Attic24

Hooky Retreats

Well today I have something lovely to share, and I hope I can do so without getting too ridiculously over excited.  It's not often that I set out to "promote" myself but I do like to chat to you openly about things that are happening in my life and the joys that come my way as a result of me putting myself out there on the World Wide Web.

You may remember me writing about teaching a crochet retreat in the south of France back in October? I shared my trip to beautiful Carcassonne on my blog, and if you missed it here are the links >>

((Carcassonne Part 1))  and ((Carcassonne Part 2))

It was a wonderful experience that will be forever in my memory.

Carcassonne was actually my third Stitchtopia retreat as I was lucky enough to teach my first two in 2019 when I went to stay in a chateau in the French Alpes. I know, it sounds ridiculously dreamy and so far removed from my rather mundane and humble life here in North Yorkshire, doesn't it? 

I was looking back through my blog archives yesterday and realised sadly that I didn't get round to writing about the chateau retreat. I can't remember the reason why it slipped through the net, but I thought I'd share just a few photos with you today. I based my workshop around mandalas, and used them to teach some elements of colour theory. I created a bespoke yarn kit especially for the retreat, along with three new mandala patterns. The crochet in the above photo used my simple granny mandala pattern, designed as an easy way to experiment with using the colour wheel and learning about hot and cold colour combinations.

I also designed a decorative mandala which could be crocheted onto a small hoop, with some fun dingly dangly bits to add a bit of extra detail. I named this one the Daydream Mandala.

And finally, the third design encouraged the guests to plan their own harmonious colourways for a much larger 30cm mandala hoop. I named this one the Chateau mandala. It was brilliant fun to teach these projects with some practical colour theory lessons to help with planning projects and creating harmonious colour sequences. And I'm sure you'll agree, the finished mandalas look absolutely stunning.

Spending a week on a crochet retreat isn't all about hook and yarn though, as there are excursions and day trips planned into the itinerary. I LOVED going out and about just as much as I loved the crochet time and found it really inspirational.

One of the things I appreciated about going on this kind of trip was the complete relaxation of it all. Everything is organised so well, and we had a fabulous English tour guide with us at all times so that we felt very well looked after. Some ladies came in pairs (two best friends for example, or Mum and daughter) but most ladies come on their own, knowing that they'll will be with like minded souls who share their love of yarn and crochet. It's such a friendly, inspiring and sociable type of holiday experience, and I can highly recommend it.

This year I'm going to be teaching two more retreats on the sunny Portuguese island of Madeira, and I absolutely can't wait. The first trip is next month and I'm busy preparing the kits and working on the pattern and colour lessons for the project I'll be teaching.

When these retreats were announced in January they sold out very quickly and I didn't even get a chance to tell you about them here first! So when we began planning my next set of retreats for 2024 I decided that I really wanted to announce it here on my blog first so that any of you who fancy coming would have a chance to investigate before the Sold Out sign goes up.

Would you like to see where I'm going next year?

I'm veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery excited!!!!!!!!

The first trip of 2024 will be at the very end of June and will take me to Portugal. This is a twin-centre holiday with an amazing itinerary, I mean - Lisbon and Porto - both stunning cities that have been sitting on my must-visit list for a long time. 

The Portugal retreat is now open for bookings and you can find out all the details and dates etc by clicking on the following link >>

https://www.arenatravel.com/holiday/portugal-crochet-retreat

My second trip of 2024 will be in September and I can hardly believe this, but I will be going to Morocco. Yes, Morocco!  This retreat hasn't gone on sale yet but I think it'll be coming up soon. Here is the official blurb I've been given, just so you have an idea of what it'll be like >>

"Lucy, crochet designer and blogger at Attic24, invites you to join her on this 2-centre holiday in Morocco. Experience the rich culture of Morocco as you explore the imperial city of Marrakech and the coastal port town of Essaouira. Accompanied by a local guide throughout, enjoy discovering architectural treasures, spice-filled souks bursting with vibrant colours and enchanting gardens. Stay in the charming 4-star Riad Baraka and Karam in Marrakech and the 5-star Le Medina in Essaouira and enjoy a series of crochet workshops with Lucy and leave with plenty of colourful inspiration."

