All sorts and still not about blogging!

Remember my Jack and the beanstalk hollyhock from here?  Well I cut it down yesterday as it was all but finished apart from these few blooms.  I have brought the stems of seedheads indoors and am waiting for them to dry out before saving some for myself, some for a neighbour who asked if she might have some and some for a gift for a friend.

 I have this little packet ready for the seeds - see it even says hollyhock on it!  Recognise the lining tissue Annie?

 Here it is fastened.  Speaking of seeds I haven't forgotten my giveaway - I realised that I had made the closing date rather a long time ahead but thought I'd better not change it!  If you haven't entered and want to do so you have until Sunday 30th which, in case like me you never know what the date is, is tomorrow - winner will be announced on Monday.

I have also been beavering away on this little needlecase for the same friend I do hope she'll like it.

I am off to France next month to stay with a French friend - for whom the gifts are being made.  Not not on the bus although I did wonder about getting the train which would have involved a coach to Hammersmith, underground to St Pancras, Eurostar to Paris, metro across Paris to Gare d'Austerlitz and a train to Limoges and would have taken 13 hours!!  As I am only going for 3 nights I decided against that idea and will instead fly from Southampton.  I don't have that much stamina especially as when I arrive I will spend most of my time having to think in French as my friend speaks no English so I would be exhausted!  I am going to stay with the friend who introduced me to the patchwork group which is holding the exhibition I mentioned here.  Months ago I had said I'd like to see it - thinking my entry might be on view too and my friend invited me to stay with her if indeed I went.  Well I had forgotten all about it since my idea for a patchwork inspired by Glastonbury legends never got off the ground and Mr M has been so poorly and so on but on my return from my trip to Swanage a letter was waiting for me asking which days I was coming!  I thought I must go having promised and anyway I would love to see my friend so it's all booked now and I have been busy making some little gifts for my friend to take with me.

Topic 2

I have been sorting through my summer things ready to put away all those I know I shan't wear any more this year and I realise just how many of them I haven't actually worn this summer nor for some years now.  When I was on my bus pass jaunt I found it really liberating to have so little with me to choose from.  No dithering about whether to wear this or that just what was clean.  I find it true what they say that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time and with me it might be an even lower percentage of things that gets worn.  I plan to cut down on what I have in my wardrobe so that there will in future be no more less of that dithering and changing from one thing to another!  Less is sometimes more and a few items I really enjoy wearing will be so much better than a cupboard full of stuff I don't.  Charity shops here I come!

Topic 3 - TEA!

One of my followers left a comment on my recent post saying that my adventures reminded her of a grown up Winnie the Pooh and always with a cup of tea at the end.  We entered into a little e-mail correspondence when I wrote:

Thanks for your lovely comments on my posts I had to smile when you said my jaunts reminded you of a grown up Winnie the Pooh with always a cup of tea at the end.  I hadn't realised just how often I mention the cups of tea - but I do don't I?  Of course we Brits survive on tea and cannot imagine life without the stuff; it is the cure for all ills here, or at least for people of my generation though I think youngsters now often prefer coffee.  If someone dies, if you lose your job, if you break your leg or are feeling sick, if you are tired or have just come back to the house after a jaunt or..... put the kettle on and make a cup of tea!!  I don't know if it is the tea itself or the fact that it gives the maker something to do, when there is nothing that will make a difference really, that helps. 

and Joy replied in words so much better than I could have written:

I think it's the whole ritual of making tea.  You don't have to focus on what you're doing - it just happens  - putting on the kettle, warming pot, choosing favorite tea, the cups, it all just comes together without much thought.  This allows you to really concentrate on the problem or happiness at hand.  Your brain has a chance to sort things out so that when you're ready to sit down and have your tea, slowly drinking the warm liquid, you can say what needs to be said or at least get your two cents worth into a good conversation.  Drinking something cold doesn't allow for that pause you get when you carefully drink hot tea. 

