Cliffs of Colour

On Saturday we all took the chain ferry so we could walk the dogs on Studland's South Beach, and we saw these beautiful multi-coloured cliffs again. These colours of nature contrast beautifully with the lush green of the vegetation, even at this normally drab time of year. We were all spellbound.

We had hoped to have lunch at the nearby Bankes Arms inn, but we'd spent so much time on our walk that we were too late, and it was packed to the gills. Instead we drove home via Corfe Castle and Wareham, had a warming toastie snack and then opted for a Chinese takeaway in the evening. That's a real treat for Eryn as she loves it.

It was the start of a really pleasant weekend that continued as we were joined by friends for a very convivial Sunday roast and a few bevvies the next day.

Weekend in Wales

I’ve just had a great 24 hours in the Cardiff area. The weekend  was booked months ago. It was one of those annual outings to meet old friends that George usually declined to attend. But he always provided a chauffeur service either to the area we chose, or to and from a convenient railway station. I hadn’t thought that I’d have to make my own arrangements this time, and it took some thought and organisation.

Cardiff is north-west from here. Going from my nearest railway station, though, would involve travelling directly east to Southampton before going north to Salisbury and changing to the line that heads westwards. It would be very expensive and take so long I wouldn’t have the time I wanted at my destination unless I went the day before.  Driving all the way would wear me out and I’d be so nervous about finding the hotel and parking etc. it would spoil my enjoyment of the reunion.

In the end I decided to drive to Salisbury – a bit under an hour away by road - and paid for a private parking space with justpark.com, thinking it would be safer than leaving the car overnight in the station car park. That should have been a perfect solution if I hadn’t found someone else parked in the space allocated to me. And if the owner of it had not been working all night in a hotel and had to be woken by my urgent phone calls so he could get up to sort it out. I had to double park behind his car and leave him my key. But he would be at work when I returned for the car the next evening, so we also had to agree a hiding place where I could find it.

That sorted, the rest of the journey was a straightforward train journey.  Coming back was another story that involved a bus journey between two stations because of work being done on the railway line. I determined to avoid thinking about that while I was with my friends - and abut whether I’d be able to get my car and drive home through the Dorset countryside in the dark.

Isn’t it great when you can get together with people you only see about once a year and find you are just picking up where you left off? We met in a pub at noon and spent some time there, then went off by bus to Cardiff Bay to see how it has been developed.  

We were quite impressed. It was heaving with people who were not all from the UK. We took a look at the Norwegian Church where Roald Dahl was baptised. That was a little disappointing since, although it has a perfect black and white exterior and some stained glass windows, the inside has been turned into a café. (The pristine toilets were appreciated though.)

photo by Pauline Eccles 

Months ago I had booked us all into the Mount Sorrel Hotel in Barry, a few miles from Cardiff. Hotels in Cardiff were either far too expensive or full up, probably because Cardiff were playing Leeds (at football/soccer) in the city that afternoon. We timed our travels to avoid meeting up with fans and were in Barry for the evening. The hotel was a gem, inexpensive so we weren’t expecting any frills, and didn’t need them. Full English breakfast was included and the rooms were comfortable. £30 is very reasonable for all that.

The next morning we took the 10 am train back to Cardiff to visit the castle. 

photo by Wolfgang Sauber

When I’d been in Cardiff before, it had been for work and I’d never had time for sightseeing. I had walked past the castle many times with no time to visit, so I had looked forward to that. And I wasn’t disappointed. I think a description of it will need to be covered in another post as I’m now running out of time.

I was on the 2.40 train for the first leg of my journey home, which all went to plan despite my anxieties. At about 6.50 I was welcomed back by Jade who had been collected by my son from the dog minder. He had also undertaken to cook a roast dinner for us before going back to the flat he shares with his girlfriend, so they could get ready for work on Monday morning. They said they thought it was better for me than coming back to an empty house. 

I must count my blessings.

Canine Friends

We had a house full over the weekend and until Tuesday afternoon. The visitors included Rafi. He and Jade get on well most of the time, even cuddling up on the settee.

It 's really only at mealtimes that Jade has to be top dog and chases him away if he comes too close while I'm filling their food bowls. Once she has her nose in her bowl, I can feed Rafi in another room with the door closed between them. Afterwards everything goes back to normal. They've even been known to share the same dog bed, and Jade is happy for him to play with her toys as well.

The house is very quiet since they all left. Yesterday was a murky sort of day. Jade and I met another dog and his walker on Rockley beach in the afternoon. She said she found the mist on the harbour very beautiful but spooky, and I had to agree. It was perfect Halloween weather, just a couple of days early.

A Busy Weekend

After the Friday singing, it was writing work on Saturday morning and Folk on the Quay with a friend in the early evening. I didn't take my camera, but here's a pic of the quay on a quieter day. When we arrived on Saturday, it was packed with people all along this road, which of course was closed to traffic. A folk group called The Jesters from Oxford  were performing under the shelter visible on the right edge of the pic and we stayed to watch for a while. They were very good and, unusual for a folk group, included a double bass. The rouondabout was edged with stalls selling cheap jewellery and bright hippy type clothing. My friend bought a pair of earrings I liked as well.

photo by Chris Downer

She had a sleepover and I had a business meeting here on Sunday afternoon. Jade got her walks fitted in, but the house didn't get cleaned.

Weekends when I am at home are usually pretty low key, with house chores top of the agenda, followed by recuperating from the week. I'm feeling a tad weary today.

