This morning I'm waking up in Evershot - specifically at the Acorn Inn, or 'The Sow and Acorn' as Hardy referred to it in Tess of the D'Urbervilles. It has a skittle alley out the back, and all manner and means of obscure pub games at which, after sufficient ale and port, I found it all too easy to lose last night.
I can hear wood pigeons, I can see nothing but trees, frost and the occasional Land Rover, and I can smell wood-smoke and the beginnings of a full English breakfast.
It's amazingly beautiful, and despite the fact that it's sub-zero outside, I'm enjoying having the window open - thus allowing the fresh smells of a country winter morning to permeate the smell of morning bed.
Nice.
I've spent the last few days in the Llyn Peninsular where Next Door Kate, Next Door Graeme and Creative Director Craig (CDC) and I rented an old Welsh long house for Christmas. We climbed Snowdon on Boxing Day, cooked every meal from scratch (apart from yesterday's Little Chef breakfast en route, which, I can assure you, remains a vile and fetid place), and tried to learn phrases in Welsh - necessary in a place where over 3/4 of the locals have Welsh as a first language.
The complete obverse of my life in London. Not really that far away, but really very different.
2 comments:
Ahhh - that's near where I live! Our family house is on the Anglesey side overlooking the Menai Straits, we look down the fields at the water, with Snowdonia outlining the horizon in the distance. It is really truly beautiful and I'm massively jealous yet stupendously pleased that other people love that area too. Obviously Llyn is down and across a bit, but it's not a million miles away!
happy new year - all the best for 2009!!
And to you too Miss P! Have splendid memories of the trip to Dubai, and am very glad to hear that you know this area of Wales intimately too - we absolutely loved it and would go back again in a heartbeat. Feels truly remote.
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