The lovely folks at Arena Travel who help customers with their bookings asked me to give out their telephone number, just in case you wanted more details about the Portugal retreat, or if you'd like to pre-register interest for the Morocco retreat.

The number is 01473 357036.  

I hope you'll forgive the salesy nature of this blog post, I feel a bit uncomfortable doing any kind of sales pitch here in my lovely Attic space. But these retreats are important to me and as you know I am passionate about sharing my love of crochet and colour.

Thank you for always supporting me, I do appreciate it very much. Normal day-to-day blogging will resume in the next day or two, I've got buttercups to wow you with......I know you'll be on the edge of your seat wating for such thrilling content ;)

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ps.......almost forgot to mention.....there is also a UK Attic24/Stitchtopia retreat in the planning for 2024, it'll be a 3 night long weekend kind of thing. I'll give you details as soon as it's all finalised x

 

 

 

Postcards from Dorset :: day 7

Friday was our last full day in Dorset, and we spent the morning looking after my Dad. There's been a LOT going on in the background of my holiday that I don't feel I can share at the moment, but I think/hope we are finally on the way to getting some much needed help. J drove us back to the caravan via a beautifully scenic rural route and I thought Dorset looked very beautiful indeed.

On the spur of the moment we decided to go for a walk on Friday afternoon, a five mile round trip from the caravan following the South West coast path to Hive beach at Burton Bradstock.

Much of the walk was through fields which I was grateful for, because I think I mentioned the other day that walking on a shingle beach is deceptively hard. But it's such a unique experience and I never tire of walking any path where there are continuous sea views.

The last part of the route was on the cliff path and it felt wonderful to walk on solid ground again after the trudge of shingle under foot. We know this beach very well and have come here many, many times over the years to have coffee at the beach side café, or to picnic/barbecue beside the sea.

On this day it was a short but tasty refreshment stop, followed by a quick paddle because we had to be back at the caravan for my Dad and Lady B arriving. We'd made arrangements to take them to the village pub which we've been enjoying most days of our holiday, and then we were cooking our dinner on the barbecue back at the caravan.

I'm sorry if you're not into wild flowers because I couldn't seem to stop photographing them.

I spotted these pink and white striped beauties (sea bindweed) which made me smile - gardeners amongst you will be familiar with the choking nature of bindweed, but this pretty little coastal relative is not a thug I promise.

If you look closely at the beach in the above photo, you might just be able to spot a few sun worshipers and swimmers along here. This is a lovely, quiet and very unspoilt place where you can park the car just off the coast road and walk down a track to the beach. I actually swam here with the Little People in the very very hot summer of 2020 (yes, full body immersion into the sea, it was that hot!)

We really enjoyed our last meal at the caravan - J very expertly cooked some steak burgers on the barbecue and they were absolutely delicious. I'd bought the fixings for the Little People to make s'mores over the hot barbecue coals once the burgers were all done and dusted and they went down a treat.

During our week's holiday there was only one meal that we ate indoors (at the pub in town) as every other meal was eaten outside. The weather was such a blessing, staying in the low 20's all week which added so much joy to our holiday. I love love love eating outside especially if there is a scenic view to accompany the eating, it's one of my favourite things about holidaying in Dorset when we get lucky with the sun.

I only took a couple of snaps inside the caravan just as we were packing up to leave yesterday morning, but I thought you might be interested to see them. 

Modern static caravans are fantastic and totally surpassed my expectations - no crazy furnishing fabrics or weird carpet to be seen. Everything was spotlessly clean and the minimal style was extremely relaxing.

I also loved the abundance of windows because I am very affected by light levels and this caravan gave me alllllll the sunlight, sea views and cooling sea breezes I could wish for.

