Book Review

On this day last year I had just finished the above book and wrote

a review in my diary.

The tag line is - Was losing her memory the best thing that ever happened to her?

The story is about Alice who loses her memories of the last 10 years

after an accident.

It had quite an impact on me at the time and set me to thinking, what if?

In Alices's mind she was happily married, pregnant with her first child and had a good

relationship with her family - that was 10 years ago.

Ten years on she and her husband are separated, her sister hates her and her son in 10 years old

and she has missed all his childhood.

What happened in those intervening years that made her life so unrecognisable from what it was.

Just imagine if you lost your memories  - and woke up 10 years younger.  Would you do

everything the same way, make the same decisions.

The theme is similar to the film 'Sliding Doors' where just one action told a

completely different story,

or

'Shirley Valentine' where she says

"Where has she gone, the girl that was me"

Maybe a whole bunch of different decisions could have

been made with a much more satisfying outcome.

I could say that there is a whole world out there that I have never seen and

things I haven't done that I should have, but

I can't think of anything that I would rather have been doing over the last couple of decades,

 perhaps the journey could have been better, or a

different route taken to get to the same end.

This book provoked a lot of thought, like

when did I get so old and

would I really have done anything different

if I was given the choice.?

I'll never know.

An Elephant in his Element

Is this not the happiest elephant on the planet?

Every time I look at this photo

it makes me smile

I found it on the Pinterest website

and have become an obsessive 'pinner'

You choose from a wonderful range of images and 'pin' them

to your own story boards

It is really interesting to see what other people pin

and what makes them tick

I think my boards would show that I am a complete romantic

with a love of art and beautiful things

cute animals

and

shabby chic interior design

It is great fun way to pass a few hours

if you don't have anything better to do - that is

The Fascinating World of Fungi

Whilst we were visiting the Pensthorpe Nature Reserve we wandered through the woods looking for fungi.  Very quickly we found these Wood Blewitts which are edible, they can be found in pine forests or growing on decaying leaves

These little clusters of sunshine are possibly Two-toned Pholiota and grow on stumps at the base of dead trees, these are also edible, but only the caps, and common throughout Britain.

One of the most beautiful sights of autumn is a group of fiery red Fly Agaric shining in the sun, brilliant against the damp green grass and the fallen yellow leaves of the birch.  It is now considered less poisonous than was once thought.

This is a Bracket fungus possibly Betulina

Now my identification on this one is a bit hazy, possibly Artists Fungus or Razor Strop, the pictures in my reference books never quite match up sometimes - but it exciting to find so many different types.
If anyone out there can give positive identification
for any of the above I should be
interested to know.



Holiday Heaven

Another holiday year is over

six months to wait

till I see the sea again

Just the memories of a lovely week at the coast

to keep me going over the coming winter

We arrived in time for Sunday lunch

Roast Pork and Apple Sauce

Yummy Scrummy

After lunch

strolled down to the quay

where there was a Pirate Festival

A pirate band

singing sea shanties

and the Jolly Roger

flying high

The evening was still

with a lavender sky

the tide was low

with the boats at rest

the following days

where the skies were blue and the beaches deserted

we lunched on crawfish tails

sitting out in the sunshine

saw windmills in the distance

and strange street names

there were strange animals too

a llama in residence at the end of the street

a dragonfly resting in the sun

a grey squirrel

oblivious to us digging a hole in the bank

burying food in a winter store

tranquil pools

at a bird reserve

shell decorations

around the door at a beachside cafe

and beautifully ornate

chimney pots

sea defences

to hold back the high tides

and the last meal

before our return journey

what a delicious end

to a lovely holiday

A Nature Table

I love the idea of having an outdoor

seasonal display

a nature table like the ones you used to have at school

where the class would go on a 'nature walk'

and bring all the found booty back and place it on a table in the classroom

I hoard all sorts of interesting containers
old fashioned green bottles
stone flagons
wooden baskets
It is a bit like a mini harvest festival

This is my version

and these are the versions from the Country Living Magazine

as the season progresses
and more finds are made I will add to the table with
leaves and nuts and hedgerow fruits
I just think it is a great way to brighten up my outdoor space
Don't you agree?

The Call of the Coast

I can hear it calling

I can feel the salt water rising in my veins

I can smell the marshes

Just a few days to go and I shall be there

The coast

I want to see big skies

and boats waiting for the tide

and the view from the heath

and to walk in the dunes

and eat brown bread crab sandwiches

with a lemonade shandy

and eat fish caught fresh that morning

relax

and read a little

in a hideaway cottage

and if the weather

is good

may be do a little sea gazing

the coast is calling

and I can't wait ...

The Wild Woman of Exmoor

Hope Bourne died in 2010 age 91.  She was an extraordinary lady who lived for more than 20 years on Exmoor, on her own, in an old leaky caravan.  There was no running water, no electricity and she hunted for her food with a gun.  I first came across her when I found a book she had written called 'Wild Harvest', and was fascinated by her lifestyle. 

Her income was from articles for a local newspaper, about wild life and living on Exmoor - it did not amount to much, so she had to supplement it by growing vegetables and hunting for food.  All the skins from rabbits etc. she cured and used as floor coverings, cushion covers, and bed coverings.  There was no transport where she lived so she walked everywhere, up to 20 miles a day, in a pair of old wellingtons stuffed with straw.  Water was hauled back to her caravan from a stream, wood was collected from the hedgerows for fuel for her little stove and fruit and berries that she foraged, were a regular part of her diet. 

It was a very hard life, but she depended on no-one and was proud of the fact that she took nothing from the state. Eventually she had to move out of the caravan, due to the fact that her asthma worsened, and moved into a community housing scheme.  She never used the electricity in the house or the heating, but slept in front of the fire on the floor, and gave the rest of the house over to her bantams.

Her independance meant everything to her, and the freedom of an outdoor life.  She was an incredible woman.

Favourite Contemporary Artists

Kurt Jackson

I have been a fan of Kurts' work since I saw him on Watercolour Challenge, as a judge, in the late 90's.
In a previous life I was a watercolour painter myself, so I could appreciate his expertise in the use of watercolour paint.  He is an 'plein air' artist, famous for his Cornish sea paintings, but he also undertakes projects where all his work is of one place - like the Thames say.

Here are just a few of his works.

Mike Bernard

Mike is a mixed media artist who incorporates collage into his work

Shirley Trevena

Shirley is also a watercolour artist, painting mainly flowers and still life.

These are just three of my favourite contemporary artists

At one time I used to paint and exhibit in local exhibitions but no longer do so as it became very expensive to frame my pictures for exhibiting purposes, also I kind of lost the necessary ingredient

inspiration.

I have done a few commission paintings of my friends pet dogs which I loved doing

but I also love abstract and landscapes

Maybe one day I will pick it up again if the inspiration returns

and

if I am brave enough

will show you some of the stuff I produced

maybe

(The quality of the photos of the above artists is not very good and not a reflection of their true beauty)