Odds and sods, and Corfe Castle

I didn’t get to post my Wordless Wednesday yesterday.  I started work early and was doing some research on the web, when something went wrong.  It took me about 45 minutes of scratching my head and trying things before I realised it was my broadband service and nothing to do with my own computer or phone line.  So I was locked out until this morning and have had my head down all day trying to catch up with everything.

Anyway, this is a picture of Corfe Castle taken during a drive over the Portland hills on Sunday.  I was feeling a bit sorry for myself as I’m still suffering with this cold virus and certainly don’t have the energy for walking far.  So my lovely hubby said he would take me for a drive.  We took some of the back roads we didn’t know and I managed to get out and find some lovely views for my camera.  I’ll be sharing more of them later, I dare say.

But this will be my last post for a week or so, as we are off for a country break near the Welsh border.  Apparently we won’t get reception for our mobiles so it’s going to seem really cut off, although our landlord is also the local publican and will take any urgent messages for us on his landline.  Hope we don’t get any of those of course.

Naturally, I’ll be taking my trusty camera along, with its battery charger, so who knows what photos I’ll have to share after that?

T S Eliot

This morning I came across the beautifully crafted nonsense poem about Macavity, the Mystery Cat, over at Writer Biographies. Click this link if you’d like to read it. The poem is by T S Eliot and from his Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.  I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t know that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous musical hit, Cats, was based on this poetry collection.  I’m not familiar with either because I haven’t read the poems or seen the show.

When I was at college, many moons ago, I did study some TSE and couldn’t make a lot of sense of The Waste Land or The Hollow Men, just remember the most famous lines, ie

April is the cruellest month – first line of The Waste Land (also happens to be the month I was born), and the ending of The Hollow Men:

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang, but a whimper.

Anyway I find I’m really taken with Macavity, which was written before World War II and the very cynical and dour works of the poet that came after that.  I’ll get myself a copy of Practical Cats, and perhaps even get to see the musical.

Garden Duty

I really must get outside and do some gardening;  my rose bush especially needs some tlc.  But I'm feeling distinctly under the weather this week and haven't felt like dong much at all.  This summer cold has hit me just as hard as the one I had over Christmas which took about six weeks to go away.  Yesterday I had a bit more energy and busied myself getting the house clean and tidy again.  This morning it was as much as I could do to drag myself out of bed much later than usual and put on a washload.

Still, I will go out and tend my rose.  I well remember the pleasure we got from all its beautiful blooms in the early summer.

Wordless Wednesday - Our Quiet Beach

Sciving by the Sea

Today was a gorgeous one for striding out in Hamworthy Park and I stole some time off from the computer. All the beach huts were locked well up, but I noted the usual dog walkers, plus a few mums and tots on the sand. And I found myself envying a woman who had tucked a folding chair into a corner of the wall and was sitting with her head in a book.

From the far end of a groin on the beach, I noticed some dots moving around between the boats far out in Poole harbour. At first I thought they were some brave swimmers, but as they came nearer I realised they were kayakers. We have a lot of them in the harbour and there are classes and clubs.

Reluctantly, after that twenty minute scive, I collected my car, completed my errands and returned to my office. I should be feeling rejuvenated, but actually I’m just wishing I was still out there.

Pic by Les Chatfield

Comment U Back Again

Some time ago I joined the Comment U Back movement over at businessvartha. After an initial few comments that came from that direction, to which I reciprocated, nothing much happened. A few weeks ago I removed the CUB badge and, to my surprise, I recently got a comment from Reetha about it being missing. Anyway, I headed over there and found a range of new badges and a little pep talk.

I figured if someone goes to that much trouble they deserve some reaction, so I’ve joined up again. This time I will try to keep visiting other members, and commenting of course. Life does get in the way sometimes, as I’m sure you will know, but if I have a hiatus, I’ll just start over again as I do with EC and adgitize.

Many thanks to everyone who does come here regularly, and welcome to any newcomers. I’ll always do my best to return visits and apologise that it’s not always possible.

Wordless Wednesday: More Roses from Mottisfont

Mottisfont: The Angel in the Corner

People visit the National Trust's Mottisfont Abbey for many reasons. They may try to go in June to see the best of the National Collection of Olde English Roses.



Others want to tour the ancient house itself and find out about its history.



Lots must miss this angel in the corner of the right hand turret in the picture.



There is also a riverside walk and an estate to roam; a secondhand bookshop I love to browse; and a cafe serving scrumptious home made snacks and meals.

I didn't get there again this year. I'll make sure it's on the list for next year.

Menorca

On rather drab days like today, I like to remind myself of visits to warmer climes. It's 2 years and 2 months since our holiday in Menorca, the only one of the three Blearic Islands that we hadn't previously visited. The photo is of the beach at Cala'n Porter where we stayed. I took it from the top of the steps that climb the cliffs of the bay to the streets above. A road winds down there too, and you can take one of those road trains up and down if you want, but the steps are the most direct route if you are on foot. It was a long way down, and seemed even longer coming back up, but it was worth it to swim in that beautifully clear water and laze on the sands or wander the paths beside them.

Face Painting

This is a picture of my granddaughter a couple of summers ago when she was five. She was staying with me in Gillingham and I took her to the Gillingham Festival and got her face painted with a butterfly design.

My latest article at Constant Content is about face painting. If you'd like to see some of it, just click on the title in my Constant Content wideget in the side bar.

Weddings

I've been writing about wedding receptions, inspired by some recent weddings and wedding parties I've attended. The picture is of a couple of doves that were freed by the bride and groom at the one of them.

Using Other People's Imagination

pic cropped from one by Eileen Henderson at Wikimedia Commons

A couple of days ago, I was driving with hubby to Blandford. As we crawled through the 30 mph villages on the way, we saw a man coming towards us on one of those four wheel buggies that farmers use nowadays in their fields, a bit like the one in the picture. The chap was grinning so broadly, it was infectious and we both found ourselves smiling along with him.

"He looks happy," I said unnecessarily.

"Yes," replied hubby. "He's just completed a sale of a whole bunch of sheep and cows. And he's going home to tell his missus she can now have that expensive new four wheel drive she's been hankering for."

We both laughed and I was struck by the thought that it could make the basis of a good story. Then I found my self ruminating on other times when hubby, who never writes things down, would think aloud about his fantasies.

I don't really need my own imagination when I can borrow his.

Wordless Wednesday - Gemma Getting Cosy