Autumn in Dorset

A family bereavement caused us to cancel our summer holiday, so now a week in Dorset beckoned. It is a lovely county, fairly unknown and forgotten by the hordes, but known and cherished by, amongst others, Thomas Hardy aficionados.

Our caravan settled down in a field on a small farm, with glorious views from the front window

However, there is a price to pay - to enjoy a view one needs a hill, which means a slope. Siting the caravan was tricky but accomplished, with the help of stone props.

The caravan is level, the angle of the awning gives some idea of the slope.

But the autumn days were glorious.We awoke to misty mornings

But by about 10 o'clock the sun had burned through, drying the hedgerows and burnishing the autumn fruits

and lighting sympathetically the views over the Blackmoor Vale (which Hardy likened to the "cottage garden of Dorset")

On only one morning did we draw the curtains to find rain obscuring the view

And that day we made good use of our National Trust membership to visit Kingston Lacy

All in all a gentle, relaxing holiday. No plans, no rush. A gentle nurse for fractured souls.

CORNISH HOLIDAY

Just returned from 10 days immersed in Cornwall.

Cornish Wild Flowers

Woodland Rivers

Bodmin Moor and Rough Tor  (link)

Prehistoric Hut Circles  (What was the life of a megalithic farmer like, tending sheep on these moorlands? Bleak, according to our standards, maybe? Or Arcadian according to theirs? The climate was warmer then. There is clean running water nearby. There are signs of early agriculture. Warmth, shelter, food and drink. It could have been a simple and satisfying life even with an expectancy of about 30 years absolute maximum.)

Tiddy Oggies  (link)

Cornish Clotted Cream Teas

Oh... and the (fairly) new dog, Rex, enjoyed himself having been introduced to "watersports"  - a new experience for him but he took to it like a duck to water!

HAPPY DAYS

This morning we loaded the car with quantities of baggage, plus my antipodean daughter, HHnB and her husband to travel to Heathrow airport. This was at the relatively civilised hour of 7.00am - 5 weeks ago we had to leave for Heathrow at 3.00am to pick them up at 500.am when they arrived from Oz - hot, tired, dishevelled and jet lagged. (Most of which applied to us too!).

It was wonderful to see them again and they had a super holiday here. As you may see below, I kept my promises. The bluebells were right on schedule and a perfect June morning allowed me to give my daughter the (60 mile) motorcycle ride she had asked for. (With a stop for coffee and dark chocolate and ginger fridge cake at a seashore hostlery).

The house seemed very empty when we returned from Heathrow, but Rex made it pretty obvious that he was glad to see us.

Until the next time, my dears.

NORFOLK REPORT

(click any image to enlarge)

Norfolk..........a leisurely, enjoyable week. A cosy spot to set up our caravanserai under the apple trees,


Norfolk skies with the harvest in

Norfolk churches


The nostalgia of "clackity-clack" rides through the Norfolk countryside on old railway lines in ancient carriages drawn by a steam engine



and a vintage Routemaster ex-London bus taking passengers from the train station to the town (Holt)


But there was work to be done for HHnB who had requested detailed pictures of the "Great Wall" of Erpingham for her future inspiration.





(a complete set of model "T" Ford wheels are embedded)


However, the real serendipity was that the house owner and builder of the wall, seeing me photographing, came out to ask (in an almost impossible to imitate in print, wonderful Norfolk accent) "Yew loiiike thaaat, then?" He had owned a rubbish skip business, wherefrom had come the wall's ingredients (he still had two fields full of the stuff as well a collection of 30 horse carts and pony traps). He and his wife had taken 7 years to build it together. Unfortunately she had died some 3 months previously. Telling him that I was there because a daughter in Australia had seen the wall on the net and wanted pictures, he was happy to accede to my request for his picture by it. "Mr. Wright" he said his name was - (the formalities were preserved). His somewhat set expression was down to the regrettable results of a stroke.



Oh - and I can recommend the fresh-caught Cromer crab!