Bridport Times September 2018

SEP TEMBER 2018 | FREE

A MONTHLY CELEBR ATION OF PEOPLE, PLACE AND PURVEYOR

THE with BIG PICTURE artist Kit Glaisyer

bridporttimes.co.uk

WELCOME

T

he tiny immaculate acrobats are heading home, back to where the weather suits their clothes. Their reds, whites and blues giving way to the greys as our sombre portly natives reclaim the skies. Out of place stragglers determined to linger, cling on while the going’s still good.

Filling their bellies with the last of the bugs, fuel for the journey ahead.

As a fully paid up member of the All Things Autumn Club, I’ll be uncharacteristically sorry to see this summer go. It’s been glorious of course, one for the archives, but it also marks our eldest son’s final year at primary school. No matter how much we pull and heave at the levers there’s no slowing these things down. All there is left is letting go and the liberating realisation that moments last longer when you’re actually in them.

This month we spend time atop a hill with Kit Glaisyer, clearing our minds and looking ahead to Bridport Open Studios. Alice Blogg takes us to the woods, Roy Gregory talks with musician and BBC Radio 6 presenter Tom Robinson, Emma Tabor and Paul Newman pave the way on Portland, while our chefs, as ever, spoil us rotten.

So as rain heals the cracked, gasping earth, and leaves swollen with summer sugars turn from green, to red, to dead, I am reminded to “hold things lightly” as a wise mother of a close friend once said.

Have a wonderful month.

Glen Cheyne, Editor glen@homegrown-media.co.uk @bridporttimes @bridport_times

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial and creative direction Glen Cheyne

Martin Ballam Xtreme Falconry xtremefalconry.co.uk

Design Andy Gerrard @round_studio

Simon Barber Evolver @SimonEvolver @simonpaulbarber evolver.org.uk

Sub editors Jay Armstrong @jayarmstrong_ Elaine Taylor Photography Katharine Davies @Katharine_KDP Feature writer Jo Denbury @jo_denbury Editorial assistant Paul Newman @paulnewmanart Print Pureprint Distribution Available throughout Bridport and surrounding villages.

Please see bridporttimes.co.uk for stockists.

Alice Blogg @alice_blogg aliceblogg.co.uk Molly Bruce @mollyellenbruce mollybruce.co.uk Caroline Butler BSc (Hons) MNIMH herbalcaroline.co.uk Fraser Christian Coastal Survival School @CoastalSurvival coastalsurvival.com Kelvin Clayton @kelvinclaytongp greenthoughts.me philosophyinpubs.co.uk Neville Copperthwaite n.copperthwaite@gmail.com Sally Welbourn Dorset Wildlife Trust @DorsetWildlife @dorsetwildlife dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

81 Cheap Street Sherborne Dorset DT9 3BA 01935 315556 @bridporttimes glen@homegrown-media.co.uk paul@homegrown-media.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk Bridport Times is printed on Edixion Offset, an FSCÂŽ and EU Ecolabel certified paper. It goes without saying that once thoroughly well read, this magazine is easily recycled and we actively encourage you to do so.

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that the data in this publication is accurate, neither Bridport Times nor its editorial contributors can accept, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from negligence, accident or any other cause.

Bridport Times does not officially endorse any advertising material included within this publication.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without prior permission from Bridport Times.

4 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Jane Fox Yoga Space @yogaspacebridport yogaspacebridport.com Curtis Fulcher Bridport Arts Centre @BridportArts bridportarts bridport-arts.com Kit Glaisyer @kitglaisyer @kitglaisyer kitglaisyer.com Roy Gregory Clocktower Music @clocktower_music_bridport clocktowermusic.co.uk Charlie Groves Groves Nurseries @GrovesNurseries @grovesnurseries grovesnurseries.co.uk

