim for the bees’ hard work!

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Another August highlight was heading up to Cley Hill to watch the eclipse. There was something rather magical about standing up there as the light began to change, with the Somerset countryside stretching out below us. It was one of those slightly surreal summer evenings that I know I’ll remember for a very long time to come.

The highlight of the month, though, has to be our trip to Houghton Festival in Norfolk. A few days of music, dancing and escaping from normal life was exactly what we needed, made even more special by staying in a gorgeous little shepherd’s hut nearby. There was something rather lovely about retreating there after a day and night of festival fun, before heading back to do it all over again. Great music, warm summer evenings and a few days completely removed from normal life made it one of those weekends I know we’ll still be talking about when the nights draw in.

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August has also been another busy month for the When in Frome podcast. We’ve been out and about recording all over town, meeting some wonderful people and discovering yet more stories that remind me why Frome is such an interesting place to live.

Our September episode is packed. We’ve been finding out about the campaign to save the Horse & Groom at East Woodlands, delving into Frome’s past with local historian David Lassman, and looking ahead to a busy month of arts, music and literature.

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Sonia and I were also let loose in Frome’s charity shops for Sonia's latest challenge, with £20 each to find an outfit. I won’t spoil the result, but competitive instincts were definitely awakened!

And when I haven’t been grandmothering (is that a word?), dancing, recording or admiring prize-winning honey, I've had my head firmly down working on something else that's very exciting: a brand-new magazine, Fabulous Frome.

The magazine is the brainchild of my lovely friend and editor Becky Percival. In many ways it's the culmination of 13 years of her hard work building Fabulous Frome as a digital platform, celebrating everything that makes this town so special. Taking that much-loved online presence into print feels like a very exciting next chapter, and I feel incredibly lucky to be part of the team helping her bring that vision to life.

It has been a huge amount of work, but also an absolute joy watching the first issue come together. We want the magazine to celebrate the people, places, independent businesses and brilliant ideas that make Frome what it is, and very soon we’ll finally get to see it out in the wild.

The first issue will be hitting the streets of Frome in September, so please keep an eye out for it. After weeks of interviews, writing, photographs, proofs, last-minute changes and rather a lot of messages flying backwards and forwards, I cannot wait to actually hold a copy in my hands.

So August has been a month of sunshine, family, village shows, festival fields, podcast adventures and magazine deadlines. Rather a lovely way to see out the summer.

And now, bring on September!

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Written by Daisy Steel

Journalist, columnist and podcaster

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