I’m so pleased beer-makers have nailed the taste of low and zero alcohol beer.

I went alcohol-free years ago but still like to drink beer.

So top marks to Bays Brewery for getting it right with Rock Steady. 1% alcohol is OK with me!

Why am I telling you this?

Because Bays’ ales, lagers and ciders are on special offer (for locals only) in time for the festivities.

You can stock up for Christmas, support a local business AND save 30% with the discount code GODEVON30

Cheers!

Yours in Devon,

P.S. There’s free delivery too if you spend £28.

Steven Nallon’s Ghost Stories

Who can forget the domineering, hectoring and ultimately crazed voice of Margaret Thatcher on Spitting Image?

The voice behind the puppet and many others was Steve Nallon, who also did Alan Bennett, David Attenborough and the Queen Mother.

Now something of an expert at ghost stories, Steve is reading extracts from his book Steve Nallon’s Ghost Stories at a special talk in Crediton.

Expect guest appearances from some famous voices.

The evening is to raise money for The Folklore Library & Archive which preserves original sources of folklore.

There will be time for questions and Steve’s book will be available for sale.

7:30pm to 9:30pm, Friday 12th December. The Boniface Centre. Tickets: £11.55

Timeless Beethoven and Chopin

Hear two of the world’s most popular classical piano pieces in Exeter Cathedral just before Christmas.

London Concertante is playing Beethoven’s Moolight Sonata, known for its haunting, rhythmic melody, and Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude a masterpiece of raindrop-like notes.

The bonus is Lizst’s Sonata in B minor.

And in case there isn’t enough atmosphere, it’s all by candlelight.

5.30pm, Friday 19th December. Tickets: £20.37

Got old, overgrown apple trees in need of love?

Orchard pruning is done during winter by removing dead, sick, or damaged branches, or those that cross or grow inward.

The idea is to promote light and air circulation, but it’s harder than it looks to keep the right structure and not brutalise the tree.

That’s where the full-day Restorative Orchard Pruning workshop comes in with demos and practice on real trees for participants.

An expert from the Devon Rural Skills Trust will show you exactly what to do so your gnarly old trees bear lush fruit come the harvest.

9.30am to 4pm, Higher Cotley Farm, Fluxton, near Exeter. Tickets: £45

It’s a cello, but not as we know it

Raphael Weinroth-Browne combines influences from heavy metal and Middle Eastern music, overturning expectations of how the cello should sound.

Playing solo, he uses live looping and sound effects to create the power of a full band and deliver what are described as cinematic compositions.

Raphael has toured with Norwegian metal icons Leprous, playing at the Royal Albert Hall and Hellfest. He also supported rock heavyweights Evanescence, Devin Townsend and Apocalyptica.

Listen and watch (video) Surprisingly different!

• 7.30pm, Friday 14th November, Holy Trinity Church in Westward Ho!

• 7.30pm, Saturday 15th November, St Rumon Church , Romansleigh, near South Molton

Tickets: £10 advance, £12 door

In Ellie Walker’s Pop-Up Choir you are the singers!

Choir mistress and music leader Ellie Walker is running a festive edition of her Pop-Up Choir which brings together singers expert and beginner.

Ellie leads some rounds, call-and-response, and adds her own twist to some Christmas classics in her Axminster event.

Her singing group Seaton Acapella will be dotted around for a vocal boost (and moral support) but the vocals are simple and you will be led step by stetp, so anyone can join in.

Be ready for an uplifting evening of fun!

7.30pm to 10pm, The Community Waffle House, Axminster. Tickets: £6

MEMBER POLL

Last week’s result: Promises, promises. Will Drake’s Island ever be redeveloped?

• Yes 14%

• No 86%

Devon Curiosities #84: Britannia Royal Naval College

Built as a statement of imperial naval power, Britannia is the last remaining Royal Navy training academy, still basking in the grandeur of a lost age from its majestic perch above Dartmouth.

Three kings and our future king trained there and Britannia is where the soon to be Queen Elizabeth met Philip the Duke of Edinburgh.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I lived and worked there for 3 months, enjoying the grand architecture, sense of history and “marching” to Heart of Oak.

• I ended up not having a career at sea, but learned how and why Britain has the best trained navy, with BRNC still attracting trainees from overseas to this day.

NOT SO SHIPSHAPE: Although there were a few things looking shabby then, Ofsted recently declared the buildings “inadequate” with rotting windows, mouldy walls and “some of the worst infrastructure… ever seen.”

• An embarrassed navy responded with investment.

Looking after a 120-year-old Grade 2 listed building is challenging, but rumours of closure are premature. Closing the symbol of Britain’s maritime heritage would involve loss of face, and Ministry of Defence officials aren’t keen on that.

Meanwhile, grab a weekly guided tour or the summer Open Day, usually in July.

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

🌊 North Devon 

🐬 South Devon

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED: ⚓️ Lunch for 2 at the Barbican Kitchen in Plymouth Distillery, a master distiller’s tour at the historic home of Plymouth Gin and drinks, worth £110 (25th Dec)

NEW!  🍸️ A bottle of Devon Cove vodka and a Christmas pudding (15th Nov)

🍷 1 of 10 Lyme Bay Winery wine bundles worth £50+ each (15th Nov)

NEW!  🏉 2 x Exeter Chiefs vs Leicester Tigers tickets for 28th Dec, a 5-6ft Nordmann Fir Christmas Tree and hamper of rugby goodies (21st Nov)

👑 A 2-night stay for 2 people at the newly-refurbished Royal Castle Hotel, Dartmouth, including a 3-course meal and drinks. (25th Nov)

NEW!  🐷 A meat hamper for 4 people including turkey, gammon, pigs in blankets and sausage meat worth £66 (30th Nov)

NEW!  🐺 A bottle of Wicked Wolf gin with mixers and cocktail ingredients (30th Nov)

🎉 A new 4-bed eco-home in Ipplepen near Newton Abbot worth £695,000 (cash alternative £535,000) and a BMW M4 worth £50,000 (30th Nov)

NEW!  🌲 A 1-night Michelin star stay for 2 including dinner and breakfst at Gidleigh Park Hotel, Dartmoor (3rd Dec)

DID YOU GET LUCKY? Have you won a prize from a link here? Let me know

More competitions here

New member? Catch up here

🎶 Mediaeval Baebes

⚓️ Born bred pasty fed

🌻 Van Gogh’s tortured art mind

🔥 Raw pagan energy

That’s all for this week. Thanks for being a member.

NEXT WEEK   30+ fabulous festive workshops

Andy, Esme and Lara