tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13274309149991756682024-02-02T09:33:57.896+00:00Rodney Willett's BlogRamblings from the politically minded nature nutter who happens to be the husband of the novelist, Marcia Willett.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comBlogger209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-34394025493929055732015-10-20T12:35:00.003+01:002015-10-20T12:35:39.975+01:00Thank you from Marcia...<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;">Thank you all so much for your love and support.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;">Rodney’s blog will remain online but there will no new posts or further comments on this blog.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;">Sharing so much with you has meant so much to us both.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;">Love and blessings, Marcia.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.04px;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-51227379589455659922015-08-28T10:36:00.001+01:002015-08-28T10:36:20.847+01:00'Bye<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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It is
never easy to write a good-bye letter even when you know when you are
expected to leave. When you don’t, it becomes almost impossible. I
would compare this to letters between spouses written during the war:
the desire to be upbeat and so present a cheerful front while on the
other a hand a need to share the terror.</div>
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At least
there is one question I can ignore: that I shall survive: answer – no.
But that leaves when and how painful.</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
My
incredible doctor popped in yesterday; he will never know how much
that meant to me. During the course of the conversation, he asked me
if I was feeling fearful and I was forced to say ‘no’. It would
have been dishonest but I am grieving for all the friends to whom I
shall be saying good-bye in the coming weeks, if only I knew how long
that is going to be. Yes, I am surprised at how quickly things have
deteriorated.</div>
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So is
this? Probably unless thing change for the better. So, let us treat
it as one. Thanks for your support and please keep it coming.</div>
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Much love
to you all, thanks for all the fish and farewell.</div>
<br />
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-69541404449041018892015-08-21T17:56:00.001+01:002015-08-21T17:56:21.823+01:00A River TripOn the basis that most of you will never have seen the River Dart, Roger and I thought it would e rather fun to take you on a boat trip down to the mouth of the river and then back as far as the Higher Ferry.<br />
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We are now in the mouth of the river looking back towards Castle and St Petrox Church.<br />
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This might not be particularly photogenic but is of extreme importance to the seamen who use the river after dark. A series of leading lights, of which this is the first, guide them safely into the harbour itself.<br />
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A glimpse up Warfleet Creek at the head of which is the old Dartmouth Pottery now converted into luxury accommodation.<br />
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As we move inland we see some of Dartmouth's most prestigious properties hanging on the steep hillside.<br />
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Low tide reveals narrow beaches.<br />
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Somewhere in this picture you will find Evie's Merchant House and, crouching on the foreshore, her boathouse.<br />
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We are now opposite the North Embankment. The yellow coloured building is the old station cafe on the end of the Boat Float.<br />
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Roger, very sensibly, gave the lower ferries a wide berth. The ferryman are superb but these ferries are extraordinarily difficult to control.<br />
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Last year a fully refurbished and gleaming paddle-steamer, The Kingswear Castle, returned to the river after an absence of many years.<br />
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<br />
A general view of the town of the town looking over to the North Embankment with the Britannia Royal Naval College on the skyline.<br />
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All aboard for Paignton.<br />
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<br />
The Higher Ferry.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-74103195002423800132015-08-14T13:50:00.003+01:002015-08-14T13:50:47.880+01:00Writer's Block<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Under
normal circumstances I know what I am going to write about for the
Friday blog by Thursday evening at the latest. Indeed, in many cases
The blog itself is written on the Thursday.</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Then
we have the exceptions: the days when I just have to hope that
something will come to me early on Friday. The fact remains that for
the last four years or so, I have found something to talk about in
time – but not this week. This week I am suffering from writer’s
block – that terrifying time when no matter what you do your brain
remains a stubborn blank.</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
am often asked how to cope with writer’s block (although I really
don’t know why people think I know the answer. I always say that I
am a firm believer in ‘hitting the keys’. It doesn’t matter
what you write so long as you hit the keys and the odds are that,
sooner or later, you will find that what you are writing is beginning
to generate the ideas you so desperately seek. Then you can delete
everything that doesn’t matter and away you go. Anyway, that’s
what I am doing now.
</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
would like to be able to report that as a result of hitting the keys
I have come up with something really fascinating to talk about but
that simply isn’t true today so I will just tell you what little
news there is.</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Marcia’s
copies of the books arrived from Transworld the day before yesterday
and so the sitting room has, once again, been turned into a temporary
warehouse. Marcia gives one each to her son and her sisters but if you
give books away locally you are undermining the book shops who are
finding survival at the moment pretty difficult. When the books are a
few years old, we give any that still have to one of hospices who
have charity shops.</div>
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</div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Meanwhile
everyone is busy working out the logistics for the signings this
year. It all happens bang smack in the middle of the holiday season
when the roads in the south west are bursting with visitors and, more
to the point, so are the car parks. Then matters are complicated
because Marcia doesn’t want me left alone for any longer than I
must be. However, the fact remains that if you want to be able to
guarantee a parking lot in Tavistock on a summer’s Saturday
morning, you will be there before 9.45 – even though the signing
does not begin until 11 – and there is no point in arriving only to
find there is just no where to leave the car. The trouble is that you
then have to take a decision: join the queue at one the large car
parks and hope that you will find a spot in time or trawl around the
smaller ones hoping that you will be lucky and someone will pull out
at the right moment. This is not the sort of stress Marcia wants just
before a signing!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhornFLcQg8E2mTVMXxGko8normX1MF3uk9nPuPA1uiBZBi-LBhyphenhyphenCsESnyhVLjC1z3CfC8wjOjDTdPCLJVayNrz00bQLIePGwFAB7P_vvOIwQxVi89lBHfsMFPHqCFSuxbDw8vvsyQryA/s1600/P1050224a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhornFLcQg8E2mTVMXxGko8normX1MF3uk9nPuPA1uiBZBi-LBhyphenhyphenCsESnyhVLjC1z3CfC8wjOjDTdPCLJVayNrz00bQLIePGwFAB7P_vvOIwQxVi89lBHfsMFPHqCFSuxbDw8vvsyQryA/s400/P1050224a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Before
I wind up this miserable blog, may I say a big thank you to all of
you who leave comments in the blog or who send in emails. Your
support has been tremendous and I am very lucky to have it. Please
don’t stop just yet.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-74053728361174768662015-08-07T12:36:00.000+01:002015-08-09T19:25:01.920+01:00Novelists at literary festivals<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Marcia
once gave a talk at the Porlock Literary Festival and a reader who
lives on Exmoor emailed me earlier this week telling me, amongst
other things, that she had attended that festival.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YqL57vR-wr6xBnOrCoHo7ugnqTug1cmGuFuFmcfyPwY5EMR_UuvE_obMDF4Vdn8BsKt3fjR_rVAqhgk9ckjMJbGN7HZnrebckHMwIYTK7peCXeGSCKSqtgizOGO2kdvJyLkT0okcK1w/s1600/People+2021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YqL57vR-wr6xBnOrCoHo7ugnqTug1cmGuFuFmcfyPwY5EMR_UuvE_obMDF4Vdn8BsKt3fjR_rVAqhgk9ckjMJbGN7HZnrebckHMwIYTK7peCXeGSCKSqtgizOGO2kdvJyLkT0okcK1w/s400/People+2021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marcia at the Porlock Literary Festival.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Ways
With Words is the annual literary festival held here at Dartington
and they have only just packed up and disappeared for another year.
Anyway, thinking about that email and the WWW festival made me ponder
on the value of such festivals. It’s fine for people who are in the
public eye – or want to be – but they are rarely professional
novelists who write for a living. Indeed I am tempted to say that
they sell books because of who they are rather than because of what
the books are. Which is great, I have no problem with that.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB83oB4zly0DE4Nfgbn8ahDJnRQ9ftTMVhbTjlHcY9G_qQnzE6BMy0rg7tTfgbiQXvBNLc10JQ0hpCM0xFzzgTdr-MKpbIbLOTs47Ldfx_41kuxwC1JCzNgMmBxXLhuObZ3oIdRc86eT0/s1600/2014+07+10+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB83oB4zly0DE4Nfgbn8ahDJnRQ9ftTMVhbTjlHcY9G_qQnzE6BMy0rg7tTfgbiQXvBNLc10JQ0hpCM0xFzzgTdr-MKpbIbLOTs47Ldfx_41kuxwC1JCzNgMmBxXLhuObZ3oIdRc86eT0/s400/2014+07+10+%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ways With Words. This tent is where Waterstones have speakers' bok available for signing.<br />
The entrance to the Great Hall is to the right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
From
the creative novelist’s point of view, attending a festival is
rather like being a hermit crab pulled out of its shell: the feeling
of exposure is immense. All the creative novelists I have met are
people who work alone and who put a huge amount of themselves in
their books. Having done that they see no point in talking about
themselves – they would far rather that the books did that on their
behalf. In any event, such novelists have only one story to tell: how
they became novelists. This means that there is no point in them
attending any festival more than once: the same people come year
after year.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9PAyUKrtHikp5mkW5HtEJYj3HFAKY16YRFWD02Qkf3J4FmgckNtChsHLU4Pxm-ibrmBETtDuDLnA4vuElLTpNy0DBLDn4TDsZDr2dXw4RpxMfkAg2jJABC_2pG5oXkXPpSntLyfiN2Y/s1600/2014+07+11+%252821%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9PAyUKrtHikp5mkW5HtEJYj3HFAKY16YRFWD02Qkf3J4FmgckNtChsHLU4Pxm-ibrmBETtDuDLnA4vuElLTpNy0DBLDn4TDsZDr2dXw4RpxMfkAg2jJABC_2pG5oXkXPpSntLyfiN2Y/s400/2014+07+11+%252821%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time for a litle somethng.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
They
can’t really talk about the books they have written as can a
politician or an historian. It may seem odd but once a book is done
and dusted it is almost forgotten and to try to talk about them is
almost impossible. I remember Marcia and I were in Rumour in Totnes
some years ago when a slight acquaintance came up.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
‘I
have wanted to ask this for a long time,’ she said. ‘What
happened to Claudia in the end?’</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
‘Who?’
asked Marcia.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
‘You
know, Claudia Maynard.’</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
‘Sorry,
I don’t know anyone called Claudia Maynard.’</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
At
which point, mercifully, said acquaintance's friend, who had been
paying their bill, bustled up and whisked a very puzzled reader away.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It
is said that one person can know no more than a hundred and twenty
other people properly. For this reason most military organisations
break their forces down into units of that size – in my day an
infantry company would have somewhere about that figure – and in
some big commercial operations they too arrange to divide the
workforce into groups of about that number under a manager. I am not
quite sure how many characters Marcia has created but there are a lot
more than that: probably about eight hundred. It is hardly surprising
that she forgets some of them with a decent prompt. Now, if that
reader had asked, ‘I’ve often wondered about Claudia Maynard in
The Dipper. What happened to her in the end?’ it would have made
the right connection for Marcia – although I very much doubt
whether she would know just what did happen to Claudia. It could be,
of course, that Claudia will suddenly appear at Marcia’s shoulder
and tell her.
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I
know we have dropped the weekly blog dog but there are times when I
receive a few dog pictures I feel really should be shared so here are
three. These guys belong to Denise Connolly. She lovingly
calls them "the three hooligans".</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW5COs-jjAVxo6Jl7HIygA35s4gSmTxLOhsOmw2spLGY6nerXfjhc4AU79yd1zHbFzNKDcwS9ioFqisEJ1IO75kAcE-S4viWEKlZgY7x_TJjrXtPBpBHPTvIUjbhTes6LX_hEzYLvJ9A/s1600/_DSC0001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBW5COs-jjAVxo6Jl7HIygA35s4gSmTxLOhsOmw2spLGY6nerXfjhc4AU79yd1zHbFzNKDcwS9ioFqisEJ1IO75kAcE-S4viWEKlZgY7x_TJjrXtPBpBHPTvIUjbhTes6LX_hEzYLvJ9A/s400/_DSC0001.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
is Dakota. He will be five years old the end of October. We adopted
him when he was 3 months old. He was rescued from a high kill shelter
in Tennessee and brought with 34 other puppies to our local shelter,
a NO KILL shelter, that I support with a few large checks every year
and I do fund raising for them also. Dakota is a border/aussie/great
pyrenees mix. A BIG baby!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijauFKAGGPCinXeUj7evtocWdo0vTMdHL7_K2JStKRMz9pDL5AsmANvHvDfGBVmazRiViAv1l2K_0f9-KU_WDQe8NTlJyiqKzjLVNBLP_DayTu8Vl7sBPxoe2d2pWf3cEk3magSK_iLc/s1600/_DSC0002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijauFKAGGPCinXeUj7evtocWdo0vTMdHL7_K2JStKRMz9pDL5AsmANvHvDfGBVmazRiViAv1l2K_0f9-KU_WDQe8NTlJyiqKzjLVNBLP_DayTu8Vl7sBPxoe2d2pWf3cEk3magSK_iLc/s400/_DSC0002.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
is Teddy. He's about 3 years old. We adopted him when he was 6-7
months old. He was in a high kill shelter in Kentucky and
rescued by the Danbury Connecticut Animal Welfare Society. He's a
aussie/spaniel mix.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Super smart boy!</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h4-KKz21fgop5v0G0J56rMxzYMkxry-kJqLTCKgBWffqIsUS12SP1q9JBFj5RGQzzyEDqL5Ee6IwT4hTE4PITenb1eOmYqm4_WguvYTU70jQo2kwOTN28IGKBJHYm26OLptp-8Syi_U/s1600/_DSC0004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5h4-KKz21fgop5v0G0J56rMxzYMkxry-kJqLTCKgBWffqIsUS12SP1q9JBFj5RGQzzyEDqL5Ee6IwT4hTE4PITenb1eOmYqm4_WguvYTU70jQo2kwOTN28IGKBJHYm26OLptp-8Syi_U/s400/_DSC0004.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
And our third dog,
adopted this past May, is Scotty. He was also from Kentucky and on
the KILL list for that week when our local shelter manager grabbed
him and a few older dogs and 29 puppies. Our vet says Scotty is about
2 years old. He thinks he is my body guard. We fell in love with each
other instantly! This is the first small breed dog I ever had. He has
the heart of a lion! He's some kind of terrier mix. So playful, can
dance across the room on his hind legs and loves his squeaky toys.<br />
<br />
<b>PUBLICATION EVENTS</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Thursday 27th August at 11 am: Book signing in the Totnes Bookshop.<br />
<br />
Friday 28th August at 11 am: Book signing in the Harbour Bookshop, Kingsbridge,<br />
<br />
Tuesday September 8th from 5.30 to 6.30 in the Flavel Hall, Dartmouth. . This is an opportunity to come and meet Marcia Willett. Organised by Dartmouth Community Bookshop and Dartmouth Library.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-73233878114051163312015-07-31T12:49:00.000+01:002015-07-31T12:49:58.159+01:00The Cloud of unknowing.<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You
jolly nearly didn’t have a blog this week.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPsYlIlzMez9517zo8LJjAuO68EMk4n98abBJ_Uqg1b-a5qd3ZuGIryM3X5bjQdbNv6URxSplw9JVMjL5gKLLLfU0hVoxUbkisgTk0xX_Wjt9xv8934jv4xKBJlPnnYWLa255rVBstl4/s1600/01+2013+2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPsYlIlzMez9517zo8LJjAuO68EMk4n98abBJ_Uqg1b-a5qd3ZuGIryM3X5bjQdbNv6URxSplw9JVMjL5gKLLLfU0hVoxUbkisgTk0xX_Wjt9xv8934jv4xKBJlPnnYWLa255rVBstl4/s400/01+2013+2164.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
am extremely cross with myself, but the other morning, Wednesday, on
my way to the bathroom for the first time that day, I completely lost
balance. In trying to regain it I managed to crash into one door
frame with my left hip, then into another with with my right arm
before ending up on the floor. Apart from the fact that I am now so
stiff I can hardly walk it is yet another reminder that as we get older
a fall can have terrible consequences. This time I was lucky and I
shall now try to take more care. I am pretty certain that these
sudden losses of balance are as a result of the cocktail of drugs I
am presently swallowing.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JueJ927zQx55w4l8xiRTLyYxjttYcp2pt_A190WHgmRGO2P8erB5QKMDwHHKCLLmI7yKxzlhtVoMaPsqA0vgGNtyiqc52eLqq8Ix9KY9gNc7_GDkando5EknZ_yYxNVgcINXB30UqyE/s1600/02+2007+1326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JueJ927zQx55w4l8xiRTLyYxjttYcp2pt_A190WHgmRGO2P8erB5QKMDwHHKCLLmI7yKxzlhtVoMaPsqA0vgGNtyiqc52eLqq8Ix9KY9gNc7_GDkando5EknZ_yYxNVgcINXB30UqyE/s400/02+2007+1326.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
has, or course, slowed up work on the companion. I have now finished
all the Country pages bar one (</span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indian Summer</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">) and I had rather
hoped to see that finished this week so that I can get on with the
next section: the characters. Whether or not these will be in the
form of family trees or not I have yet to decided but I do know that
it gets very difficult keeping track of them all. I am hoping that
there will be a bit of very clever technology that will enable me to
do what I want.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
is nearly seven o'clock on Thursday evening and I am lying on the bed
in my dressing room looking over a blue sky, framed on the left by
the huge oak tree in our garden and at the bottom by a fir tree and a
flowering fruit tree (I think not a cherry) the other side of our
neighbours' cottage and of that all I can see is the chimney with
some new cowls fitted recently. It hasn't taken long for both crows
and gulls to use these little domes as an excellent look-out. I use this as a day bed when I can't get around as I feel the change of view - and atmosphere - is good for me.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
window faces due south so the sun is shining brilliantly on the
cumulus clouds that are constantly forming and reforming (while some
are just dissolving until nothing is left) as they move gently from
right to left pushed by a fairly gentle westerly wind. According to
the <a href="https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/" target="_blank">Cloud Appreciation Society</a>, the average life span of a cloud is
no more than eleven minutes. I am sure they are right but there is
one near the horizon that has been entrancing me for over twenty
minutes. I know, I know - eleven is an average. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
fellow had been subtly changing his shape and the valleys and hills
are being wonderfully lit by the sun now dropping to the horizon</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.
