Oct
31
2026

Retreats

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Why go to a retreat?

Having just come back from two retreats in the last month I can’t help asking was it worth it? What is a retreat for?

At the quirky 4 day writing event near Battle and staying  in a themed cabin named Matilda in 1066 country it was charming and lovely.

Starcroft farm near Battle East Sussex, was a new experience

Apart from it being a bit unaccessible on foot for shops and cafes it certainly was doable if the weather was ok. I would have liked to have done more walking -saying that I did walk to Battle and back twice!!

The highlight was that I met the author Annabel Abbs author of  The Joyce girl –a fictional drama based on James Joyce daughters’ affair with Samuel Beckett.

I had recently finished reading a biography of Samuel Beckett, so was intrigued to read this signed copy of which I’m currently reading.

As well I’m enjoying listening to Windswept a non fictional account about women who walk. Abbs encouraged me to find an agent once I had developed my writing further.

It took a while going over my old posts to work out how many times I had been to Dhanakosa Retreat.

The retreat is near Balquiddher a small village, in which lies the grave of Rob Roy the whole of this area is based  in the Trossachs and Loch Lomond Country Park.

My first visit was a yoga retreat in 2011 and my second in 2020 was cancelled due to covid. It was not until 2023 that I got back up there on a hillwalking retreat and a nature awareness week in 2024.

I volunteered as assistant chef in 2025 and got sick around day three. Eventually after my promise to return to volunteer and various rescheduled dates I made it back in October 2026.

 

Mediations and buddhism

I won’t say so much about this in a short blog, but in my early 20’s I read  a lot of books about Buddhism I was deeply fascinated by subjects such as the Six Realms of existence.

It really observes different aspects of the Ego such as The Hungry Ghost, (never satisfied)  the Hell, Realm – on repeat (burn out) the realm of the Jealous Gods and so on.

Zen Buddhism was also fascinating to me. Reading this material was partly what attracted me to the Buddhist retreat.

IN THE KITCHEN

Oh my what a huge challenge

Preparing lunch and dinner for 30 including; 4 different soups due to various diets some of which can’t eat salt or onion, or lentils or beans. As the menu was Vegan it was a struggle keeping track at times.

The chef seemed to hint that I should be working towards ordination as a Buddhist to work in the kitchen. That certainly wasn’t the impression I’d been given by the previous chef. The misunderstanding rattled me somewhat.

The expectations that I should work on my own at times in charge of the assistants and creating meals was also bit much.

Having never stated at any time, that I was a chef or professional cook. The chef had assumed the previous chef’s training had been more vigorous. It wasn’t.

We cleared the air after I initiated a conversation and relayed the conversations with the previous chef and what I had stated in my emails. I was relieved that we managed to eventually get on the same page .

 

 kitchen drama aside- I still had the benefits of walking during my spare time .

Big horns down near Loch Vail.

Deer blending in with the grass.

Morning Mist lifting across the loch.

As the mist clear a lovely walk on my morning off is had.

Mrs Soggy bottom, I caught her attention en route. A magnificent creature.

View from hill top across Loch Voil. A tremendous walk.

Tara A goddess worshipped by Budhhists. Picture taken in the V & A.

 

From the clean air of Loch Lomond back down to Inner City Brixton

In the retreat you walk out of the building open the gate and you are facing a loch and hills. There is a road but it is usually quiet.

The following day after my journey back I stepped out of my door over a zebra crossing and a fire engine whizzed by full throttle.

As I walked over the zebra dressing heading  to the  launderette, I heard a commotion. Someone was screaming full volume .

I thought a fight was starting or something, it  was just an angry person shouting into his phone.

Welcome home!

 

Footnote.

If an unfinished post recently landed in your inbox, you had an unintended sneak preview. A recurring technical problem with scheduled posts has struck again, publishing this one eleven days early.

I’ve raised it with my hosting provider, who has installed additional logging to help investigate.

Meanwhile, here is my Angry Swan, expressing my feelings about the whole business rather well.

I’m’ launching my first led Brixton Mural walk on Sunday November 8th at 10:30am meeting at the David Bowie Mural on the side of Morley’s Brixton.Events

 

This time last year I was starting my training as a Lambeth Tour Guide. Read more about that here.

Lambeth Tour Guide

Until Next time keep on keeping on.

Sep
30
2026

Battle

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 To Battle & beyond

At the beginning of September before I came to Battle -my partner and I walked from Margate to Ramsgate it was his birthday.

