Check out the power of purple – I’m chatting with Patsy Collins today. Why not pop over to her blog for a read? Click here.
Enjoy!
Scenes from Kashmir
Following my recent discovery that paisley print pattern originates in Kashmir, I hunted out purchases I made while visiting the area in 1981. I was a passenger on a Top Deck overland trip from London to Kathmandu. We travelled on a converted Lodekka bus which had a kitchen area downstairs and sleeping accommodation up.
photo: Philip Wadds
photo: Philip Wadds
For the journey to Kashmir we took local transport and stayed in luxurious houseboats on Dal Lake in Srinagar.
My purchases from Kashmir include a carpet which sits in front of the hearth in our Dorset home. I paid a deposit and it was dispatched to my parents when they settled the balance and collected it after a wrangle with customs. (I was delightfully unaware of all this – having a fun time in Australia.)
A jacket, which I’m self-conscious of wearing due to the real fur trimming.
And a set of tables which travelled from Kashmir to Australia and then onto Papua New Guinea before furnishing various homes in the UK.
The carved finish of leaf patterns on these tables is close to being a paisley style pattern. Unlike Paisley Shirt my collection of short fiction, these are not available to purchase on Amazon! (If wishing to obtain my collection, please ignore the warning that the book is out of stock and place an order anyway – it will be sent to you given time.)
I never quite understood why I went on such a spending spree in Kashmir. I blame the tea which I now realise must have been laced with hash. You can find the low-down on the overland experience from Trevor Carroll in his book Crossing Continents with Top Deck.
Enjoy!
Dorset Feather Stitchery
Feedback from my recent post about the history of paisley print (you can read it here), directed me to the tradition of the Dorset feather stitchery. This is an embroidery stitch that was originally used to decorate rural workers’ smocks. The pattern uses feather stitch, buttonhole stitch, chain stitch and fly stitch to create a pattern similar to the droplet shaped motif found in paisley patterns.
Background to the development of this embroidery style can be found in a book written by Dorset woman Olivia Pass, published in 1957. Even from the cover design, the border shows remarkable similarity to paisley patterns.
It is delightful as the writer of a short fiction collection titled Paisley Shirt to find the design incorporated into local Dorset craft. There are examples of Dorset Feather Stitchery in the Bridport Museum or you might wish to read Olivia’s book. Like my collection Paisley Shirt it is possible to purchase Dorset Feather Stitchery on Amazon.
National Trust: Lacock Abbey
David has held life membership of the National Trust since a maiden aunt left him £100 when he was eleven. Here is his membership card complete with boyhood signature.
The membership allows an accompanying guest to enter free of charge, so we tend to gravitate towards National Trust properties when out and about. Recently we visited Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire. Both the Abbey and properties in the town are administered by the National Trust and this makes for an interesting visit. The Abbey is situated within extensive grounds where you can see the approach of spring.
The building benefits from a variety of architectural styles owing to its history. First as an Augustinian abbey, then the home to a Tudor rogue, and finally as a family home and the birthplace of photography. In more recent times it has acted as a film location to a variety of productions including Harry Potter.
Cloister that appears in Harry Potter
I usually come away from these visit with ideas for creative writing. Word prompts include stone feathers and stone blindfolds. Watch this space for creative outputs!
Triumphs and Challenges of 2017
Click on the pictures to find out what I’ve been up to!
co-written play performed in Brighton
with my very tall family in Vienna
Salisbury half completed
writing published
group meeting with Amal Al-Agroobi
Edinburgh book fest
digital stories course at Bournemouth
residency at Brisons Veor
PhD submission and viva pass
acquiring (and losing) literary representation for The String Games
flash fiction collection accepted for publication
Brisons Veor, a writing residency
I am enjoying the last couple of days of a two-week writing residency at the wonderful Brisons Veor, in St Just in Cornwall. This is made possible by the trust which accepts applications from anyone working in the arts to enjoy a period of respite from the distractions of daily life to focus on creative projects. The house is part of the brick building beyond the white houses. Constructed as a boiler house for the Cape Cornwall Tin Mine, it was converted by an architect in 1978 and purchased by Tracy O’Kates, the benefactor of Brisons Veor. It is believed to be the westernmost dwelling on the English mainland. You can also see the 138 year-old chimney stack of the mine which forms the highest point of the Cape.
