Completely Content

Earlier this week I gave a talk about my beloved Antiquarian Books and life as a bookseller for some ladies who meet for lunch near Christchurch. Afterwards, I was planning to go shopping in town and head for home. It had been a happy morning. My talk was appreciated and the ladies had been so interesting and friendly over lunch but I felt a little jaded and on a whim, instead of shopping, I turned the car and went instead to nearby Avon beach.
It may not be the most beautiful of English beaches but I have a great affection for it, as it is the place where  the urchins and I have spent many happy hours. I grew up in Buckinhamshire, miles from the sea and when I arrived in Salisbury and found there was a beach only an hour away I was so excited! I have had many wild winter walks and happy, sandy summer picnics there.
This afternoon the beach itself was deserted and the weather blustery and sunny.





I'm happy to watch waves for hours and so I strolled up and down, listening and looking.
It was so mild the wind felt silken agains my arms, contrasted to the sting of sand blown against my legs.
I love details in nature, rather than panoramic views, and there is always so much of beauty to see on a beach. I like to wander slowly looking and waiting for my mind to calm and my senses to take over. I find it takes a while to look and listen properly.

Sea Foam

Great piles of seaweed had been blown up by the recent rough weather but it was fresh enough just to smell of the sea. Oh, how I love that wild, salty smell!
As I walked, taking everything in around me I realised, for that moment, I was perfectly content with who I am and where I was.

Am I not lucky?

Favourite Days

Perhaps it's a little childish or pagan maybe but I have two favourite days in the year.
September 1st and December 21st.
I love December 21st as it is the solstice and from that moment, the year has turned and the winter days are getting longer.
September 1st is a special day for me. To me this is the first day of Autumn and I love Autumn so. August so often disappoints (unless you are in the hot, herb-scented Mediterranean) and now I can relax into the enjoyment of this most beautiful of seasons.
So although I'm a little late, here is a poem and a picture -

There is a quiet comfort in an Autumn day

that rests so kindly with my tired soul.

The fields and hills made gentle by the mist

take from me any thoughts but of the here and now.

The past is slowly gathered by the turning year

I feel my spirits rising with each yellow leaf.

It lacks the strong and questing beauty of an April day

yet owns a subtle harmony and grace.

When to the next life I am called to go

I hope it greats me with an Autumn face.

  ps. I'm at the Vintage and Handmade Fair at Alderholt tomorrow, I'm looking forward to it !http://www.vintagedorset.co.uk/alderholt-vintage-fair/

Return from the Great Adventure

Last weekend, my son Sam and I had the lucky chance to have a share in my daughter's Great Adventure. The girls were ending their European Tour at a friends' house in Britany, so we all crammed into Terri and Robert's car and met them there for a few days.

Sitting round the breakfast table, they started to tell us their stories. Out poured a jumble of tales. As they talked, interrupting each other and often collapsing with laughter, the girls' vivacity and sense of friendship gave us a hint of the fun and excitement of their last few weeks.

I knew that Emily's adventures had been varied- my favourite text messege from her reads-

'Drank Absinthe, went to a Goth bar, was asked out by a sea captain and arrived back at our hostel at 6 in the morning. I like Berlin. xXx'

The mind boggles!

There were gentle moments too. Emily told of a happy hour spent in an English bookshop in the Jewish quarter of Budapest, drinking coffee and eating biscuits bought from a local market.

Becky reading

Some places moved them

Looking down into The White Room, Berlin

Others uplifted-

The John Lennon Wall,  Prague

They loved the sense of fun in Amsterdam-

And the famous Bolognese sauce in Bologna

They even made time for their music!

Rosa on the Ukulele



Emily busking in Lucca

So.... we're all back home and together again for a short while and then...

watch out world because they're on to

The Next Great Adventure!

 With thanks to photographs from the albums-

Rosa " When our time was spent on Trains"

Clare " Messy hair, dirty clothes"

Emily " A Very Big Adventure"

And to Terri and Robert for lifts, cocktails and hospitality...

A few days happy pottering

I can hardly call my wanderings an adventure when compared to my daughter's travels but I have had a very happy week.

First there was a weekend gathering of old school-friends in Suffolk-





Where the day started in sunshine and ended late as we sat out in the evening singing songs and toasting marshmallows around the fire.