The front of the caravan had floor to ceiling windows - these didn't open but gave a wonderful feeling of letting the views come inside. I especially loved curling up on the sofa in the early morning with a cup of coffee, just taking in all that glorious blue and green.

The caravan had two bedrooms, and I'm so grateful to the Little People who shared a very snug twin room with very small,  single beds without complaint or fuss. Our double bedroom was also a little short on space but the bed was exceptionally comfy and I had the best sleep I'd had in months.

I would definitely, definitely book a caravan again for a family holiday, we all loved it. I especially appreciated this kind of rural and very quiet, peaceful site - I know it's not for everyone but we've always preferred to stay places with minimal noise/crowds.

Yesterday was our day to drive the three hundred miles back north, but before we left the area we took another quick visit to Abbotsbury Gardens which was only a few miles from where we were staying. You can park and visit the very lovely café without having to pay to go into the gardens so it's a great place to have a drink if you're in the area. J and I shared some Dorset apple cake with our coffee which was outstanding, and a very enjoyable way to end our week in Dorset.

Although I hadn't really wanted to leave Dorset I was still glad to finally get home after many hours on the road. There is something very comforting about coming back to my crochet-laden furniture and a house that is always in a slight state of welcoming disarray.

It's been lovely to have you with me on this holiday and writing these postcards each day has given me a lot of pleasure. I've shared 93 images with you during the past week and I hope you've enjoyed your virtual vacation by the sea?! 

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 6

A trip to Lyme Regis was one thing I really wanted to do while we were here as it's one of my most favourite places in Dorset with so many layers of good memories residing in this picturesque place. Sadly, we didn't have a very big window to visit yesterday as we were needed back in town for a very important meeting with my Dad. But four hours is just about enough when you know a place well and we really enjoyed our time.

We parked the car just a little way out of town and walked down the hill, turning off the main street and walking along the most beautiful winding little back lanes to avoid the busy crowds.

Emerging at the top of the town gives a lovely view down the main shopping street which was all decked out with bunting and flags and looked very jolly.

On this sunny morning we actually had a particular place to be......

Just by chance, some good friends of ours from home happened to be holidaying in Lyme Regis this week, and we'd made arrangements to meet for a coffee. This café was recommended by our friends and it was wonderful, such a friendly, relaxing vibe and the coffee and homemade food was outstanding. We were able to sit outside in the sunny garden and it was very enjoyable and holidayish, what a treat.

After our coffee date, we strolled on down to the beach.

We had taken towels and the Little People had their swim things on, but when it came down to the crunch it just wasn't warm enough for them to take the plunge. We did have fun paddling in the rolling shallows though, and I even got my knees wet. It was ever so bracing and at one point I lost all feeling in my ankles.

After I'd recovered from the sea dip, we bought ice creams and took a slow stroll around the harbour...

....before retracing our steps and heading upwards through the beautiful gardens which are built in narrow terraces into the side of the cliff. You can see the beach in the above photo, it was really crowded and I was glad to leave the hustle behind and find a more peaceful atmosphere amongst the flowers.

We ate a picnic lunch up here sat on a sun warmed bench and it was so good. I adore picnics in all weathers and at all times of year, but there is something super-lovely about a warm, sun-drenched homemade lunch.

The clock was ticking, so it was soon time to make our way back to the car. We strolled along the prom, then out along the sea wall with amazing coastal views the whole way.

I wish we'd had longer to spend in Lyme, but it was a truly pleasurable time with J and the Little People. 

The important meeting that I rushed back for was long and stressful but also kind of reassuring. Afterwards I felt very emotionally drained, so it was a relief to be able to come back to the tranquillity of the caravan and quietly decompress.

We have absolutely LOVED staying in the caravan, the stunning views and rural coastal location have been really restorative and wonderful. The site is extremely quiet as most caravans are privately owned and during the week I don't think there are many caravans occupied. It's about a mile away from the sea - mostly we would follow the footpath down through the fields but yesterday we walked down the narrow lane as we were going to stop off at the pub on our way.