What a way to end the day.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPvvo-sCpmNjL6XCMVutpdixMcfr8hR2_YHkur8DmYsGf7QOapJw93QLGgQEsrFbbRbe2Q8AHxKNGqttJqFuZmD5T0DjeEymNC1aSG6HT5Zz6Hzgjb0XJLDtRt1LquNkfQjHd_G7iXJo/s1600/092005+1061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipPvvo-sCpmNjL6XCMVutpdixMcfr8hR2_YHkur8DmYsGf7QOapJw93QLGgQEsrFbbRbe2Q8AHxKNGqttJqFuZmD5T0DjeEymNC1aSG6HT5Zz6Hzgjb0XJLDtRt1LquNkfQjHd_G7iXJo/s400/092005+1061.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
wonder how many people have heard of this society? The first time I
came across then they had decided that they had discovered a new type
of cloud and the were trying to have this acknowledged by the
authorities. In this they succeeded but more to the point they
produced one of those documentary films that combine great charm, are
visually stunning (in this case the actors were the clouds) and leave
you feeling that the world isn’t such as bad place after all. You
are also left feeling that</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> the actors were the clouds) and leave
you feeling that the world isn’t such as bad place after all. You
are also left feeling that those who run the society are nutters – very nice nutters, but nutters all the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUATlkhrSeWr-eafFtmTH_L-bW3g1_YmgntcCdTOonoH24GY2LmGBNN4EbR1-WY1ZZSw70iOtd4qH4Svume5rgtTHDKkxWPFTA1kx0JKugL4l_-X5RQs8UvybRP-nPuicxE7pE0mcN80/s1600/2005+1065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtUATlkhrSeWr-eafFtmTH_L-bW3g1_YmgntcCdTOonoH24GY2LmGBNN4EbR1-WY1ZZSw70iOtd4qH4Svume5rgtTHDKkxWPFTA1kx0JKugL4l_-X5RQs8UvybRP-nPuicxE7pE0mcN80/s400/2005+1065.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started with the title, 'The Cloud of Unknowing' because I knew I would want to come back to it. It was first written in the middle ages (the writing rather suggests the late 1400's) but as to who wrote it, we shall never know. It was the first known guide to contemplative prayer. There are many books offering various translations and takes on the subject but it is one of those that will go on attracting people to add to that group of somewhat esoteric Christian thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have found God in many places and very rarely in a church but there are some among us who who do make a connection using the sort of contemplative prayer outlined in The Cloud of Unknowing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-47712240933231599922015-07-24T11:35:00.000+01:002015-07-24T11:35:25.120+01:00 More ramblings from Rodney<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I
continue to brood on Mili’s question. After a while you realise
that there is no precise centre in any society for any activity.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfKxAi9F5I9LkTd7TfeNkQ8Wdn5vz9lF3M-MnHkACuhS7WMavKWRCmaenLDLtCrILnqd8VSrTRCGQLFjHRBkvVh0Y2nI04qbBD4zK6K6xf6lfV9COus_FScpnIOIh4Dl7g8js2d6DfZ4/s1600/Flora+1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUfKxAi9F5I9LkTd7TfeNkQ8Wdn5vz9lF3M-MnHkACuhS7WMavKWRCmaenLDLtCrILnqd8VSrTRCGQLFjHRBkvVh0Y2nI04qbBD4zK6K6xf6lfV9COus_FScpnIOIh4Dl7g8js2d6DfZ4/s400/Flora+1245.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trees this week - just some rather nice trees.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I have usedd these before, I apologise.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A
simple answer when thinking about politics would be ‘Westminster’
or ‘Downing Street’ or even ‘The Houses of Parliament’ but
that is not true. Up and down the country there are councils charged
with the mundane day-to-day provision of services. Oddly this is an
extremely difficult task or, to be more precise, delivering all the
services to the satisfaction of all the people is extremely
difficult. Without all these other centres our society would fall
apart. Actually you can divide people into two (this being rather
simplistic): those who when thinking politics do think 'London' and those who think about what is happening
at either county or district level. It all depends on what effects
you most.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB4OzzeYJNvSgvr00ULqESmPSUCgjoTR-gu9zIhtdakuUY8kMwEj0LV6uEHDkUqQBIsB9HN9XUa7pXVlgznXeCudoWydGfkzhAm8bNIYrFgtljsl6GkqQM8d4zAHYhq6IsczrpXssuLI/s1600/2007+1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB4OzzeYJNvSgvr00ULqESmPSUCgjoTR-gu9zIhtdakuUY8kMwEj0LV6uEHDkUqQBIsB9HN9XUa7pXVlgznXeCudoWydGfkzhAm8bNIYrFgtljsl6GkqQM8d4zAHYhq6IsczrpXssuLI/s400/2007+1165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to
sport, I suspect that each sport has a precise centre. Not being a
great follower of sport I can’t talk outside the few I know
anything about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxJtOkzgJobi_oo_U5xcW3EXoGlfIdRsAU46NYSaA7F7l8ss5UxESC-c1qOF9KvNQ0IZAYRN5pqb4x5aogPxNZPjdkoBqZAIG9WLi8XoGP5oewIiE_m04cnN-Gpm2r4BsDY9OWfQAnZ0/s1600/Flora+1432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxJtOkzgJobi_oo_U5xcW3EXoGlfIdRsAU46NYSaA7F7l8ss5UxESC-c1qOF9KvNQ0IZAYRN5pqb4x5aogPxNZPjdkoBqZAIG9WLi8XoGP5oewIiE_m04cnN-Gpm2r4BsDY9OWfQAnZ0/s400/Flora+1432.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tennis: Wimbledon without a doubt – it was the
birthplace of tennis and should be the precise centre for the world
let alone the UK. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhYF1yHosJ4DKo4tli5l5rglfCXWkksQZQ4TobjFaqGfeGF-21FLJe-xvDp8aYD2H2p3aTa0KDIgaos6z-BCilyL8M-zFvq-fM9NvMCigd2tp2vqhfbgAL7S1NT2hyphenhyphenNIyTeFBccnrb9M/s1600/2014+05+13+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhYF1yHosJ4DKo4tli5l5rglfCXWkksQZQ4TobjFaqGfeGF-21FLJe-xvDp8aYD2H2p3aTa0KDIgaos6z-BCilyL8M-zFvq-fM9NvMCigd2tp2vqhfbgAL7S1NT2hyphenhyphenNIyTeFBccnrb9M/s400/2014+05+13+%25287%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rugby: here you have a problem because rugby is
divided into national teams (even when playing in the world cup) but
for England that it Twickenham. Scotland looks to Murrayfield in
Edinburgh while the Welsh have the most modern ground in the
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUApn8C5DHAj9ALK9pr9A6ZWCR0BSmYejnPUtO3t86vPfWXEr3JSmcf-6s3aHy0g_HWBfmTBK9WVpNn1_ThPloNc-oBG3o59KuYQE-R6ZkM3N5mDvF_0B8qWR-GVoDI-pi1WhxzsymD8/s1600/Flora+1165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvUApn8C5DHAj9ALK9pr9A6ZWCR0BSmYejnPUtO3t86vPfWXEr3JSmcf-6s3aHy0g_HWBfmTBK9WVpNn1_ThPloNc-oBG3o59KuYQE-R6ZkM3N5mDvF_0B8qWR-GVoDI-pi1WhxzsymD8/s400/Flora+1165.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And so it goes on, no
matter what context you choose the high probability is that there are
going to be a number of candidates for ‘precise centre’. After
brooding on this off and on for the last fortnight, the only one I
could come up with was Wimbledon so perhaps that should stand for the
UK as a whole.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3zvADsaJ6BLO-IubsDMCDvk_nSZ6NZDYL7bVmvyyKK4X4hTBK7tlK-ey8bIbITEm3v51wo7PT3TNfYRUYQxt3rh4yxto84-VDolfWfb3KQTORB0jE2B0NYo0Ro4jI03kiGaIHdX1yVo/s1600/2008+1179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3zvADsaJ6BLO-IubsDMCDvk_nSZ6NZDYL7bVmvyyKK4X4hTBK7tlK-ey8bIbITEm3v51wo7PT3TNfYRUYQxt3rh4yxto84-VDolfWfb3KQTORB0jE2B0NYo0Ro4jI03kiGaIHdX1yVo/s400/2008+1179.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is, I
suppose, inevitable that one looks back over life when you are
somewhere near the end and find yourself pondering on the things you
did that you are still glad you did and those you really,
really wish you had not.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGfelawiVd-wZlvLvsUZRQiJrEjSStogtaommT84fT2FrEL_aD3HOLYujfWwVDlxdLtEi3xbseTI1WJmV3ucionJeJfweJ21eYZFnR4wR4khSeYzwpMbzPOd4aVLedlcczkilAa-B-eI/s1600/Flora+1062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimGfelawiVd-wZlvLvsUZRQiJrEjSStogtaommT84fT2FrEL_aD3HOLYujfWwVDlxdLtEi3xbseTI1WJmV3ucionJeJfweJ21eYZFnR4wR4khSeYzwpMbzPOd4aVLedlcczkilAa-B-eI/s400/Flora+1062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h1 align="CENTER" class="western" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“<span style="font-size: small;">The
Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,<br />Moves on: nor all thy
Piety nor Wit<br />Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,<br />Nor all
thy Tears wash out a Word of it.”</span></span></h1>
<div class="western">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRn9a7mO3Cq2_8SbekydJzwXMLCyVlNgrHk6uadwGwuAcYxeD_Hdb-pW04dNYwZN_DxLmpHnfI93pCjxenmnaKI7l8UKDJZEjH7cDbWunIGDUuovr2MH1mpyFz6ZqFC0oWBNz7sS2wU0/s1600/Devon+2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRn9a7mO3Cq2_8SbekydJzwXMLCyVlNgrHk6uadwGwuAcYxeD_Hdb-pW04dNYwZN_DxLmpHnfI93pCjxenmnaKI7l8UKDJZEjH7cDbWunIGDUuovr2MH1mpyFz6ZqFC0oWBNz7sS2wU0/s400/Devon+2204.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you think about it old Omar hit the nail on
the head. One thing pleases me enormously: I know nobody who I really
hate and the ones that come close to that are politicians who have
done things that I consider to have been morally unacceptable. Top of
that list would be Tony Blair for his support in two wars I feel we
should not have fought: Iraq and Afghanistan. Even then I don’t
really hate the man even though I do hate some of the things he did.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1bCn_fmCCSklRqW_ogA0HFYp6NUb9NVgARaU5GZIZrQypFqqee0bmvZ7zfjY7TCudQ6A6uGtZUEi3a9t_W1DoPmKb53-cp9RxS1NbaRHKdXg_FWFOlgyRmR57CHBX_6yoCfVGfToHsE/s1600/2014+05+03+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1bCn_fmCCSklRqW_ogA0HFYp6NUb9NVgARaU5GZIZrQypFqqee0bmvZ7zfjY7TCudQ6A6uGtZUEi3a9t_W1DoPmKb53-cp9RxS1NbaRHKdXg_FWFOlgyRmR57CHBX_6yoCfVGfToHsE/s400/2014+05+03+%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile I have met many people who have proved
to be delightful and who have given me great pleasure: I hope that I
reciprocated and they got something from me. Some seem to find that
most of the people they meet are generally unkind and unfriendly. I
find that hard to believe: ask yourself this, ‘how many really
nasty people do I know?’ Quite: the
vast majority of people are fine – the problem is that the
headlines and airwaves tend to be cluttered with stories about the
few that have gone off the rails and this distorts the way we see the
world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjfoSnshRMuCF_10-kPnhJavOP1MrSFNNftyZyQJ6vkc79MrewzM2Owl53A9fRKOFX0mZrPcqvWF2ANyCnym0qHZGs5cbWoczNvKo8wowh8i6jKlWP9naLugcZVJdPegH65DMQtOcOXU/s1600/2014+05+05+%252816%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjfoSnshRMuCF_10-kPnhJavOP1MrSFNNftyZyQJ6vkc79MrewzM2Owl53A9fRKOFX0mZrPcqvWF2ANyCnym0qHZGs5cbWoczNvKo8wowh8i6jKlWP9naLugcZVJdPegH65DMQtOcOXU/s400/2014+05+05+%252816%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are quite a few unpleasant and nasty people
in Marcia’s stories but by the end of each book all such characters
have also demonstrated that they really could not help themselves
(Tristan in <i>Postcards from the Past</i>)
or that they wanted to do everything they could to mend their ways
and atone for what they had done (Gillian in <i>The
Courtyard)</i>.
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevkzzHtRagAyvS2lu5uHNz7Y-KbdgG7aZ9qkAXF2i7UzouP6gxuOQUEQDbYIF5UXrwQWOjC82yf1nVe2iq86hDBb2Q3Dan8UX26XjTO9CGNRbrDRE4a_BAZrmciJu1lLf-N-63GbmYr8/s1600/Flora+1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgevkzzHtRagAyvS2lu5uHNz7Y-KbdgG7aZ9qkAXF2i7UzouP6gxuOQUEQDbYIF5UXrwQWOjC82yf1nVe2iq86hDBb2Q3Dan8UX26XjTO9CGNRbrDRE4a_BAZrmciJu1lLf-N-63GbmYr8/s400/Flora+1090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As to the few sins of
commission I can remember committing, I did what I could to atone for
them but nothing can ‘wash out a Word of it’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOPzknqwt2hkMPHDHEDAk7DvrtU56J4y8i8lyAIjOTigWwgjyYfjR4cOPzxjAwU7vvCOiV6aTWaXsEyg4j3EXFdjjzHcjwhwH2lSFh7KS6q4GF29I9q9WDRRfSxyHIcAtXHN_iL-Oitw/s1600/Flora+1389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOPzknqwt2hkMPHDHEDAk7DvrtU56J4y8i8lyAIjOTigWwgjyYfjR4cOPzxjAwU7vvCOiV6aTWaXsEyg4j3EXFdjjzHcjwhwH2lSFh7KS6q4GF29I9q9WDRRfSxyHIcAtXHN_iL-Oitw/s400/Flora+1389.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What does bug me is the
sin of omission: things I could have done but for one reason or
another didn’t and now, of course, it is far too late. It was too
late when I walked away in the first place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftfJVEx2_eEKNTyCbWvNKQbDZZ7ADwIrjN6vv0RtjHR1pjdBUiAM2_sHaUUEuKYAaZ_3skSIWn5fwocRoK2ylEZPa8KMKglYU4maVFjUaUijkTUTFMY2s9TzX1WR2aXqQeM6clN1mLaA/s1600/Flora+1044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhftfJVEx2_eEKNTyCbWvNKQbDZZ7ADwIrjN6vv0RtjHR1pjdBUiAM2_sHaUUEuKYAaZ_3skSIWn5fwocRoK2ylEZPa8KMKglYU4maVFjUaUijkTUTFMY2s9TzX1WR2aXqQeM6clN1mLaA/s320/Flora+1044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One in particular: a
friend of mine was going on a short cruise from Chichester (where he
kept his boat) over to France and then west to the Channel Islands
before returning home. Would I care to join him with two others? At
the time I had just started rehearsals with the choir I then
conducted (we were to perform <i>The Crucifixion</i> by Stainer) and
this would have delayed matters for a fortnight. So I refused. What I
should have done was to get the organist to stand in for me (she
would have been quite able) but . . .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDfxzuh4_14hGvsgqmiTrG3AMx1tpFxYYXclg4W4dZFGb9ZiL3Jdai_THKXxCnvr63PvabgWDyGA2LDG8idrjymZ6ooyQUOf9v-uWmknYsU0LL-EO8bkwC_gtaIstnjfi-ef-fl_1OOc/s1600/Flora+1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeDfxzuh4_14hGvsgqmiTrG3AMx1tpFxYYXclg4W4dZFGb9ZiL3Jdai_THKXxCnvr63PvabgWDyGA2LDG8idrjymZ6ooyQUOf9v-uWmknYsU0LL-EO8bkwC_gtaIstnjfi-ef-fl_1OOc/s400/Flora+1890.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Companion is going
well and I am beginning to think that I shall have time to finish it.
Certainly until it is done I shall fight this tumour with everything
that I have got. It is my tribute to Marcia and so very dear to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back next week.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-68359018521623681822015-07-17T13:33:00.001+01:002015-07-17T13:33:11.503+01:00It all depends on what you mean . . .<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A few days ago I received an email from one of
Marcia’s earliest readers who ran an on-line chat room about her
books: Mili Arroya. In it she included the following paragraph.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since you enjoy (as I do)
challenging questions, or at least those that even though easy could
carry ambivalence, here is one for you, and if it is (which I have no
clue) interesting enough feel free to share with others. Which is the
precise centre of the United Kingdom?</span></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be patient, I shall return to that
question although I suspect that the answer will be rather
disappointing.
</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, let us wind the clock back to the late 1940’s
and 1950’s and for an hour each week we shall see a very thin and
very inquisitive young boy glued to a radio programme called ‘The
Brains Trust’ (although in those days we called a radio a
wireless).</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The format was extremely simple: a chairman would
read out a question to the three experts (and they really were
experts) sitting in the studio and each in turn would answer from his
or hers expertise and then they had a general chat. None of this was
scripted or rehearsed, nobody knew what the question was going to be
until the chairman took the next card out of its envelope and read it
out but it worked, it really did. Much of it went over my head but
trying to keep up because you want to is the best way to learn.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So who were these experts? The three that spring
to mind with no real thought are Julian Huxley the great biologist, C
E M Joad (Cyril) the philosopher and psychologist and Jacob Bronowski
the mathematician and biologist who later hit the small screen with
that fantastic series ‘The Ascent of Man’. There were many others
but that will give you a feel as to the quality of these panels. The
first progamme was broadcast in 1941 but as to when I started to
listen, I really don’t know. Clearly I heard enough episodes for
the way these people thought to make an impact on my thought
processes which I try to keep as logical as possible. I should add
that these people seemed to be having great fun and at times they
were so funny that I would laugh until I cried.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was an attempt to relaunch it in the late
1990’s under the chairmanship of Joan Bakewell with panels
including A S Byatt and Richard Dawkins. The revival was short lived. THere was also an attempt to create the idea in the US but that was also short lived. There the panel were given the questions before the programme started and this seemed to kill the required spontaneity.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All of which is so that you will know that I stole
one of Professor Joad’s catch phrases and have used it ever since.