On Sunday we went exploring and stayed in a lovely, old fashioned B&B

Which we found by accident, after visiting a local Church

 I loved this stained glass window

It was a busy, happy, sociable weekend.



I then took myself off to the West Country to spend a few days by myself.

I love the chance to wander at will, to explore just as the mood takes me and to indulge in some of my favourite activities- beachcombing, following winding lanes and 'treasure' hunting in car-boot sales and antique shops.

The view form my window

I pretended that this was a 'working holiday and have come home with a few interesting finds-

Old fashioned til pencil sharpener, pot, tape measure and thermometer

I'm especially pleased with this little French Thermometer, it's so quirky and it still works!

However, I still managed to spent hours peering into rock pools and collecting pebbles and shells-

I found that by visiting the beaches early in the morning  or in the evening and walking just that little bit further,  I could find solitude and space, even in this busiest of months-

August is not my favourite month for the countryside, I prefer the early summer or Autumn but I have seen some beautiful views, hidden down corners of Devonshire lanes.

I was so pleased to see the old fashioned corn stooks.

I'm back home now and feel very lucky to have had such a perfectly English summer holiday!

Off on a GREAT ADVENTURE!

The day has arrived.

 Passports, euros, tickets, youth hostels and song lyrics are sorted.

There has been much packing and unpacking but finally they are loaded up with rucksacks so heavy that there's a strong chance that they will just tip over and land helpless on their backs like beetles!

The house looks like a tornado has passed through and a huge pile of bacon sandwiches have been demolished

 " because everybody misses bacon sandwiches when they are abroad  "

It's all a little scary but such a wonderful adventure.

 To busk your way around Europe!

When you read of the wonderful cities they will be visiting

Amsterdam ,Berlin, Prague, Budapest (a rock festival there!!!)

Padua, Venice, Bologna, Florence and then back through France to a friend's house in Brittany

It's no wonder they look excited...

Emily, Clare and Rosa

I shall miss her of course and I am more than a little envious but, oh, I am so glad she is doing this!

May they all sing beautifully and bring home some amazing stories (only some of which I will get to hear) and come home safely with many happy memories.

Summer Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens

It's mid-summer and it's raining, so it must be festival time!
Tents and chill boxes are packed, wellies rediscovered and outlandish clothes decided upon. For over 20 years the much loved Larmer Tree Festival has lured me away from my comfortable bed and tempted me into wearing unsuitable brightly coloured outfits.
 Many go for the eclectic mix of world music but I'm just drawn to the ambiance of the festival, with its art and colour and the feeling of freedom from everyday life. It is set in a Victorian Pleasure Garden and is full of hidden corners and eccentric buildings. It has ponds and temples, peacocks and parrots-

Throughout the gardens you come upon works of art and so many sights that delight. One year there were huge bubbles everywhere, another year everybody wore fairy wings and tutus. I'll not easily forget the sight of two local rugby players in pink wings and frilly skirts. This year, delicate rose garlands were the fashion... and yes, I did buy and wear one! 

There's music everywhere, of course.

With some bands you can just lie back and relax -

With others you go wild -

Or just be inspired-

One of the unique features of the Larmer Tree is the huge variety of workshops. You can do early morning Yoga on the main lawn, join a drum band or become very arty and crafty. I once ran a herb workshop, where everybody made a 'portaloo pomander'. These were to be held to the nose when visiting whiffy areas...

Another year I pinned up poems about summer and happiness all around the gardens-

One year we wrote and decorated our own favourite quotations and then hung them up for all to enjoy-

Every year we have our favourites places to visit and things to do- I love the wishing tree, and the hanging books library and we always get at least one henna tattoo!

The food is amazing, a far cry from the burger and chip vans at so many festivals.

A prize-winning flat bread pizza and home-made lemonade

The tea garden

The high spot for our family has to be fancy dress Saturday. Over the years we have been characters from books and plays and people watching is taken to new levels...

An uneasy truce between God and Lucifer

Merlin

It's hard getting ready in the back of a van...

I think I was a Druid...

50's Revival

'Clockwork Orange' and 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

A sight of rare beauty

'Pirates of the Carabbean'



and Superman...



And I haven't even mentioned the carnival...  

The Larmer Tree Festival is a magical place to be.

http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk/