Dartmoor Folk Festival

Ok, so I'm easily persuaded that it's ok to just keep bunging everything on one blog! Those who are interested in the sailing will just have to wait until next season, or until we sell the house which ever happens soonest.

As I haven't blogged for ages I've got some catching up to do. I thought I'd break myself in gently with a few what we did this summer stuff. First here's some folky stuff. 

The Dartmoor Folk Festival is a lovely little festival held in South Zeal, a village half an hours drive from here. We emptied Vince's works van, threw a mattress and a camping stove in, and went away for the weekend. The sun shone most of the time and we had a lovely time.

The main stage

 Local morris side the Tinners Morris Men, with their own safety officer!

(ok so he's the festival safety officer, but I thought this looked really funny, I'm easily pleased!)

 One of the many local border morris sides, and a view down the pretty village high street. I'm not dancing with my border morris side now, for reasons I won't go into here, but I have decided to join another ladies morris side this autumn, so more news on that later.

Me in a dress, a rare sight

 Vince, not in a dress

Ah, happy memories ...

Wedding anniversary

Back last weekend when the sun was still shining we walked along the river to this lovely local pub and had lunch.

Two very happily married people..

Christmassy pictures

I know there are lots of pictures of peoples Christmas trees and decorations out there, but I've got a new computer and I wanted to have a play with it. I also wanted to show off my sweet table decorations, my tree that was a 'potted tabletop tree' from several years ago that has grown to quite a respectable size, and a really sweet home made present from a lovely neighbour

Tiny flowerpot with a potato stuffed into it
decorated with cake candles,lichen
and garden prunings

Handmade sweetie filled cones.
The sweets will be devoured
and the cones kept to decorate the tree next year

Well this has taken me ages, but I'll get faster with practice.
Off to drink more mulled wine and start (or is that finish?) eating chocolates...

New improved 'sailing pics'

We're home from our 'big trip', so I can fill in some more pictures and text.
First there was a bit of engine maintenance

 Then off we set for Fowey

 It went well to start with, then as we approached Fowey Vince wanted to calibrate the log (thing that tells us how fast we are going) using some transit lines (sorry if this is a bit technical, I can explain if you want, but sometimes life's too short). We got to the start line and there was some mutterings and consulting of instruction books and pressing of buttons while I sailed the boat to and fro, and then we set off, in a straight line from A to B. I was under the impression we needed to do A to B, then B to A then A to B again. Following so far? We did A to B, turned around, did B to A then somebody (not me) pressed a wrong button and we had to start again. I was becoming mrs grumpy by now, and then it turned out we needed to do A to B FOUR more times, ho hum. We did it, and our log is now more accurate than it was, which we will be glad of if we are lost at sea one day. And it was a good day for sailing. Click on this picture for a video... (sorry about the offending fenders Peter!)

Click on this picture for video

The following day, moored a little upriver from Fowey was glorious sunshine, so mrs grumpy was restored to mrs happy!

 I get to do the rowing because I love rowing. We rowed/drifted upriver a bit further and had a lovely walk along the riverbank in Golant, upriver from Fowey

Then, refreshed and restored we set of for Falmouth. The winds were very light and coming from behind the boat, so we had the two sails out, one on each side, which is called a goosewing. One of my favourite, and one of the few self explanatory, nautical terms I know. 

Below is a very similar video with me at the helm, smiling! (and note the calibrated log at the end showing 6 knots)



The wind gradually picked up and we had a great sail, particularly because it's about the first time I haven't felt at all sea sick or stressed. Here's St Antony's Head lighthouse at the entrance to Falmouth.

We then spent a week in wet and windy Falmouth. We went ashore a few times (more rowing opportunities for me), walked here and there, ate lunch in cafes, visited the maritime museum, admired the J class yachts and met up with two lots of friends who also happened to be down there.

Some days we stayed on the boat and read books, watched boats going in and out and did jobs such as rope splicing

 and sewing leather onto the oars to prevent them from wearing out in the rowlocks.

Oh yes, and we did a bit of sailing (not much) and took some friends on a trip upriver, part motoring, part sailing. It would be nice to think we did a lot of this..(home made elderflower champagne of course)

But unfortunately there weren't many evenings it was warm enough to sit outside, it's only June after all!