No matter whether the panel was dealing with a simple question such
as, ‘how do flies land on the ceiling?’ to more weighty matters
like, ‘Is abortion ever justified?’ at some point he would say,
‘It all depends on what you mean by . . .’. So. Mili at the
moment the best I can say is, ‘It all depends on what you mean by
“The exact centre”.’</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ-Sra_R13M5b42wRyIjanoFzEzW025kT6JXd0huE3ymkvMMgNMHvYM-yC83rY05O3Ox9MhHRbivpoVr-EglPv4Ed7sFNS4yd5TKYRgr_mKWldpYza7oLkj_Z5InhM1llw-iVhc5aI8Q/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ-Sra_R13M5b42wRyIjanoFzEzW025kT6JXd0huE3ymkvMMgNMHvYM-yC83rY05O3Ox9MhHRbivpoVr-EglPv4Ed7sFNS4yd5TKYRgr_mKWldpYza7oLkj_Z5InhM1llw-iVhc5aI8Q/s400/01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly there is nothing in this week's blog calling for photographs but now that we have left behind my thoughts on <i>The Brains Trust</i> and with an eye to the fact the <i>Summer on the River</i> is due to be published next month and is set in Dartmouth, I would show you a few more pictures of the town. Some, I suspect, some of you will have seen before or elsewhere. Sorry about that, I fear I failed to keep a record so have to rely on a pretty useless memory.<br />Anyway, I though I would start with a family connection. In those days this was a Congregational Church in which my paternal grandparents worshipped, my father and one of his sisters taught in the Sunday school and my parents were married. It became a United Reformed Church and now it seems they call themselves quite simply a 'Christian Church'. I think I like that.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realise that this was really what you are
getting at Mili: there are many ways your question could be interpreted
but for the moment I am going to duck it – to do it justice it
would require a great deal of thought and brooding. Should I come up
with anything remotely sensible, I will share it with you. Keep
watching.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZgMHY3gg5qmkERkraOQlDpEEgSvn_l0deSFbT1_147-5MOSADFPsX7YIc7sXHAqMx1v_eMEtCQ9kIXaDfZQqwFE64JHPu5HGv4-T1KzB_BAfj8DTmUu6Jow7H6C3H6cZuZeaDDcUjIY/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUZgMHY3gg5qmkERkraOQlDpEEgSvn_l0deSFbT1_147-5MOSADFPsX7YIc7sXHAqMx1v_eMEtCQ9kIXaDfZQqwFE64JHPu5HGv4-T1KzB_BAfj8DTmUu6Jow7H6C3H6cZuZeaDDcUjIY/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Flavel Arts Centre, situated behind Flavel Church and obviously modern. is doing its best to be the cultural centre in this part of the world.<br />It is more than an arts centre: all sorts of other activities share this space including Dartmouth Town Library which was in sore need of a new home.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, I have been busy adding a couple of
features to the Marcia Willett Companion web site. These are to
enable you to have your say on all sorts of matters: I want to know
what you think about the site and especially if there are things you
would like to see there that are missing. I want you to be able to
have an inter-active chat about the books. So what I have done is
this.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG4zm5Iq3vwUWaXEPbmO-nkR_z1PKI6i-KXzYYhDss7mNFyp5rtduycBEoYchUGGKSvMel8E4VGiwhtkZjxv0sokhsmWjCZAtKV2Kp762cKl1BK8_-YaMzAiaXg-utxc16UHVzSveVLM/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqG4zm5Iq3vwUWaXEPbmO-nkR_z1PKI6i-KXzYYhDss7mNFyp5rtduycBEoYchUGGKSvMel8E4VGiwhtkZjxv0sokhsmWjCZAtKV2Kp762cKl1BK8_-YaMzAiaXg-utxc16UHVzSveVLM/s400/03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The tones in this photograph make it seem older than it really is. Castle with the roof of St Petrox church to the right taken in the 1950's.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the home page where the news is posted it is
now possible to leave comments. This is the right place for comments
about the site generally and matters you want to draw to my
attention. Then, as a sub-page to each book, there is, as an example,
HM Chat</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. This is where I am hoping you will start discussions about
the books – in this case </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hattie’s Mill</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. You can start a new
thread by putting up a comment using the panel headed Leave a Reply
or answer an earlier comment by using the Reply button under that
comment. There is also the possibility of sharing these pages using the WordPress, Twitter, Facebook and Google buttons or simply
‘liking’ the page.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjejMugZJ9KB8JXCKCfxwsC60neuTiTomomlhhDkfzLcy9B6KAxoG0Ynlp-4iBxVSVjEaUr-2SQwEocVwQFeIp6ztLzCYl4z3Tr5efZ013DjknWdeFI_Om6YzICG9p0BesQhPMWClS18/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjejMugZJ9KB8JXCKCfxwsC60neuTiTomomlhhDkfzLcy9B6KAxoG0Ynlp-4iBxVSVjEaUr-2SQwEocVwQFeIp6ztLzCYl4z3Tr5efZ013DjknWdeFI_Om6YzICG9p0BesQhPMWClS18/s400/04.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Very modern now. I took this last summer. In the background Kingswear.<br />The Lower Ferry uses floats which are controlled by tugs (built in the town when there was still a shipyard). They are extremely cumbersome and it is an education to just sit and watch the skill the boatmen use as they approach and leave the ferry slips. Here, it being summer time, there are two floats in operation and they have to work as a team so they may carry the maximum number of vehicles over the river in the minimum time. Even so, at peak times, long queues are not uncommon.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, to leave a comment, go to
marcia</span><span lang="en" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">willett.wordpress.com and then either leave a
comment on the home page or go for the book about which you wish to
comment. Finding the link to leave a comment on the home page is not
easy: it is on the end of the ‘tags’ and looks like this |Leave a
comment|.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span lang="en"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2LsEj5uWQ06UXKBr5PNXy7H0LdNBRaqTFWam-_bjc_DbnCkjfiVavBUaX38ZWwqxHNIXXWwaKBxwBRcF8aDNVLNoZSpDOLSDzm1liNePgRDszvw_mypqICv6Gh88ChVXnc49HBXcMmQ/s1600/05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2LsEj5uWQ06UXKBr5PNXy7H0LdNBRaqTFWam-_bjc_DbnCkjfiVavBUaX38ZWwqxHNIXXWwaKBxwBRcF8aDNVLNoZSpDOLSDzm1liNePgRDszvw_mypqICv6Gh88ChVXnc49HBXcMmQ/s400/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Cherub is now a pub but in former days was built by one of the town's merchants, It is generally accepted that this is oldest building in the town.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To leave a comment about a book is a bit
easier. ‘Po</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">int’ to the book title (on a PC you will get a little
hand with the first finger extended – on a tablet you use your own
finger as I am sure you know), drop down to the one labelled XX Chat
and click or tap on that.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCH7gJPaTsBwUQP1XIcOR-P4yCgRfKYLnrTEW-e9Zl-7ZwtqRlqR71JXs0Tv0NW6Z9pTW3160OcyYxTc0W5Ap6V3jOp60-SLjsxNxMQPKLzARfvixqottszRGHyHBdSDc6MC2XzQTSWb4/s1600/06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCH7gJPaTsBwUQP1XIcOR-P4yCgRfKYLnrTEW-e9Zl-7ZwtqRlqR71JXs0Tv0NW6Z9pTW3160OcyYxTc0W5Ap6V3jOp60-SLjsxNxMQPKLzARfvixqottszRGHyHBdSDc6MC2XzQTSWb4/s400/06.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fairfax Place is one of those areas which remain true to their medieval past. See below for the detail of the house the other side of the red car.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, please remember that this is
work in progress. The nine later novels from The Way We Were have yet
to have either Country or Chat pages. I am working on that and they
will go up as soon as possible.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtwonwI1jO8usI7HmiqJzruDs8gJIrJZwC465e6Kiua7thChJUvZS1O2c4AP2VXi6TGVLVi6iwowtZMlL3-0jIvLE2Ra0Ko0u9bbbG3TkJcH0S9dCpHMrUAjd2tMx1vRZoREuPfPCuJg/s1600/07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibtwonwI1jO8usI7HmiqJzruDs8gJIrJZwC465e6Kiua7thChJUvZS1O2c4AP2VXi6TGVLVi6iwowtZMlL3-0jIvLE2Ra0Ko0u9bbbG3TkJcH0S9dCpHMrUAjd2tMx1vRZoREuPfPCuJg/s400/07.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are some fine examples of decorated plaster-work in the town. This is one of my favourites.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of you already know that I made a
serious mistake earlier as regards the site address. There is really
no excuse: I was using the site Title rather than its address and how
someone with as much experience as I have could make such a silly
blunder is hard to understand. Personally I put it down to the little
men who live in the hollows under the hills of Dartmoor and who are
very cross with me because I refuse to tell people about them.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3ZNoER03d-3GawUICypAtOlq9l2iJppdQjl0wv-XhbSSrWqmgkAnFyJuj2VkLS2TxVbNb8wmphyphenhyphenuvl8JuRCSM8unsWRmvjL0ltH0rQZT5HpU_mHrzuzHDkwnPpNmJr5vuL6ckKY5CZM/s1600/08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3ZNoER03d-3GawUICypAtOlq9l2iJppdQjl0wv-XhbSSrWqmgkAnFyJuj2VkLS2TxVbNb8wmphyphenhyphenuvl8JuRCSM8unsWRmvjL0ltH0rQZT5HpU_mHrzuzHDkwnPpNmJr5vuL6ckKY5CZM/s400/08.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Accidents happen and some of the buildings on the opposite side of the road were badly damaged in a fire in June 2010. My friend and one time colleague, Sarah Perring, was there to record this scene.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The photograph was of the top end of my
favourite walking stick. These are made from blackthorn by a chap up
on Exmoor. There are a number of blackthorn bushes, near his cottage,
which are in a little dell where the wind rarely touches them. This
is important: the branches he will use need to grow straight. He
selects a main branch and bends it down so that it is at about
forty-five degrees to the ground; holding it there with a couple of
pieces of rope pegged into the ground. He removes all shoots on that
branch except those pointing up and even some of them if they are too
close together: all of these are potential walking sticks. For the
next few years he watches as these grow and any that deviate from
being upright and straight are removed, as are most of the buds that
grow on the ‘sticks’ and then, when they are the right size, he
cuts them out of the main branch and carefully carves the head which
is, of course, made from main branch wood. Finally he varnishes the
whole stick and produces something rich and gorgeous. I have no idea
how many ‘sticks’ he would be nurturing at any one time.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIGTRpQ0RDg4Drn0y0w0fYPRxKyUQ7NbFk4-uAosJRhc8F7DkiBi5Tffrmib2jBdd9FskEPx2aqbYiy3GyKgsC0uW8Pl0sragnQhKLguMeEiG1rqisZhkuhgPA2J1nbl_iZmb_h45Iw4/s1600/09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIGTRpQ0RDg4Drn0y0w0fYPRxKyUQ7NbFk4-uAosJRhc8F7DkiBi5Tffrmib2jBdd9FskEPx2aqbYiy3GyKgsC0uW8Pl0sragnQhKLguMeEiG1rqisZhkuhgPA2J1nbl_iZmb_h45Iw4/s400/09.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back to decoration. The roof of the bandstand is supported by pillars cast in Victorian times. Recently they have been painted and are looking very good indeed. We have lost the art of decoration: perhaps it is considered too expensive to be worthwhile. Possibly but I think it's a pity.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The results are beautiful sticks which
are much more comfortable to use than conventional hooked walking
sticks. The only downside is that you can’t hook them on a spare
arm if required.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tYcYKninC0QI0vfeCNVEOFoIK4TtG7zAeofZmQKyfXryGJa9R4gIqDbaBNLmBAcyoRiAJ6iHyLqXKuZdkRM0ehZR1mvJgZrC3zJczsPFqTl08xPWiqNYxqRVTfEF0CYB08pWh4GZdNY/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5tYcYKninC0QI0vfeCNVEOFoIK4TtG7zAeofZmQKyfXryGJa9R4gIqDbaBNLmBAcyoRiAJ6iHyLqXKuZdkRM0ehZR1mvJgZrC3zJczsPFqTl08xPWiqNYxqRVTfEF0CYB08pWh4GZdNY/s400/10.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In <i>Summer on the River</i>, Marcia talks about the quite tiny lifts that people have installed to take them down to the houses on the waterfront. <br />This is one such lift.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" lang="en">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s a business requiring a great deal
of patience and I have no idea how many sticks he sells but he seems
happy enough. He sells them - or perhaps I should say sold them as I
bought mine at least twenty years ago from a tobaconnist in
Barnstaple that I am sure no longer exists. Later I heard his story
from a man I met in Simonsbath.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-17778284484204182732015-07-10T11:40:00.000+01:002015-07-10T11:40:23.488+01:00The three stages of writing a blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLlyKMB_Z5bLC7600dUhMVTiS6R5U3KuGADxuCSPQhOn8LUjaZAgAVhdS6ip_qQtS4or5zaQo539YL-aJJ0IU-idqV-CocVJEacou1KqUrWEAYkGp1gjyu-YGz4PuNdqjE8RIrmW8vtI/s1600/10+Flora+1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLlyKMB_Z5bLC7600dUhMVTiS6R5U3KuGADxuCSPQhOn8LUjaZAgAVhdS6ip_qQtS4or5zaQo539YL-aJJ0IU-idqV-CocVJEacou1KqUrWEAYkGp1gjyu-YGz4PuNdqjE8RIrmW8vtI/s320/10+Flora+1237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFUFSWm87PQcSNZsEKjT9VobkI1ggdUV41b4shbJZJosweXzqTSqYOozxrDndqwvR2Updy5VOHNCvLBI0PxPr0jPl-mz6KsZ56RbVRrCip6UbLs8BmQkqZC4z8Q1nkUq5gxSXNmXmJlo/s1600/04+2007+1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFUFSWm87PQcSNZsEKjT9VobkI1ggdUV41b4shbJZJosweXzqTSqYOozxrDndqwvR2Updy5VOHNCvLBI0PxPr0jPl-mz6KsZ56RbVRrCip6UbLs8BmQkqZC4z8Q1nkUq5gxSXNmXmJlo/s320/04+2007+1275.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
One
of the problems when it comes to writing the Friday blog is that at
the moment, for obvious reasons, we are doing very little - thus
there is very little to report. To make matters worse this week the
weather has been horrid down here (and, yes, they were enjoying
wonderful sunshine and a heat wave further up country). Throughout my
life I have needed a real connection with nature to get any creative
juices I may have to start moving, albeit sluggishly, and I have
missed any such input this week. Oh well: some you win and some you
lose. This need is the theme for the pictures.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LeiPcV1Akla9jISl9k8FuYZODYllZ0rWU3Lt5qQJjVRnFKkUBewPx7d31s52Rj9xhRLTB2Fr6NXOI3kJb5EstxXzzj0hJRT9uV4LCWJU1g8WEN00J4Q8LlJmzCvn69lLAit2tjRBbmc/s1600/01+2007+1248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LeiPcV1Akla9jISl9k8FuYZODYllZ0rWU3Lt5qQJjVRnFKkUBewPx7d31s52Rj9xhRLTB2Fr6NXOI3kJb5EstxXzzj0hJRT9uV4LCWJU1g8WEN00J4Q8LlJmzCvn69lLAit2tjRBbmc/s400/01+2007+1248.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It may be something on a large scale . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_XyQIJ4jqBrrGxiCHyNa0dhRYkikkXRPkmPyBh1khRr4nHmsrJNMiP1O7NIOam5PYzJ1E251lPTw-9Rtn1-EyqcVOvq2LN2IGj0bWN-HoYgO-6ov-os_JuGXrKTOzxFKj6BM3dMamcg/s1600/02+2009+1706.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9_XyQIJ4jqBrrGxiCHyNa0dhRYkikkXRPkmPyBh1khRr4nHmsrJNMiP1O7NIOam5PYzJ1E251lPTw-9Rtn1-EyqcVOvq2LN2IGj0bWN-HoYgO-6ov-os_JuGXrKTOzxFKj6BM3dMamcg/s400/02+2009+1706.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . . or something quite small.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
That
paragraph may read oddly to those of you who know that I often write
the blog in one or other of the cafés we patronise. (Incidentally,
as soon as I typed that last word I realised that it sounds dreadful.
There is a muddle here between patronising in the sense of supporting
and in the sense of being condescending to. Anyway, I meant the word
as definition one.) The thing is that there are a number of mental
steps towards producing anything such as an article, a blog or even a
letter to a friend.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRA7EXZnPrvtwvH5snVXDOxCBkbEcxxv0HpY-3Hj6Udak5NJn8Vk4c0Cjh4-ovF292ptQmRpmQ5cq2-pen2CRtZw1naNBc5CbTlqK0sJThhkMugpmsFzKtKO93h3wG2f7MAce3LJocuQ/s1600/03+2009+1035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRA7EXZnPrvtwvH5snVXDOxCBkbEcxxv0HpY-3Hj6Udak5NJn8Vk4c0Cjh4-ovF292ptQmRpmQ5cq2-pen2CRtZw1naNBc5CbTlqK0sJThhkMugpmsFzKtKO93h3wG2f7MAce3LJocuQ/s400/03+2009+1035.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something on the coast . . .<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusEV2PCOpxtuvqYEReYfaXR9FOgrzN8xOpXICtPrNX8gErBg_cHvkrAh2GCfLWUhZ0EKKdi10fkUscL1MTDVz_WbuDcaez3fJnddkqdxlJX5E_hvr9VU7_OaysOQ6qGevd14zqMTVTxk/s1600/04+2007+1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusEV2PCOpxtuvqYEReYfaXR9FOgrzN8xOpXICtPrNX8gErBg_cHvkrAh2GCfLWUhZ0EKKdi10fkUscL1MTDVz_WbuDcaez3fJnddkqdxlJX5E_hvr9VU7_OaysOQ6qGevd14zqMTVTxk/s400/04+2007+1275.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . . or something inland.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The
first step is to create a mental space in which words can jumble
around together, make connections and begin to make sense of what you
want to say. This is why there are times when people talking to you
at the wrong moment can be so incredibly irritating – without
realising it they are making this step very much harder.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0y9O5NVks7dzaD3euPGxsCcWWYIiqDMxLmElK9r3QeadQiiQUIGaxbTpJHKeMv5JMuS3HquoOhI7RHfBgk9glGTQIUK_RFP61994gEPUqKbpzhvaCIPlJu-5LZ2pwGyso_s5dKUWlo/s1600/05+Flora+1132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiww0y9O5NVks7dzaD3euPGxsCcWWYIiqDMxLmElK9r3QeadQiiQUIGaxbTpJHKeMv5JMuS3HquoOhI7RHfBgk9glGTQIUK_RFP61994gEPUqKbpzhvaCIPlJu-5LZ2pwGyso_s5dKUWlo/s400/05+Flora+1132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something wild . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2MoQYuWvQunPTEdDvSBSjQgR451xukizXuiqNNnLXF8j-eaxUOIG_F90PTugHbrCGOueiPB6BdPBSuKKLSg4Rh75LhG8QMv3BQ_81WGBk3VV1XKluItqrXV72UC4xpTxpZt264-VGXg/s1600/IMG_3991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2MoQYuWvQunPTEdDvSBSjQgR451xukizXuiqNNnLXF8j-eaxUOIG_F90PTugHbrCGOueiPB6BdPBSuKKLSg4Rh75LhG8QMv3BQ_81WGBk3VV1XKluItqrXV72UC4xpTxpZt264-VGXg/s400/IMG_3991.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . . or something cultivated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Hopefully
during step one some sort of theme will present itself and the time
has come to move on to step two. This is what I would describe as
‘the deep brood step’ when you investigate the various directions
in which you can go, try to decide what will be important and what
will not and the order in which those selected should be written.
This is usually completely mental – at least for me. No notes and
yet, when I have finished, I will have explored every strand to the
very end even if I am not sure which (if any) will live to see the
light of day. Quite often this takes place (in part at least for it
is a step often broken into a number of ‘steplets’) in the
middle of the night.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRccYK3k1ljbheRpXEAMxYUw69jxaUtUKRVdgXXdAAoUE66lQ5pnINAdMQ6xsd8MIL9LQvF6rJ_svidjTfdGOY6UCPnkw91Z-AMbL0uZWvD2qSE4vbMvw4Tvfacfon4am4KTn7adeAe7w/s1600/07+2006+1028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRccYK3k1ljbheRpXEAMxYUw69jxaUtUKRVdgXXdAAoUE66lQ5pnINAdMQ6xsd8MIL9LQvF6rJ_svidjTfdGOY6UCPnkw91Z-AMbL0uZWvD2qSE4vbMvw4Tvfacfon4am4KTn7adeAe7w/s400/07+2006+1028.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere bleak . . .</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccZNx1s15hYvAmk64iC9AcbiOe2woMYijeqw_p_jv_ai0d9V5XA7wfY4Bg1tQc3tgEFhDtp5yL9d6NwlSFanQ7p_O9okgRazCeeGc0_veO0UEwTnq2Js2QS0hibrofmYszARi0NRgJ1Q/s1600/08+2013+2344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgccZNx1s15hYvAmk64iC9AcbiOe2woMYijeqw_p_jv_ai0d9V5XA7wfY4Bg1tQc3tgEFhDtp5yL9d6NwlSFanQ7p_O9okgRazCeeGc0_veO0UEwTnq2Js2QS0hibrofmYszARi0NRgJ1Q/s400/08+2013+2344.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . . or warm and lush.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Now
we settle down to write. A bit of buzz, things going on to give out
some energy: I’m not sure what it is and it could be quite mundane
but you do need something to get you started. When you are actually
writing you do not want to be interrupted – you very seriously do
not want that. Most of the time there will be a certain phrase that
you are holding on to in your head until your fingers have caught up
and it is written. Until then it is in great peril. The wrong word at
the wrong time and it will be lost – and probably lost for ever.
So, no interruptions means you have a choice. Bury yourself in your
study or work in one of the cafés where you know people will leave
you alone – partly because I am sure there is a good deal in my
body language that says ‘do not interrupt’ (I have been told that
when I am writing I look very unapproachable) and partly because I
am sure that people are terrified that if they do talk to you you
will bore the pants off them.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpPZjam3aClZssUQHd4AYIqmbisso9V7JfXNMiUooRpqK3cqkHcqA57BPsjkcuqPkwco4Pc4EXZKMe303_XlZgXWFblcNYHojozgg1KEXOxzkm61cdi1fVahxixLsqv-1cN0srktk5xs/s1600/09+26.016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpPZjam3aClZssUQHd4AYIqmbisso9V7JfXNMiUooRpqK3cqkHcqA57BPsjkcuqPkwco4Pc4EXZKMe303_XlZgXWFblcNYHojozgg1KEXOxzkm61cdi1fVahxixLsqv-1cN0srktk5xs/s400/09+26.016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something big and bold . . .<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GMsq7S_2V3H27ecJ-snuOnQfgu0K3s2tztGt8zM2SWEO8THkFWLuGspWY5Ptef5MT8MKOq1fpKxGmBQbeFQU6mAqQrf5cKhyphenhyphen7Fy9j3xvQ1mJnNbQ6xTjK_ZUpmXqR_FSRpu1QQYGq6M/s1600/10+Flora+1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3GMsq7S_2V3H27ecJ-snuOnQfgu0K3s2tztGt8zM2SWEO8THkFWLuGspWY5Ptef5MT8MKOq1fpKxGmBQbeFQU6mAqQrf5cKhyphenhyphen7Fy9j3xvQ1mJnNbQ6xTjK_ZUpmXqR_FSRpu1QQYGq6M/s400/10+Flora+1237.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">. . . or small and shy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
If
the last sentence puzzles you I would say that Totnes is a great
place for people who want to be writers and these are only too
pleased to have someone stop and ask them what they are writing. Once
the question has been posed the flood gates tend to open and the poor
questioner is now a captive audience for however long it takes. </div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
This
week steps one and two were taken in bed – step three in my study
while (oh the irony of the situation) Marcia is sitting in Totnes
outside Seeds and enjoying a spot of mid-morning coffee in the
sunshine. This I know as she has just sent me a text to tell me so.
Mind you, this is a reward for doing the shopping so it would be
churlish to complain.</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6b1J-0VUmk89T2Uzbgcrbr6a1_6c2l2DmJAlX5OkYC0ZRCIxjg5xaVlj1iz2xL3O0BHWgHbj1oImXOb2hM9CCwRmia8tlhHqfspRsehmHOLtMBwUOjXkGYlCLolyJhCOj8EXFMvsjxM/s1600/IMG_3995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX6b1J-0VUmk89T2Uzbgcrbr6a1_6c2l2DmJAlX5OkYC0ZRCIxjg5xaVlj1iz2xL3O0BHWgHbj1oImXOb2hM9CCwRmia8tlhHqfspRsehmHOLtMBwUOjXkGYlCLolyJhCOj8EXFMvsjxM/s400/IMG_3995.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humour me. What do think this is?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Finally,
I love reading your comments (both here and on Facebook) and emails.