The weather was beautiful and the walk was enjoyable. Perfect warm September sunshine. A relief after the heatwaves.My birthday followed at the end of September.

 1066 Country 

Here I am sword in hand- (Pen in pocket !) on a 4 day writer’s retreat at a place called Starcroft Cabins, a couple of  miles from the historic town of Battle.

1-1 Editorial session with author Annabel Abbs.

For my 65th Birthday I had gifted myself some time out to consider my writing ambitions. Anabel came to my cabin on Monday evening  to talk to me about some work I had submitted to her.

We had a good chat and I was left thinking about the options that lay in front of me. I found it hard to get off to sleep that night,

Abs will return Thursday where we will sit around a bonfire and recap on how the days events have gone and any writing we might have done.

cozy cabin

 

Matilda

My cabin is called Matilda, named after Matilda of Flanders, wife of William the Conqueror, who defeated the Anglo-Saxon King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

That’s about as deep as I’m going into the history. Most of what I know of this period of history comes from the Netflix Series The Last Kingdom .

I had became rather smitten with David Dawson who was brilliant as Alfred — austere, pious, permanently troubled, slightly terrifying and somehow enormously attractive. An impressive combination

It was raining lightly on the first evening. I just happened to take a look outside and spotted a rainbow.

 

Then the sky turned a lovely purple and pink to end the evening.

 

The following day walking through the woods outside Battle Abbey, we came across this sculpture

One of ten sculptures by Sussex artist Keith Pettit along the 1066 Country Walk. The two figures are Harold and William, divided and joined by the crown they both claimed.

Bound Division- one of a group of 10 sculptures.

GUNPOWDER

Gunpowder was manufactured in Battle from the 17th century. water-powered mills operated around what became Powdermill Wood.  The industry continued into the 1870s.  We walked through Powdermill wood en route to Battle.

Local museum with historical references to the Gunpowder industry.

WATER LILY IN OLD CAULDRON originally used for mixing gunpowder.

 

Labyrinth

The retreat leader  left us after our  farm shop break to make our own way back through the picturesque woodlands. We totally lost our bearings and were as good as useless.

As in the film Labyrinth it’s not that far but further than you think! Meaning if you don’t know the way then it is far.

When we backtracked this morning, we found the woodland route quite easily. We were so close yesterday but in Woodland it sort of all looks the same. That is until you stop talking and start observing everything.

A few photos taken from the woods

 

fairies do exist here. Fact.

knotted tree.

Mushroom delight.

 

I have another couple of days left to explore and do a bit of writing, before returning to London.

After another walk to the outskirts of Battle, it was nice to come back to the cabin. I should have brought a guitar.

 

Goodnight from me & goodbye from Matilda.

 

Until next time, keep on keeping on.

 

 

https://www.starcroftfarm.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug
31
2026

Another Country

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Am I living in Another Country?

I read Another Country, by James Baldwin around 1984, courtesy of Lambeth Libraries where I worked as a part time library Assistant. The novel inspired me so much, I went off to NYC for a month, and stayed in a hostel in Harlem. The first time I had really experienced tropical heat.

 

The heat totally changes the city and how we behave and feel. This summer there has been little escape. Tonight I’m going to Morocco Bound Bookshop where the book club are discussing James Baldwin Another Country. It should be interesting one way or another.

Writing the City

At the beginning of the month I went onto a day Course at The City Lit called Writing the city. Part of the course involved having a long lunch break to go out and make observations around Covent Garden and Holborn.

Although I know Covent Garden very well, there was still much to notice.

I observed that there were so many  pre-war buildings-lovely old town houses and gorgeous architecture. Back at class, we wrote about some of our observations. I started getting a bit sci fi, imagining the future where the past becomes some kind of theme park.

I was quite taken by this door. A lovely old Town house in Covent Garden.

 

Essex Circular walk

In August I went on one group walk a circular walk in Essex from Manningtree via Flatford National park. The grass was of course parched but it was slightly cooler in Essex than London.

A quiet paddleboat on a quiet sunny day.

Water Lily

A somewhat parched tree.

Pretty sunny Essex Countryside.

A friendly horse.

 

My blogs have always covered Urban and Rural walks. I love both for different reasons. This month has been a good combination of both.

A lovely cool beautiful easy walk along the river.

Starting at Mortlake I walked to Richmond. The heatwave at last over. It was so refreshing after a night of rain. The smells from the river and plants was divine.

