Another Sunday in February

Yesterday I got to walk on Bournemouth Beach and generally be calm and take a few pictures. It was therapeutic and even if it was only for an hour or so good for my soul. I drove down on Friday night following my wife and children down the M40 and then the A34 to the south on our way to visit my brother in law who lives just outside the seaside town.

In the morning, we looked at the cold wet grey overcast day that presented itself and decided that some sort of indoor activity would be a good idea. After a quick Internet search based on "things to do on a wet day in Dorset", we settled on visit to Wimbourne and a visit to The Coffee Pots Ceramic Cafe. The key selling point to two underwhelmed children was the opportunity to decorate their own pottery.

To be honest as the family member with minimal artistic talent I found the prospect fairly daunting, I would have to design and paint something. To be honest I had a great time I got to choose a mug and after a some consideration painted it green with a red stripe on the outside and red on the inside. The coffee was good as well. the staff were really helpful and we all had really good time. I look forward to seeing the results once they have been fired and cooled down.


Then we went on to Bournemouth itself. Having parked in the town, the rest of the family wanted to explore the shops, I decided to walk down to the beach take some pictures.
So this is it looking back at the town on the left with the pier running to the right and a fair amount of sand in the middle. It is the middle of February and it does look rather bleak.

Rather than walk on the beach I walked along the between the bottom of the the hillside and the beach itself The beach huts at the base of the hill create the boundary line between sea and land. The great majority are locked up waiting for spring and the return of the sun. a few hardy souls had opened theirs up as bases for the days operations, for me it was too cold. I kept moving.

To west the day was finally begining to brighten up and holes in the cloud sheet let through some light. Enough to know it was coming our way. This did however encourage the very brave to venture to the waters edge. Well OK there were some surfers in water itself, enjoying the swell, but they must be crazy, it is February and cold.

Looking down on all this was a true master of his art. trying to work out what all the fuss was about.

So it is time for bed

Goodnight

February halfway

So I made it to the middle of the month, not a great achievement I know but its still going. Not much has happened over the last few days, well I have been to work and come home again. It has been a slow deflation, that is possibly the best word for it since the fun of the weekend. I enjoyed myself at the travel Writers workshop and although I wrote something up, a piece about Mount Etna, it sort of sits there on the computer and I have not shown it to anyone, OK so i need to let some one else read it.

I drive along the M54 towards Telford, and as I drive into the west I can now make out clumps of and patches of white flowers, snowdrops or even white crocuses. I the Gardens around my house there are crocuses, bright yellow on the whole adorning many of the gardens.

I took this picture last week in on one of the small woods that lie between my office and St Georges a small area of the sprawl that is Telford.

So that's all for today sorry it has been a bit short but I don't really have that much to write tonight

So I have be dragging out starting this for what seems like hours. I had better get down to it I suppose.

Today was/is a good day. I enjoyed myself. I went down to the ITV studios in London( Its the building in the picture) to attend a Travel writers Workshop run by Dea Birkett.

It was my Christmas present from my wife and it ranks as one of the best I have ever had.

So what did I get out of it, to be honest at this moment I don't know, it will take me a while to think it through, but initially has given me a belief that I can write stuff that people want to read or at least share.

Originally I had thought I would drive down to London and park somewhere cheap and get the tube into the centre and then reality and common sense ambushed me. I got the train and had a calm and relaxing journey.

There were 15 of us around a table. I did feel very sedentary when compared with some of the others, tales of overland expeditions across continents, writing stories of wild west adventures and proposals of voyages to far flung mid ocean island outposts. Mexico was mentioned more than once. Then Brighton and Eastbourne came into view and to my ssurprise and to an extent bewilderment, Birmingham, that's me I know about that place why do you want to go there. Maybe I should do something I know, that's a thought.

The view, across the Thames, was to say the least in this context, quite inspiring. As the day wore on the morning cloud cover broke up and more and more direct sunlight hit the city lighting it up. Spring is not far away. The churches with their spires reaching to heaven joined and to a great extent crowded out by the high rise blocks .


Finally, because I am running out of steam and it is quite late, for me anyway. I could see the London Eye from out vantage point, but got no good pictures . this was taken from the ground at the end of the day on the way home.

I like it anyway

I enjoyed myself and will probably refer back to this lots.

good night

Back again for February

New month and I have got around to sitting down and typing something into the Blog. It has stayed mild over the last few days and yesterday I saw my first crocus and today my first snowdrop. The gale that has blown for last 2 days seems finally to have calmed down. Across the road from us is a large tree in which, at this time of year. I can see the three (possibly four ) rook's nests. This is seems to be an expansion from the rookery further up the road. I stood and watched this morning and again this afternoon as the rock the tree back and forth and branches swaying all over the place. the nests rode out the storm and if I looked looked at the main rookery up the road the same was happening. Nests that of the face of it where just piles of twigs strapped together her holding together. The birds are only now beginning to return to them having left months ago. I was impressed anyway as I thought about it.

So what else is going on, not much. It did occur to me that I have talked about Telford and given the impression that it there are mo places really to explore. I suppose it does pale in comparison to Shrewsbury . The major difference is the River Severn which is different every day. The rest move in time with various cycles and roads and motorways which are the Main arteries of Telford are the same all year. The cars are different, but the move too fast to be examined or taken notice of in any meaningful way.

The river because it moves and brings with it flotsam and jetsam that hint of stories that could and possible should be told.

I took this one in February last year and I like it and it probably illustrates my point. a single feather floating downstream and my mind can begin to drift with it , or try and track it back to where it started its journey.

It is the sort of thing that keeps me occupied as a walk along the river back.

Telford does have its attractions, most are not within walking distance of where I work. You also have to remember that I only have lunch time to do this. So I have my routes which ?I vary and explore around.


OK bed time Maybe more soon