Most days I receive over a hundred emails and it is with deep regret
that I can’t answer them all. As time goes on I spend more and more
time asleep and I really can’t keep up but please don’t stop. I
find them very encouraging and a great source of strength so many,
many thanks to you all. I will, of course, answer as many as I can.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-43283363158525962872015-07-03T11:38:00.000+01:002015-07-05T10:04:11.372+01:00It just so happened . . .<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the last few
months I have read – a lot. Thanks to my rotten sight these are all
ebooks (mainly Kindle) and I have two bits of equipment on which I
read: an Acer Iconiatab and a much smaller and lighter Nexus. The
Acer does all sorts of things, most important of which is that I
usually write this blog on it – simply because it is reasonably
portable and has a full size on-screen keyboard which means I can
pound away at my usual breakneck speed. Then I email it to my PC as
an attachment.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZdV4oSb9XiPURq4ceCkSSS01ZHPcOAcfamWTAksOfKAg5CS7g_FXvfllqSDcgTrNm8GVjbrvpUJCOcC_6UpD9lcJPTV-mkUrL4WMtIuF6A_oqBtWhZBuXZkCcExRlvt1x8ev3iniu9E/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZdV4oSb9XiPURq4ceCkSSS01ZHPcOAcfamWTAksOfKAg5CS7g_FXvfllqSDcgTrNm8GVjbrvpUJCOcC_6UpD9lcJPTV-mkUrL4WMtIuF6A_oqBtWhZBuXZkCcExRlvt1x8ev3iniu9E/s400/1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I can think of no sensible way of illustrating these random thoughts, I thought I would start with this picture of Marcia standing beside one of the old and much distorted trees on the Dartington Hall Estate.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Early on I decided that
I would have something pretty serious on the Acer and something light
and undemanding on the Nexus for last thing at night. As of today, it
is </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Towers of Silence</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by Paul Scott and some of the French
Foreign Legion yarns by P C Wren. It was the latter (and especially
the three Geste stories) which raised in my mind this week's literary
question: what should be the maximum number of coincidences allowed
in a novel?</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIISE6BiZcZbW55Mdy2iBc3v5_0LtaqLb-F-9A6W20OrMqP0M5sXXT7BvnMPdCaGL7UuGcq7kT1kdk2mUtUdqZjS8lYWKGQm1ahleIw1bp7FqkwljZm8IUzo76Unu5bWYx7v17lhUXl8/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIISE6BiZcZbW55Mdy2iBc3v5_0LtaqLb-F-9A6W20OrMqP0M5sXXT7BvnMPdCaGL7UuGcq7kT1kdk2mUtUdqZjS8lYWKGQm1ahleIw1bp7FqkwljZm8IUzo76Unu5bWYx7v17lhUXl8/s400/2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then, simply because the next book which is <i>Summer on the River</i> is set in Dartmouth, I thought we would look at some odd aspects of the town. Hopefully, many copies will leave this shop on publication day: August 28th.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">P C Wren overdoes it to
the extent that some of the stories are, frankly, risible. However,
not everything that at first looks like a coincidence is one. If you
cast your mind back to </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Sea Garden</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, you could say that it
was unlikely that Joss would be related to the family on the Tamar.
Actually this was quite reasonable. The only true coincidence in that
book was that the daughter of one naval family should be a highly
talented artist and that David happened to have married a one-time
naval wife. After that it would have been surprising if she had not
come across her relatives in the small naval circle to be found
around port of Plymouth.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx4bz9-naChB1peWAGzy_8UOr1ZWigiqyo1y7gCbvl48GcEbBG-lPWQsDt9yz6nvEziDLCqWbfK4JSsknXKx317xLaSrXXwh6AeCSkYUaTzxs3j9FEArJ2GGomte8RAOHVyiMiqsrjgs/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOx4bz9-naChB1peWAGzy_8UOr1ZWigiqyo1y7gCbvl48GcEbBG-lPWQsDt9yz6nvEziDLCqWbfK4JSsknXKx317xLaSrXXwh6AeCSkYUaTzxs3j9FEArJ2GGomte8RAOHVyiMiqsrjgs/s400/3.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of the characters visit Alf Resco which is just down the hill from the two houses in which they live. (Photo Sarah Perring)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course some books
spring out of a coincidence. Had Polly not decided to visit her
hairdresser, one also patronised by Cassandra, and to do so at the
same time, none of the events later recorded in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thea’s Parrot</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
would have happened. But then, if I had not been leaning on the gate
outside the old Victorian House in which I had my office in
Kingsbridge when a certain Marcia was looking to carry out some
interviews for the market research company for which she worked . . .</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lydZKlCAdiOeUFEBxLSWciCma4WehHvY7guXm0uqvDrWjo41BRexvmbsjiZL5BuIHuqTguuvNdIbG5Y71eqdcWdieQHCmLoKmvHwmYz3Bak07NG88lxiHUArAahIuB2yH4Or1nx7uiU/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lydZKlCAdiOeUFEBxLSWciCma4WehHvY7guXm0uqvDrWjo41BRexvmbsjiZL5BuIHuqTguuvNdIbG5Y71eqdcWdieQHCmLoKmvHwmYz3Bak07NG88lxiHUArAahIuB2yH4Or1nx7uiU/s400/5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tsK0ZXmvW17FT4_EIQso9O1P2KbQXGcHJ4XWt6amhslds4wCn0HZ2QPGkT6xcaBfzVwTeUjzX8sSpuFe4TFaQNZHTOu6fIYMw6l4ySpD9fRsqqMCdjhMHcJIB6YrT9jyeOXFAHWh9hE/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tsK0ZXmvW17FT4_EIQso9O1P2KbQXGcHJ4XWt6amhslds4wCn0HZ2QPGkT6xcaBfzVwTeUjzX8sSpuFe4TFaQNZHTOu6fIYMw6l4ySpD9fRsqqMCdjhMHcJIB6YrT9jyeOXFAHWh9hE/s400/4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dartmouth is full of steps. I can't remember how many it was from the level part of the town to the family house up on Mount Boone but it was well over a hundred. Not great fun when carrying heavy shopping.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think we should allow
a few coincidences but they should not be overdone. Nor – another
problem with P C Wren – should characters be able to escape from
seemingly impossible situations. Marcia and I call this the ‘with
one bound he was free’ syndrome. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd-xQVOIr3jou_8NwPazu8tHc0RAMCnBF84wl96Ldz9L2XH3bdwSEobvODXuTMEid4rB5nKEUlVAXH_oXshkH5eHTWMQsu3MI5lAEJb1Jdtknjb9U_amGaFDOiFDqXTWJ_YX-etmSc8w/s1600/Devon+1896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd-xQVOIr3jou_8NwPazu8tHc0RAMCnBF84wl96Ldz9L2XH3bdwSEobvODXuTMEid4rB5nKEUlVAXH_oXshkH5eHTWMQsu3MI5lAEJb1Jdtknjb9U_amGaFDOiFDqXTWJ_YX-etmSc8w/s400/Devon+1896.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In odd corners you will find narrow lanes . . .</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One could equally well level that
criticism against Buchan and many other writers of adventure stories
and thrillers. So often these scenes are the result of the villain
doing something profoundly stupid – at least if the intention is to
achieve whatever end he – or she, of course – seems to have in
mind. When he wrote </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mr Standfast</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, Buchan falls into this trap.
Why, oh why, did Ivery leave Hanney trapped in the cellar at the Pink
Chalet instead of simply shooting him. After all, Ivery had Mary and
the information he wished to pass on to the Germans and his reason
for keeping Hannay alive was very unconvincing. Almost inevitably
‘with one bound Hanney was free’ and Ivery’s plans in ruins.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQc7DBuRqUaXs4LN1nqvqTJrqA6r6QDt2MdlZOH_F6XomsvYIm-4FTma4ZuSzZsC0oN_SeqmYdTj4QSJISwUNM4H9WNzfMSUKRi_SgLOXT2QlHUKONmBNpt76hQOyt3J5GontxXMEKPs/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaQc7DBuRqUaXs4LN1nqvqTJrqA6r6QDt2MdlZOH_F6XomsvYIm-4FTma4ZuSzZsC0oN_SeqmYdTj4QSJISwUNM4H9WNzfMSUKRi_SgLOXT2QlHUKONmBNpt76hQOyt3J5GontxXMEKPs/s400/7.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. . . such as Bayards Hill which links South Town, and so the Merchant's House and the Boat House, to Bayards Cove, the Dartmouth Arms and Alf Rescos. It was hurrying up this hill that made Claude feel a bit odd - but that is another story.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One is reminded of that
scene in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Tuco (the ugly) is lying in a
bath of soapy water and Elam (a man he has wounded and, as a result, has only one arm) comes to kill him. Elam is busy explaining that he is seeking revenge when Tuco lifts a gun out of the suds and fires. ‘When you have to shoot,’ he says, ‘shoot! Don't talk’. Good advice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may be interested to know that this is the 200th blog in this format. Another eight and it will be four years since I switched from the blog on the web site.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-74917105503622266272015-06-26T12:23:00.000+01:002015-06-26T12:23:57.634+01:00A day best forgotten<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I mentioned
that not all trips were fun and there were a few disasters. One of
the most dramatic happened when we were up on Exmoor. As usual we had
the camper van and we were staying at our cottage near Wheddon Cross.
What did we do that morning? I am afraid I simply can't remember –
later events expunged it from my memory. You can be fairly certain
there was a definite purpose (simply because there nearly always was:
it has never been in our natures to meander about simply to enjoy the
views, well, not very often). Anyway it was shortly after we had
stopped somewhere for lunch that we found ourselves driving west
through the grounds of <a href="http://leeabbey.org.uk/" target="_blank">Lee Abbey</a> (a retreat house in a spectacular
setting a few miles west of the Valley of the Rocks). As you approach
the western boundary of the abbey grounds, the lane drops down and,
at the bottom, there is a drive with a large splay on the right
whilst ahead the lane narrows and then starts to climb up quite
steeply, passing a lodge on the left.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were about level
with the lodge when there was a really horrible noise from the engine
and we jolted to a halt. Clearly we couldn't stay where we were –
we were blocking the road – so I put her into neutral and allowed
the slope to take us back into that large splay where I could stop
without being in anyone’s way. Naturally there was no mobile
telephone signal at that point – signals in this part of the world
are patchy at best and it would have been too much to hope for. This,
of course, posed a problem.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Shortly afterwards, a
delivery man came down the lane from the west and I was able to stop
him and he agreed to give me a lift into Lynton (now about two miles
away). Leaving Marcia and Max I set off with him and, once there,
began by telephoning the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) of which I had
been a member since my early twenties. It was not easy explaining
where the van was but they eventually found the place on the map and
arranged for a pick-up truck to meet me there. Next was to find a
taxi to take me back to the van and then drive Marcia and Max to the
cottage where they would have to wait for me – and none of us had
any idea as to how long that would be.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I settled down to wait
– and wait. Having no signal there was no way I could check on
progress and it was ages before a pick-up truck arrived
from Barnstaple. The driver was, to put it mildly, fraught. He had
had a horrible journey. Clearly he was not used to driving that truck
through these narrow lanes and the whole experience was really too
much for him. To make matters worse he had twice lost his way and on
one of those excursions had driven down a lane that just petered out
and he had no choice but to reverse back to the road he should taken.
He said that was about two miles but he may have been exaggerating.
He was most unhappy but cheered up when I was able to brew up some
coffee for him – there are advantages in being broken down in a
camper van.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrExRcjRM5o3nBUrDgHb3mfhhfPzA6DdtNTxDApbjZNhcQ_cHRYdOa62CfOey2WkxLi8IgpGFARq9xb98fXlZeDDkr4iL1ForWCLrHrxKv4KjZelrHj5AmeIykO06-1byLlwkqyMcCWVY/s1600/01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrExRcjRM5o3nBUrDgHb3mfhhfPzA6DdtNTxDApbjZNhcQ_cHRYdOa62CfOey2WkxLi8IgpGFARq9xb98fXlZeDDkr4iL1ForWCLrHrxKv4KjZelrHj5AmeIykO06-1byLlwkqyMcCWVY/s400/01.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lane through the Valley of the Rocks looking towards Lynon.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He flatly refused to
return up the lane down which he had come and to be honest, I
couldn't blame him. So it was into Lynton and from there to
Barnstable (about twenty miles) before heading south for a village
called Northlew (about thirty miles if we had taken the shortest route but it was probably well over forty coming the way we did) where the garage we used was.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously the way we came would
not have been my choice but it seemed sensible to let him decide
which route to follow. I suppose I felt it was best if he took
responsibility – it would have been very difficult if we had come
unstuck while following my directions. Eventually (that part of the
journey took over two hours) we arrived at the garage, which was
then closed. It seemed this was a worry too and it was only after I
signed a disclaimer to the effect that I took full responsibility no
matter what that he agreed to unload the van in the yard in front of
the workshop.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had decided that I
would try and get him to run me home (a matter of some five miles)
and was expecting a bit of resistance but I was pleasantly surprised
– he did so with no argument although as we turned into the lane
leading down to the house he said, ‘These lanes are even worse than
those on Exmoor’. I felt that was a bit unfair – they are almost
exactly the same in terms of width (or lack of it), gradients (steep)
and the habit of winding seemingly without reason as if any straight
stretch of more than a few hundred yards was an evil to be avoided at
all costs.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduxKC5r5j3hu0XqShLQ1_EG2chf3lzYSG26C4kWN6vZ7MugAjVUk6BJMAMZzEjoqCTn2BStp8rdOG2DUYjTSokL9xmcvzbd_da4cirN1GIiFLv6fCnBTlpigkuX6iAhF4WO1bk2o_PNI/s1600/02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduxKC5r5j3hu0XqShLQ1_EG2chf3lzYSG26C4kWN6vZ7MugAjVUk6BJMAMZzEjoqCTn2BStp8rdOG2DUYjTSokL9xmcvzbd_da4cirN1GIiFLv6fCnBTlpigkuX6iAhF4WO1bk2o_PNI/s400/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Exe Valley in autumn.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then all that remained
was for me to get into the Volvo and drive back to the cottage. Being
on my own I took the quickest route to the A30 (known thereabouts as
the Devon Express Way which is fair enough as it is a fast dual
carriageway which links onto the M6 motorway at Exeter) then up the
M6 to the spur that links the motorway to Tiverton. I managed to make
the roundabout at the end of the spur in under the hour (driving at
speeds that Marcia would not have liked) and then it was turn right
and take the road up the Exe valley. No point in rushing, it's a good
road but winds a lot so the best thing is to settle down and enjoy
the fabulous scenery. Even so, I managed to pull up outside the
cottage at about eight in the evening after a total journey time from
door-to-door of under an hour and a half for the ninety-three mile
trip which was the quickest ever. I was extremely pleased to collapse
on the sofa while Marcia rustled up some supper and Max sat beside me
with his head on my thigh and a deeply compassionate look in his
eyes.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not a good day - nor
one easily forgotten.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMeaM_4YegSS7Rs6hZMgeQUNzSu3S0eetg1tKDqqi2lzFhLB4Telft_IlBJjRjgV7KgCRFruvE462wy0ZIAzqML6pmfTmJHC67drbtnJ_jwkAe5cVyO0fXL5WgejEY3YsFrvW8Wmvr6c/s400/03.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This photo has nothing to do with that day but I rather like it. It was taken looking out of the sitting room window in our cottage just before sunset on a cold and wintry day.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRMeaM_4YegSS7Rs6hZMgeQUNzSu3S0eetg1tKDqqi2lzFhLB4Telft_IlBJjRjgV7KgCRFruvE462wy0ZIAzqML6pmfTmJHC67drbtnJ_jwkAe5cVyO0fXL5WgejEY3YsFrvW8Wmvr6c/s1600/03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-56236956001076745482015-06-19T11:51:00.003+01:002015-06-19T11:51:55.528+01:00Time for a face lift<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I expect you all
suspected, we had a bit of a crisis last week. Luckily I wrote the
blog on Thursday - as I usually do. However I had not selected and
processed the pictures. If I had I would have scheduled the blog to
be posted on the Friday morning. What I didn't know was that early
Friday morning I was to hit the buffers as my iron levels suddenly
dropped – again. Nobody seems to be able to explain why this
happens but when it does I find myself stuck in bed. It is all rather
horrid. What is really odd is that I don't feel it coming. All seems
to be well and then, completely out of the blue, it hits yet again.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJv38ylQHZPZFegjvQycyOqT84CPmAYx13g8n-maaM2pnFclDyN6G9SsLeEV2lwctXJ9eqGBucHapkH3xDWpuatzs1Za2QD6aohKTpiq_DU-LsWI729rKt3P0WUO8cdTVHSRMiMGyhoE/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGJv38ylQHZPZFegjvQycyOqT84CPmAYx13g8n-maaM2pnFclDyN6G9SsLeEV2lwctXJ9eqGBucHapkH3xDWpuatzs1Za2QD6aohKTpiq_DU-LsWI729rKt3P0WUO8cdTVHSRMiMGyhoE/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway (and sorry about
this), during the day I forgot all about the blog – the penny fell
in the evening. When it did I was feeling a bit better so managed to
put some photos – not very brilliant ones I’m afraid – with it
and post it, just, on Friday. I was surprisingly pleased that I had
not missed a week. Childish, really.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-VQ1gqVJLHSvrR8sZmKwuug62L9ILLH2K5BjFT6eRip4cAdNHlIezypzxuGQgFQ2OhYuxxqtVb2O4YuBS_ygPi80V3SWHX8uxc36hNiv_mONWm7jqNrGbxxZSOie4fLCpucYX3FvrnY/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn-VQ1gqVJLHSvrR8sZmKwuug62L9ILLH2K5BjFT6eRip4cAdNHlIezypzxuGQgFQ2OhYuxxqtVb2O4YuBS_ygPi80V3SWHX8uxc36hNiv_mONWm7jqNrGbxxZSOie4fLCpucYX3FvrnY/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since then I have had
more tests and another iron infusion. My doctor – a really nice
guy, by the way – has decided that in future I should have a
regular monthly check up to try and stop me falling off the cliff, if
you see what I mean.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_a3SNJ-FA_oyvbZnHwS_uIUPKZ3UYYdRiPPLgJ-SeywIwkCqqbJaRhzMkRTwFaqOeiysy6eWg-yNASKGjRss5xSNTdnxt3HYWkbJ6Rs8KU-xHpbgrzTA5IL8ffrTNWXVnjn50vnk0fQ/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_a3SNJ-FA_oyvbZnHwS_uIUPKZ3UYYdRiPPLgJ-SeywIwkCqqbJaRhzMkRTwFaqOeiysy6eWg-yNASKGjRss5xSNTdnxt3HYWkbJ6Rs8KU-xHpbgrzTA5IL8ffrTNWXVnjn50vnk0fQ/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After four days in bed,
it was time to go and see something of the world. Marcia had to go
down to Dartmouth so I went along for the ride although I didn't get
out of the car. Imagine my surprise when I saw that the George and
Dragon – the public house that was run by an uncle and aunt and in
which my mother and I spent most of the war years – father being
abroad – was undergoing what looks like a major face lift.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cHsxJX6TZswVZjI2qD4fLHh_IE2K5vkGfvYPnQaZ08msMXigMCHQQMchSQvIqDLaGz1q24BcDpy3xM1UMp5kBUUnCO3TuIxTcnxxnDLJyYp73iLJwpfCGUb1cype8k135NYmX8GCIzw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9cHsxJX6TZswVZjI2qD4fLHh_IE2K5vkGfvYPnQaZ08msMXigMCHQQMchSQvIqDLaGz1q24BcDpy3xM1UMp5kBUUnCO3TuIxTcnxxnDLJyYp73iLJwpfCGUb1cype8k135NYmX8GCIzw/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In those days the
entrance was round the back in Silver Street and the bit this side
was our back yard. It was enclosed by a high wall – you can see the
remains of that to the right of the hoardings – in which there were
a pair of large gates with a small wicket gate. Anyway, what really
made me talk about this is that someone has drawn some rather jolly
pictures on that hoarding, as you can see, which reinforce the family
connection, Philips were an important employer and the biggest
shipbuilding yard in the town. A number of relatives worked there
including my grandfather, a couple of uncles (one being the son of
the landlord of this pub who married one of my mother’s sisters)
and my mother who ran the accounts office for some years. All these
pictures are of craft (except for the paddle steamer) built by
Philips.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CyjcOdZ-PJIjsTke2kK177wgLixcFRvi7gVFosjaCds0uB11DtOH0kh5fSqRpyJNgS2I_9cmgEtzvYtd1YEek58-AyO37C0EK7VhxJs1yIt3b0ZNN8A6ySELY4N-40QgDFfuxslYLB0/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9CyjcOdZ-PJIjsTke2kK177wgLixcFRvi7gVFosjaCds0uB11DtOH0kh5fSqRpyJNgS2I_9cmgEtzvYtd1YEek58-AyO37C0EK7VhxJs1yIt3b0ZNN8A6ySELY4N-40QgDFfuxslYLB0/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, the
'Companion' has been progressing albeit more slowly than I had hoped.