We decided to treat ourselves and eat out at the pub last night, and we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful setting.....

....I mean, isn't this just the nicest place to sit and eat? A secluded terrace with expansive sea views, and being warm enough to relax and eat outdoors is something very special for us Brits. We just aren't used to this kind of luxurious weather!

The food was extremely good - I had "pan fried seabass with creamy pea, tarragon & chorizo gnocchi and samphire" which was soooooo tasty that I didn't want it to end.

After dinner  we walked to the beach and sat for a while right next to the waves, taking in the relaxing sound of the sea and feeling very blessed.

A very full day for various reasons, but mostly the best of times.

Tomorrow we pack up and head home, and I think I'll have one more set of postcards to share with you. I hope you've enjoyed coming on holiday with me, it's been fun for me to share it with you..

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 5

♥ Another beautiful May day, so unbelievably grateful for this heavenly weather.

♥ A morning of domestic duties with my Dad, followed by a much needed coffee in town and a trip to the toy shop which hasn't changed  a jot since the Littles were very small. Purchased a deck of playing cards for £1 and some sherbet because I felt sentimental for the olden days of mothering little Little People.

♥ An afternoon stroll down the lanes to the pub, I just can't get enough of this beautiful garden.

♥ An hour later, a slow amble back up the  lane to the caravan. Loving the simple, quiet, rural lifestyle here.

♥ We took my Dad and Lady B out to a pub in town for dinner. I snapped the above photo on our way back to the car afterwards, I love how poppies often self seed and spring up in the most unlikely places.

♥ An impromptu detour to Burton beach on our way back to the caravan. J didn't fancy the sand so stayed up on the low grassy cliff while I went down to the sea with the Little Peeps.

♥ Soothing, calming waves at the end of a slightly tricky day.

♥ I bravely stuck my feet in the shallows and.....it was freeeeezing!

♥ Little B adding pebbles to some rock stacks that we found.

♥ Sitting out in the evenings is one of my favourite things to do here at the caravan, watching the first stars appear just before ten o'clock. It's been clear like this every night, and I can't put into words just how much I appreciate the abundance of sea views I've had this week.

Just a short set of postcards from me today - the past few days have been quite fraught as things with my Dad have taken a lot of my time and energy. I'm so grateful for J and the Little People who have been incredibly supportive and understanding, and we have still managed to spend some wonderful time together despite the difficulties going on in the background. I'm cherishing these precious days with family, we're making lovely memories here and it feels really good. 

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 4

If it were up to me, I'd be out walking every single day when I'm on holiday, especially if we're in a coastal location as I'm absolutely, hopelessly addicted to sea views. Luckily for me, the Little People have had a lifetime of walking practice and are very happy to stride out so long as there is food involved and the promise of refreshments along the way.

I expect you can tell from the postcards I've been sharing this week that the weather so far has been an absolute treat. We've felt ever so lucky to have endless blue skies and hot sunshine for our holiday week - the temperature has been around 21 degrees each day which suits me down to the ground. I do really love having the sun warming my bones.

We set out yesterday morning to do a circular walk directly from the caravan, heading up and away from the sea for the first part of the route.

The non-stop coastal views were soooooo good! In the above photo you can see the coast road which we've been driving on every day. It's ridiculously scenic, with far reaching views all the way along the south west Dorset coast to Devon.

The footpath took us up onto the South Dorset Ridgeway where we stopped a while at the trig point to rest. We had a 360 degree view from up here, it was absolutely spectacular.

Ah look, can you see that cute little building on the top of the hill overlooking the lagoon? That's where we're heading to, it's St. Catherine's Chapel.

We need to start our descent now, down across the fields.....

....down along this sun dappled leafy track.....

...and into the picturesque little village of Abbotsbury.