This made me think more about tea.  The ritual of making a cup of tea varies from the full blown warming the pot sort of tea to a quick teabag in a mug.  There are tea bags and loose tea, different blends of tea according to time of day or personal preference, there are myriad different styles of teapots and cups and saucers as well as mugs not to mention tea cosies, trays with or without traycloths and so on and so forth.  To take it with milk or lemon or just plain black.  To add sugar or not and if so plain granulated spooned in or dainty lumps using a tongs,  What to serve with it - dainty afternoon tea snadwiches with the crusts cut off, sponge cake or scones or just a HobNob or ginger nut to dunk?  How do you drink yours and when I wonder. My day starts with a cuppa taken in bed and usually made by Mr M using leaf tea and served in my Tigger mug given to me by my daughter many years ago.  Tiggers silly smiling face gets my day off to a good start.  During the day I take several mugs of tea usually made with a tea bag in the mug but if I fancy a proper sit down I will make myself a pot of real loose leaf tea (my preference is for Assam) and serve it in a fine china cup and saucer.  I take mine with milk no sugar although when I lived in France I learned to drink it black when visiting French friends.

Well the sun is shining this morning so I had better stop waffling on about this and that and go and get on with my day - hope the sun is shining where you are too and that you will have a good weekend.

Not all about blogging after all!

Firstly a huge thank you to all you lovely followers who have left such encouraging comments on my Bus Pass trip posts.  And to the many who have viewed but not left comments too!  I have checked out Nuts in May Judith and it looks fun must see if I can get a copy

 I am currently thinking of other similar trips I might do and planning routes and so on so that if and when a time arrives when the weather forecast is suitable and the diary is empty for a few days I will be ready for the off!  I have been meaning to go back to the Forest of Dean since I started writing my childhood stories and so far have never got there and I am looking into whether that might be an option by bus - a fine October few days would be good there as the trees should be lovely and if not then maybe next Spring.  It wouldn't be via Cheltenham but some of the route might be similar to the one you did in the 70s Where the journey takes me!  And Kath I'd love to travel the whole country and write about it but financial restraints would prevent that I fear unless I could get a sponsor to pay for my B&Bs or find people willing to put me up at suitable stop offs!  For although the travel is free one must have somewhere to rest a weary head and also something to eat along the way!!

I'd also like to go the other way along the Jurassic Coast towards Exmouth and end up in Exeter another place I remember from my youth!  Then again there's Southwold on the Suffolk coast where I lived for a short time in the 1950s so you see I have plenty of indoor entertainment doing the planning of routes and possible B&Bs etc.

 

Mr M and I took a trip to Weymouth last Wednesday where we wanted to visit the Radipole Nature Reserve - an area of wetlands and reed beds right in the middle of town.  We didn't go all the way by bus but took the car as far as Dorchester where we left it in the Park and Ride car park and set off from there by bus using our passes.

I imagine it would be really colourful and pretty in early summer when the wild flowers would be in full bloom as it was lovely even now and there were plenty of butterflies and insects about.  I know nothing about birds so couldn't really appreciate the different species but it certainly seemed a popular place for wildlife of all kinds. 

It was the first proper outing apart from the short visit to the Roman Villa that Mr M had done for nearly 2 months and the level walk was good for him and although surrounded by busy roads and buildings the reserve itself was tranquil and the sound of the wind in the reeds could be heard in spite of the distant traffic sounds.

I assume this little glade was for the use of school parties with its circle of carved wooden seats in the shapes of wildlife creatures.

Here you can see not too far away the Sea Life Tower which I rode last time I was in Weymouth.  On researching it and the London Eye I can understand why I didn't think it nearly as good since the Sea Life Tower rises only 170 feet above sea level and the London Eye is 443 feet at its highest so you can see why the distance one can see would be greater in London.

We meandered slowly back to the town and noticed the many boats in the marina and in the harbour - there were some seriously expensive boats there but it was this one that took my fancy!

We wandered round the harbour to our usual little cafe where we ate a sandwich sitting just inside the open door out of the wind looking out onto the sunny square at Brewer's Quay before wending our way back to M&S for a cup of tea and purchasing something for dinner on our return.

