Lyme Regis: 7th September 2013: a world record achieved by over 2200 people each playing on their own guitar a Buddy Holly classic Rave On as an annex to the Food Rocks festival in the town over the weekend . The dramatic storms heading to the coast from an otherwise bright horizon punctuated a marvellous afternoon that did not deter the guitar holding food loving assemblage in manageable numbers that did not threaten or overpower this very good-looking place with so much going on all year.
Just about 5pm looking out to Helford and the only storm of the day caught against an early evening sky gave an extraordinary light to the river full of moorings tugging hard against the outgoing tide. The houses peeping from the wooded bluff just this side of Frenchman's Creek and along to the utterly transformed Shipwrights Arms together with a proper village shop with proper food and slow dough bread make for something that is hard to beat for a change and a rest. Get up to the Shipwrights for a real surprise 01326 231235
at 800 feet on a hill above Pennyghael, a strip of a place along Loch Scridain at the western end of Mull, three stone cairns sit in a close row nicely seen on the summit from many angles. We re-clothed them with fallen stones and brought the three men to life and who guard the waters of Beinn and Lochain at which our many casts drew no result. Get on up there a have a wonderful time www.holidaymull.co.uk/minisites/killunaig is just the best place out.
amongst the islands of Croatia and normally aside a marvellous clear blue water bay sit rather un-commercial eateries often run by a family who go fishing and have a bit of stock back at the family smallholding. So with no menu or so much as a pricelist a feast of what ever is to hand appears on a platter, suitably charred on the oak fuelled fire and with crusty potatoes and very red tomatoes this simple food does everything for the sole easily replaces lost energy from the morning swim.
Beer the place, not the drink just along from Seaton, has a very English feel and with a windy but clear prospect of a day people huddle in quite big family groups clothed colourfully and soaking up the local fresh crab sandwiches with mugs of tea from Ducky's beach café whilst sailing, mackerel fishing and swimming goes on all around with a constant swishy-wash of the millions of pebbles shelving at the waterline.
So this summer has turned out to be more reliable than most for those looking to eat outside and enjoy the warm evening air. No better an example of this recently rare British weathering was brought to us in some style at Moorish in Wiveliscombe where we celebrated a birthday around a long white table clothed table in a balmy courtyard scented with herbs and squeaking with swallows with exquisite food, service and atmosphere. Occasionally all those nice things come together and become etched into the summer calendar when all agree that there is no better place to be - but only provided the weather ...
Just glorious to be in England when the weather is good and we just caught enough of the waves before the real high pressure flattened the sea. At Portcothan the heated sand brought a warmth to the sea and made for a great time on the beach.
So this is where the discerning Dorset folk cluster of an evening away from the crowds and with BBQ apparatus and large pebbles as breadboards the farm produce is consumed washed down with juiced up Elderflower and occasional vino shipped from the uncles estate in southern climes.
I live in the just above the Yarty River where East Devon is at its best with an open texture patchwork of permanent pasture. As a dairy farming area precious few of the fields are cultivated and so we see a lovely balance of different greens of the grass at different stages along with stands of trees and very few buildings poking out of the verdant valley. Using blues and yellows I achieve the distinction of green against green to represent the field patterns in the local valleys where I walk every week.
I took six tubes of acrylic colour and a titanium white to Sri Lanka and that passed customs in the hand luggage. (more…)
Using a variety of media and styles the work responds to mood and geography but is more than often an observation of simple scenes in everyday life and on the travels across Europe.
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