St Catherine's Chapel is another one of the places that the Little People were happy to go to because they have such strong memories from our many, many visits here over the years. It's a very peaceful, atmospheric place and as is our tradition, we ate a picnic lunch resting against the old, sun-warmed walls of the chapel.

After our lunch it was time to head down hill again, making our way directly to the shingle beach. You can see the Little Peeps in the above photo walking waaaay ahead of J and me, they get on very well and for most of the walk they kept up a non stop chatter.

It's 1pm now and we've reached the beach a little bit hot and in need of refreshment. Thank goodness for the tiny little kiosk at the beach car park where we could buy ice lollies......oh, lemonade lollies are just the best on a hot sunny day!

Time to start walking along the footpath which runs all along Chesil Beach, heading back towards the village where our caravan is.

We saw so many gorgeous wild coastal plants and flowers along this stretch of the beach. These strange pointy flower buds were everywhere.....

.....loads and loads of them. I thought at the time that they looked like onions or leeks that have gone to seed, and I was pretty spot on as I found out that they are in fact wild sea leeks. I bet they'll look amazing when those flower buds burst into bloom.

I do know the names of some popular coastal flowers...the ones above are Sea Campion....

...and these glorious pale pink flowers are Sea Thrift.

It was amazing to see so much of it in bloom at this time of year, because usually when we visit in summer it has already finished flowering. I adore it, that shade of pink is such a wonderful colour against the blue of sea and sky.

It was easy walking along this stretch because the trail was more like a very narrow road so we didn't have to trudge all along the shingle beach. If you've ever walked on a shingle beach you will know how exhausting it is - you use the weirdest muscles that don't usually get much of a workout!

Walking along Chesil beach, we were actually walking part of the South West Coast Path. This is the longest National Trail in England and is 630 miles long (which blows my mind every time I think about it). I've walked a lot of the Dorset coast path over the years, but the SW trail takes in the coastlines of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall as well. I'd dearly love to walk more of it at some point in the future {*adds to Bucket List*}

Oh, more splashes of colour - this is the Yellow Horned Poppy, in case you wanted to know. I used to read seashore books as a child and have quite a bit of coastal nature knowledge tucked away in my brain. 

Now this - this sight literally stopped me Dead. In. My. Tracks.

WOW, just wow.

Have you ever seen such glorious wild flowers by a beach??? Never have I seen these before, so as soon as I came back to the caravan I had a chat with Google to find out more.

May I present to you...... "Gladiolus communis" or wild gladiolus. There - now we know.

According to Google, this plant is an introduction from Mediterranean countries that grows on rough ground, particularly in the southwest. I can tell you it is StUnNinG.

The last part of our walk was an uphill jaunt through West Bexington village, and we were all fantasising about an ice cold drink at this point. The pub just so happened to be right there calling to us, so we took our weary feet straight into the garden and a round of drinks were bought. Mine was the tall golden one on the left - a pint of icy cold lager and lemonade, my goodness it tasted soooooo good.

Our walk was just a smidge short of ten miles and I honestly loved every single step of it. Love love loved it.

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 3

Yesterday was another hot, sunny day which felt way more like mid summer than spring.

The Little People asked if we could visit Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens as it's a place we've been to a lot over the years and they both feel very nostalgic about it.

On a hot sunny day it did indeed look and feel subtropical....

....and there were moments when you could imagine you were far away from England.

We have soooo many layers of memories here, and it was fascinating to observe the Little People reminisce and experience it again now that they are older.

There was lots of "ooooohhhh, I remember this bit" and exclamations of recognition.

Little Lady said it all felt smaller than she remembered, up until we came to the Giant Gunnera.....

....and then she was wowed all over again, just as she always was when she was a small child.

As always, I found myself a little disappointed by the lack of colour as this garden is all about the foliage. The overwhelming shade is green, and although it is very soothing I found myself really wishing there were more flowers.

Every so often I would come across a burst of colour and it was a real delight. I'm easily pleased.