This building at Mortlake is still under debate between developers and locals. Please don’t convert it all into luxury flats.

 

As soon as I stepped onto the riverside I felt better. it’s been a gruelling few months for one reason or another as well as the heatwave slowing everything down.

The beautiful wide open river.

I could just peer through the low fence into Kew Gardens and see the Henry Tate Sculpture.

 

I was surprised to see the white swan at this spot. A striking contrast against the green algae 

Unfortunately some guy and a lurcher passed by and the guy just about managed to get the dog on a lead as it attempted to run down at the swan.

Piss off Dogface.

He /she was happy for me to take pics.

It was unusual to see a swan on the other side of the river. Perhaps he was just investigating the unusually green algae.

 

Composure regained.

 

jade green coloured water swamp like with fallen tree over it.

Wow! Jade coloured water.

 

Great to see clouds and movement. The air was clean and fresh for the 1st time in over 2 months.

 

A very short trip to Newcastle & Edinburgh

This was a pretty jam packed 2 days. On Sunday I took the train to Newcastle from London and got there for midday. I took the metro to West Jesmond for lunch, then the metro to South Shields for a coastal walk.

Around French Man’s Bay en route to Marsden Rock.

 

I walked from South Shields Town Centre to the Marsden Grotto. It look like it’s 3 miles on paper but doesn’t take into account the sand dunes and hills. In the Course of the day I must have clocked about 9 miles. It was a sunny day and perfect for walking

Marsden Rock

My dad was one of the young dare devils who used to dive off this rock in the 1950’s.

 

Time was running away with me and I caught a bus back to the town centre to catch the last ferry to North Shields Then another bus to the metro. Followed by a metro back into Newcastle.

I ended up getting off at St James Park just as the big match between Liverpool and Newcastle United game finished. So I was surrounded by The Toon Army.

I was whacked by this point it had been a long day. The following day I took the train to Edinburgh. I had enough time to take it easy and find  McEwan hall .

a grand Baroque building part of Edinburgh University

https://www.edbookfest.co.uk

After  finding  somewhere nearby to eat , I could relax then take  a short walk in Middle meadow before heading to an event at Edinburgh International festival.

Edinburgh Book Festival

I am a big fan of David Olusoga. His family on his mother’s white ancestors from agricultural Scotland  and he was born in the North East in Gateshead. In his words he is a Nigerian Geordie. He is African on his dad’s side.

Olusoga is a writer, broadcaster and historian. He is currently presenting a tv show a House in Time set in Edinburgh. I didn’t stick about to get my book signed as I had a train to catch back to London.

I am only near the beginning of this book on Black British History, it is incredibly well researched. It may take some time to get through it. Although I have watched his documentary’s  on slavery and black History.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

It had been decades since I had been to Edinburgh Festival and even then I was just there for one event due to a boyfriend whose job it was to put the posters up for the festival. This time I felt like it was such a good atmosphere I might want to return for a little longer next time.

It was a real enjoyable very short trip unfortunately the budget was spent and London was calling . I couldn’t hang about.

 

Until next time, keep on keeping on.

 

 

 

Jul
31
2026

I can’t explain my mind!

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I can’t explain my mind an offshoot of I can’t explain my feet?

Twelve years of walking, looking, and writing. If you’re wondering how much shelf life this theme has left, the answer is: It’s only the beginning.

Am I losing my mind!

Another question to answer. Often in the heatwaves my mind seems incapable of thinking. Decisions seen impossible. What to do and where to go.

Bearing in mind my full time work has ended ;seemingly at the beginning of a great adventure! In reality lost and confused!

After spending a couple of hours in the cinema I make my way to London Kings Cross to check out Coal Drop Yard.

kings Cross- Coal Drop Yard by Regents Canal.

 

Arriving in the area to have lunch and check out where the Light Room is, it is too hot to think.  Among the crowds and heat, everything is chaos.

Coal Drop Yard

I eventually made it to the one day only fantastic David Hockney exhibit. It was visually stunning .

https://lightroom.uk

Honestly I would need to create another website about Art to describe the intensity of this one off show. A lot of the show was live, so I videoed bits. My video editing skills need further developing before posting them here.

The beginning.

 

The end!!

 

I’m getting into art again.

The Royal Academy hosted this exhibition of a lesser known Dutch female Artist, Michaelina Wautier

One of her portraits of a young boy. Michaelina Wautier was a trailblazer living around the same time as Rembrandt..