I can't believe that just 10 days ago I was sitting in the sunshine enjoying the varying blues of the sea and sky and today we are enjoying a different kind of weather altogether - it's pouring with rain and windy here today and we have had to resort to putting the heating on!  Still into every life a little rain must fall and it gives me the opportunity to catch up on some indoor pursuits.

I had intended to write a post about blogging but this post just illustrates what I had been going to say - that my blog has a life of its own and that when I sit down to type what I intended to say isn't always what comes from the keyboard!  Maybe I must save that idea for later!

With Bus Pass, boots and backpack Part 2

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging comments.  Lesley - not fearless at all as no time was I more than 50 miles from home and had a mobile phone and bank card with me!  Cas - no I wasn't lonely - occasional time on my own is as necessary as breathing to me!  Quilting Cat - I was at Weymouth College from 1966 onwards.  Mrs A Corfe Castle appears in this post!

You may regret being so encouraging as here is the next post and it is another long one with lots of photos!


DAY 3

Thursday dawned bright and sunny and the forecast was showing big yellow suns all day.  As I ate my breakfast in the sunny dining room at the B&B thinking how lovely it was that I could just leave the table and someone else would clear it all away and wash up etc I wondered what to do with the day which lay ahead of me.  Had there been a bus I would have liked to go to Lulworth Cove and walk the Coast Path along from there but the bus which would have taken me runs only during the summer months and had stopped on 1 September - I was too late once again!  So having had a full day on Wednesday I decided to have a more relaxing sort of day and to go back to Durlston Castle where I would soak up the sunshine for a while and then maybe a trip to Corfe Castle in the afternoon with perhaps a ride back on the steam train.   One of the joys of traveling alone is that the decisions are one's own and can be changed on a whim if wished.

After breakfast I set off to walk into Swanage - it was a change to have shoes on my feet after 2 days of wearing my boots all day comfortable and light though they are.  I wandered along the sea front in the morning sunshine enjoying the sea air and views and did for a moment think of taking my shoes off and feeling the sand beneath my feet and even perhaps having a paddle but it was still quite chilly in spite of the sunshine.

The sound of the waves as they gently lapped the shore was really relaxing and I decided to walk along the beach rather than the prom before discovering that this entailed climbing over the groynes every few yards which made for hard going so I gave up that idea and retreated back to the prom.I  met one of the guests from my B&B coming back from town where she had been to buy a paper and we stopped for a chat - how lovely to find someone you feel you know to talk to when you've only been somewhere a couple of days!

We parted company after we'd chatted and I continued on my way.  It was lovely to have the beach almost to myself.

I walked right round to where there is a slipway and some gulls who were also enjoying the morning sunshine and tranquility.

In Swanage I happened upon this lovely pebble mosaic just near the Heritage Centre where I bought a few postcardsit was apparently a millenium project and for more info click on the link here.

Loved the trolleys loaded with old fashioned cases and trunks

Having purchased my cards it was time to wend my way to the bus stop...

The smell of the steam trains a real memory Lane moment

The bus station is just next to the train station from where steam and old diesel trains run to Corfe Castle and to the Park and Ride just beyond Corfe.  Maybe I would get a steam train later.

Back at Durlston Castle and just look at that blue!  I wish it could be bottled and saved for grey winter's days but must make do with saving it in my memory bank!  I sat in the sun admiring the view and writing my cards ready to pop in a post box when I got back to the town.

Whilst I was sitting soaking up the blue sky, turquoise sea and peaceful atmosphere looking out on the view in the photo above the little black cat I'd met yesterday came and sat next to me and without further ado decided to sit on my lap purring.  It was one of the highlights of my stay that moment of complete contentment shared with this little cat and certainly a moment of santosha that will stay with me and hopefully be brought out in the chill of winter!

This could be the Mediterranean couldn't it not England in September?  Perhaps it's the fact that days like these cannot be expected to come too often that makes them all the more special when they do.  The air seems to be clearer at this time of year and everything is all the more appreciated as we know that it cannot last much longer and that grey days will surely follow before too long.  But for now I was living in the moment and completely happy.