There was huge disappointment around the ponds when we discovered that one was out of action and the other was filled with very small fish and not the magnificent giant Koi Carp that have always been there. We felt a little bit cheated, but we did see a lizard so that almost made up for it.

It was a lovely way to spend the morning, it's always a very restful place to spend time.

Driving back along the coast road offers fantastic views out along the Chesil Beach - you can see the famous shingle bank and fleet lagoon in the above photo. It really is a beautiful stretch of coastline. The above photo reminded me of one of my favourite prints by artist Liz Somerville called "Chapel on the Hill"....

...I adore it, and have the card framed at home.

Our afternoon was spent relaxing at the caravan, then another evening meal here with my Dad and Lady B sat outside in the sunny warmth. All in all, a relaxing day which felt quite nostalgic and made me thankful to still have family here.

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 2

Yesterday we spent a fair portion of the day with my Dad and Lady B, and it was lovely to be able to invite them here to our little holiday home on legs to eat dinner with us. We opened a bottle of wine and ate outside, a simple meal enjoyed with a view out over the hills to the sea. After they left us around 7 in the evening we decided that the sea was calling and set out to walk down through the fields to the beach.

The day had been hot and sunny without a wisp of a breeze, and the sea was incredibly calm with just the tiniest waves lapping in.

It was about 8pm when we settled next to the shoreline to spend an hour or so enjoying the tail end of the day.

I adore seeing my crochet blankets in use, especially when they have a glorious sea view - all that hooky colour looks so glorious, don't you think? This blanket is one that often comes on jaunts with us, it's called the Colourwash Granny and you can read more about it ((here)).

We took some refreshments with us this time, little bottles of lager shandy which went down a treat.

I fell in love with this weeny pebble, it looked as if someone had drawn lines on it with a white pen....((l-o-v-e-!!))

The footpath from the caravan site brings us down to the beach about a mile from West Bexington, and you can see in the above photo there is quite a gathering of fishermen and holiday makers on the beach further down. Chesil beach is a whopping eighteen miles long, so although there are very popular tourist spots all  along the coast here, it's always possible to find space and solitude. 

I love that it's completely unspoilt, and that you are so surrounded by coastal nature on all sides. I really like being able to find a peaceful spot away from the crowds with just a few seagulls for company.

This is such a beautiful time of year to enjoy the countryside and I am completely in love with these long, warm, golden, sunshiny days. 

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Postcards from Dorset :: day 1

Hellloooooooo from sunny, beautiful Dorset! I'm here spending the week pootling and relaxing by the sea (again), and as it's the half term holiday I'm delighted to have company this time - yay!! Not only is J here, but we also have Little B and Little Lady with us. We arrived yesterday and I thought it would be fun to write to you each day I'm here, a bit like sending you some postcards.

In a break from tradition, we're staying somewhere new this time and it is absolutely luverleeeee. In the photo above, you can see our home for the week - it's a small, family run caravan site in a beautiful rural location surrounded by hilly fields and overlooking the sea. It's the first time we've ever rented a static caravan, but of course from our years holidaying with Connievan we knew that we would love this kind of simple accommodation.

After we'd settled in yesterday and had a picnic dinner outside our little home on legs, we decided to walk down across the fields to the beach.

You can just make out the caravan site in the above photo, nestled into the crest of the hill up there.

This is part of the long stretch of Chesil Beach which we are very familiar with as we've been here many, many times on family holidays over the years. It was so, so lovely to sit on the sun-warmed shingle last night and listen to the soothing lull of the sea. And yes, of course I had a crochet blanket with me :)

This part of Chesil beach is made up from very distinctive small pebbles, they are the size of peas and beans and extremely tactile. I l-o-v-e just sitting and sifting my hands through them, it's something I've loved since being a child and it gives me a deep sense of calm.

The return walk back to the caravan site is uphill the whole way, passing through the very small, quiet village of West Bexington. At this time of year the gardens are brimming with flowers, and with palm trees and giant spires of echiums there is something of a Mediterranean feel to it all. I fall in love with this village a little more each time I visit.

