How to Step into Spring this Weekend

Plan for the Start of April
April is upon us and the spring weather is here. Clear the garden shed, invest in some clever storage and tidy up your flower beds and borders ready for al fresco dinner parties this summer. 

You may also want to plan a trick you want to play on friends and family, whilst you’ve got the time, so why not try a prank to lighten the mood and make everyone laugh this April Fool’s Day? 

Learn something new
Hawkshead Relish have teamed up with Create Escape Cumbria to offer a collaborative virtual culinary course on 27th March. Book onto this workshop and you will receive a free signed copy of the Embellish with Relish cookery book in the post, before joining for a two-hour cook-along full of tips and inspiration. You then prepare three recipes from the book: Aubergine and Red Onion Bake, Garlic Peppered Salmon and Fig and Orange Brioche Pudding. Only 10 places are available on each session so you may want to get in there quick. 

Prepare your picnic
Pack up your picnic basket and plan your perfect picnic. We’ve got all the best spots to unpack your basket and pour the ultimate rose to sip this spring. From 29th March you can see six people outdoors and up to two households can meet outdoors. Why not get together with friends, pack up your local deli picks and roll out a blanket in the park? We’ve got the perfect suggestions for what pies and pastries to pack in your basket. If you’re stuck on where to walk or meet then try these beautiful locations.

Watch…
The Darlington Hippodrome are offering some fantastic online virtual events to brighten up your lockdown weekends. This includes Nicola Benedetti this Sunday 28th March, one of the most sought after violinists of her generation. You can buy tickets for this virtual event here. She is described as one of the most influential classical music advocates of our day. 

For something lighter, the perfect spring film just in time for April Fool’s comes in the form of Bad Trip, a Netflix original, released 26th March. This hidden camera comedy follows two best friends on a road trip full of pranks and mayhem. Sure to make you laugh, pop this on cosied up on the sofa under a blanket.

Don’t miss the much applauded new Netflix series The Irregulars, released 26th March, which is set in the world of Sherlock Holmes. Join a gang of youngsters who uncover the sinister side of Victorian London alongside Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes. 

Listen…
Why not catch up on the Yungblud Podcast? The most recent episode discusses ADHD and how it has impacted special guest Georgia’s life, but other episodes include lively discussions about mental health in lockdown, including a recent feature on body image, beauty standards and loving yourself.

Read…
Crime fiction has never been bigger, so if you’ve never been a fan, now’s the perfect time to try it. Local author L.J. Ross’ recommendation of The Ipcress File by Len Deighton. There is also a film version, if you fancy watching rather than reading.

Or for something a little different, take a look at this fabulous spring poem from Emily Dickinson titled ‘There is a Light that exists in Spring’. Dickinson’s collections (all widely available to read online) are wide and far-reaching but this short lyric, taken from her nature collection of poems is a real delight to welcome in the fresh new season.