There are now pages up for <i>The Sea Garden a</i>nd <i>The Christmas
Angel</i>. Matters are a bit more difficult now – I had already
prepared notes for the earlier books but not for those two or the
ones still to be dealt with. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thus the need to consult what materials
we have – our diaries, my photos (thanks to the ‘date taken’
tag) and Marcia’s notebooks plus, of course, many discussions
starting with, ‘can you remember that day when we . . . ?’</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwdqGeZmo0xKJwMinAX5Pt6iSWjn2B5xyfR0AibXiILujPMiWjyfmFrMZgW3uovz_zzkr-KFTUQnRffinBbbnhep0-N-ujyJbqJIzGf19mgSWNAUn2lebqEJadoZUvbAQ1BxTLUo9LVE/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwdqGeZmo0xKJwMinAX5Pt6iSWjn2B5xyfR0AibXiILujPMiWjyfmFrMZgW3uovz_zzkr-KFTUQnRffinBbbnhep0-N-ujyJbqJIzGf19mgSWNAUn2lebqEJadoZUvbAQ1BxTLUo9LVE/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually it has been
great looking back. There were plenty of disasters along the way but
what we remember most is the laughter and fun that we had.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-78018385606578750872015-06-12T19:52:00.001+01:002015-06-12T20:04:17.523+01:00We visit Two Bridges and Princetown<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4kmKHkqeSavKqTB3W9pG7qI_pUqYdWbR9lFzDqPYvYBa0BvmK8aR7I2bLRKO07KWAopaAIXrAZzr8MrLpubSrpU9XPSGwCekpbWCvS956xAnRKHL5uRAwy_9cg4J3MrJhgyns1BCSTo/s1600/2013+1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4kmKHkqeSavKqTB3W9pG7qI_pUqYdWbR9lFzDqPYvYBa0BvmK8aR7I2bLRKO07KWAopaAIXrAZzr8MrLpubSrpU9XPSGwCekpbWCvS956xAnRKHL5uRAwy_9cg4J3MrJhgyns1BCSTo/s400/2013+1911.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The geese at Two Bridges Hotel dozing in the sunshine.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marcia and I crossed
the moor on Tuesday to meet a friend at Two Bridges near Princetown.
This is where the infamous Dartmoor was built in the early 1800's to
house not criminals but French prisoners of war. To add insult to
injury, it was built <b>BY</b> the French prisoners of war.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Until recently there
was an embargo on taking photographs of the prison without prior
permission. I am not sure how rigidly this was enforced but on a
couple of occasions I did see two prison officers arrive in one of
their vans to accost people taking pictures and on one of those one
of them removed the film from the camera before handing it back and
driving off.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Getting permission was
not difficult but rather complex and you had to specify make and
number of your vehicle, time and date of your proposed visit and the
reason why you wanted to take the photographs. Anyway, I applied and
received a letter giving me permission and telling me to report to
the prison gatehouse before I took any pictures. The guy to whom I
reported seemed totally disinterested and so we set off.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsM-G2PSSxF4wuILUy78zkDqEdBQPQx8MW9qAMWiV4-a-kD0Bf7-qpyhzR4pkHIU79iWG_3sy6aIUl4iL8yffw9ctrO5Zt7hmTiJ-GKZ_7oauVFUEPtXh0nH9GYO3_k5CPwe-CCdG0K4/s1600/IMG_3868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsM-G2PSSxF4wuILUy78zkDqEdBQPQx8MW9qAMWiV4-a-kD0Bf7-qpyhzR4pkHIU79iWG_3sy6aIUl4iL8yffw9ctrO5Zt7hmTiJ-GKZ_7oauVFUEPtXh0nH9GYO3_k5CPwe-CCdG0K4/s400/IMG_3868.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This was the only person at all interested in what I was doing.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The weather on the moor
changes rapidly and, as it happened, visibility on that day at that
time was terrible. I still have the photos but they really are
useless. I understand that these regulations have been relaxed
(probably because in those days prisoners worked outside the prison
on the prison farm which no longer happens). Anyway, after we left
the hotel we drove anti-clockwise around the prison and Princetown so
that I could take photos as we drove along. Quite pleased with the
results, as you can see, and now I have what I wanted to put up on TP
Country on the Companion. Won't go up until I revisit that page which
won't happen until I have the basics up on all the other pages.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugKAbm9t_Sq3llhIpbTvJetCyJCug_FHjGLkIpk-XP1l4VTNon3BRFSZl4NSTw2axwWQOaMjSi79qunhyZk0uW_aZ5tYJnStyDZftpexrO6IGojupKb00l6r6144bVlfoFXgL6mVpMSI/s1600/IMG_3870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgugKAbm9t_Sq3llhIpbTvJetCyJCug_FHjGLkIpk-XP1l4VTNon3BRFSZl4NSTw2axwWQOaMjSi79qunhyZk0uW_aZ5tYJnStyDZftpexrO6IGojupKb00l6r6144bVlfoFXgL6mVpMSI/s400/IMG_3870.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dartmoor Prison (just 'The Moor' if you are an inmate).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, back in the
days when we had the cottage up on Exmoor, after we had carried out
whatever trips we needed to make (some for Marcia to brood and listen
– some for me to take photographs) we would return back to the
cottage where Marcia needed no equipment as she would be jotting
things down in one of her notebooks but never writing. I am not sure
why that was but throughout that period she was never tempted to
write while we up there. I suspect it was because she did not have
around her the various references – books and photographs – that
she had in her study.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I, on the other hand,
hate leaving something I am writing for more than a single night. So
I installed an HP Lenova Thinkpad in the cottage and would put
whatever I was working on onto a memory stick and take that with me.
Judging by the state of the keys on that laptop now I did quite a lot
of work up there – the ones that are most used are highly polished.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, under the
present circumstances, as I am sure you will understand, Marcia and I
tend to spend as much time as we can together while leaving each the
space we both need. So it is that I decided I would rather write the
Companion on a laptop in the sitting room (which is open plan to
Marcia's study) than up in my study and, by the same token, sort
through my photo 'files as required for the Companion's 'Country'
pages. So, for the first time since selling the cottage I dug the old
laptop out of store and booted it up.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is something
wrong with the poor old thing and I have no idea what but it wouldn't
do what I wanted it to. Then I learned that a tiny computer outfit,
Leaf-Tech Ltd, in South Brent had something that sounded really good.
So it was that on the way back, having exchanged emails with him
while we were in the Two Bridges, we called in and met the delightful
Jake Hardy who owns the firm and bought a new one. Writing this blog
on that now and very pleased with it.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Basically the firm buys
computers from leasing companies, refurbishes them and then sells
them at incredibly competitive prices. We all know that big companies
tend to lease equipment for eighteen months and then change
everything for new even though much of it has seen hardly any use.
Firms such as Jake's buy them and recycle them. This is so much
better than just throwing them away that those of us who do not need
the latest should do all they can to support them. Incidentally, you
do not have to live in South Devon to benefit from what is on offer –
Leaf-Tech sells over the internet and to customers world wide. <a href="http://leaf-tech.co.uk/" target="_blank">Clickhere</a> for their web site. Why the plug? Well, I didn't want to see the
Lenova thrown on the scrap heap and Jake offered to do what he could
to make it work and then to donate it to the South Brent Community
Centre where, as you may remember, Marcia opened the Community
Library a couple of years ago. I felt such a gesture called for a
thank you.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSBRHQyRxJB1wG9LfZK5QX0c1jcLMgokdv_JBoBCabLpOgGv75CPGpB5grnTKf6-7PWxMhKsyAnMA80YMxb1DYVSET-_QxKdzlWBRMRQr3V8N-Vm6S4BEyFFbPjA7lyUeeG6D6F1GS3c/s400/IMG_3828.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After we arrived back home, we had a visitor. He's rather nice and lives just up the road from us.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSBRHQyRxJB1wG9LfZK5QX0c1jcLMgokdv_JBoBCabLpOgGv75CPGpB5grnTKf6-7PWxMhKsyAnMA80YMxb1DYVSET-_QxKdzlWBRMRQr3V8N-Vm6S4BEyFFbPjA7lyUeeG6D6F1GS3c/s1600/IMG_3828.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-68861902695169845782015-06-05T11:44:00.002+01:002015-06-06T12:03:10.221+01:00Companionship and the Companion<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The time has come to think about Marcia's position
at the moment. We are coping because we are working as a team. We
have discussed in detail how we should move forward and we have found
there is little disagreement on the basics. I have signed – in
front of my doctor who was responsible for witnessing that I am me
and that I was in sound mind at the time – a form on which, amongst
other matters, I state that I do not wish to be admitted into a
hospital when my condition deteriorates. This form is most important.
Without it Marcia could be deemed to have acted without due care and
attention if something happened that would normally result in a quick
call to the emergency services. Were that to be the case, she would
then face a criminal prosecution. Now she is covered because she
would be carrying out my wishes and both she and my doctor can stand
witness to that.
</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KOuMcux8s323EFawPQHkwQN8PHzAECqsvJll3CAzIJJili1Sp0tkUG_23aUFEh3XoE_-PW8eHV1bobgRKQMeJ6q0MtS8NChDSmvR-ua9L2qu6t-DehZDGWt8PhkrXZVI26TxKCKJWbQ/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0KOuMcux8s323EFawPQHkwQN8PHzAECqsvJll3CAzIJJili1Sp0tkUG_23aUFEh3XoE_-PW8eHV1bobgRKQMeJ6q0MtS8NChDSmvR-ua9L2qu6t-DehZDGWt8PhkrXZVI26TxKCKJWbQ/s400/001.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The garden is full of adult birds feeding their young.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, it still doesn't quite let poor old Marcia
off the hook. She feels she has a duty to look after me properly and
I know there are days when she gets quite worried (I call these my
off days). I try not to show how I am feeling but you can't live
alongside someone for nearly forty years without being able to see through any acts they may be putting on. On one count she is
absolutely right: I am hopeless at remembering to take medication
when I should but she, bless her, keeps track and makes sure I do.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zqRgeg1K19ifkTEbQGKwkD5YOJlk0Nuog9PNY13DtngvBrSzMJge0H0W9FuIuZSLJj4w7KxDaxhHv7eOXpw6d02dzWICqPQFmydY4W02jyGA8pQMN39wXahmXIBtSI-9gXrCfEBSf7A/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zqRgeg1K19ifkTEbQGKwkD5YOJlk0Nuog9PNY13DtngvBrSzMJge0H0W9FuIuZSLJj4w7KxDaxhHv7eOXpw6d02dzWICqPQFmydY4W02jyGA8pQMN39wXahmXIBtSI-9gXrCfEBSf7A/s400/002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And not just the garden. These two canada geese seem to be very proud of their young, don't they?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To my great delight I am really enjoying putting
material up on 'The Companion' My aim is to add a book a day
hopefully both to the main pages and to the 'country' pages. Having
said that I know that this is pretty ambitious even though it is
based on fairly minimal 'country' pages all of which will need to be
revisited – and most time and time again. </span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then there are the
speciality subjects. By that I mean things like the history of tin
mining in the area, how it was copper that provided the Dukes of
Bedford with the wealth to virtually rebuild Tavistock, rabbit
warrens on the Moors together and some historical oddities such as
the mineral railway up on Exmoor. Have any of these a place in 'The
Companion'? Well, it will be some time before I need to address that
question and meanwhile there is lots to be done.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, the garden is full of baby birds –
mainly blue and great tits, blackbirds, sparrows and rather
surprisingly, nuthatches. All the places where we have lived there
have been nuthatches but only here have I watched a youngster being
fed on the ground on crumbs and such like picked up from the ground
by the parent and thrust down the offspring's throat. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I find myself wondering how good this is for that fledgling. Has the parent discovered a new and valuable food source or is it plain dumb and doing all sorts of damage to its child?</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u-OO2NHUIe1sZwW-2GR8PDsanX5qdvvbHepLDCDoL8ePO9I0ZFuXJYvf7ZLGA-b5r44x_x3Bln8qvb8p4OrlhU7Uboej1HO26-HMVQAHwweoJucA1rt_FaB7KMq4MHvXLiv8P2aiBlg/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u-OO2NHUIe1sZwW-2GR8PDsanX5qdvvbHepLDCDoL8ePO9I0ZFuXJYvf7ZLGA-b5r44x_x3Bln8qvb8p4OrlhU7Uboej1HO26-HMVQAHwweoJucA1rt_FaB7KMq4MHvXLiv8P2aiBlg/s400/005.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Horribly out of focus but it proves the point. Still, I was brought up to believe that the man who never made a mistake never made anything. It has proved to be a very useful motto behind which to shelter after getting it wrong.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then wrote: </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Actually I
can't remember seeing a nuthatch feeding on the ground before this –
on trees and feeders, yes – but not on the ground.</i> Then I had a look at my photos of nuthatches and realised this was nonsense. Above is another one doing just that some six years ago. Glad I checked.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hilbKIGk8toFj_Vx89t3j4OFRYYV49PmgYr37amcbGekpk3Vozm0zbWtLudDl9L_DXN8Dg3Yn_1drM45gGU0tY1jubTF7l0XMAaMmfgyGYc-Wyzf-bQYEwspAULFdMXuafHvmcdakn4/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hilbKIGk8toFj_Vx89t3j4OFRYYV49PmgYr37amcbGekpk3Vozm0zbWtLudDl9L_DXN8Dg3Yn_1drM45gGU0tY1jubTF7l0XMAaMmfgyGYc-Wyzf-bQYEwspAULFdMXuafHvmcdakn4/s400/006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, this is much more how one expects to see these birds: om a feeder or, of course, a tree but always upside down.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fact that a sparrow hawk is now dropping in for lunch
most days means we have created a very healthy bird population in
this garden which is. of course, part of the plan.</span></div>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZgTSmg3bAdBwx6QEO8XFo6hWLFOTsXtzwqyn6Ayjw8U9-_ubSO1_hTjslndBKz_vhiscLMZ2HuOD4HR1aXgd8P1rebTzs50pqkxA1v9SIQ7LIvvzTMU68LCjxxQQBPu773FVKTsdI-g/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjZgTSmg3bAdBwx6QEO8XFo6hWLFOTsXtzwqyn6Ayjw8U9-_ubSO1_hTjslndBKz_vhiscLMZ2HuOD4HR1aXgd8P1rebTzs50pqkxA1v9SIQ7LIvvzTMU68LCjxxQQBPu773FVKTsdI-g/s400/007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just look at those claws! The red on the head indicates that this is an immature greater spotted woodpecker. These are territorial birds always happy to fight off any intruders and once this chap loses those red feathers (in the autumn) he will have to watch out but for now no adult will attack him.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quick addendum: our first baby Great Spotted
Woodpecker this year with mother arrived outside the kitchen.
Offspring sat on the trellis while mum popped in and out of the nut
feeder doing what mother woodpeckers do the world over. They are very
nervous and any move to pick up a camera scares them off so no
picture of these two but . . .</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-76698159234948066752015-05-29T11:12:00.001+01:002015-05-29T11:12:42.949+01:00The Companion<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is surprisingly
difficult for people who are meeting me for the first time after
hearing about my condition. Neither of us really knows what to say.
'How are you? ' creates the first problem: tell the truth (oddly very
complex and thus both wordy and horribly self-indulgent) or lie.
Actually the latter is the only option and I tend to go for, ‘Fine,
thanks,’ which is probably cowardly but I can’t help that.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Certainly the plan to
create a web site as a companion to Marcia’s novels has done
wonders for me. The thought that all the work that has already gone
into this project was to go for nothing appalled me and I don’t
think that to say that I was bereft is an exaggeration. Anyway this
project makes me feel quite excited. The time required is not that
long – the basics will probably take a couple of months – and I
feel reasonably certain that means I shall be able to get it
finished. After that it would be a case of adding things which, while
good, are not essential. A perfect project for someone in my
position. I have given much thought to what Nancy said about bringing
on board a student and have decided against for a very simple reason:
although things are settling down I still have bad days when I really
don’t want to have to be dealing with anyone or anything and that
makes planning ahead tricky – and wouldn’t be fair on the other
person.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first decision was
to choose the platform to use. It could have been a web site -
rather along the lines of <a href="http://www.marciawillett.co.uk/" target="_blank">Marcia's web site</a> - or a blog on either
Google (which carries this one) or WordPress. Before tablets became
so popular I would have opted without much thought for a web site
because, in theory, you can do whatever you like and make it as big
as you like (subject only to the space available to you on your
host’s server).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I have
discovered that what works well on a PC may not work at all well on
an Android tablet I have decided against. No real difficulty with
simple text. Indeed you can put one captioned photo at the top of the
page and that works fine so long as you take a bit of care. Putting
any other pictures within the text is where the troubles start. On a
tablet they behave very badly, often ending up on top of text and
making it unreadable. To be fair, my web site designer does offer the
facility to publish a tandem site for Android users but to use it
would require me to go onto a steep learning curve which is something
I really do not need just at the moment. So I looked at the other two
options.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seemed to me that I
would end up needing about fifty pages and that none of the Google
themes would support a suitable navigation system for that number
(sorry, Google, if I am wrong and just wasn't looking in the right
place). Thus I turned to WordPress – which I have used for years in
association with the political side of my life. Now the great thing
about WordPress is that you can chat to one of their people.
Honestly, I know that is unbelievable but you can – using a chat
box which is wonderful for a deaf person like me.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we chatted. I
outlined what I wanted to do and Sandy (sitting over on the other
side of the Atlantic in Nova Scotia) soon satisfied me that it was
all doable. So I have begun. Only the Prologue and some text about a
few of the books and one page called TWS Country which, would you
believe, is about the places associated with <i>Those Who Serve</i>.
