The Forager's Kitchen is a very different approach than most other cookbooks and so it can take a little time to get your head around but it is both thrifty and a lovely alternative to the usual recipes that you see.

My name is David Tait - I'm an NSPCC Trustee and 'charity mountaineer' having now successfully climbed Mount Everest four times - in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011. I climb to raise both awareness and money for the many violated kids - one of whom was I.

Stone skimming nestles at number five on the new '50 things to do before 11 3/4' list published by the National Trust this week... Stone skimming, that timeless past time that generations have enjoyed. Whether you skim yours on a beach, lake or river the experience and emotions are the same. This is partly about accuracy and technique but it's also about pride and raw emotion.

"Hey honey," I said, hands on my hips and a look of incredulity plastered across my face. "Do you know what I've always dreamed of? Putting these hands in a bucket full of maggots, staring into the water for 10 hours straight and a flapping fish slapping my face! I mean, do you know what a manicure costs these days?"

North Karelia in the East of Finland, close to the Russian border, is a charming place to spend one's summer holidays. Lake Pielinen is the cool, liquid heart of this area that inevitably has made us fall in love with it.

Our raft leader was a lithe guy who bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Tom Cruise...okay, things could be worse. He chatted with us affably as we floated down a somewhat rough section of the river. And then, suddenly, we were bouncing in Class IV rapids.

Always remember one of your Divine decreed rights is to be happy, and that powerful perspective of yours can colour the sky in whatever colour makes you feel joy. Who cares if people think you have rose coloured glasses.