As I write this, I'm home alone for the first time since mid-April. R went of to Sheffield last night for a meeting this morning. He nearly didn't get there; his train to London being delayed by 40 minutes, meaning that he missed his connection. Luckily, there was 1 more train last night and they allowed him to use his ticket. Quite right really, as it was, after all, their fault. Anyway, I've had a lovely time, not doing anything terribly exciting, just enjoying being on my own in the house for once.
The weekend before last saw us whizzing off to Dorset for a mini-break on a farm near Bridport. We set off bright and early on Saturday morning and decided to stop in Blandford Forum for lunch.
Blandford Forum is a small market town known for its Georgian architecture, the result of rebuilding after a great fire in 1731. It had a few gems, one of which was the museum. Tucked down a small side street, this 2 storey building housed many treasures. Our favourites included: a skeleton of a Bronze Age dog; a 19th century dolls house; several longcase clocks (we do like a nice clock!); reconstructions of a local forge, a Victorian scullery and a cobbler's shop, and a scale model of Blandford Station. With the insertion of a coin (kindly provided by the lady at reception), two 00 gauge locomotives and rolling stock ran automatically round the track. The museum was perfect for children - not too big and with plenty of activities to keep them occupied.
At the back of the museum a small Victorian garden had been created on a bit of derelict land. Run by volunteers, it provides a peaceful refuge, not far from the main thoroughfare. We had an initial exploration and then bought some chips and peas on the High Street, returning to enjoy them on the garden seats provided.
Set over 3 storeys, The Dorset Book Shop was another delight. From the old fashioned door bell, which rang charmingly as we entered (I may have had to open and close the door several times to fully appreciate it!), to the 3 floors of both new and secondhand books, clocks and other treasures, we loved it all.
Suddenly realising the time, we dashed back along the river to the carpark, arriving just before our ticket expired. It was a shame really, as I would have liked a little longer to explore.
Continuing on our journey, we finally arrived at Copse Gate Farm, our B&B for the next 2 nights. A working farm, we had had to inform the owners that we were vegan (breakfast was included) and did wonder if we would be met with open arms or not! We need not have worried - despite the fact that 'Charlie Farmer' met us wearing his butcher's apron, both he and his partner, Lucy, were lovely. Easily accommodating our annoying dietary requirements, they were friendly, welcoming and fascinating to chat to over breakfast. They kept sheep, cows, chickens and pigs, many of which could be viewed from our bedroom window. The animals all seemed very happy and healthy, and obviously adored Charlie and vice-versa.
Views from our room:
Bridget enjoying the scenery:
We sat on the patio chatting, admiring the views and finishing off our flask of tea, before setting off for Charmouth and a bit of fossil hunting.
Knowing that we would be visiting the Jurassic Coast, I had borrowed E's rock hammer, convinced that I would be discovering another plesiosaurus! Sadly, not having my little Mary Anning with me, we failed to find anything. Still, it was good fun, pottering around on the beach. I sat, listening to the surf, whilst R tried his hand at rock balancing. Chatting to the other 2 guests at breakfast the following morning, Anthony and his young son Marley had managed to find a fossil with the help of a couple of local lads. Marley was very proud.
Leaving Charmouth, we headed to Bridport in search of dinner. This required a bit of extra navigation - the town was holding a procession, which necessitated the closure of several local roads. Finally parking in the carpark of the football club, we walked into town and wound our way through the crowds, hunting for an Indian restaurant. Crowds and noise really aren't my thing, so I was very glad when we finally escaped the entertainment and located 'The Taj Mahal'.
Two things stick in my mind about the meal - firstly, the quantities were huge! We ordered our usual favourites - vegetable dhansak, tarka daal and saag aloo. This is normally the perfect amount for 2. This time, there was so much that we had to ask for for a doggy bag to take away our leftovers as they were too good to waste (it made a fine lunch the following day!). Secondly, the family sitting next to us was appallingly behaved. The parents and 3 children all sat glued to their screens, whilst eating their curry and chips (!), then the adults happily turned a blind eye whilst their offspring threw food everywhere and ran up and down on the bench seats shouting. When they finally left, the poor waiters just stood looking at the mess in horror. Food was ground into the tablecloth, the seat covers and the carpet. It's not often that I want to intervene when this sort of thing happens, but that family ought to be banned from eating out until they learn better manners and parenting skills.
Negotiating the road closures, we found our way back to the farm and had an early night. The bed was comfortable, there was no light pollution, and the only noise was the odd baa from the sheep. A fine night's sleep was had by all.