 

At The Tate I saw the artist Tracy Emin’s second chance exhibition  and another tribute to Frieda Kahlo. A vast collection of colourful artworks.

Visiting Eel Pie Island for the first time was fun.

One of the few artists House.

Most displays are quirky and recycled. Little gardens and old boat yards are now artists workshops.

 

It was another day of intense heat but the island was quirky and inspiring. The Eel Pie Museum is another place to visit. I’m leaving that for another time. There is a musical festival in town on 8/8 weekend. Lots of live music on the streets and bars.

Art is the refuge.

The independent Garden Cinema is now one of my go to places. I’m watching  films I wouldn’t normally be interested in just  to get out of the sun for a couple of hours.

Planning my escape

I was due to go on a Hill Walking Retreat for a week, and changed my plans to attend a funeral in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.

Instead of going to Stirling I went to Edinburgh The hope of boarding my booked train disappeared from sight as by 9.27 it hadn’t arrived and was due to leave at 9.33.

The journey became less about delays and more about connection.

As chaos piled up, I plonked my self down on the first free seat I could find. I sat next to a young guy who was from Glasgow but lived in Edinburgh, it turned out he was a saxophone player.

An instrument I practiced at New Cross College. There was a common thread at least I had someone to talk to -talking about music at least passed some of the time heading to Edinburgh.

New journey, new plans.

After contacting an acquaintance it happened she had a spare room for two nights. Her  apartment was in the Old Edinburgh area near Marchmont.

Not only did I have a room but  interesting company as well.

It was great to have the company.  She drove me and her son to an open night at an art Gallery, afterwards we went for a meal.

The next day, I had a walkabout in the area and looked in the shops.

Later on that day   we drove up to a reservoir for an easy five mile walk.

Blueberries almost ready .

Daisy, Daisy

Bridge over troubled waters.

Fine pines near water.

 

Travelling up to Aberdeen was crowded and I got stuck in a carriage listening to a couple of guys talking about golf! that was pretty gruelling.

Arriving  late afternoon,  on my own with a rucksack and small case, the reception  allowed me to check in. After dumping the bags, then reluctantly went back out into the streets and the shopping centre.

I’m not sure how much of my mood impacted my vision but the city looked like it had seen better days,  the dark grey buildings, looked cold and grim.

The port of Aberdeen.

The only bit of brightness that I saw. Alley way next to the ABERDEEN DOUGLAS HOTEL.

 

Stonehaven

I really loved this. After the funeral we walked along the seafront at Stonehaven.

Stunning wee sculpture.

 

The following day I took a train back to  Edinburgh for only a couple of hours; before returning to London Kings Cross.

I left my baggage in the National Gallery lockers near Waverly railway Station.

I found this quite intriguing. There’s a bit of a story behind it. In short it was inspired by a story written by Edgar AllanPoe then translated in French by Baudelaire.

 

After my very brief time at the Gallery, it felt like a good idea to go off for a wander around the city. I walked up and down quite a lot of stairs off Princess Street.

I tried and failed to find McEwan Hall. A place that I’m visiting in August for a book reading.  It was a  struggle to  get my bearings in this beautiful but crazy busy city.

Back in London

I found a really cute handbag size pop up map in Waterstones  that shows  the layout of the  streets in Edinburgh.

Next time I will get it.  Previously I had walked through  middle meadow after my two night stay, and walked past a folk bar near there – so close yet so far.

Sandy Bells Folk Club

 

Further escapades and wanderings on the horizon, but who knows where or when.

The heatwave continues in London. See you in August .

 

RIP Brenda Robertson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jun
30
2026

Tales of June

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The Joys of  June

June always brings many tales to tell, but choosing which Tales of June to share is the real challenge.

If you are going to visit somewhere you might as well try it in June It will be hit and miss whether you get rain, hail, or a heatwave.

As always it is a pleasure to go somewhere ‘new’ and this month I had a few diversions out of London. Luckily when travelling the heat was moderate, nowhere near as strong as it’s been in London this last week, up to 35c.

Staithes North Yorkshire

On the 1st of June, we had already experienced our 1st heatwave at the end of May. It was now sort of an old fashioned British summer, the weather was a bit overcast and a little nippy.

Saithes’ isn’t too far from Whitby, which is somewhere I visited at some point in the 1970’s. This is my real visit to Yorkshire since.

The first visit was a small fishing village with plenty of houses for sale. I can imagine living there somewhat difficult.

