Last month, on the second Friday in April, I took myself off on the train to travel down to Dorset. It's a pretty easy journey really, but it's a long one. The first three hours take me south to London, then there's a trek across the city via the underground, followed by another three hours or so out west to Dorset. Three over ground trains, two underground trains and a car journey, we're talking eight hours from door to door.
I really enjoy solo train travel though, I love the steady rhythm of being on the tracks, the endless views of the landscape through the window, and the time to sit and think about things. Sometimes I crochet or listen to music, but most often I prefer to just sit quietly and listen to the dialogue running inside my head. It can be very insightful to see where your mind wanders when you're sitting still and tuning in.
Six o'clock in the evening and I've arrived at Lady B's, a bit travel weary but in good spirits. The sun is shining, the bluebells are blooming in her walled garden.....
....and a chilled glass of vino arrives in front of me. Cheers!
The last few trips I've made to Dorset by myself, I've chosen to stay at my Dad's house which is where I lived aged 10-18 as well as being there during the holidays of my four student years. It's a peaceful house situated at the top of a hill with long distance views out across the countryside, and staying there by myself is nothing short of blissful. The solitude and quiet stillness feels like a huge luxury, and I especially enjoy the early mornings when I can sit in my old bedroom with a steaming hot mug of tea and the above familiar view from my childhood.
My first morning in Dorset was warm and sunny, and being a Saturday I was looking forward to having a potter around the market and shops. My Dad's house is a mile out of the town which means an enjoyable twenty minute walk - these are familiar streets which I must have walked hundreds of times over the years.
Bridport street market is always very busy and well attended on a Saturday and it has a different feel to the market here in Skipton. Many of the stalls are an eclectic mix of vintage furniture, collectibles and crafts so there is always an interesting selection of objects to browse.
I loved seeing this French stall selling colourful "Savon de Marseille" soaps and the most beautiful straw baskets, it reminded me of my trip to Provence all those years ago. It probably won't surprise you to hear that I reeeeeeally wanted to buy myself one of the baskets to bring home, but at the time I couldn't justify the spend, or think of an easy way to carry it home on five trains. Next time I'm there (in July hopefully), I may not be able to resist.
All that browsing and pottering got me thirsty so Lady B and I settled ourselves into a cosy window seat in her favourite local café and ordered up some much needed refreshment. I had a cappuccino (made with very good Italian coffee) and a slice of the most delicious orange and almond cake. Probably a gazillion calories right there on that plate (and subsequently partying inside my tummy) but ooooh, it was so, so good. Excellent cake should always be eaten on holiday in my humble opinion.
I spotted these incredible flowers sitting in a bucket outside the wholefood shop and they literally stopped me in my tracks. Home grown flowers tied with string are impossibly lovely, and at £2 a bunch I scooped them right up and bought them for Lady B.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing in the garden and spending some time with my Dad, which included an afternoon jaunt to the local pub to enjoy a drink sitting in the sunny beer garden. It's not easy to be with my Dad at the moment, and I had to dig deep to find all my patience and stay calm. I love him dearly, but my goodness he is a very difficult human being!
I took the above photo as I was walking home for the night at around 9pm. Gosh the sky was incredibly beautiful with so many stars, I just stood still for a while with my head thrown back getting lost in the endlessness of it all.
Sunday morning and I was awake early enough to see the sun rise over the horizon at around 6:30am. As you can probably tell it was a very chilly start with a hard ground frost, but the clear sky promised a bright sunny day ahead.
I decided on the spur of the moment to claim the morning for myself, and with that came a huge rush of excited energy. Time alone to walk, think and just relax with my own company suddenly seemed like absolute perfection and I couldn't wait to get out and enjoy it. The above photo was taken at 8:10 am and I'm setting out to walk the three miles down to the sea.
Remember that poem I mentioned a while back, just before I set off for Dorset?
"I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied"
I can't tell you how deeply I feel the pull to be beside the shoreline, and just like in the poem I'm simply not able to resist the clear call. Lets go, it may not be denied!
The walk to the sea is a route that I know extremely well, having walked it so many times since being a child.
It was a sunny Sunday morning and everywhere was still sleepy and quiet as I strolled down familiar roads and pathways...
...stopping to appreciate the flowers...
...and following the river as it meandered through fields.
It struck me that Spring was in full swing in Dorset, a good few weeks ahead of us here in chilly North Yorkshire.
It took me just under an hour to get to the coast and the first glimpse of the harbour made my heart soar.
I love this little place so, so much!
As always, I took my self right around the harbour and straight down to sit on west beach, to have the pebbles beneath me and feel my soul breathe out. I don't know why, but it always feels important for me to do this, like a small personal ritual of mine.
Sitting on these pebbles somehow makes me feel at peace, like I've come home again. I sat here for quite a while listening to the rush of the waves breaking onto the shore which is one of my all time favourite things to do. On this early Sunday morning I had the whole beach to myself which felt like quite a treat.