When the cat had had enough of sitting with me I got up and wandered round enjoying the place and its atmosphere.  Isn't this little path of steps down to the sea lovely?

I wondered where this path led and followed it round the sid of the castle...

...to where I found this lovely view.  If you click on this one you can see the rock strata - this is part of the Jurassic Coast and some of these rocks are 65 million years old!  The whole Jurassic Coast which runs from Exmouth all the way round to the Old Harry Rocks and is a World Heritage Site.

 Having enjoyed a wander round I had my lunch (a Cheddar ploughman's  with enough Cheddar to feed a family - such a waste as I couldn't of course take it with me to use at home!) at Durlston Castle where seats were at a premium and I started out sitting on a rock (who knows how old it might have been!) until someone vacated the bench where I had been sitting earlier.  My way back to Swanage was as yesterday starting off through these woods

I decided to go to Corfe Castle in the afternoon and so out came my bus pass again and I set off on the bus.  We passed through lovely countryside - some fields golden and with bales of straw waiting to be collected, others brown and waiting to be planted again, some with cows quietly grazing and always the hedgerows so very verdant in the sunshine.

I didn't go round the castle as I'd left my NT cards behind and anyway it was getting near to last entry time as I had whiled away time over a cup of tea and a scone at a cafe in the village.  I must admit I was disappointed in Corfe Castle and quite forgot to go round to the station to see what that looked like.  I didn't get a train back to Swanage as I remembered that there was something on that day and the timetable would have been altered to take account of whatever it was so I went to the bus stop where I waited for the bus and I waited, and I waited!  Luckily the morning's calm and tranquility added to the fact that there was a seat in the sunshine meant that instead of being annoyed at the delay I was happy to wait as long as it took and the bus did eventually turn up nearly 50 minute's late.  Apparently somone had collapsed and been taken to hospital earlier in the day and this had meant the buses were now all behind schedule.  Can't be cross about that when I was in peak health and sitting in the sun can I?

When I got back to the Guest House I freshened up and changed into a clean tee-shirt and my jeans instead of my walking trousers (not having my evening gowns with me!!) and with a bit of lipstick hoped I would do at the Ocean Bay restaurant just down the road which I thought might be a good place for my last evening meal.  I sat overlooking the lovely view of the sea and beach and watched the colours gradually change.  No longer turquoise the sea was a pearly grey in the early evening light and the sky a watercolour painting in shades of palest blue through peach, pink and yellow and as the light gradually faded the sea turned a deep blue and the horizon became indistinct until all was deepest midnight blue with only the odd lights of distant ships to be seen.  The meal was delicious - Ratatouille stuffed sweet peppers topped with goat's cheese and grilled served with house salad and sauteed potatoes with a fresh fruit sorbet for desert and finishing off with a coffee and all for less than £20! - only spoiled by the man at the table behind me who had obviously no intention of paying for his meal and was complaining loudly about the lamb being frozen and the vegetables microwaved and the mackerel starter having bones in it and not being mackerel fillets - well it did say on the specials board WHOLE mackerel but maybe he couldn't read.  He was one of those men who try to show off and throw their weight around and instead of quietly and discretely having a word with the waitress and asking to speak to the manager he spoiled the ambiance for the rest of the diners and finally left having paid the reduced bill with a very bad grace and leaving a tip of 5p apparently!!  I have come across his kind in my working life and how I longed to tell him to shut up and clear off!!

When I got back to the Guest House I paid for my stay as I wanted to leave fairly early on Friday in time to get the 9.05 bus from town.  Mr B&B very kindly offered to drop me into town so I would have plenty of time for breakfast an offer I gladly accepted as I didn't know how long the walk might take me with the backpack and whether it might be raining.  So having refused Mr M's offer on Tuesday I did succumb to Mr B&B's offer on Friday!