We had a few lovely sunsets

A very foggy last day. (this is the same view as the sunset one)

 And finally a very lovely sail home, with a foggy start but sunshine later. We sailed all the way back to Plymouth from Falmouth. We were pretty tired, but I wasn't at all sea sick again, Hooray, there's hope (!) for me yet..

This is us setting off, taken by friends from the shore

The owl and the Pussy cat finally set to sea.

Christmas and new year firsts and inspirations

Life got busy in December as I work on a sheep farm at various times through the winter. This is a photo from a few years ago. I love it, and intend to write a lot about it one day. I've done some drafts...

Before Christmas I did my contribution to local community stuff. I painted one section of the scenery for the local panto. Apart from a very brief foray into this sort of thing several years ago I don't really have much experience at it. My task was a dusty Victorian attic. I was rather pleased with the result.

It looked even better when I'd painted cobwebs all over it, but I didn't get a photo of that.

I also made my first ever Christmas cake. I even made the marzipan with ground almonds. Much nicer than bought stuff, and dead easy. Then off we went a-visiting, cake in hand!

Pretty lights in a garden

 ..and lovely hand made decorations on a cousins Christmas tree

 and finally, back home on new years day, we went to see a mummers play. Vince has never seen one, and he still hasn't as it was too crowded! I took this photo over the heads of the crowd. They are performing again next weekend, so we may yet get to see a mummers play!

Dartmoor Arts and Folk Festivals

Weeks ago (3 in fact) we had Liz and Antony staying, from Glasgow and Liverpool respectively. They were taking part in 'Dartmoor Arts Week' which is a whole week of art classes including printing, storytelling, photography and others and is all centered around a village just down the road from us. Antony and Liz were doing the drawing class, which was a different tutor each day and involved doing challenging stuff like drawing shadows, drawing with thread and mimicking each others drawing styles. I've been considering treating myself to the course one year, but it sounds too much for me, especially when there's a talk or event on every evening as well. I went to the storytelling and song evening on  the Wednesday which was absolutely wonderful.

http://www.dartmoorarts.com/

They were both very lovely to have around for the week.

Vince, Me, Antony and John, our lodger.



Antony not only bought us a bunch of flowers when he left, he also let me keep this wonderful picture that he did.



Antony's pin and thread picture of a barn

We've also been doing festivals again..
Folk festivals to be specific, lots of music, singing, dancing, drinking....and strange costumes!

First a day out at Sidmouth Folk Festival on 4th August..

Buskers in Sidmouth doing really great jazzy stuff



Morris dancers everywhere



Vince having a beer and a chat with a statue!
image courtesy of our friend David
www.yardoverland.co.uk

Then a long weekend (6th & 7th) stewarding at the Dartmoor Folk Festival , which is only half an hours drive from us.

'Mariners Away' our local sea shanty group

South Zeal high street with bunting galore

a visit from Padstow Hobby Horse (or 'obby 'oss)




 

Vince on stewarding duty,
cold enough to have to wear my new hat!



and finally we came home
and camped in our field for a few days and the sun shone
'heaven'

And now I think I'm almost up to date with holiday stuff, just a bit of 'ART' to deal with next....eeek

A festival with a difference

This was my third visit to Buddhafield, and it's only just occurred to me how different it is from other festivals. It's very small compared to many, it has a no alcohol and no drugs policy. There's a lot of yoga and meditation, and there's more and more crafty stuff each year, which was lovely for me, and is where I realised I wanted to be when I wasn't teaching people how to make books. I had gone with the intention of doing loads of yoga and meditation, but making beautiful things is my meditation.
Below are too many images from the festival, I'll post all the crafty and book workshop ones tomorrow.

a stone age earth oven, baking real bread

early morning

quite a crowd at Buddhafield

compost toilets



'what's on' board, can you see the bookmaking, centre left?



the 'green crafts' area

my caravan and mended awning in the corner of the green crafts area

a shrine in the healing garden

wood fired showers, £1.50, luxury!





beautiful rainbow flags