Eventually my tummy began to rumble and I remembered that I hadn't yet had breakfast. Time to get up and go in search of good coffee and a bite to eat.
Back around the harbour I went, all the way round to the beach on the other side....
....where one of my favourite cafés was just getting ready to open.
Ahhhhh, just what I needed! It felt a bit strange to be there on my own at first as I'm usually at this café with J and the Little People, but I soon settled into my own company and didn't feel in the least bit bothered by dining solo. My breakfast was very good, the coffee even more so.
It's often the case that you don't realise quite how much you need solo time until you are actually right in the unexpected middle of it. This was one of those such times, and I felt very grateful for it I can tell you.
Come on, I feel the need for one more walk along the shoreline.....
....and as the café is literally right on the shingle it's an easy skip and a jump onto the beach. The cliffs were looking as magnificent as ever, but scary too. There have been a number of large rock falls recently (just look at this one from November last year, ohmygosh, it's terrifying really) and so I never, ever walk near the base any more, cos it's just not safe. Nope, no, no....
....I stay as close to the water's edge as I can possibly be, trying not to actually get my feet wet in the process.
It was ever so lovely to be there, quiet with my own thoughts, strolling on the damp sand with the gulls crying and the waves crashing. I was kind of blissed out to be honest.
I sat down for a little rest and remembered I had packed snacks, oh, happy days! I am the Queen of Snacks it has to be said, and it doesn't come much better than a small clutch of mini eggs.
Suddenly it seemed like the right time to wander on back as it takes an hour to cross the fields and follow paths back into the town. Such a fine morning spent coastal pottering, it's one of the things I dream about when I'm living my land-locked Attic life up here in the North.
I thought you might like to see those flowers again, the ones I plucked out of the pavement buckets the day before. In the warmth of the house the tulips began to slowly unfurl and it was such a delight to watch it happen. Aren't they glorious?
Later that evening I took my Dad and Lady B out to dinner at a lovely local restaurant, a treat from me to them, but also a treat from me to me, haha. It was very delicious and I even had a pudding which was very indulgent of me but I was in that kind of a mood at the time. I wanted allllllll the sticky sweet things that aren't remotely healthy, I'm sure you know what I mean. So, so good.
Monday morning and another early wake up for me, but with absolutely zero complaints. Six in the morning is such a beautiful time to be awake in the early Spring, with dramatic skies and the promise of the sun still to come.
What pure joy it is to see the sun rise.
Lady B had asked if I wouldn't mind going back to West Bay for breakfast on the Monday morning, and I was only too happy to oblige. West Bay is definitely not short of places to enjoy a very fine breakfast or brunch experience, and this time we settled on Rise. We've been here quite a few times before when on holiday (it's one of Little Lady's favourite places to go) and I really, really like the laid back atmosphere here.
It's in such a great location, set on a small island at the wide mouth of the river where it begins to flow out into the harbour. Crossing over the wooden bridge makes it feel like an adventure....
....and once inside you feel relaxed and ready for some good coffee and delicious food.
Oh yeah....a great way to start the day without a doubt. It was too chilly to sit outside but I did enjoy the views out across the water very much.
We managed to persuade my Dad to walk out along the pier after our breakfast, even though he wasn't all that keen. It was pretty windy and the sea was quite wild so I'm glad he managed it because I'm sure that breathing fresh sea air into your lungs is good for you.
It was lovely to be in Dorset for a short while but it wasn't without stress. That's my Dad there in the above photo, we were taking a slow "constitutional" walk that he does with Lady B most afternoons. It's a short circular route through ancient woodland close to where Lady B lives, and I'm happy to know that he gets out and about each day because his life is mostly extremely sedentary. It's his birthday this week and he'll be 76, and well, things are tricky right now. During the past year we've noticed a steady decline in his memory and some cognitive impairment too, and I'm pretty sure that some form of dementia is taking hold. The difficulty is that he point blank refuses to discuss it and definitely won't agree to see anyone about it, and most of the time he won't even admit that he is struggling. He just tells us to leave him alone and stop interfering, and that he's happy so that's all that matters. It's so hard to know what to do for the best, and it breaks my heart to know that this is only going to get worse as time passes. Ah well, I do try not to dwell on it too much because there isn't very much to be done right now. I shall just keep making the journey to Dorset as often as I'm able so that I can spend as much time with him as possible. Time spent with parents is precious, isn't it, because those memories are all that we'll have one day.
Anyhow, I really didn't want to end on a gloomy note, but I did want to write about what's been happening during the past year as it has been affecting me quite a bit. I'm not a worrier by nature, I'm very much a take-it-as-it-comes type of person, so I think the best thing I can do is just keep being my usual cheery self and hope that whatever needs to happen will come about at the right time. And well, if the situation pulls me down to Dorset more frequently then I'm absolutely going to embrace it.
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