That page is far from finished but you will get the idea. Each book
will have a page which talks about how the book was written. These
will be followed by such pages where, mainly using photographs, I
will try to give you a feel of Marcia’s west country.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What I want now is to
find out whether or not this what you were hoping to see. I shall not
be too badly hurt if you criticise – especially if your criticism
is constructive. <a href="https://marciawillett.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Click here to have a look.</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPfcgtow-y4ABYmKumQaQz7ld9v3WMTFFvJBoqdKLaGf0rxhnwY6r-5jSUjbG2LD__4fWerbOLD7R6NA7VqTGxxJ-XqeX4At-hyjBBHIj45yVAeWvosbDaFJkxXKPahdGYmMrP-A_E7w/s1600/P1060286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPfcgtow-y4ABYmKumQaQz7ld9v3WMTFFvJBoqdKLaGf0rxhnwY6r-5jSUjbG2LD__4fWerbOLD7R6NA7VqTGxxJ-XqeX4At-hyjBBHIj45yVAeWvosbDaFJkxXKPahdGYmMrP-A_E7w/s400/P1060286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, since you
have plenty of photographs to explore on <i>The Companion</i>
(which is what we are calling this new project) and I have had a busy week working on that, I’m afraid you only
get one here. A not unusual scene, Marcia (you can see her feet to
the left) in conversation with a couple of dogs and, if they are
interesting, the people with them. As you can see, we are at that
stage of the proceeding when a bit of bribery is needed to keep the
peace.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-33064014733344967012015-05-22T13:18:00.000+01:002015-05-22T13:18:05.040+01:00Summer arrives<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I am sure you will
all understand, coming to terms with life has been rather difficult
for the last two months – and I fear that showed in my blogs. It
was my intention to completely ignore my health problems in these
blogs but I am coming around to the idea that this is creating
something false in them so . . .</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsuUdQuq78VOaTFiRvDkrPFsXb4hK8ferGyCCK20PD66KbN5oq5JGuQQ5I2yzOWMlOQdpm6yGhIseVvjbeAbryEcj5EUUrxIGjazI6qznybF-MF9x9lCM4mrEt_7zc4ccCVET1N8qmLc/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDsuUdQuq78VOaTFiRvDkrPFsXb4hK8ferGyCCK20PD66KbN5oq5JGuQQ5I2yzOWMlOQdpm6yGhIseVvjbeAbryEcj5EUUrxIGjazI6qznybF-MF9x9lCM4mrEt_7zc4ccCVET1N8qmLc/s400/001.jpg" width="357" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As always, the robin was keeping a close eye on everything.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we received the
news one of my first thoughts was, ‘how will Marcia cope with all
the business things that I have been doing down the years?’ Suffice
to say that after a lot of work, I am now confidant that she will
manage. Some she will now be able to do herself but the really
important thing is that in addition to our accountant (and we have
been with the same firm for over ten years now) I/we have found a
superb book keeper – who now calls about every three weeks and is
keeping all the records straight and whose husband is a computer guy
– on whom Marcia can call if she has a problem and who will keep
Marcia’s web site up to scratch (with the hope that it will have
more news on it to make sure that the things I tell you about here
will still be available) and a really lovely chap to advise Marcia on
matters financial. Having done everything possible on that front, I
am looking at another problem but first I want to tell you about
yesterday.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqadqcBcssqDBgr9Dl4RWwMiC005KS-DhGuUkG85grbN72v_md5SihQwPNzYb97ad8qhM_C98rhJtoiL-Zfh2MKEHktojdVQbB0m84uMgSmEFhJfR1McQdl4zwhec1UzcbHCK4GQBw7Q/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoqadqcBcssqDBgr9Dl4RWwMiC005KS-DhGuUkG85grbN72v_md5SihQwPNzYb97ad8qhM_C98rhJtoiL-Zfh2MKEHktojdVQbB0m84uMgSmEFhJfR1McQdl4zwhec1UzcbHCK4GQBw7Q/s400/002.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is one of our blackbirds collecting food for the young in the nest. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It may sound odd but
yesterday was the first day this year when it was good to spend a few
hours out in the garden just lounging about. Up to now we have had
wonderful clear blue skies but a strong and bitingly cold east wind
blowing or everything has been overcast and often it has been
raining. I know I have said this before but there really does seem to
be so much more power in the weather. Those winds have been blowing
very hard indeed - often up to gale force - and when it rains much of
the time it is best described as torrential.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not yesterday. A fairly
cheerful sky, not clear blue by any means as there were plenty of
puffy cumulus clouds which every now and then obscured the sun, but
it was warm and the wind was gentle and balmy. Thus both before lunch
and afterwards I sat doing nothing but watching the birds and
sleeping.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbC2Qappx64QtXlZBgaR028ZWLPof4hlFNz33De3kGtLQtSmBtVuf9HGupAsJyE3co93C0379qdS-HE2czzS-5QuRya4TN0MlGExnSjzY3gcG4MpYchWN7VTD4ueicSULCLO-bUAJ27Y/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbC2Qappx64QtXlZBgaR028ZWLPof4hlFNz33De3kGtLQtSmBtVuf9HGupAsJyE3co93C0379qdS-HE2czzS-5QuRya4TN0MlGExnSjzY3gcG4MpYchWN7VTD4ueicSULCLO-bUAJ27Y/s400/004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fence is faced on both sides and the hole leads to a perfect spot for the blue tits to raise their brood. The lower photo is not brilliant but these birds are so quick I reckon I was pretty lucky to get on this good.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I do feel very sorry
for my brother-in-law. He and Marcia's sister moved up to live on the
outskirts of Port St Milborne which is a few miles from Sherborne
(where there is a beautiful abbey with a wonderful choir). For some
reason, and no matter what they do, there are never any birds in
their garden. They miss them very much indeed. Yesterday the local
birds clearly wanted to put on a good show for me. Lists are rather
boring but from my seat and within the garden (or flying overhead) I
saw robins, blue tits, great tits, a coal tit, sparrows, dunnock,
nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers, blackbirds, pigeons, a crow,
a herring gull and a bird I could not recognise (see below). In the
field behind the house the swallows were dipping and diving and
Marcia saw a heron fly past the window - a first here in Dartington.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNNCWPYH5Vn7HR6NugbYaTJiMy99MSeF2ypQKOvR-AZwQNgoi-ktM0SOrHLnFFjY2CXf9XcyamNoCtZNHdvgAMgwu08JDkbLMaxVffm4UdViOiYOI_9b1_Zi_JevBQANlcoYWo3qOM8/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPNNCWPYH5Vn7HR6NugbYaTJiMy99MSeF2ypQKOvR-AZwQNgoi-ktM0SOrHLnFFjY2CXf9XcyamNoCtZNHdvgAMgwu08JDkbLMaxVffm4UdViOiYOI_9b1_Zi_JevBQANlcoYWo3qOM8/s400/006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This bird as about the same size as a robin but slimmer. Purely from the way that every now and then it would fly from its perch and grab some poor innocent passing insect, I assume it must be a flycatcher – in which case since it is clearly NOT a pied flycatcher by elimination it must be a spotted flycatcher.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now the question is,
where do I go from here? As many of you know, I was planning five
booklets as companions to Marcia’s novels. The first was published
in October – with many misgivings on my side. The problem with
publishing books with lots of photographs is deciding on the right
quality – if the photos are to be really good the price goes up.
Add to that two other facts: I wanted to use a fairly large type face
to make it as easy as possible for those whose sight is not what it
was and I knew many – probably most – would be going overseas
which, of course, costs. Thus I ended up knowing we had to go for low
printing costs and, not surprisingly, I am unhappy at the result –
the photographs are slightly muddy. Nevertheless the book has sold
quite well and we have recouped all the costs (but yet to make any
profit). Putting that to one side, it is now impossible to get the
other four books intp print – but a lot of the text has been
written and I have taken a few hundred photos especially for this
project.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, should I rethink
this and create a web site <i>A Companion to the novels of Marcia
Willett</i> which will just be there for those who wish to dip in and
have a look? My idea is a prologue, <i>The Birth of a Novelist</i>,
followed by a section on each novel recounting the odd and quirky
things that happened during its production with plenty of photographs
to illustrate the locations. No place for history though. What do you
think?</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You may know that in a
comment last week, Avagabonde gave us a link to her blog and
permission to use some of her photographs here. (<a href="http://avagabonde.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Click here if youwant to have a look</a>). I have chosen two simply because I think they
are lovely pictures. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-70211598434604667332015-05-15T13:18:00.001+01:002015-05-15T13:32:00.083+01:00Raised beds and raised expectations<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I expected, Nancy
popped over the other day. She and I did some more work on the raised
beds. There are two of these which form an 'L' in plan with one
slightly higher than the other. As when we were at The Hermitage, I
like using rotation as one of the tools available to reduce disease.
Thus this year, what we grew in the top bed has been sown in the
lower bed and the top bed will be used for what was below last year.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjBry1PyaVFUVANeTBII5u0GyZCAKyCPbp2XbtD7CK3Y88-gg2PV-MJABeR7Ikc80bCEceDFtRy1f4op0IM_NHEYA7pm3dG4jack_czuP_ewg8ZbeNp-uCXvTQ2bFVwFwsRWsGLkoIgs/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjBry1PyaVFUVANeTBII5u0GyZCAKyCPbp2XbtD7CK3Y88-gg2PV-MJABeR7Ikc80bCEceDFtRy1f4op0IM_NHEYA7pm3dG4jack_czuP_ewg8ZbeNp-uCXvTQ2bFVwFwsRWsGLkoIgs/s400/001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bottom bed is now
fully sown. From left to right there is a row of nasturtiums (Marcia
sometimes uses these flowers to cheer up a salad but the main reason
they are there is to provide a splash of colour and because I like
them). These have yet to 'show'. Then there are four rows of 'leaves'
– lettuces from which we take leaves as and when needed so from
plant to plate is a matter of moments. Two of these rows are up and
running (we had the first leaves from them earlier in the week) and
Nancy sowed the other two rows when she was over. The rest of the bed
is given over to carrots. These are in three blocks so as to stagger
them a bit and these blocks are sown broadcast with far more seeds
than most people would consider sensible. Marcia loves very small
baby carrots and we shall be eating the thinnings quite soon and,
with any luck, we shall have a continuous supply right up until the
end of the year</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The bits of string
draped over this bed are there to try to deter one of the local cats.
He loves nothing better than to dig up new tilled earth and would
create total havoc if I let him.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, in the top
bed are the broad beans I sowed back in the autumn . They are all in
pots because I find these beans never transplant terribly happily.
Then, as spring approaches, the pots are sunk into the bed. They are
very nearly ready to harvest – there won't be a lot but they should
taste wonderful. Once they have been picked, I shall use the space
for some brussels sprouts that are presently in the greenhouse and
just showing above the soil. At the far end are a couple of cherry
tomato plants – more than enough to keep us happy – and then the
spring sowing of broad beans to be ready August or early September.
These have yet to show.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So there you have the
raised beds. Beside them is the bed in which the runner beans will be
planted out next week – they are still in the greenhouse – and
that is it apart from the rhubarb. You will note that I avoid most
brassica. That is because (at least in my experience) they really are
not worth the effort. We can buy cabbages and so on very cheaply in
the market or the farm shop and they are more than fresh enough. I
accept that this is an odd group of plants to be growing but there
you are – a childhood where there was a large kitchen garden with
vegetables of all sorts in serried rows ready to be sold at the
Tuesday market in the town near where we lived rather put me off
proper gardening and so I do what I do because I enjoy it and the
scale is small enough to ensure that matters do not get out of hand.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As to the matter of
raised expectations: blame whoever it was who posted a comment
encouraging me to talk about politics for what follows. Few people
here believed that the Conservative Party (the 'Tories') would win an
overall majority at the general election held, as I am sure you all
know, on my birthday – bit they did. What does that mean here in
the UK and to the wider world? Here are a few thoughts.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We still have a real
problem with what is seen as the class system in this country – but
it is (in my view that is) blown out of proportion by a fairly small
but very noisy minority who seem to me to be fuelled by envy and
tribalism. Granted David Cameron, George Osbourne and a few others
all went to Eton which is generally considered to be a very elitist
school but then many other MP's went to 'posh' schools (including Ed
Milliband and Nick Clegg: the leaders of the Labour Party and the
Liberal Democrats).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another factor to take
into consideration is that Cameron is calling on the services of a
wide range of his MP's to serve in his government. They come from all
sorts of ethnic backgrounds and educational establishments whilst
many are the children of very mundane working parents.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, my raised
expectations are this government will truly be a govern for all the
people and that when it takes decisions on a proposal, that proposal
will pass three tests: is the proposal doable? will the proposal
achieve what it is intended to achieve? is the proposal affordable?
It would be nice to add a fourth – will there be any unforeseen
consequences? – but that is clearly impossible.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just simple pragmatic
government steered by common sense and not ideology.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">These two
pictures come from Naomi Bates, one of the many of Marcia’s readers
who live in Australia. In her words, they were taken as the sun
was rising “just along the road from our house down on Margate
Beach in Queensland.” Many thanks for these, Naomi.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Please don't forget that I really do like putting up photos which show us where some of Marcia's readers live (and, of course, of their pets).</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-29969817388995510102015-05-08T15:56:00.000+01:002015-05-08T15:56:03.693+01:00My birthday - and a general election<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday, the 7th, was
my 77th birthday so, come what may, I have exceeded man’s allotted
span by 7 years (although I have no idea who allotted that span nor
on what data). Anyway, It’s a nice thought – makes one feel that
to a certain extent one has beaten the system albeit in a minor and
really most unimportant way.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We had had some pretty
ferocious weather earlier in the week – gusts of wind well in
excess of 50 mph and bursts (usually quite short) of torrential rain.
It came as no surprise to be told by one of the men who deliver here
that there were some trees down over the roads. Although there were
no reports of structural damage, a poly-tunnel in a local garden was
wrecked which was a terrible shame. It had been taken down over the
winter and was reinstated only about ten days ago. In fact the
gardener had worked really hard in there and everything was looking
splendid with rows of healthy looking plants all straining for the
off. Now all is destroyed: it is so demoralising.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8T88SH_TRhJIaRzyyLQvqf4haYRD6msGyFHZVhyphenhyphenmus48ePB-XkK37MCnsCzzW7rOwuMjro-JiFzAw_z0ZMn-OQU6J416B9-nxsl2lZS9l_hgf9SJpydq80n31rM1DHFFAzHx1TXY_oOk/s1600/2013+2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8T88SH_TRhJIaRzyyLQvqf4haYRD6msGyFHZVhyphenhyphenmus48ePB-XkK37MCnsCzzW7rOwuMjro-JiFzAw_z0ZMn-OQU6J416B9-nxsl2lZS9l_hgf9SJpydq80n31rM1DHFFAzHx1TXY_oOk/s400/2013+2574.JPG" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few photos of the birds at Turtley Mill. They really do add a good measure of amusement to the mundane business of eating lunch.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thus it was that when
my birthday dawned bright and dry with a generally blue sky with only
a few puffy white clouds in sight I was delighted. We had arranged to
meet an old friend of ours at Turtley Mill which is between Avonwick
and South Brent and one of our favourite rural meeting places where
we have enjoyed some family gatherings over the years. When the
weather is good, there are few better places to sit outside for here
you can enjoy being among the exotic ducks, chicken and guinea fowl
that are given the run of the place. Anyway, to my joy, the weather
was just warm enough, the clouds did not obscure the sun and the wind
fell to no more than a gentle breeze. Wonderful – and good to be
with people who know the position but have the invaluable ability to
simply accept the situation and to allow various aspects of it to
come up in conversation as and when they arise but without making
anything an issue. As my son put it, ‛everybody feels that they
have to say something meaningful’. Well, from where I am sitting,
the answer is that they don’t: a bit of light hearted banter does
so much more good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjYjYQGV71G60fOtj55Ia5szv-C_oYMqYSFGkU2jHEH_5JDP984720XBJSdsww4bmzh4thmd4eV_FSOCpoU9nVfK6TVAR0RKhe3grKT7HdS3V2oRWrs8n7db50priWudLPAPXoPpWHzQ/s1600/2013+2591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjYjYQGV71G60fOtj55Ia5szv-C_oYMqYSFGkU2jHEH_5JDP984720XBJSdsww4bmzh4thmd4eV_FSOCpoU9nVfK6TVAR0RKhe3grKT7HdS3V2oRWrs8n7db50priWudLPAPXoPpWHzQ/s400/2013+2591.JPG" width="392" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the first time in
the last 77 years (I’m fairly sure this is right but I may be
wrong) the UK electorate went to the polls to determine who would
represent us in Parliament – <b>on my birthday.</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wGgBbW8aXeTvhfU5FfoaBGpGohezpKyAuIM3EZwWunKgtzS2IskR6-s6l7wesP4Du9PvV5qkP0xjvuS4DVx3wHdcU3Qz_irWlzOOALZs92zNsKHmDiZ0UqIUU4cNqiWV3NvKThntD2M/s1600/2013+2605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wGgBbW8aXeTvhfU5FfoaBGpGohezpKyAuIM3EZwWunKgtzS2IskR6-s6l7wesP4Du9PvV5qkP0xjvuS4DVx3wHdcU3Qz_irWlzOOALZs92zNsKHmDiZ0UqIUU4cNqiWV3NvKThntD2M/s400/2013+2605.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
a general rule I have kept my political thoughts away from here and
put them up on my political blog but yesterday was rather special for
me and so I am allowing my hopes and fears for our country to intrude
on what is meant to be Marcia’s space. If the thought horrifies
you, please stop reading now.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeS9WRGcnxDRpdG9plP8sDYknZgM8PPwykcEN8FI8irh4i8avi-IS-23b-275MRWofNvfsqY4mx1hc0tPhPDiAahqcm6loXgJoatwhGrElvHrAidS1Qlww0y-tujr9PmcTK7eFHdw5e0/s1600/2013+2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyeS9WRGcnxDRpdG9plP8sDYknZgM8PPwykcEN8FI8irh4i8avi-IS-23b-275MRWofNvfsqY4mx1hc0tPhPDiAahqcm6loXgJoatwhGrElvHrAidS1Qlww0y-tujr9PmcTK7eFHdw5e0/s400/2013+2618.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking
back over fifty years of politics, I feel there have been a number of
profound changes which few in the west have given serious
consideration. Then political leaders yielded a good deal more power
than they do today. There are a number of reasons why the power they
yield has diminished but the two most important are advances in
technology (and especially that related to instant worldwide
communication) and the rise and rise of giant multi-national
corporations.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In
broad terms, there are detailed arguments on my political blog for
those interested in them, this shift in power towards the people –
in large part thanks to smart phones which can flash a video
world-wide within moments of events taking place – and the ability
of huge commercial organisations to build up wealth in excess of that
enjoyed by many nation states could well mean that the form of
representative democracy we have here in the UK is no longer suited
to society in the 21st century. I suspect this is also true in the US
and all the other ‛democracies’ as well.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To
me this was a very important election because of two fairly new
parties: both nationalistic, both offering overly-simplistic answers
to highly complex questions (including utterly unrealistic economic
policies) and both likely to threaten the union of four nations
known as the United Kingdom and/or the relations between the UK and
the rest of the world. I refer to the Scottish National Party and the
United Kingdom Independence Party.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You
could say that the best birthday present was a vote that reduced
these risks to a minimum.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obviously
the successes of the SNP will create tensions between the desires of
the Scots and those of the people south of the border but with the
Conservatives with a small but sufficient working majority, the
relationships between the UK and its various component parts can be
tackled in a measured and thoughtful way (which would have been
impossible had we ended up with a Labour/SNP coalition).
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
risk that UKIP would win enough seats to force the Conservatives into
a coalition with them has also faded. Again this gives us time: time
to address the problems highlighted by UKIP and to find out exactly
what is causing those problems (I do not accept the causation
theories put forward by UKIP) and to explore ways of putting them
right in a calm and rational way.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaDqikoywVuMS3pV5NmQXqwp5_KiNoPyCIwarS1xS_9I0RkTukQmQO47uLz-z9HEGnhyphenhyphenTdfm-MqZqR9P47TxUhyphenhyphenHxU3RhPPgKjyFt5Pn_GLviqw5f1IYKQ4V85qamuSW6E9e-XNZAznA/s1600/_20150427_151052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnaDqikoywVuMS3pV5NmQXqwp5_KiNoPyCIwarS1xS_9I0RkTukQmQO47uLz-z9HEGnhyphenhyphenTdfm-MqZqR9P47TxUhyphenhyphenHxU3RhPPgKjyFt5Pn_GLviqw5f1IYKQ4V85qamuSW6E9e-XNZAznA/s400/_20150427_151052.JPG" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This fellow arrived in my inbox this morning - all the way from the USA. Meet Gulliver (usually called Gully) who is the constant companion to one of my second cousins (and there are rather a lot) who inhabit various parts of the US. He arrive as an attachment from Sarah Lovelidge (said second cousin) which must have been a difficult one for her to write. Be assured, Sarah, I really did appreciate what you said and I still hope that you will be over here next summer and I shall be around to meet you again then.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All
in all, not a bad birthday. Next week, Nancy and I will finish
planting up the raised beds and I will post a couple of photos to
show you what we have don.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-58875075707304702242015-05-01T15:57:00.002+01:002015-05-01T15:57:30.959+01:00May Day<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today
is May Day. That means that in all sorts of odd corners of the
British Isles people will be out enjoying themselves as they
celebrate what is probably the oldest annual festival in the
calender.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tosfym9dGhCGNj_Fsl-bJg_nOkYuO-BlilHvFxIvnH3HW8fJS1Om034f4AP2eZTlK24tLabH63bC6krcHkus5RXSpTyPjpdIwRXrukvc4EELSOxKOJOGizMpExhUPe2pKS1hxv7z0CY/s1600/Flora+1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tosfym9dGhCGNj_Fsl-bJg_nOkYuO-BlilHvFxIvnH3HW8fJS1Om034f4AP2eZTlK24tLabH63bC6krcHkus5RXSpTyPjpdIwRXrukvc4EELSOxKOJOGizMpExhUPe2pKS1hxv7z0CY/s1600/Flora+1090.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Hawthorn or May tree - standing here high on Dartmoor and leaning to the east away from the prevailing gales that sweep in from the Atlantic.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
was the first day in the farming calender when there was little work
to be done (the fields had been cultivated and sown whilst the weeds
had yet to become a nuisance), the weather was warm enough to be able
to enjoy life again and the main deprivations of winter were in the
past. It was a time to celebrate – and to do whatever was deemed
wise to ensure that the sown seed produced a fine harvest. Thus the
festival took on the air of a fertility rite, one that encompassed
not just the good seed sown in the ground but the desire for and
abundance of stock and, of course, fine strong and healthy babies.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
was at this time that the Romans celebrated <i>Floralia</i>
in honour of Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowers and the Germanic
nations held <i>Walpurgis Night</i>.
