The Dawn Chorus: We tried a Guinness shandy so you don't have to

That's no moon...

If you like staring at the moon, and are not a werewolf who would suffer severe side-effects, then the next few days (or, rather, evenings) will be rather delightful. That’s because we are in the midst of the Hunter’s Moon, which this month happens to be a super moon. In plain English, that means the moon will look bigger and brighter than usual. Also a bit orange.

But why? The moon looks bigger because it is closer, due to its elliptical orbit around our planet. And as a result of it being closer, it will also look brighter. Combine that with something called the ‘moon illusion’, whereby the eye is tricked into thinking the moon is larger than it is by the presence of buildings, trees and hills in the foreground, it will look very very large. And so, we have the Hunter’s Supermoon. 

The forbidden beverage

Adrian Chiles, the nation’s best columnist, has uncorked another classic piece of prose for our consumption. Today’s column featured a headline so foul that it will forever be scarred into my retinas. And now, I shall scar it into yours. ‘A Guinness shandy? The request that stunned my favourite pub into silence’ writes our Adrian, recklessly, as he once again tests the limits of my sanity. 

We couldn’t help but click through, to read the story of one part Guinness to one part lemonade. You should read it too, just to understand how his genius works. The king never misses.

However, there is something ‘missing’: a description of what this foul beverage actually tastes like. We are nothing if not thorough here at Country Life dot co dot uk, so I sent out two the finest Guinness drinkers I know to wrap their lips around this monstrosity and report back.

We do the hard things so you don’t have to. You can reward us by clicking on our website. Or buying the magazine. Whatever you fancy really. 

Autumn blooms at Blenheim

The leaves have begun to turn and autumn is on the way. Where better to see it than at the Capability Brown gardens of Blenheim Palace. Regular visitor Pete Seaward took this tempting photo.

Quiz of the day

1) Which actor won his first Oscar at the age of 82, in 2012?

2) Which is the largest island in Europe?

3) Clout, casing, brad, finish and horseshoe are all types of what?

4) Sodium hypochlorite is commonly known as what?

5) What do the Spanish eat 12 of to usher in the New Year?

Going the extra nautical mile

We know that cultural institutions and the Arts are under financial pressure. A lack of funding, as a result of central government cuts and lower than expected visitor numbers are forcing a lot of museums and other institutions to get creative in order to raise the necessary money required to operate and expand.

However, when it comes to fundraising, Garden Museum director Christopher Woodward goes further than most. Last week, he was splashing around the Mediterranean, intent on swimming the length of three English Channels through the Pelopennese Islands in order to raise £250,000 to help fund the building of a new park around the museum in SE1.

The best part is, it’s not even the first time he’s done this; he’s done five sponsored swims in the past, with the most recent being a trip from Newlyn to Tresco that raised more than half a million pounds. There’s going the extra mile, and then there’s swimming it. ‘Swimming 63 miles is very hard and by the third or fourth day is, in fact, agony. But it will all be worth it when we see people enjoying the new space.’

The proposed park has been seven years in the making, and progress is ramping up, with planning permission for the proposed garden and pavilion granted by Lambeth Council at the beginning of this month. The space, called Lambeth Green, was designed by Dan Pearson Studio, who had previously designed the museum’s courtyard garden. In the centre of the new space will be a new pavilion for volunteers and horticultural apprentices designed by Mary Duggan Architects, set to be the capital’s first building constructed entirely from demolished London buildings, the pieces of which will be crushed to form ‘terrazzo walls in a soft pink colour’.

‘Our project will address the lack of opportunities for school leavers by creating far more traineeships and opportunities to learn, in partnership with an institution,’ says a museum spokesperson. ‘To deliver this ambition, we require a new pavilion dedicated to horticulture in Lambeth.’ More than 40 trees will be planted, inspired by John Tradescant (Britain’s first great plant hunter, whose tomb is at the centrepiece of the courtyard), and plants from the park will also serve the museum’s children’s biology classes and food learning programme.

A star of the silver screen in Buckinghamshire

Do you, like me, occasionally dream of living in the fictional idyll that is Midsomer? But you are, at the same time, a bit worried about all the murders? Fair enough, fair enough. The good news is that you can live out the Midsomer fantasy, minus the murders, at this thatched delight in Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire. The property featured in three episodes of the TV show, so it’s nothing if not authentic, and it’s also a very nice place to live. Read more about it here.

That’s it for the day — we’re back on Monday

Quiz of the day answers

1) Christopher Plummer

2) Great Britain

3) Nail

4) Bleach

5) Grapes