The treat we chose for the last day of August was a day at Sudbury Quay theatre for Dot Production’s adaptation of ‘Jane Eyre’. We saw their version of ‘Sense and Sensibility’ in 2019, and we’re still raving about it to friends. With only five actors, we assumed they’d cut the part of Margaret theContinue reading “Dot Dot Dot”
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All the way to the end
This year’s Essex Book Festival was partly online, partly on site, and wholly excellent. I was in the Zoom for the first event on June 3rd, and again for the Festival ‘opener’ on June 6th (‘We Need To Talk About Essex Girls’), and today I was at the grand closing event at Cressing Temple Barns.Continue reading “All the way to the end”
A Grand Day Out
Return to Cressing Temple Barns today, taking my husband with me for a more leisurely visit, rather than the guided tour with the Essex Book Festival. It was good to wander around with no group, no purpose, though the guide last time was a real asset. This time, we had a long walk through bothContinue reading “A Grand Day Out”
Rain, at last
Last week, we had a prediction of hot and sunny over the weekend followed by cooler, cloudier weather from Monday. What actually happened was hot and sunny Saturday, really hot Sunday (for Britain, that is – Australians would laugh their socks off at me calling 29 degrees C ‘hot’) and then a hot and clammyContinue reading “Rain, at last”
Metal
Another good day with the Essex Book Festival. Today, a hotdesk at Chalkwell Hall, the Essex site of Metal – they describe themselves as setting up cultural community hubs. Sneer and jeer until you get here, it is a fabulous place in a lovely setting. Anybody can book a hotdesk – there are two, rightContinue reading “Metal”
Be more Cat
So, we had a pair of catloving friends over to stay recently. They were looking forward to meeting Max, and we wanted Max to become used to having new people in the house. They arrived and greeted him. He took to them. Boy did he take to them… We lost him there, for a while.Continue reading “Be more Cat”
Cressing Temple Barns
A good day out, and an amazing place. Cressing Temple Barns dates back to 1137, with the barns themselves built in the 13th century. The Tudor Knot garden is a reconstruction of a typical Tudor pleasure garden, and a real joy to walk in. We were given the tour by a volunteer guide and spentContinue reading “Cressing Temple Barns”
Essex, yeah
In all the excitement, I haven’t said much about what’s taking up my time at the moment. It’s the Essex Book Festival. This doesn’t feature much in the list of literary festivals, and I suspect there’s an element of snobbery involved. I mean, Essex – not exactly Hay on Wye, is it? Luckily, no, itContinue reading “Essex, yeah”
In Praise of Elderly Cats
He was a street cat, rescued as a kitten on his insistence and cared for all of his life. He was sixteen when his owner died, and unlikely to be at the top of the list in any rescue centre. People want kittens. I don’t blame them. Kittens are cute. Then again, Max is prettyContinue reading “In Praise of Elderly Cats”
Brancaster Beach
Before this pandemic hit, we made a habit of getting out of the house and going somewhere once a week, just to give ourselves a change of scenery. That all stopped when the first lockdown order came through, obviously, and we haven’t been out much since – we don’t go out to beaches or museumsContinue reading “Brancaster Beach”
Julia Chalkley 