It was also about now that the <i>Festival of Beltane</i>
when the Druids marked the halfway point between the spring equinox
and the summer solstice.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnfPFcc0-l34vaEXRs1Ko8TL6Rp12wZIOHHpI_czVvhZ2_udkYYANIVbN1tkJImTHHUFcPGl5FWliCHiJ9MjuwvLIKMWRal_8ForqEbyoUJua-pk93d6p4dpQck_lqkIj1jjG-zHTtLk/s1600/Flora+1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnfPFcc0-l34vaEXRs1Ko8TL6Rp12wZIOHHpI_czVvhZ2_udkYYANIVbN1tkJImTHHUFcPGl5FWliCHiJ9MjuwvLIKMWRal_8ForqEbyoUJua-pk93d6p4dpQck_lqkIj1jjG-zHTtLk/s1600/Flora+1116.JPG" height="288" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also on Dartmoor but in a far less exposed position and now in full flower. Clearly 2008 was a good year for the May.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With
the coming of Christianity, May Day became more and more associated
with the Virgin Mary and then in July 1889, by authority of the
Second International of the Socialists and Communists meeting in
Paris, it became the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">International Workers Day.</i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Even that is not the end of the story: in 1955 Pope Pious XII decided
that henceforth May 1 would be a feast day in honour of St Joseph,
the patron saint of workers: a carpenter, husband of Mary and
surrogate father of Jesus.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5pUdU1o5Jk_xnb1ZQMdXyXe4PqIlUXfl6yDrSNPJXddXjR7HP_cmDgvKk5HjapAARzDcK9D_RjbpgtMqmwJBdKp_AXlc8wuMX7KIPNwxdAcjgnW1g8hHidUyOBmE7ccItilOCJDWKhQ/s1600/Flora+2291.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-5pUdU1o5Jk_xnb1ZQMdXyXe4PqIlUXfl6yDrSNPJXddXjR7HP_cmDgvKk5HjapAARzDcK9D_RjbpgtMqmwJBdKp_AXlc8wuMX7KIPNwxdAcjgnW1g8hHidUyOBmE7ccItilOCJDWKhQ/s1600/Flora+2291.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And this is really what it is all about: the berries that will provide food for birds who will repay the May by spreading the seeds far and wide.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ne
of the older traditions kept alive here takes place on Magdalan
Bridge in Oxford. Each year, just as the sun rises, sixteen of the
Magdalan College Choristers sing the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hymnus Eucharisticus
</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(a hymn written by a Fellow of
Magdalan College in the seventeenth century). As the last notes of
the hymn die away, so the bells of Oxford begin to ring out over the
dreaming spires until, after about twenty minutes all fall silent.
Not surprisingly, it is an event that attracts a large number of
people (it was estimated that over 5,000 crammed the bridge and its
environs this morning) and the roads around the bridge have to be
closed to traffic. There is also a tradition that youngsters jump off
the bridge in to the river – a tradition that is seriously frowned
upon as the river here is quite shallow (about two feet deep in usual
conditions) and it is quite a jump so quite a lot hurt themselves. No
reports of injuries this year, I am happy to say.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nearer
home on the north coast of Cornwall at Padstow is the ‘Obby ‘Ors
festival. No one really knows the origin of this enormous street
party in which two men dressed up a hobby horses dance through the
streets, each ‘Ors with its accordian and drum band and singers
(known as Mayers) playing and singing the <i>Morning Song</i>.
Eventually the two hobby horses meet at the Maypole and then return
to their stables as the the crows sing of their death until they are
resurrected on the following May Day.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile
countless towns and villages up and down the land will be decorated
in the traditional manner with greenery, flowers, bunting and flags
while May Poles will be erected and all will be busy with fêtes and
fairs. Nearly all of us who live in the country have, at some time or
other, been involved in such community activities: even if only in
the provision of prizes for the tombola (being, of course, the items
won last year and for which there is no real place in any home).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now
all we want is for the sun to shine over the week end for while today
may be the true May Day we can be sure that the fun and games will
carry on until the last possible moment.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not
surprisingly I have few suitable pictures in my photo library but if
you would like to see some of the garbs that people wear on May Day,
<a href="http://metro.co.uk/2015/05/01/youre-not-dressed-for-may-day-this-is-how-you-should-be-dressed-for-may-day-5172849/" target="_blank">just click here</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-2675296085613972082015-04-24T11:48:00.002+01:002015-04-24T11:48:23.646+01:00Eyes up - eyes down<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
week I have been reading <i>The French Lieutenant’s Woman</i>
and a couple of passages caught my eye and I thought I would share
them (and my thoughts) with you.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP0l2_uvTl59UYTWgIXoNosX8N7qWfy_Q6KlEgqfirwu_1PpuareKBipYudFqojaUee4-Wm9QRVwJThyphenhyphenWIcfQyeoylf-xyzh65dncAB1lgFgTuD8WWFu0UQqpsYmct4W3Abn0V7i4Y_w/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP0l2_uvTl59UYTWgIXoNosX8N7qWfy_Q6KlEgqfirwu_1PpuareKBipYudFqojaUee4-Wm9QRVwJThyphenhyphenWIcfQyeoylf-xyzh65dncAB1lgFgTuD8WWFu0UQqpsYmct4W3Abn0V7i4Y_w/s1600/001.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
In this book there is no question but that John Fowles is the
narrator even when he writing as if in one of his character’s head
(albeit a narrator with special access to their thoughts and
emotions). This is in sharp distinction to the way that Marcia
writes: each scene is written from within one character’s head: we
see what they see, hear what they hear and share their thoughts and
emotions. By definition anything else is off limits. I happen to
believe this is one of Marcia’s greatest strengths as a novelist
even though it is an approach which is hugely tiring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9II6pMnUJ-xmwbMDB7u-7eEKzCkg6ZvD2ZgIjaSf0oEdZLYmS5Km37nHfgx3ETMkD4LNhYMX5pRXPessBIf0b3hqI6zd3hp8zNFpTMGSt-22tawKqtJPPAumxSuz6whyjRWX-hzw954/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9II6pMnUJ-xmwbMDB7u-7eEKzCkg6ZvD2ZgIjaSf0oEdZLYmS5Km37nHfgx3ETMkD4LNhYMX5pRXPessBIf0b3hqI6zd3hp8zNFpTMGSt-22tawKqtJPPAumxSuz6whyjRWX-hzw954/s1600/002.jpg" height="287" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Anyway, here we are inside Charles Smithson’s head but this section
(as so many others) is not designed to carry the story line forward but to enter more deeply into Charle’s psyche.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4761RS2RPYqMAjE2YcHwL4RMuiAmQDej1mbed_k-LsIXE9fKxOtiHOaHLOUKagpb8B3KQkrCDeVginMfPMCY9eiJzufoiw0ROc7fDORbyY3Dp1qinVGtu_pwJcjgS5qDNwExARkJ9uxk/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4761RS2RPYqMAjE2YcHwL4RMuiAmQDej1mbed_k-LsIXE9fKxOtiHOaHLOUKagpb8B3KQkrCDeVginMfPMCY9eiJzufoiw0ROc7fDORbyY3Dp1qinVGtu_pwJcjgS5qDNwExARkJ9uxk/s1600/003.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There
was worse: he had an unnatural fondness for walking instead of
riding; and walking was not a gentleman’s pastime except in the
Swiss Alps. He had nothing very much against the horse itself, but he
had the born naturalist’s hatred of not being able to observe at
close and at leisure.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86XGHvYYfHp1MveSWXMzO8178okKnXbxywOnChCrtsGY-eSG9udF1AI3K_LZsewf7wzUZSzxOJYQuXGVNT0sg3f3gRO6TREnWPckjtN2_DBbwEoHLnf4l5Ny0tqc0BJEzZhfIMHyw32k/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86XGHvYYfHp1MveSWXMzO8178okKnXbxywOnChCrtsGY-eSG9udF1AI3K_LZsewf7wzUZSzxOJYQuXGVNT0sg3f3gRO6TREnWPckjtN2_DBbwEoHLnf4l5Ny0tqc0BJEzZhfIMHyw32k/s1600/004.jpg" height="340" width="400" /></a></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Here I am at one with Charles. Indeed I have to confess that going
for a walk with me could easily become a tedious affair for people
with the odd and totally mistaken idea that the purpose of walking is
to get from A to B. Indeed, at certain times of the year when there
is much happening in hedgerow and woodland, an entire morning could
be lost while progressing less than a few hundred yards.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYjkIzQaVQNr3KMlvdcT9YS-1oKHtHCzMGKbwjZ8aeDiVOE3df1bCAmbkGZbWJnk6mN2ebJy4Ezf22e2IZqDWV2tp8mLewZIaW-HXiRHW1ZoUqZnbN5G0DU0lTQJuLz41Qk47v3iwyOs/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYjkIzQaVQNr3KMlvdcT9YS-1oKHtHCzMGKbwjZ8aeDiVOE3df1bCAmbkGZbWJnk6mN2ebJy4Ezf22e2IZqDWV2tp8mLewZIaW-HXiRHW1ZoUqZnbN5G0DU0lTQJuLz41Qk47v3iwyOs/s1600/005.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
There are two aspects of nature that I find important to me: hills
and the minutia. I need to be able to ‘lift mine eyes up unto the
hills’ in order for me to see myself within the whole of existence.
At this stage, of course, that me is tiny – totally overshadowed to
the immensity of creation (of which, of course, those hills on this
planet are themselves infinitesimally small when one takes into
consideration the whole universe. It is not too good for men to feel
the weight of such a burden without something to help them carry the
burden and that is where the minutia becomes important. Creation may
be huge but it is made up of uncountable small fragments and all are
important for without them all there would be nothing.</span></div>
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</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45L_ghw6NlK_xDCMres6M3pKM1eFMfQcALwv1au-W00oe8sJc7rYSPJ-PcxhnY0X7EeNTN2dOw7DpjqvUMfbn2mTKI5l1dX-N2jbZjY2Z19-6YfsxN_NO9sjUaA4wdycQ-ETwYUkPKBg/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45L_ghw6NlK_xDCMres6M3pKM1eFMfQcALwv1au-W00oe8sJc7rYSPJ-PcxhnY0X7EeNTN2dOw7DpjqvUMfbn2mTKI5l1dX-N2jbZjY2Z19-6YfsxN_NO9sjUaA4wdycQ-ETwYUkPKBg/s1600/006.jpg" height="400" width="330" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
Back inside Charles’ head: <i>What little God he managed to derive
from existence, he found in Nature, not in the Bible; a hundred years
earlier he would have been a deist, perhaps even a pantheist.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaha3GDEsMzF5Bbcvb5-DsJpkTGaZQ4Wop-qKnms74USicq74eGuCo6NM8sdmmuwrL-XxkaOQtCMrnOLrhx6BJ6MCMmJ078887YqHzO4GulhXqQsEmdFfrCheh47m-Z5Ujsh9jfvoeEFo/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaha3GDEsMzF5Bbcvb5-DsJpkTGaZQ4Wop-qKnms74USicq74eGuCo6NM8sdmmuwrL-XxkaOQtCMrnOLrhx6BJ6MCMmJ078887YqHzO4GulhXqQsEmdFfrCheh47m-Z5Ujsh9jfvoeEFo/s1600/007.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
I am not entirely sure about the reference to a ‘hundred years
earlier’ (which would have been about 1750) but I must confess that
what God I have managed to derive from existence I have found in
nature. Within various churches, as choirboy, chorister and
choirmaster, I have been enriched by the fellowship that is to be
found whenever a group of people are working towards a specific aim
but for me it is the intimate contact with nature that brings me
closer to a sense of the eternal. What is it that I then feel? A very
difficult question. Whatever it is it has little to do with any of
the dogmas associated with the various religions all of which seem to
me to be far too concerned with petty rules and regulations. No. it
is something far bigger than that, and a something that by some
unfathomable process seems to give one a sense of great security and
of joy. As has been used many times: I cannot explain but I will not
deny. I suspect that makes me a deist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLCA3up7rqRHiK7mnlDsNiRC4IapIfj7MkockTppiK0jUdIHjcVIRYA0o_f9H5PaHcrsZ21joDOh0xVqrsyDugVK9rRBJX06PO_rA191N-zS0RCilk6VbfQuIJYzHbVE82yBUVtcHoZU/s1600/008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLCA3up7rqRHiK7mnlDsNiRC4IapIfj7MkockTppiK0jUdIHjcVIRYA0o_f9H5PaHcrsZ21joDOh0xVqrsyDugVK9rRBJX06PO_rA191N-zS0RCilk6VbfQuIJYzHbVE82yBUVtcHoZU/s1600/008.jpg" height="388" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh - no, I haven't forgotten. The raised beds need a bit mor going on but I will put up a picture soon.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-80053954874624196212015-04-17T13:06:00.000+01:002015-04-17T13:15:52.425+01:00A Time to Sow<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Years
ago I decided that the time had come to lift as much of the work
involved in raising vegetables for the pot up to a decent working
height to save all that back-breaking effort at ground level. We
don’t grow a huge variety of plants: just those things that really
are so much better when they take only a minute or two from plant to
pot or plant to plate.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Long
ago I gave up on things that were always readily available in the
shop – and especially, the farm shop – but were a pain to grow.
So it is that the only brassica I have grown for many years are
Brussels Sprouts: with everything else you end up with either a glut
and have problems getting rid of the surplus or the lot have been
devastated by a variety of voracious mouths.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkukoIvpn8m99oZhtudJR4MGZedhhF3qhCnmEscmKnpeh9oB-AcRK3ZCNwylBQAwyAwBm_pGyiAu1hT4hyphenhyphenxSluUIKiLRZd1EY2RmfFmodzcOJj8PqHT8BpIt_rMkau3EnoNmeS1kRLVA/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizkukoIvpn8m99oZhtudJR4MGZedhhF3qhCnmEscmKnpeh9oB-AcRK3ZCNwylBQAwyAwBm_pGyiAu1hT4hyphenhyphenxSluUIKiLRZd1EY2RmfFmodzcOJj8PqHT8BpIt_rMkau3EnoNmeS1kRLVA/s1600/001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of the photos today have anything to do with the words. I have just chosen four which have brought back memories. It was after peering through this gate for a long, long moment that Marcia first made real contact with the characters in the book due out later this year. Not that they were there or, indeed, anywhere near there - thy weren't. But it was there that she 'heard' two of the most important people in the book in conversation.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still,
we like our fresh salad bowl (I tend to grown lettuces from which you
can cut leaves), young carrots, broad beans, peas and tomatoes –
all in the raised beds with a few flowers such as nasturtiums to add
to the general colour. These beds are about six foot long and two
wide with a soil depth of nine inches and raised so that they are
about the same height as a kitchen working surface.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
upsides are that you can remove all the soil every other year or so,
ensure it is as weed and pest free as possible, add some fertiliser
(and, perhaps, a little potting compost) and replace it knowing there
will be all the nourishment needed for the next crop. The down side
is that the beds need to be watered during dry weather but there is a
butt fed from the greenhouse roof nearby to take the hard work out of
that.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPB1c4uyvC9_QnbXk3PoLgXj4FGjM-H8H6jWlM9SSX76vZI2jtbePP98fKMNad6REmaoeeuMQwHXQj8bybDMJ7Eq8VTGN2u9twPyNOLCfBrJrFjs-fJjeV6MIj_LXD7j5vzrqwpVFS4/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzPB1c4uyvC9_QnbXk3PoLgXj4FGjM-H8H6jWlM9SSX76vZI2jtbePP98fKMNad6REmaoeeuMQwHXQj8bybDMJ7Eq8VTGN2u9twPyNOLCfBrJrFjs-fJjeV6MIj_LXD7j5vzrqwpVFS4/s1600/002.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is taken in the Valley of the Rocks just outside Lynton on the north coast. I understand that this valley once carried a river but that the flow was redirected by some geological activity in the past. It was near here that our usually faithful camper van decided to pack up and that resulted in a good deal of interesting activity. Stage one: leave Marcia and Max in the van while I hitched a lift into Lynton. Stage two: arranged for a breakdown lorry to meet me at the van. Stage three: get a taxi to take me back to the van and then take Marcia and Max to our cottage on Exmoor (about fifteen miles away). Stage four: rider in the breakdown lorry back to the garage near our home just north of Dartmoor and leave the van there (about forty five miles) and then to drop me home (just four miles down the road) to collect the car so that I could drive back and join the others on Exmoor (another fifty miles). All of which was not according to plan.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still
in the ground are two other crops: runner beans and rhubarb. Neither
of these would work in a raised bed. The first is, of course, just
there: fed and mulched in the autumn and cropped in the summer. The
second is sowed into pots in the greenhouse for planting out later:
as are the numerous sweet peas with which Marcia likes to fill the
house during the summer months.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
it was that I have been sowing for this years crops. It’s a very
odd feeling working in the greenhouse and on our two raised beds
without even knowing whether or not I shall be around to see any of
this work bear fruit.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having
said that it was also incredibly satisfying. To be honest I’m not
quite sure why that should be the case but I suppose a part of it is
that it makes me feel that regardless of everything there is a point
in keeping going at a time when giving up would seem the obvious
thing to do.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLmCDGW1RRPbLC7PIKGWatWQNzMXHoH5XNJ8WJmvKoQFVDRxqZ9t3MnU1mX3OLARX9mJerf3bV6w4fZWDIrqa78pZbdy9PdjCh_hiOmK3tT9vljSK4AEHzqvAsHx5hzx4Z_-DI2Z14cA/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLmCDGW1RRPbLC7PIKGWatWQNzMXHoH5XNJ8WJmvKoQFVDRxqZ9t3MnU1mX3OLARX9mJerf3bV6w4fZWDIrqa78pZbdy9PdjCh_hiOmK3tT9vljSK4AEHzqvAsHx5hzx4Z_-DI2Z14cA/s1600/003.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Still on Exmoor but quite a long time ago. Marcia was writing <i> The Summer House </i>at the time which was set near Allerford on Exmoor. It was one of those hot and rather dreamy summer afternoons when I came across these two in the little churchyard there. Just couldn't resist them</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For
some reason many men (and I am one) feel that there is a need to
leave something permanent behind them. With many this desire is
poured into their children but with others there is a need for
something more tangible: something physical that can act as a
memorial. For most of us this is just not going to happen. As I
watered in the second sowing of carrots yesterday I suddenly realised
that this is not what it is all about. What matters is far smaller,
on a tiny scale and infinitely more important.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvFNlqUhbkGQyd6o5OljEGCuk6KAhjHjKrf4FSetWBMFMnHrkvfcrcTirJwakuZTfqpS497l_BCgbxn0ZtiWeDpaD6_5NDFgb_RKe_AHRFHQtQSORkCH8W4Dfq86KPrwd2X8T6O3l2kQ/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvFNlqUhbkGQyd6o5OljEGCuk6KAhjHjKrf4FSetWBMFMnHrkvfcrcTirJwakuZTfqpS497l_BCgbxn0ZtiWeDpaD6_5NDFgb_RKe_AHRFHQtQSORkCH8W4Dfq86KPrwd2X8T6O3l2kQ/s1600/004.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On one of our trips we were parked up on Porlock Toll Road looking across towards Wales watching this drilling rig being towed down the Bristol Channel to wards the sea. Looking through the photo files this one embodies so many memories. It was here that scenes from three of Marcia's Exmoor books (<i>The Birdcage, Memories of the Storm and The Summer House)</i> suggested themselves to Marcia and we talked through them (at great length, I should add, but at least these conversations were not inflicted on anyone else).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our
memorials are the host of actions and reactions with the people with
whom we come into contact day by day. Sometimes these actions will be
good and we shall have spread a little bit of comfort or joy or love.
Sometimes they will be bad and shall have caused grief and sorrow.
