We dust off the credit cards and paint the town

Sunday evenings are great: pub closed, settle down in front of the telly, a pizza, a glass of wine, watching maybe Auf Wiedersehen Pet - a series about a bunch of Geordie workmen who relocate a bridge to another part of the world to help the local community survive by bringing much-needed tourists into its town. Hey lads, you should have saved your air fare and just got the bus to Wales. We have a bridge that has been out of action for six months and possibly won't be finished until October, maybe later.

It's Montgomery's main link to Welshpool, and lengthy detours are off-putting to local travellers and visitors. Why is it that local councils are constantly looking for excuses, not solutions? With Prince Charles lobbying to keep the countryside open, local authorities are trying to penny pinch and close the door to communities that are still feeling the pressure of last year's events.

Anyway, lately I have been making a conscious effort to catch up on a backlog of books I have been meaning to read. First was Classic Bull - An Accidental Restaurateur's Cookbook, a refreshingly honest and funny account of Stephen Bull's life within the hospitality industry. This spurred me on. I had to go to the Lough Pool Inn.

We went on a Monday lunchtime. Beautiful setting, lovely olde worlde style inside, and good to see Mr Bull scurrying around, tidying tables and chatting with whoever needed his attention. We had an extremely enjoyable lunch and we will certainly return in the evening later in the year.

This week I went to the Cateys. I decided to make the most of our visit to the big city by securing reservations at restaurant Gordon Ramsay for lunch and an evening at the Moro restaurant. I was really excited about this little busman's holiday as it had been a while since I last hammered my credit card! It had been quite a long time since we last visited London, and fortunately Rob behaved himself and didn't start staring at the big buildings or dancing to the lights of the fruit machine.

Self-sufficiency We have always liked the idea of being more self-sufficient, as you get immense pleasure from growing your own fruit and vegetables. It tastes better and it's cheaper.

So when a friend offered to rent land to us for £70 per acre per annum, I thought: "Great. Own veg. Build tunnel for tomatoes, herbs, etc. Cordon off area for rare-breed sheep, pigs, whatever takes my fancy." However, we are still too small an operator to do this sort of project alone, so if anyone in the area is interested, there is certainly room for discussion. Who knows where these projects can lead? It's a case of have wellies, will travel. n

Sara Pezzack is the proprietor of the Bricklayers Arms, Montgomery, Powys

Next diary from Sara Pezzack: 15 August