DAY 4

Having been dropped at the station I caught the bus to Wareham - had to pay this time as it was before 9.30 when the bus pass would have been acceptable (Tuesday's bus to Dorchester was also before 9.30 but maybe because the next bus wouldn't have been till the afternoon my pass was accepted on that one!)  Time for a coffee in Wareham before boarding a Community bus to Lulworth Cove.  I had checked beforehand just what a community bus was and whether anyone could use it with bus pass etc and all was fine.  It turned out to be a little mini bus and I was the only passenger!  Again a trip through lovely countryside - I must have been getting blase by now as I didn't note anything in particular about this ride!  I would later be getting the same bus onwards to Dorchester with the same driver and had just 2 hours to spend here.  I wasn't sure whether I would be able to walk the Coast Path carrying a back pack as not being used to carrying one it might affect my balance if I need to scramble at all and I didn't want to fall over the cliffs especially on my last day - one of the resons I would have preferred to go on Thursday when I would have had only a light bag with me.  However I needn't have worried as this path is so popular and so many holiday makers use it that it had been improved due to the erosion suffered by its use by so many walkers and was a cobbled stepped path at least as far as you can see in this photo.  It might have been a well maintained path but that didn't stop it being steep and carrying 11 or 12 lbs it was certainly aerobic!

Stopping for a breather and looking back.

Now the path went downhill (of course what goes down must come up so the return was another uphill climb!)

If you click to enlarge this photo you will just be able to see Durdle Door on the other side of this headland.

Here it is - one of the most photographed places on the Jurassic coast and a symbol of this part of the coast.

Beautiful isn't it?  I didn't have time to climb down to the beach nor to continue along the path to Swyre Head which my neighbour told me was well worth the walk to see the views - wouldn't have been worth missing the bus for though as it would be a long walk home from there!  Nor did I have time to walk down to the actual cove at Lulworth but there'll be other times no doubt although the last time I was at Durdle Door I think I was about 17!

Nearly back to the top of the climb now.....

Lulworth basking in the sunshine down there...

I hoped the cloud didn't presage rain at least before I got back to the Cove but luck was with me and the sun stayed out

Back at the base I had time for a sandwich and a bottle of water looking back to where I'd been and then it was time to get the bus which arrived on time and took me to Dorchester - one or two other passengers this time.  In Dorchester I had a short wait before boarding the bus to Yeovil which again took the same route we'd come along on Tuesday again in the sunshine.  Once in Yeovil I waited a few minutes for the little local Nippy bus and was indoors with the kettle on before 4.00 pm. 

Would I do it again?  You bet!  I had enjoyed a fabulous 4 days in amazing countryside doing what I like best and returned feeling on top of the world.  I was glad I hadn't attempted to do every day carrying the pack though although it wasn't as heavy to carry as I thought just annoying especially when trying to negotiate toilets!!  Mind you I wonder if it would have been quite such fun had it been raining all the time - I was just so lucky with the weather wasn't I?  Where to next?!

I am so lucky to be living where I do with these wonderful places within reasonable distance and to have a bus pass with which to do the trips - I don't know what it would have cost had I had to pay all the bus fares.  It's also something else I could never have done in France so yet another reason to be happy to be back where I belong.

More medals will be deserved if you've made it to the end of both parts!  Thanks for your company.

With bus pass, boots and a backpack!

WARNING:  This is a long post so you may want to skip through it or not bother with it at all - I am writing it as much for myself to look back on as to share so haven't cut it down as much as maybe I should for you all!

Some long while ago in December 2010 I heard a series of programmes on Radio 4 about people who had done various longer trips using their bus passes and resolved to try it myself.  I had just had an e-mail from a friend living in France in which she said that she and her husband were hoping to go on a Caribbean cruise and that it would give her the chance to wear some of her evening dresses.  I had to laugh as there was I thinking of doing a trip where I would pack a couple of clean pairs of knickers and a toothbrush!  Vive la difference eh?!!  I never heard whether or not she got her cruise or the opportunity to wear her frocks but procrastination being my middle name I have only just got round to doing my planned break!