There happens to be a wonderful pub half way up the hill with a beautifully manicured garden overlooking the sea. We stopped to enjoy a drink and I felt so relaxed being there with J and the LP enjoying the start of what I hope is going to be a lovely family holiday to add to the memory bank. Cheers!

Continuing on our way... a slow, steady climb past idyllic looking cottages....

....admiring all the gorgeously wild blooms in the hedgerows.

The beautiful light at the end of a hot, sunshiny day....

.....and continuous sea views made me feel full to the brim with happy vibes.

I sat outside our caravan into the evening, snuggled in my crochet blankets, drinking tea and waiting for the dark to descend. It was wonderful to watch the sky slowly change colour and see the first stars appear in the sky. It's 9.30pm in the above photo, at the end of a long but lovely day. So good!

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The Lushness of May

May, May, May, my goodness me this month is LUSH! There is no better word to describe what I'm seeing out there every single day - it really is L-U-S-H.

I've been walking a lot during this past week because all of a sudden the weather got its act together and has been completely wonderful. Warmth and sunshine and the most beautiful light, and everything so, so green and vibrant. I just can't get enough of it, I find it ridiculously overwhelming and my emotions have been brimming to the surface, I've felt a bit on the edge of reason at times haha!

I've had strange week, incredibly stressful with things in Dorset not going at all well and I've not been sleeping well either. But at the same time, my missing crojo miraculously returned and I've been hooking like a woman possessed. Oh, this new blanket journey is quite something and I'm looking forward to sharing it soon.

Thank you for sharing my little walks with me, and I hope you're able to get out and about where you live and enjoy the lushness of the season. Never mind rose-tinted glasses, get your green ones on!

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Celebrating Seventy Seven

I took another trip down to Dorset a week or two ago, my third this year, and honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to blog about it or not. I had this feeling that these rather repetitive trips don't especially make for very good blog fodder (even I get a tiny bit bored with the same routine themes of my life on repeat), and yet....while I was there I did feel inspired to take a few photos which somehow make me happy and seem like they might be worth a share. 

I have to say I've been enjoying the long train journeys to Dorset, they seem to ease something inside my mind, like loosening a knot that you hadn't realised had become too tight. I sit and look out the window, absorbing the changing landscapes and relaxing myself with a little visual meditation. May is such a lush time of year and the English countryside is positively glowing.

I've often spoken about my routines when I'm here at home and the walks that I do with J every morning. I find that starting my day with some fresh air and exercise gives me a much needed energy boost and really helps me feel good about the day ahead. The first morning I was in Dorset I knew instinctively that I needed to try and keep this routine going, because the days spent with my Dad are quite stressful.

I decided to take one hour every morning for myself, so that I could stride out, breathe in the fresh early morning air and find a positive mindset.

It takes twenty minutes to walk down to the town from my Dad's house, and it was lovely to see how everywhere was blooming. May isn't a month that I would usually see in Dorset, and I can tell you that it's really beautiful. The trees full of fresh greenery, the hedges bursting with cow parsley and pretty wisteria draped over many of the houses. Absolutely delightful.

The main street running through the town was near on deserted at such an early hour in the morning, but I'd done my research. Well you didn't think I would be power walking for an hour without a cheeky little revitalising pit-stop, did you?

Lucky for me, one of my favourite coffee shops happens to open its doors at seven thirty (I wholeheartedly approve) and I was drawn there like a bee to a flower. It's a large, airy place full of character - old wooden floors and fireplaces, a mismatched array of furniture, exposed brick walls hung with pictures.

I took a seat at one of the coveted tables right by the front window and savoured every little sip and slurp of my frothy coffee. I only had twenty minutes to spend, but it was enough to give me the lift that I needed before walking back and facing the day head on.

I was really lucky with the weather during my short trip and it was mostly clear, sunny and warm. It made me so happy to spend lots of time outdoors, even if I was just sitting quietly in my Dad's garden listening to the birds with the sun on my face.