We visited the Staithes Museum to learn more about the significance of Captain Cook There were Captain Cook references everywhere and I hadn’t previously been aware he was from this part of the country.

Looking down to sea from house back ally-way

Down at the Harbour -Lobster & crabs anyone? I believe it’s now recognised, that it’s not alright to drop a live lobster into a boiling pan of water. Small Mercy’s for living creatures..

Big sky Big rocks

Massive town house Grade 11 Listed Building with friends Charles and Camilla considering whether to buy it. I could run a retreat there but it’s quite out of the way.

It might rain, it might, hail, it might be a heatwave, either way it will change.

 

Staithes Museum

North York Moors National Park

http://www.staithes-museum.org.uk

It was fascinating to see artefacts from Captain Cook’s Pacific travels. While voyaging he had a permanent artist on board to sketch the findings of tropical animals and tribes. The volunteer was extremely knowledgeable on these subjects and told us loads of stories.

 

Salts mill- Saltaire Yorkshire

https://www.saltsmill.org.uk

Salts Mill is set in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saltaire. The Grade II Listed historic mill building was built in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt along with the village to house his workers. The whole area is of architectural and historical interest.

A massive old working mill preserved and functioning as an Art Gallery, and other outlets

You won’t get such a beautiful view like this in the Tate Galleries or any galleries in London. This was a fabulous space.

 

1853 Gallery David Hockney

Salts Mill is home to one of the largest collections of David Hockney’s art. On the ground floor you will find the 1853 Gallery which houses a permanent exhibition of works by David Hockney.

Walking from bath to Bristol

It took some time to reach the old train line. after 4 miles of walking about the city of Bath then ambling along the river, and taking wrong turns. We eventually got onto the old train line.

We had gone totally unprepared We saw a sign saying 14 miles to Bristol once we managed to get onto the train line. I knew that me walking a further 14 miles, wasn’t going to happen today.

I dropped endless hints that this might be a bit unrealistic. We walked 4 miles further before leaving the train track.

As we left Bath City, we started off walking along the city canal.

Compared to London this was quiet and peaceful.

We kind of had to go off track to find the railway line, which added on about an hour of our time.  It wasn’t easy to find. The sign post we found didn’t exactly point us in the right direction.

 

Views from the old railway track.

 

Making our Escape into an old railway musem

You will have a long wait here. Preserved old station

 

We met a bunch of lovely volunteer men one of them walked us to the bus stop going into central Bristol What a relief!!!

The cafe was closed but we chatted to some volunteers, they look after the old station and trains for visitors.

 

Getting into the centre of Bristol

The bus journey wasn’t pleasant and it was sad to see a more depressing side of Bristol. Looking out of the window, sitting in traffic and watching a guy trying to stand up straight hanging onto a door.

He was under the influence of some drug that paralyses you What sort of state of affairs is that?

Arriving at Bristol

Modelling my very 1st hand printed teeshirt . It’s a Neil Young Album cover. !

 

The above picture of me is walking out of the hotel in Bristol into  Victoria Gardens where this ruined Temple lives.

Bombed during WW11

 

On Saturday we walked around 9 miles exploring the centre of Bristol

I had visited several times and not come across the old market street before it had a very continental feel about it.

I had wanted to visit Clifden but we ran out of time. I’m saving that for my next visit.

Not really sure what this installation represents, but it wouldn’t be Bristol without some street art.

I thought this building looked a bit Dutch.

 

A very continental feel around the market place off the main streets.

Further exploration of Fleet Street in the Heatwave

A miniature tour of English religious history in a single afternoon. I had volunteered to assist in helping out with events for the Climate Challenges in the city week.

It’s worth doing as you get to learn a lot. I was especially interested in St Brides Church just off the Strand.

Temple Church exploring medieval Christianity, St Andrew’s of the Wardrobe- Anglo-Catholic Anglicanism, and St Bride’s into the post-Reformation Church of England  church of the journalists. (well worth a visit)

https://www.stbrides.com

A plunge in the lake at Beckenham.

My last adventure of the month was my first experience of swimming with ducks and ducklings.

It was the only place I could get a swim. All of the pools are fully booked up in London . I considered going up to the North East as the heat peaked, but I’m heading up to Scotland in a few weeks, so that would be more time out than I can afford.

Can’t wait to visit Scotland again. I have been comparing the temperatures in the Balqhidder area (where I’m visiting) and it’s almost 10c lower than London. Could I have a future life in Scotland?

 

Until next time

 

Keep on Keeping on.