Mr Marigold not really being up to it as yet (and truth to tell I don't think it was ever really his idea of fun) I decided to go alone - wanting to do it whilst I still can and before the dark nights and cold weather close in.  Mr M was happy to act as Research Assistant having far more patience than I when it comes to looking up bus timetables and walking routes etc on the internet.  I spent several happy evenings at the kitchen table surrounded with maps, timetables and leaflets and a plan was drawn up.  My original plan was to stay somewhere different each night but on second thoughts although this might be possible it would have been exhausting so Plan B came about in which I would spend 3 nights in one B&B and thus not have to carry my belongings with me all day every day.

DAY 1

The route to town

On Tuesday morning I woke to a beautiful apricot light making the rose hips on the hedge along our driveway shine crimson and bathing everything in a soft orange glow.  So much for the cloudy and wet week I thought I was in for.  At 8.15 I shouldered my back pack, waved goodbye and set off to walk to the bus station (Mr M had offered to drive me but that would have rather defeated the object - not that I really know what the object was!)  It was quiet and peaceful as I made my way along the usual route thinking about the day my daughter set off carrying an enormous back pack on her way to Australia for a year all alone and my admiration for her grew!  What I was doing was very, very small beer in comparison.

I caught the bus to Dorchester - a journey which took us about 30 minutes in the car last Sunday took over an hour but the route was via Sherborne and on through villages with names like Longburton, Glanvilles Wooton, Minterne Magna and Cerne Abbas where the Giant could be seen in the fields alongside the road. In places the hedges were brushing the bus on both sides and the countryside was at its early autumn best in the sunshine.  The hedgerows were clotted here and there with creamy honeysuckle tinged with pink (pity I couldn't smell it inside the bus) and plenty of other wild flowers were still in evidence.   At one point we met the bus coming the other way and the road being so narrow our bus had to back up quite some distance.  It's not a job for the faint hearted being a country bus driver as we squeezed past a tractor and trailer loaded with golden straw on a right angled bend in one village and parked cars in another!

In Dorchester I changed buses and with a very short wait caught a bus to Weymouth.  What a difference to the last time I was here - the beach was almost deserted this time.  I wanted to go up in that tower you can see at the end of the pier - last time we hadn't had time to do so - so that was what I did first of all.  It wasn't a patch on the London Eye and I didn't think it worth the money but I am glad that I tried it!  The photos below are all taken from the tower.

Shadow of the tower in the water below!

The harbour and Portland in the distance

 

 After that I wandered back along the beach, where the donkeys were still patiently waiting for customers,

 before buying a sandwich and a bottle of water and taking my lunch round to the old harbour where I sat on a seat under the beady eyes of the many gulls!

Made my way back to the beach when I'd finished my lunch.  You learn something new every day and I had never noticed this plaque before!  Imagine the scale of the sickness and death that must have been if it killed so many people.
.

The bus I got from there was the X53 the Jurassic Coast Link bus which runs from Exeter to Bournemouth mainly along the coast.  My next stop was Wareham - the photo shows the bridge there - I had a wander round and a cup of tea before catching yet another bus to Swanage where I had booked my 3 nights.

Swanage in the early evening light - the land you can see on the horizon is the Isle of Wight if you click on any of my photos you will get them enlarged and so easier to see.

I discovered that the B&B I had booked was a 15 minute walk along the front so was glad it was a pleasant evening!  So a journey which could have been done by car in an hour and 20 minutes had taken me all day but I had seen places I could never have seen by car and enjoyed a couple of hours at Weymouth and a wander round Wareham too and after all there's more to life than increasing its speed!  After settling in and unpacking - all of 5 minutes as I had so little with me, no evening dresses of course - I went to a pub a few steps up the road where I had a rather ordinary meal and half a pint of shandy before returning to an early night.



DAY 2

Having slept well I enjoyed being waited on and to having not only cereal but toast and a choice of English breakfast items.  I chose grilled tomatoes on toast as I didn't want to pile on the weight!  Over breakfast another guest told me of a bus which I could get from Swanage which would take me to Durlston Castle and the walk I had planned.