Ah, I forgot to mention the main reason I was in Dorset this time was for a celebration - my dad's seventy seventh birthday. My brother and sister-in-law were also visiting for a few days so it was lovely for us all to spend time together.

The birthday day was a whole mixed bag of emotions. There were some sticky moments (dementia is an unpredictable beast) but mostly the day was a pretty good one. We went out for breakfast, ate cake and drank prosecco, and relaxed in the garden. In the evening we went out for a meal at a local Indian restaurant and the food was seriously yummmmmmy. I think I can definitely say I enjoyed it the most, I get so excited by a super-tasty meal that I didn't have to cook myself. Such a luxury to just sit there and have someone else bring food to the table, I'm sure all Mums out there would agree with me.

I took the above photo while I was with my Dad sat on a bench waiting for Lady B to pick us up in the car. It was after our meal out, you know when you have a deliciously full belly and feel all content and sleepy? That was me. It was about 7pm and the light was so beautiful, all rosy and soft and glowy. These long, light-filled days fill my soul to the brim with happy-dust, I can't fully find the words to explain how much I adore it. Happy, happy, happy, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

I'm used to waking early (6am is my usual getting up time) and during my stays in Dorset my routines and body clock stayed unchanged. Getting to see what six in the morning looks like in Dorset in mid May was an utter delight, it's sooooooo beautiful! I mean, just look ↑↑↑ at that exquisite light !!!

The day after my Dad's birthday was a Sunday, and we'd arranged to go for family brunch at an old favourite place of ours down at West Bay. I've spoken about Rise Café before on my blog, it's in such an idyllic setting that I find it hard to resist. With such warm, sunny weather we were able to enjoy a leisurely morning meal sitting at one of the outside tables on the deck overlooking the water. 

By this point, I'd been down in Dorset for three days but hadn't had a chance to really see the sea. I could hear it calling loud and clear, a pull so strong that I felt twitchy just thinking about it being RIGHT THERE and yet not getting to see it. My Dad wasn't up to walking all the way around the harbour to indulge my yearning, so I begged them to rest a while on a bench and give me just twenty minutes to run around to west beach by myself. 

Ahhhhhhh.....the minute my my feet landed on these pebbles, all was right in my world again.

I love this little beach with its views along the Jurrassic coastline, there is something about it which grounds me and makes me feel like I've come home to myself.

I have so many memories going waaaay back to when I was a small Little Person visiting my grandparents in the school holidays - I used to love coming down here to search for sea glass and shells.

In a twist of yarny indecision, I couldn't get my crochet together in time to bring with me to Dorset. I'm at the stage with my blanket where colour decisions need to be very carefully thought out and that's best done when I can actually concentrate. So instead I picked up my little knitting project bag to bring - I do always like to have a pair of socks on the go for just such an occasion as this. I spent many hours sat in my Dad's sunny back garden knitting round and round and round to keep my mind and heart calm. 

This latest jaunt to Dorset was a bit shorter than before (I stayed 4 nights instead of 7) and it was also much easier because Lady B was around and I wasn't managing my Dad's dementia difficulties all on my own. I was grateful that my brother and I were both there to celebrate the "seventy-seven" because my Dad has been fixating on his birthday and this particular number for months. 

I took the above photo out of the train window just after 5pm on the day I travelled home - I'd been on the move since 9am and suddenly recognising the familiar shape of 'my' hill was such a lovely thing, it made my heart happy. I was so glad to get home, to hug J and the Little People and to tumble wearily into my own bed. 

♥

Oh my. I've been writing this blog post on and off for a few days now, and reading over my words just now it seems to have a bit of a sad undertone. In actual fact I did really enjoy my time there, and despite the obvious stresses and strains of the situation I came away feeling like I'd gotten a much better handle on my emotions this time. Dorset in May is far too beautiful for its own good and I'm really thrilled that I got to experience a little slice of it.

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