Brisons Veor is situated at a point where Atlantic currents divide, moving south to the English Channel and north to the Irish Sea. In 1987 the Cape was purchased for the nation by Heinz, and given into the care of the National Trust. This unique location provides a rich environment for ideas and creativity to flourish.
It has been a wonderful fortnight of solitude, isolation and the elements. The wind is fabulous: it turns the sea into a rucked white apron that spreads over the blue. When the sun is out, warmth floods through an open doorway into the first floor workshop. The sound of the Ocean sucking, clawing and whooshing is a constant accompaniment. Inside at night when the wind blasts the walls, Brisons Veor embraces the occupant, safe and warm.
What a privilege to spend time at Brisons Veor, such a remarkable location. During the fortnight I have written poetry and started my next novel, this time using a six-year-old boy as the narrator of ‘That’s What I Know’.
Authors for Grenfell Tower
Following the Grenfell Tower disaster, many authors came together to offer their time and expertise to raise money for those suffering from the fire. I was one of the lucky people to secured a lot through Authors for Grenfell Tower. This was back in the June and Amal Al-Agroobi (filmmaker, director, producer and writer) was very patient in delaying our meeting until the autumn. She also kindly agreed to not only meet me, but my fellow screenwriting collaborators Sarah Scally, Perwina Whitmore, Jane Rayner and Maria Pruden.
We took an early train to London on Saturday to meet Amal in the cafe at the PictureHouse Central where she shared feedback from our 90-minute screenplay titled The F Word. Although there is still much work to do on the screenplay, the meeting was a wonderful way to learn more about the filmmaking process and has inspired us to refocus on our project.
To make the most of our day out in London, we went to a matinée of Heinsenberg: The Uncertainty Principle, a new play by Simon Stephens. The two-hander was at Wyndham’s Theatre with Anne-Marie Duff and Kenneth Cranham. I loved the minimalist set and performance.
We ate lunch in China Town, had afternoon tea on the South Bank and then enjoyed a bottle of Prosecco on the train journey home. Quite a day!
Writers’ Open House
Do come along to this event if you’re a published writer or just beginning your writing journey.
About the Dorset Writers Network
Run by a voluntary steering group, the Dorset Writers Network offers support to writers across the county including isolated writers in rural areas. Their last funded project resulted in the publication of an anthology by Dorset writers titled This Little World.
In Vienna
We spent five days in Vienna in early September. It is a great city to walk around and when we got tired it was easy to catch a tram or tube back to our hotel. (I can recommend the Kugel Hotel in a good location with outstandingly helpful staff and an excellent breakfast). We were based in the museum quarter and went to loads of galleries with exhibitions of Klimt and Schiele (the Upper Belvedere was particularly stunning with displays that showed connections between the two artists). Hotel staff recommended a visit to the opera and after an hour long wait (those wearing shorts were turned away) we got standing tickets to Il Trovatore for three euros each.
with my very tall family members
The food was another highlight:
melon cocktail with a rasher of streaky bacon as a garnish
cake and tea for me
But the highlight was eating beside the Danube canal at Meierei at Stadtpark (hotel staff made the reservation) where we enjoyed a delicious meal and I ordered venison goulash.
venison goulash with curd cheese toast, broccoli and black walnut
Fashion as an inspiration for writing
The Wimborne Writing Group went on a summer outing this week to the Blandford Fashion Museum. Tucked away behind the market square in a delightful Georgian house, the fashion collection of the founder, Mrs Betty Penny, forms the basis of the displays. I loved looking at garments from the 1960s and 1970s and remembered owning dresses with Laura Ashley flower prints. My favourite exhibit was a mini dress and hot pants set made from lime green cotton with white trim. It was sleeveless with off centre decorative lacing on the skirt in matching white cotton.
Sarah Barr who leads the Wimborne Writing Group, provided some prompts for writing as we browsed the displays. She suggested we find an outfit we liked and to imagine:
- who the owner would have been
- what they were like
- their name, age and occupation
Why don’t you have a go at writing a short piece of prose by using Sarah’s prompts and applying them to this lovely exhibit?
1960s Mini Dress and Hot Pants Set
Get in touch if you’re willing to share your story.
the writer is a lonely hunter 