I decided to have a look at Swanage itself before taking the bus to Durlston as it is  a town with an interesting history and I wanted to see some of it including the stone work and other building materials brought from London by George Burt whose uncle's company Mowlem was involved in many prestigious building works in London and who scavenged many items and brought them back to Swanage.  The town Hall facade is one such place and apparently came from the front of the Mercers Hall in the City of London.

This was the jail - only about 7 feet X 5 and a half feet!  With a stone bench along one side - you'd have to be really tired to lie on that!

Click on this one to read clearly the info.

Everywhere I came across these bollards many of which were marked City Of London.

I think this came from Billingsgate - I love the waste not want not idea of reusing all these things in another setting don't you?

Having got the bus I reached Durlston

 The little cat in this photo had a note on his collar saying "Have I an owner?  Please contact Cats Protection League" and a telephone number.  He seemed happy enough and very friendly and somebody was obviously feeding him as there he is at his bowl!

 Those white rocks shining in the sunshine are the Old Harry Rocks about which more later!

 Fabulous globe made out of Portland stone and is one of the largest stone globes in the world apparently!

 Views on my walk to the lighthouse:

 Tilly Whim Caves no longer accessible as considered dangerous.

 Lighthouse in the distance

 Back at Durlston again

Time for a cup of tea and a slice of cake which actually turned out to be rather dry - will I never learn that things like cake or desserts which look so tempting are so often a disappointment!

 This part of the walk wasn't a disappointment though it was beautiful...

 Wandering through the woods in the dappled shade...

 Lots of seats where one could sit and rest and admire the view

 That's the coastguard station down there on the peninsula and where I am headed.

 Back in Swanage now just a walk along the coast a little way...

 Passed this interesting bit of art on an empty building.

Time for a sit down and a sandwich now, although not here!  I found a nice pub which served delicious crab sandwiches and my favourite bitter shandy! 

Just taken a short break from posting to watch the final moments of the Tour of Britain cycle race which Mr M has been watching and to see the house where I used to live, the Law College and the Library where I once worked and the High Street where I used to shop in Guildford!

To continue with my second day on the Isle of Purbeck:

 After lunch I wandered round some more and discovered this lovely tranquil spot where the mill pond is overlooked by the church.

Decided to get a bus to Studland and to walk out to the Old Harry Rocks which had been gleaming white in the sunshine all morning when I saw them from Durlston.  Studland was such a small village I overshot it on the bus and had a 10 minute walk back along the road! 

 It had by now clouded over and was an afternoon of sunshine and showers - I was glad of my waterproof not only becuase of the showers but also as there was a chilly wind.

 That's Bournemouth you can see over the water in the sunshine.

 The Old Harry Rocks - the large one with the arch is Old Harry and the smaller one is called Old Harry's Wife!

And turning towards Swanage these are called the Pinnacles.  That headland you can see is where I was this morning.

 I got back to Studland in time to get the bus to Bournemouth where I planned to have supper.  By now the sun was out again and  the route attractive as it crosses Studland and Godlingstone Heath on its way to the ferry.  I don't know if this is unique but there can't be many bus routes which involve a ferry crossing! 

 View from the bus!

 Not many buses which can be delayed by a Brittany Ferries ship passing in front of them either!

At the other side - this is Sandbanks and we are on our way now to Bournemouth.  Sandbanks is one of the most expensives places in the world to buy property only Tokyo, Hong Kong and Central London are more expensive!  There is some serious money here and yet the properties are all so very individual that they are the same if you know what I mean.

Bournemouth seemed much less genteel than I remember from my time there - I used to visit often when I was at college in Weymouth as I skated regularly at the Westover Ice rink which has gone now.  I thought it all looked a bit shabby and what my mother would call "common" now.  I had a jacket potato in a cafe in the Square and by then it was pouring with rain so I was glad I didn't have long to wait for the bus back to my B&B where I had a lovely long bath and another early night having watched some Tv and made myself a drink.

If you are still with me here - you deserve a medal - I will stop now and continue with the other 2 days of my trip another time.