Hello everyone!

Hoping that you are all enjoying the relative cool of the last few days, and are managing to catch up on any sleep lost during those balmy sticky nights we all tossed and turned through last week! What a steamy sizzlin’ June it has turned out to be!?

Never before have school groups had to cancel visits to the farm due to the heat…wind and heavy rain yes, frequently! But extreme heat? Now that’s just odd, and a little worrying? Our weather continues to be ever so extraordinary…

June has been a busy old month at Copsegrove, so here’s a wee round up of our news for those of you interested and with a few minutes to spare…

Simbora drummers with Brazilian dancer at Copsegrove’s Summer Solstice event - Gloucestershire

Summer Solstice at Copsegrove

The sunshine and warmth fortuitously arrived just in the nick of time for our Solstice celebration a couple of weeks ago, and what a celebration it turned out to be!

Our special thanks to the 30 strong Stroud Samba drumming bloco, Simbora, who brought some serious carnival energy to the courtyard as the sun went down, with their incredible Brazilian rhythms and grooves. Together with the beautiful and mesmerising dancer Aggie, who shook her booty rather impressively, it proved impossible not to get up and dance! Ian and his team’s delicious Latin American food from the grill, kept all our energy levels up, and was washed down enthusiastically by many, with several of Holly’s Caipirinhas…which may perhaps also have helped to loosen limbs and release the inner Samba!

Our thanks also to Jag from Stroud Global Beats, who took over from Simbora, and silhouetted by an unforgettably pink sky, rocked the courtyard with some funky tunes well in to the night, which all the Copsegrove team also enjoyed later on!

Thank you to all of you who came along, who ate, drank, jiggled hips and made merry, and helped to make it such a fun night! We can’t wait to welcome back Simbora, Aggie and Jag to Copsegrove, and plans for a Summer Samba night in early July next year are already being concocted! Woo hooo!

Stroud’s Global Beats and Aggie dancing to the Simbora drums, whilst the sunsets over Copsegrove

Hay making!

Whilst the soaring temperatures have rather hampered the toasting of marshmallows by school children across the county, they have made hay making this year unusually straightforward, calm and stress- free. In fact, neither Wilf nor I have had to endure a single one of Martin’s “Basil Fawlty” moments as yet, which for the end of June is deeply unusual. Wilf has selflessly worked hard to maintain Martin’s blood sugar levels throughout the process to aid “Basil” avoidance, and together they have managed to polish off nearly all the left over Winstones ice cream tubs from our Family Farm Day, which is no mean feat, given there were about 150 of them sat in the freezer. Well done Wilf, good job done.

Forecasts of endless big round yellow suns day after day, the complete absence of unexpected downpours of rain, combined with nothing falling off the tractor that shouldn’t, has made it a breeze.

But perhaps, as Martin discovered when recently rifling through the Gloucester archives (as you do), hay making now compared to hay making 100 years ago, is actually a breeze!?

Here is the photo that Martin managed to find of hay making at Copsegrove back in the early 1900’s! It was the horse drawn cutters, hand rakes and tweed suits that really hit home!

And just for good measure, here is hay making now at Copsegrove.

Yes, that is a skirt that Wilf is wearing! His new piece of self chosen uniform is apparently very cooling, and excellent for air flow… I will say no more.

Our very own Copsegrove Chippendale….oooh that gives me an idea…ever seen the film “The Full Monty”…? For one night only…in the barn…now that would put Copsegrove on the map…

I am joking, don’t worry…

Hay Hoedown- Friday July 17th!

To celebrate this year’s particularly bountiful crop of hay, we are very excited to be putting on our first Country Hoedown!

We are thrilled to be welcoming Jocelyn Penque, “The Real Texan Cowgirl”, and country musician Leo Live to the courtyard, for what in her words, will be “a proper Boot Scootin’ Boogy!” Ian has been dreaming up some mighty tasty Texan burgers with the usual Ballantyne twist of flavour (which he is now ready to share…!) , and we will have a very aptly named “Ranch water” tasty tequila based cocktail at the ready, to quench thirst and fuel some enthusiastic “Yeehawing” …it’s gonna be loads of fun!

There are a few tickets left, so if you want a lovely alternative to Chalfest, and have a dusty pair of boots and a hat lurking about in the back of a cupboard somewhere, do dig ‘em out, dust them off, and grab a ticket or two to come and join us! There will be loads of freshly harvested bales to perch on, whilst sampling the “Ranch water”, devouring a burger, before getting lively with some “Shuffles”, “Grapevines” and maybe even a “Stomp and Hitch” on the new (FLAT!) courtyard if you feel the urge…

Plus, you may even get to see Wilf (in his skirt )working at the bar…

And finally, guess what….Boss Morris are returning to Copsegrove!

Without wanting to wish the rest of Summer away and Autumn upon us, we just wanted to share the exciting news that the fabulous Boss Morris are coming back to Copsegrove on Wednesday September 23rd, to celebrate the Autumn Equinox with us. Hurray! We are beyond excited to be welcoming the Boss girls back for what is going to be a very special and unforgettable evening of music, dance, poetry, food and drink in the courtyard, with a ceremonial burning of something large to mark the occasion! Please do save the date!

More details to follow!

And that’s it! Thank you so much for reading my waffle, and for your interest in and support of Copsegrove.

Wishing you all a happy July, keep cool…you may need to!

Warmest wishes,

Kate

A wonderful Summer Solstice celebration at Copsegrove

Simbora - https://www.simbora.co.uk

DJ Jag; Stroud’s Global Beats - https://www.facebook.com/groups/239140856450692/

Ian Ballantyne - https://www.thefamilymeal.co.uk/story

The Stroud Wine Company - https://stroudwine.com

Copsegrove Farm Private hire -Kate at info@copsegrovefarm.com