Full-on Weekend

I was in my kitchen during yesterday's 11 am two minutes silence to honour our fallen in the world wars.

In my last post I mentioned that we were having a family weekend. It was a real treat to have both my offspring and one grandie, plus my son's partner at the table for Sunday lunch yesterday before everyone departed. I was exhausted after the mammoth cooking session, but so happy. As hubby said, it's lovely when they come and it's lovely (but bitter sweet) when they go and leave us to some peace and quiet. Anyway I was able to relax and think back over the other weekend highlights: Christmas shopping at Toys 'r Us because ours is close by and my daughter is a childminder with lots of kiddies to buy for; coffee with son and partner in their newly rented flat which still has full boxes of items to find homes for and little space left for them, but is turning into a cosy and comfy little nest; a bracing walk with our two dogs to the top of Hengistbury Head - at one point we had to put Rafi on his lead for fear he would run over the edge of the cliff, he was so excited.

Now it's been back to work with a vengeance. I haven't managed to get the laundry done because I am struggling with the words for a website with a very poor brief and an impossible deadline.

Sadly, I'm also thinking of my virtual friends in the Philippines and wondering how they are faring after the dreadful storm that has devastated the country.

Reading and Oscar Wilde

Tomorrow I’m off to meet some friends for an overnight in Reading, home of Reading Gaol, which acquired fame from Oscar Wilde’s long poem The Ballad of Reading Gaol. He wrote the poem in France following a two year term served in the prison as his punishment for loving men. I’ll make a point of seeing the gaol and walking down the path beside it to the River Thames and the words “Oh, beautiful world” on a sign, because these are claimed to be what Wilde said there after his release.

The path is called Chestnut Walk because of the trees that line it. You can see their shadows on the high buttressed walls of the prison in the photo, which is by Andrew Smith

No other writing for me today – I proofed an article that I had to send off first thing, and spent the rest of the morning preparing a fish pie for tonight, and a curry for the lads to eat tomorrow when I’m not here. Jade will be taken care of over the weekend by my long suffering hubby, who is always invited on my jaunts with friends, but for some reason never accepts. Perhaps he thinks we should spend some time apart as absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Wedding Weekend

Last Friday I ran out of steam and only got to draft one of the three articles scheduled for the day. That meant I had to work the weekend to get the other two done for the Monday deadline. But I did one on Saturday morning and the other on Sunday afternoon. In between was FUN.

Jade went to the dog minder and had her fun with Charlie, the springer spaniel, while hubby and I headed for Shaftesbury (of Gold Hill fame – see my pic) for an evening wedding reception. Our friends who own a pub had invited all their mates there to help them celebrate their wedding earlier in the day. By all accounts that had been a relatively quiet affair, but no so the evening. We had such a good time catching up with a number of old friends as well as the happy couple.

At the civilised hour of 9.30 pm we all filed out into the pub garden for a spectacular firework display, after which I stumbled back into the bar through the skittle alley where the disco lights were flashing as the DJ worked his magic with them and the music. I was stumbling because the fresh air had reminded me how many times my glass had been refilled.

Much later there was the B&B. I’d selected it from the internet a couple of months before because it was only about 50 yards from the pub and we were lucky enough to secure the best of its two en-suite rooms. And lucky is the word because it was fabulous. In a converted chapel, it’s not been open long but is definitely the best I’ve ever experienced – five star luxury.

Before we drove home the next day, we went to the farm shop at Stourhead to buy some of their steak. We’ve been missing it since we moved south, and dining on that in the evening was like the icing on the cake of our lovely weekend.

Weekend Break

I've been away for a few days. They were a break from my normal work of writing and running the home for my husband and son in my supposed retirement, but they weren't exactly a rest.

I travelled on Wednesday late afternoon. On Thursday I attended the annual Celebration Day at Hillcroft College. I used to enjoy this day very much because it really celebrated the achievements of individual students, who would be so excited to collect their certificates and receive recognition for their efforts. But now it seems to be just a PR exercise because the college can no longer rely on government funding and needs to diversify its income as a charity. I can see the necessity but the day no longer holds its charm for me.

I have supported the college in many ways since I got my second chance at education there in the 1970s, but that may be the last time I attend that particular day.

On a happier note, I was staying with my daughter and granddaughter, so that I could help with some decorating, either directly or indirectly. On Friday morning, it was my granddaughter's class's turn to entertain the school and parents at assembly, so of course, we went to that after helping the child to learn the sentence she had to recite. We were treated to information about the Great Fire of London, which they had been doing in history, and about their day on the beach last Tuesday, a cold wet day which didn't seem to dampen their enthusiasm.

While she was at school, daughter and I got busy with rollers and paint brushes, but that night my son arrived, travelling after work. So he took over my role for the weekend while I took care of the little one and the laundry, and the cooking, and the dog we were also sitting for the weekend. Eryn and I made some chocolate brownies and had great walks with Ted, a delightful King Charles Spaniel who belongs to a friend and is a frequent visitor. You might remember Eryn and Ted who feature here.

Finally, if you are ever looking for Sunday lunch in Surbiton, head for The Grove in Maple Road. We had the best pub roastie I've ever tasted. They advertise a 'Sunday roast like mother used to make' and it's no exaggeration.



I went without my camera, but this photo, by Hugh Venables, is of Claremont Gardens, a little park in the centre of Surbiton, not far from The Grove.