After a lovely breakfast the following morning, we headed off to visit 2 local National Trust properties. The first was Montacute House - an Elizabethan mansion with surrounding gardens and parkland. We arrived just in time for a fascinating tour of the gardens and outside of the building. After exploring the bottom 2 floors of the mansion (the upper floors are closed this year), we sat in the gardens and enjoyed a picnic lunch of leftover Indian food!
The second property was nearby Barrington Court - a Tudor property with a 1920s restoration.
Here, we had our faith in other people's children restored when we observed 2 young boys, sitting on the floor, fascinated by an episode of 'Out with Romany' - a long running radio series, broadcast during the BBC's Children's Hour - coming out of an old fashioned radio. It brought a lump to the eye! Barrington Court also had a very nice second hand bookshop, where I picked up a copy of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple short stories.
Leaving National Trust properties behind, we headed off to Lyme Regis. Given that it was now nearing 4pm, we had no difficulty parking on a street with a short stroll downhill to the beach. Here, I was thrilled to discover a stall selling vegan ice cream in a gluten free cone! It would have been rude not to!
It was enjoyed, sitting on the harbour overlooking the sea. We sat there for quite a while, listening to the seagulls and the surf, before going for a walk along the coast.
Supper was the obligatory shared chippies on the beach - two lots in 1 weekend. It's a good job that we eat really healthily most of the time!
On returning to the farm, we hit a bit of a problem. Before leaving that morning, R had checked with Lucy that it would be okay to leave the keys in our room. We had no valuables in there and the keys were attached to a large wooden fob - useful for not forgetting to return them when you leave, but a little awkward to carry round unnecessarily all day. Lucy said that would be fine. Our problem arose when we arrived to discover that Lucy and Charlie were out for the evening and the front door was locked. Luckily, Anthony and Marley were in, so they were able to give us access to the farmhouse. Our own room, however, remained inaccessible. It was only after ringing Charlie that R discovered that they had, in fact, sent him a text explaining where they had hidden our keys. We at least discovered that R's new phone doesn't automatically display new messages unless you deliberately click on the icon. It was a little embarrassing but, crisis over, we were in. Another good night's sleep and we were ready for our last day.
Here our plans went a little awry. I had set my heart on visiting Thomas Hardy's house and cottage. Sadly, I should have done my research better - they are closed on Mondays! Had I known that, we could have swapped our days around and visited them on the Sunday; we just thought that it would be more convenient to do it on the way home as it was en route. Disappointed, but making a mental note to visit another time, we decided instead to visit Durdle Door, a natural limestone arch near Lulworth.
Lovely though the arch was, it seemed as though every man and his dog had decided to visit that day. The car park was busy, the path down the coast was crowded and I began to suffer from people overload. Instead of heading to the beach near the arch, we chose instead a quieter one to the left. Here, I ate my emergency GF sandwich, which I had carried around for 2 days - it was none the worse for wear - and R ate a spicy bean wrap which he had bought from a stall in the carpark. There was a bit of drama when a rock came crashing down the cliffs - no-one was sure if someone had thrown it from the path above or if it fell naturally. Unfortunately, it hit a young boy on the head and his father had to wrap up his poor, blood-stained son and carry him back up the path for help. I collected a few hagstones and then we returned to Bridget (now covered in sticky, chalky dust) and headed for home.
Just outside Salisbury, Bridget let us down. Her battery suddenly gave out and we puttered to a standstill outside someone's driveway. Now R can do many things car-wise. What he can't do is magic up electricity, so the AA was called and 'Alan' came to Bridget's rescue. After tinkering for a while, Alan agreed that nothing could be done, so he replaced the battery and followed us the rest of the way home before swapping the old one back again. Bridget had a little think in her garage about letting us down, and R has since ordered her a new one - which I think is rewarding bad behaviour, but that's neither here nor there.
In other news, Shaw House was having it's annual 'Altered States' sculpture exhibition in the garden. We went along to have a look. I didn't think it was as good as previous years but some pieces were interesting nonetheless.
Basildon Park was displaying artist Luke Jerram's installation, 'Helios'. Unlike his Moon exhibition, Helios was displayed outside in the gardens, suspended from a metal structure. Personally, I would have preferred it to be indoors. It apparently had swirling lights inside it, but they were lost in the bright sunshine. Still, it was nice to lie in the shade of the sun (!) and enjoy the accompanying soundtrack.
Lastly, I cast on my Sophie Scarf, using a skein of Skein Queen yarn bought at Unravel a few years ago.
That's all for this month. I hope you are making the most of the summer; there is already more than a whiff of autumn in the air.
Toodle pip for now. x
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