For the vast majority of us it is our actions that stand as our
memorials and it is up to us whether those memorials are, on balance,
positive or negative. Speaking only for myself, there have been
moments in my life when my actions have left much to be desired –
moments when life demanded more from me than I had to give, moments
when the needs of others seemed less important than my own and
moments when I used others as whipping-boys for matters for which
they were blameless. All I can hope is that on the other side of the
balance sheet there were other moments that will, in some measure,
compensate.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whatever
the reason, I commend sowing a few seeds to bring peace of mind to a
spirit that is, at times, somewhat troubled.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, many thanks for all your comments. Sorry I have not been able to reply to them individually this week but I do want you to know how much your ongoing support means to me.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-3954774058320610152015-04-10T12:29:00.001+01:002015-04-10T12:29:40.608+01:00The station with no railway: Dartmouth<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last
week, in a comment, Maria from Spain mentioned the only railway
station in the country without a railway – Dartmouth – and she
asks whether or not that is true. Well, yes, it was but, as we shall
see, is no longer.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQmzR8YswSS8ioW9_ZZlQ0CJgwF6ELC5CtobU1oi2iDVdy5QzYAug5Ea9a345_slMsoDkib3Aw6YGVgiNJkS8cWk45tOaT4eUMpggI91QpQpWGMrwqgvK7JEmwLxnafjJ39rGSd3LfSY/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQmzR8YswSS8ioW9_ZZlQ0CJgwF6ELC5CtobU1oi2iDVdy5QzYAug5Ea9a345_slMsoDkib3Aw6YGVgiNJkS8cWk45tOaT4eUMpggI91QpQpWGMrwqgvK7JEmwLxnafjJ39rGSd3LfSY/s1600/001.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Station Restaurant - once Dartmouth Station</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
story starts back in the middle of the 19th century. A line had been
built from London all the way down to Cornwall. It crossed the river
Dart at Totnes, just above stream of the old road bridge but that is
a good way from Dartmouth (on the west bank of the Dart) itself which
suffered in those days from very poor inland transport links. So it
was that a branch line was proposed which would link Dartmouth to the
main line, joining it at Paignton (which is to the east of the Dart).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SG_SFJ5VwuFTyEIX7sT-xLoEPWP2DMkOEhOrX74_9A2tcHyXS9IPmtGNOZAs7YUunGVojqVeNKXhFJl0_ZGtXzPEFPS9RGZfL7J2joQJQnkNZvClSbMevkTQh2IP4ruy7BR-k6T71Zo/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SG_SFJ5VwuFTyEIX7sT-xLoEPWP2DMkOEhOrX74_9A2tcHyXS9IPmtGNOZAs7YUunGVojqVeNKXhFJl0_ZGtXzPEFPS9RGZfL7J2joQJQnkNZvClSbMevkTQh2IP4ruy7BR-k6T71Zo/s1600/002.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Agreement
as to where the line should run was reached fairly quickly but it
proved impossible to agree on where a bridge should be built. In
fairness it must be remembered that at that time the Dart was a busy
port and that the ships that came into the harbour and on up to
Totnes with their tall masts were important to the local economy and
a bridge would have put an end to that trade. So it was decided that
the line should be run down into Kingswear (the town – then village
– on the opposite side of the river to Dartmouth) and that the last
part of the journey should be by ferry. Nevertheless there was a
station built on the Dartmouth embankment complete with ticket office
and waiting room – and its own Station Master. From there you
walked down a covered gangway to a floating pontoon, also covered, and so onto the ferry which took you across the river where a similar
arrangement took you up to the platforms.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ibn__O5FyjRi9V2Prcjwxb78j5WWxPLTf0GUMQG_an78XboApMTkVU0D7y_w00i_ee-_TNva27FYEvrEtduBugahgZLQcds4f6tIRJzuN542C9fxCNt6kTAlOcfp77OM6LlpO9WWVDU/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ibn__O5FyjRi9V2Prcjwxb78j5WWxPLTf0GUMQG_an78XboApMTkVU0D7y_w00i_ee-_TNva27FYEvrEtduBugahgZLQcds4f6tIRJzuN542C9fxCNt6kTAlOcfp77OM6LlpO9WWVDU/s1600/003.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This
line opened in 1864 and continued to operate until the branch line
was closed on 30 December 1972. The ferry was then passed to the
local authority and the railway line to the Dart Valley Railway
Company which was already operating the heritage line linking Totnes
to Buckfastleigh. Nowadays both the line and the ferry are operated
by the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat Company who offer a
circular tour to visitors. This takes you from Dartmouth to Totnes by
riverboat, thence by ‘bus to Paignton, by rail to Kingswear and
back to Dartmouth on the ferry.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OX1e54CnLrbY7DTv2kTQG3OTZeNg8Gn0nUl6w8ZART9fQS44nFy5Lkro06Te9ROZUU5Dk55Ygo_ojgGQ2oNCJ0aoDy-miNUMA8kt6uh_oomzc3DGRi1HlHnf8gJPopnjVeXSI6rHWg8/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OX1e54CnLrbY7DTv2kTQG3OTZeNg8Gn0nUl6w8ZART9fQS44nFy5Lkro06Te9ROZUU5Dk55Ygo_ojgGQ2oNCJ0aoDy-miNUMA8kt6uh_oomzc3DGRi1HlHnf8gJPopnjVeXSI6rHWg8/s1600/004.jpg" height="321" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
station itself was rebuilt in 1986 when the embankment was raised and
other flood protection works carried out and is now a restaurant.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ti_-E4NA0jgPJXzBQoJWEV6T5VVAjsGNTEH24kJ3IGO0OR3bDkktske0e7O9wJbrm-hqTgXVx8t81mSriErEqAbC8lI0Ng2WGifs7da0xSW6emuvVrjNYGAgeyN8NCQ5Rcg3qvC1GxE/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ti_-E4NA0jgPJXzBQoJWEV6T5VVAjsGNTEH24kJ3IGO0OR3bDkktske0e7O9wJbrm-hqTgXVx8t81mSriErEqAbC8lI0Ng2WGifs7da0xSW6emuvVrjNYGAgeyN8NCQ5Rcg3qvC1GxE/s1600/005.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
you know, we live a field away from the Dart some distance upstream
of Totnes and the other day I went for my first walk around the
gardens at Dartington Hall since the beginning of November when I
first fell ill. All the photos here (apart from the one of the
station) were taken on that walk. I hope you enjoy them.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48vGvGg2twvs9lnLfTY6gakcMK2j5IXWVZ1dmhC9ZqaEERFxss9WxssVILcr9vK-o4Svt-_gDEwxPstVcod3OwFBKAShZFlaN73mN8DvR1s37JRAMT1_TV9wsWcgAx1RzEBZS-rbAWOw/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg48vGvGg2twvs9lnLfTY6gakcMK2j5IXWVZ1dmhC9ZqaEERFxss9WxssVILcr9vK-o4Svt-_gDEwxPstVcod3OwFBKAShZFlaN73mN8DvR1s37JRAMT1_TV9wsWcgAx1RzEBZS-rbAWOw/s1600/006.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-80514675171938262422015-04-03T14:33:00.002+01:002015-04-03T14:33:40.089+01:00Three hotels<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let’s get the results of the PET scan
out of the way and then we can get on. Basically nothing changes: the
scan confirms an primary at the entrance to the stomach and
secondaries in the liver. There is not a lot that can be attempted
with any real chance of success – and that measured in terms of
adding a few months rather than years to my life expectancy. Marcia
and I prefer to look at enjoying what time we have together rather
than spending a good deal of it in and out of hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile one part of life that will go on for as long as possible is
the Friday blog. I have a feeling that they will become more and more
associated with memories from the past rather than new thoughts and
discoveries but only time will tell.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g6p7YON4aGrxR2AUoU7rebKu0eLJ-h2GnIU1U4EzdHpscZxwCDW3ifdMfntsKd-QZFFnBRbJmBQ0kWjkKlLXNKAklT8lLU-vARV8cyvLVT9K-Dkffu7Pd_WLZwQnX8ZLRioiKjsFBPY/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4g6p7YON4aGrxR2AUoU7rebKu0eLJ-h2GnIU1U4EzdHpscZxwCDW3ifdMfntsKd-QZFFnBRbJmBQ0kWjkKlLXNKAklT8lLU-vARV8cyvLVT9K-Dkffu7Pd_WLZwQnX8ZLRioiKjsFBPY/s1600/001.jpg" height="400" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Royal Castle at Dartmouth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week we pottered down to Dartmouth
to deliver some copies of </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marcia Willett’s Dartmouth </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to
the Royal Castle Hotel. We have known the owner, Nigel Way, for many
years – at least thirty and probably more – and he thought it
would be nice to have a copy in each bedroom but first we wanted to
clear the idea with the Dartmouth Community Bookshop. As some of you
may know, the old Harbour Bookshop in Dartmouth was once owned by
Christopher Robin Milne, the son of Alan Alexander Milne (better
known as A A Milne). Anyway, it so happened that we lived just up the
road from C R Milne at that time and were on what is best described
as nodding terms with him. He was a delightful character and I was
saddened when his death was announced in 1996. Meanwhile, he sold the
shop to Bruce Coward who was also a literary agent – mine for a
while. It was Bruce who advised me in the strongest possible terms
after he had read the only novel I wrote to stick to non-fiction. It
was not what I wanted to hear but he was quite right.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then Bruce sold to
Roland and Marcia became a writer. This changed our relationship with
bookshops – bound to – and so it was on the basis of being a
novelist that she had a relationship with Roland somewhat reinforced
by the fact that he also owned a book shop in St Ives in Cornwall.
But Dartmouth could no longer support a commercial bookshop and, in
2011, it closed (as has, sad;y, his other shop in St Ives).
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjije_SPrcfER5VT6_rLsNB-j3Z4q1Q7DoUkjOuYLjXyUge-E3rp4J21IX5Bo0zvLA43LZxHbgWEMZuMgNRz_1ol-_lUWUPjSsL4qAttKcy0Rq723jmHsb5A9h8wKltUDnkh2MKcnQLNzU/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjije_SPrcfER5VT6_rLsNB-j3Z4q1Q7DoUkjOuYLjXyUge-E3rp4J21IX5Bo0zvLA43LZxHbgWEMZuMgNRz_1ol-_lUWUPjSsL4qAttKcy0Rq723jmHsb5A9h8wKltUDnkh2MKcnQLNzU/s1600/002.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new community bookshop in Dartmouth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A group decided
that something had to be done and they formed a not-for-profit
society, called Dartmouth Community Bookshop, and opened a new
facility in Higher Street opposite the famous Cherub Inn (reputed to
be the oldest surviving building in the town). Managed by Andrea
Saunders, who worked for many years in the Harbour Bookshop and knows
the business and the local market very well indeed, and otherwise
staffed by unpaid volunteers, it has proved to be a great success.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So Marcia had a
word with Andrea who was very happy with the idea – especially as
we put a sticker on each book explaining where copies could be
bought. Thus, should you decide to stay in the Royal Castle you
should find a copy in your room which may add a small measure of
pleasure to your visit.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
Royal Castle features in <i>The Courtyard, </i>is
important in <i>Hattie’s Mill</i>
and reappears in <i>The Chawick Trilogy. T</i>he
book to be published in August, <i>Summer on the River</i>,
is set in the town and, sure enough, some of the characters find
themselves drinking and lunching there as, indeed did we last week.
In passing, the Mary mention in <i>The Courtyard</i>
is still very much with us and continues to rule the bar with a firm
hand. She and I have a particular fellow feeling: she has a
granddaughter who was born deaf but, thanks to cochlear implants, can
now hear to everyone’s relief.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLRWpo3RH_m9DCV9SLb3vgSZGFJibJcDnCJVxp4zePDQ06lXBbd3yM_sAALkyTWFvMpXNHo2rj0y527RfWKo91evit8NtIx9itmuWL0n5M78eIBMKYA1hTMrS_gIWMYbaAga05KHVRAc/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLRWpo3RH_m9DCV9SLb3vgSZGFJibJcDnCJVxp4zePDQ06lXBbd3yM_sAALkyTWFvMpXNHo2rj0y527RfWKo91evit8NtIx9itmuWL0n5M78eIBMKYA1hTMrS_gIWMYbaAga05KHVRAc/s1600/003.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Royal Seven Stars in Totnes</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nigel
decided that he needed another hotel and so acquired The Royal Seven
Stars in Totnes. This is, of course, where Jake stayed when he was in
Totnes seeking out Kit as explained in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indian Summer</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">.
When Marcia was very small, her father was a director of a firm
called Staverton Construction with headquarters in that village which
is about four miles from Totnes. He ran their operation from the
Bristol office but had to come down fairly regularly for meetings at
the head office. So it was that the family often stayed at Seven
Stars where, because there were seven of them, they would be seated
at the big round table in the middle of the dining room on the first
floor. We sometimes have lunch in there but we prefer to eat in the
bar downstairs.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj88u9rQpJE0VWH7uwAtQ2qtbJ8G_5UXOOoQzMSUkYQOhGHIYH0GxZYOJrhbOSljyoXX9KA-3iRiIF30C8VFsl-4Ob4pm5M7J-3YhTbbQf4yXTLZFKgpsi5XaC5XtqWmZFLoF4MHCCj1Q/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj88u9rQpJE0VWH7uwAtQ2qtbJ8G_5UXOOoQzMSUkYQOhGHIYH0GxZYOJrhbOSljyoXX9KA-3iRiIF30C8VFsl-4Ob4pm5M7J-3YhTbbQf4yXTLZFKgpsi5XaC5XtqWmZFLoF4MHCCj1Q/s1600/004.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Luttrell in Dunster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Not
content with just two hotels, a year or so ago Nigel decided to buy
the Luttrell Arms in Dunster up on Exmoor. I am sure that I do not
need to point out that this, too, features in Marcia’s books. It
plays a most important role in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Birdcage</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
– Lizzie stayed in a room in which Marcia and I have slept – and
reappears in </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Summer House.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have no idea
which of the other hotels that crop up in Marcia’s books will be
next on the list for Nigel to add to his collection: perhaps three is
quite enough.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile,
Transworld have decided to rethink the style of cover for Marcia’s
books. Here are the first two. I do think they are rather splendid –
don’t you?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGvi1kPOqf0wPbghL6FjrmrVBcr6LJY_xudBOL_TFboWDo98D0Gz8WzUnY46A3zskS0MQorphwXp8mYNK2VAYhH2xzXO7GYpsWSrwKAKO_AWmpiAHdZJgAXxr04BSRZ76d4IHfW9HXKY/s1600/005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAGvi1kPOqf0wPbghL6FjrmrVBcr6LJY_xudBOL_TFboWDo98D0Gz8WzUnY46A3zskS0MQorphwXp8mYNK2VAYhH2xzXO7GYpsWSrwKAKO_AWmpiAHdZJgAXxr04BSRZ76d4IHfW9HXKY/s1600/005.jpg" height="400" width="256" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gBtzFIxyKslYYz05PrB91sE-BOs0MwRIPdNPJlBhrneArDUyZUIq-g2iT6VlXiph7LfPUxksUwXV408ufjLM3fxM2VIMk2krqFZeDbTY854ywwyepUPQcjt86718ErZbX2snzEqXBRE/s1600/006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gBtzFIxyKslYYz05PrB91sE-BOs0MwRIPdNPJlBhrneArDUyZUIq-g2iT6VlXiph7LfPUxksUwXV408ufjLM3fxM2VIMk2krqFZeDbTY854ywwyepUPQcjt86718ErZbX2snzEqXBRE/s1600/006.jpg" height="400" width="253" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is very odd is that this painting of Dartmouth is so similar to one that I took many years ago from our old family home in Mount Boone. Here it is.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobL4Vs10TQm1gbE4xKOCyD0LRTVYf4SNz52cm_qS2lI3xI46GjjWnQKBAxxTwbBoWlUAEgu7kZwJ-JgmAt3yDQnwIJQgxk1PfJjGYP84Hk_V5idoSlODqt30k5UFVnAj1JVebFfn7_pk/s1600/007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobL4Vs10TQm1gbE4xKOCyD0LRTVYf4SNz52cm_qS2lI3xI46GjjWnQKBAxxTwbBoWlUAEgu7kZwJ-JgmAt3yDQnwIJQgxk1PfJjGYP84Hk_V5idoSlODqt30k5UFVnAj1JVebFfn7_pk/s1600/007.jpg" height="245" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-38430618856856955122015-03-27T13:23:00.000+00:002015-03-27T13:23:02.678+00:00Sister Cara Mary<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The journey through
life we all take brings us into contact with many people and, if we
are honest, the vast majority we come across mean little or nothing
to us. However, every now and then we meet someone who in some way
becomes an important to us – either because of who they are or of
what they teach us: sometimes both.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This blog is a
celebration of one such: the late Sister Cara Mary of <a href="http://www.tymawrconvent.org/" target="_blank">Tymawr Convent</a>
near Monmouth.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuAsh8Rlqh8t40aJ4wKj656tchl_-1VztYZkkAojRfa432O0v98ZmZppbOQCsQ-9Sq08WihgBJRjDizAnC7H0ZKCbu1LWksaByxIP9lLU-lqYiYVLQ-BvKXh_xWKME29zG0DsJXudWuU/s1600/People+1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinuAsh8Rlqh8t40aJ4wKj656tchl_-1VztYZkkAojRfa432O0v98ZmZppbOQCsQ-9Sq08WihgBJRjDizAnC7H0ZKCbu1LWksaByxIP9lLU-lqYiYVLQ-BvKXh_xWKME29zG0DsJXudWuU/s1600/People+1043.JPG" height="258" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Marcia and I lived
in Avonwick some twenty years ago, another remarkable woman, Greta
Scott, lived not far from us. To be more accurate her home was there
but she spent most of her time at Tymawr where she had acted as
unpaid bursar ever since she had retired. Thus it was that Marcia
came to know about Tymawr and to decide that she would visit the
convent with a view to a week of silent retreat. I drove her up and
we were met by a small nun with spectacles and a rather curious
hearing system. She announced that she was Sister Cara Mary and was
to care for Marcia during her stay. On that occasion I was with Cara
for less than two minutes but that was enough to make a real impact
on me – and I must admit that I was far happier leaving Marcia in
her care than I had thought I would be.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over the years, when
Marcia was spending a week at the convent every six months, she and
Cara became very close and one summer, to my delight, it was arranged
that Cara would spend one week of her summer holiday with us in
Avonwick. How many of us realised that some groups of nuns actually
take a summer holiday?</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The weather was
wonderful and we had a wonderful time. We drove up to fetch Cara and
the first thing she did on arrival was to disappear and change out of
her habit into some casual clothes. ‘I have put that nun away in
the wardrobe,’ was the way she put it.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cara was certainly as
deaf as I am and it could well be that this was an important factor
in our relationship. Not just deaf but determined to continue to
communicate with other people using whatever technology we could and
putting as much effort into understanding as was needed. Not
surprisingly we spent a good deal of time talking about the problems
the deaf face and the various ways of trying to deal with what is,
actually, a quite serious disability which can, depending on the
causes of the deafness, be rather painful.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cara had an interesting
background. She had studied fine arts at The Courtlaud (alongside
Anita Brookner and Anthony Blunt: ‘Such a poor muddled man’
amongst others) and had spent much of the war working at Bletchly
Park before entering the Order and teaching.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why was she so
important to me? I think it was because in her eyes the church was
totally inclusive. She would say things such as, ‘She’s a
Christian although, of course, she doesn’t know it’. Having said
that she was strict both with herself and others. If you agreed to do
something – she would expect you to do it. Thus, having taken her
vows she never gave a moments thought to turning her back on them
even when life in the convent was for her was very hard.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, on her third
holiday with us (this time at The Hermitage) she suffered a severe
stroke and it was not long before she died. We can, however, look
back at the five or six days she spent there with the certain
knowledge that she was very happy.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PS Had a PET scan
yesterday and expect further news next week.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1327430914999175668.post-51644926710119448232015-03-20T12:16:00.003+00:002015-03-20T12:16:51.314+00:00Entering port<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is going to be one
of the hardest blogs to write as it contains some pretty grim news.
However, over the years I have become very attached to you all –
and especially those who send encouraging emails or leave comments.
So . . .</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As you know I was
suffering from anaemia at the back end of last year. As a result I
have been taking medication to increase my blood count and that has
been working (I feel better now than I did then) but it left
unanswered the basic question: why was it happening? We now know. I
have a malignant tumour growing in my oesophagus and that is at the
root of all the problems.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been decided –
I have decided – that an operation is not an option. All the advice
is that I would be extremely lucky to survive what would be major
surgery. So, more and more tests as we look at other treatments. I
will keep you informed but I have no intention of dwelling on this in
future blogs.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My apologies for
ignoring last week’s comments (and messages via email, Facebook and
so on). I am sure you will now understand why.
</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYKbyhVL2iGH0mbBO5q6zow9WdKX0vHgaMy9JPsFVH3mcYwnlPf2-i10VY4oARfhO3VeI63usz3qhIIkCnUQY6GD9pReh4R7Rqjm5FOrFLohLbOYBM2faNM0DHRi26zerQTB817iDJHo/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYKbyhVL2iGH0mbBO5q6zow9WdKX0vHgaMy9JPsFVH3mcYwnlPf2-i10VY4oARfhO3VeI63usz3qhIIkCnUQY6GD9pReh4R7Rqjm5FOrFLohLbOYBM2faNM0DHRi26zerQTB817iDJHo/s1600/001.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Achieve</i> with David Griffiths at the helm.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only one photograph
this week: </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Achieve</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. She is that blue boat moored on the river
Dart. Now in semi-retirement, all she does is help with the ferry
between the town and the castle at the river mouth during the height
of the season. She was, however, the River Dart Pilot Boat until the
river trade came to an end with the closure of the Baltic Wharf in
Totnes. The name gives the purpose away: it was through this river
that much of the timber from the Baltic ports that was destined for
use in the west country was imported.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Achieve</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> belongs
to my friend David Griffiths: one time and last River Dart Pilot. One
day, about thirty years ago, I suppose, I accompanied him out of the
river on board </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Achieve </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(crewed
for the occasion be Messrs Distin and Bell) and we – David and I –
boarded one of those ships from the Baltic (climbing a rather scary
Jacob’s ladder). From the bridge I watched as David threaded this
ship up the river – and I use the word ‘threaded’ very
advisedly because there are places where the channel is both very
narrow and very tortuous.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Achieve</i>
was already in Totnes when we arrived, her crew ashore to take the
bow warps as David turned the ship around in the turning bay before
sliding her gently alongside the Baltic Wharf to await unloading.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then
it was back down the river to Dartmouth. It had been a wonderful day
– and profitable. At the time I was writing a regular column for
<i>Yachts and Yachting</i>
and the experience gave me ample material for one of my pieces.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Down
the centuries pilots have taken over as ships near the end of their
voyages and I am now looking towards that final trip from the open
sea to a secluded berth. Luckily I have the best of pilots. You know
her as a novelist.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06229681501887795967noreply@blogger.com