After a busy day at work, Dave and I went to Lyme Regis. We walked along the Cobb.
Enjoyed pretty views over the harbour towards the town.
Bought locally caught scallops to eat with chips on the beach.
A perfect end to the day.
Sandsfoot Castle
I ate this for breakfast at 10am following a forty minute walk from the centre of Weymouth. (I must say a cream tea is remarkably enhanced by some fresh strawberries in addition to the clotted cream and jam.) In the background is Sandsfoot Castle, the ruins of a Henrician blockhouse, built to defend the south coast of England following Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and his break with the Roman Catholic Church. Over time, the cliff on which it is built became eroded by the sea and most of the gun floor of the castle fell into the sea. What remains is a ruin that’s fun to explore and gives an idea about the construction of a Tudor castle.
Back in Weymouth, there was plenty more activity with a folk festival in full swing and dancers everywhere including these lovely ladies.
Now at home, there’s sunshine on the deck, and I think it’s time for my first Pimms of the summer.
Cheers!
Sicily
I’ve wanted to visit Sicily ever since I saw The Godfather. The film was released in 1972, so I must have watched it a bit later on the television. While chatting with other tourists, several mentioned that scenes from the film In Postino prompted their visit. I can’t remember seeing that film but like us, they were rather off-piste as Il Postino was filmed in Messina and the location for The Godfather was in towns outside Taormina. However, when we reached Ragusa, we learnt that this was the location for the Inspector Montalbano TV series, so we did finally make it a film location.
Serious walk
Being such a lovely morning, there was no excuse. I’ve managed to put off doing a decent walk every weekend this year. Usually I claim there isn’t enough time and we settle from a stomp along the sea front from Preston to Weymouth. Today, the glaze of blue sky and warm sun had me dig out my walking boots and we headed off.
Notice the eucalyptus tree!
I chose a walk from cuttings David had saved from a magazine. I ruled out the strenuous ones, and we settled on a circular walk around Corscombe. However, when we’d gone about a quarter of the way (and David was struggling with the instructions) he realised page two of the route was from a totally different walk. Not being ones to retrace our steps, we followed our noses and found a path.
Sheep followed us at one point. 
And the clumps of snow drops were compensation for trailing through mud.
We’ll be better planned, next time.
Holidays for 2016
This being the third day of January, I’m celebrating the fact that I’ve booked three holidays for 2016! (I’ve ditched my Boxing Day blues and have begun to look forward.)
“Taormina.Teatro Greco” by M. Schwarzwälder
First up, I’ll be travelling with my husband to Sicily for 6 days at the end of April. A quick flick through the Rough Guide (a Christmas present from my mother) and I saw we could travel from Catania to Palermo by buses or trains and booked flights to and from these airports. Other destinations I’d like to cover are Taormina for the Teatro Greco and Siracusa.
In June, my friend Cathie is over from Australia and I’ve arranged a visit to Santiago de Compostela. I lived in the city for a year in 1986 and studied for my A levels while Brian Henry and others worked at El Centro Britanico teaching English as a foreign language. I took my family to the area last year and loved it so much that Cathie’s visit provided a good excuse for another trip. I’ve since been brushing up my Spanish and hope to engage in many more conversations that I was able to do last time. I love the old streets and plazas of the city.
“Calle de San Francisco, Santiago de Compostela” by Diego Delso.
Edinburgh is my third destination with a visit during the fringe (although I particularly like going to the book festival). I usually attend the ten at ten sessions where visiting writers share a short reading. It’s always a good way to start the morning.
What holiday plans do you have for 2016?
Fabric at the British Library
This is a piece of fabric I bought while on holiday in Banjul, capital of the Gambia. We spent a day in the city in order to visit the Methodist Church where a new generator had been purchased by the congregation in New Malden. The cloth celebrates the Methodist Church in the Gambia and I became fascinated by the Gambian tradition of wearing fabric to acknowledge and promote many different things. I remember seeing a woman in Albert Market wearing traditional dress with a matching head wrap in bright, printed fabric. When I asked if the cloth was for sale, I was told it was worn in support of a political party. While logos and designer brands have become part of popular culture in this country, it seems that wearing anything to indicate allegiance to a political party is limited to a badge or rosette.
I was prompted to make this post after visiting the West Africa: Word, Symbol, Song exhibition at the British Library. There you will find a whole range of artefacts that demonstrate the interlinking nature of word, symbol and song including texts, drums, shell-stories and, of course, fabric. It’s well worth a visit.
Human Rights Tour 2015
The British Institute of Human Rights came to Dorchester today as part of 15 Days of Action to celebrate the Human Rights Act which came into force in 2000. The aim of the workshops is to empower people to:
- know about human rights
- use human rights in practice
- protect human rights
What are human rights?
Human rights were legally defined after WWII in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. It is a set of minimum standards regarding how the state treats people. Human rights cannot be taken away but in some instances, limited or restricted.
Why does the Human Rights Act matter?
- it offers protection to everyone
- it ensures the government is accountable
- the legal duties on public authorities ensure that human rights are respected in their decisions and actions
- it helps the UK show leadership when human rights violations are taking place across the world
For more information see the website: bihr.org.uk
Skylark Literary visits Shaftesbury, Dorset.
Leading London-based literary agency, Skylark Literary, is undertaking a tour of rural areas in order to reach writers unable to attend urban venues. The session will hosted by Storyslingers and offered on Friday 17 July, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Garden Room, Shaftesbury Gold Hill Museum, Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8JW. The talk will cover the children’s publishing industry, followed by a Q&A session with particular reference to writing for young people. Author Kate Kelly will also be present to answer questions from the writer’s perspective. Everyone welcome.
Suggested donation £3
How is your summer shaping up?
Saturday 27 June was the last day of my course with fellow students on the MPhil Writing at Pontypridd. I submitted my transfer paper to PhD for discussion to help with preparations for the viva which is likely to take place in the autumn. I have learnt so much during the two years of part-time study, particularly about plot and structure of a novel.
The Winchester Writers’ Festival was held the previous weekend, so it’s been a busy time. I’ve been madly rewriting the first three chapters of my novel ready to resubmit to a couple of people I met at the event. I’m also involved in preparations for the Poole Festival of Words at the end of July, so that’s enough to keep me focused for the next few weeks.
How is your summer shaping up?
the writer is a lonely hunter 