Graham Avis Bridport Museum @BridportMuseum bridportmuseum.co.uk Annabelle Hunt Bridport Timber & Flooring @BridportTimber @annabellehuntcolourconsultant bridporttimber.co.uk Tamara Jones Loving Healthy @lovinghealthy_ @lovinghealthy_ lovinghealthy.co.uk Gill Meller @GillMeller @Gill.Meller gillmeller.com Anna Powell Sladers Yard @SladersYard @sladersyard sladersyard.wordpress.com Ellen Simon Tamarisk Farm @ tamarisk_farm tamariskfarm.co.uk Charlie Soole The Club House West Bexington @TheClubHouse217 @theclubhouse2017 theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk Antonia Squire The Bookshop @bookshopbridprt @thebookshopbridport dorsetbooks.com Emma Tabor & Paul Newman @paulnewmanart @paulnewmanartist paulnewmanartist.com Cass Titcombe Brassica Restaurant @brassica_food @brassicarestaurant_mercantile brassicarestaurant.co.uk Chris Tripp Dorset Diggers Community Archaeology Group dorsetdiggers.btck.co.uk Christian Tyler Read Easy Bridport readeasy.org.uk/groups/bridport Sam Wilberforce Transition Town Bridport transitiontownbridport.co.uk

46

SEPTEMBER 2018

6 What’s On

46 KIT GLAISYER

86 Philosophy

14 Arts & Culture

56 Food & Drink

88 Community

28 History

64 Body & Mind

89 Literature

30 Wild Dorset

70 Home

90 Crossword

36 Outdoors

84 Gardening

bridporttimes.co.uk | 5

WHAT'S ON Listings

Tuesdays until September/

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October 6.15pm-8.15pm

Mondays 10th, 17th,

The Heritage Coast Canoe Club

1st Thursday every month

24th 7.30pm-9.30pm

Watersports’ Centre, Fisherman’s Green,

10.45am-11.45am

clothing provided. 12+ years. westbaykayak.

St. Swithun’s Church Hall, Allington.

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Bridport Folk Dance Club WI Hall, North Street, DT6 3JQ. Folk

dancing with recorded music (live music on 24th) 01308 423 442

Read Kevin Clayton’s article on page ??

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West Bay. Equipment & waterproof

Community Coffee Morning

co.uk email heritagecoast.cc@gmail.com

Free coffee, cakes & parking

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Tuesdays 7.15pm

3rd Friday very month

Mondays 7.30pm-9.30pm

Uplyme Morris Rehearsals

10.30am-3.30pm

Bridport Choral Society

The Bottle Inn, Marshwood. No

Bridport Embroiderers

Contact Uplyme Morris on Facebook

____________________________

No auditions, just an enthusiasm

experience required, give it a go!

St Swithens Church hall. 01308 456168

or The Squire on 07917 748087

Saturday 1st

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Bridport Hat Festival

Mondays 7.30pm-9pm

2nd Tuesday every month 7.15pm

Bridport Campfire -

Bridport Sugarcraft Club

Various Bridport venues. Competitions

Women’s Coaching Group

Ivy House, Grove Nurseries, West Bay

for singing required! bridportchoral. wordpress.com/Facebook

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67 South Street. £5, all welcome

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Road, DT6 4AB. £4.50, first visit free

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for adults, kids & dogs, live music, food & drink, workshops & dancing. 01308 250350 bridporthatfest.org

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Tuesdays 10am–1pm

Wednesdays 10am-12pm

Saturday 1st 10.30am-12.30pm

Art Class

Art Class

Open Tower

Town Mill Arts, Lyme Regis DT7 3PU.

Unitarian Church, East St.

St Mary’s Church, South Street. Free

07812 856823 trudiochiltree.co.uk

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chamber & clock room. Donations

£15 per session, first session half price.

£10 per session. 01308 424980

entry to the church tower, see the ringing welcome. bridport@sdgr.org.uk

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Wednesdays 7pm-10pm

Tuesdays & Thursdays 10.30am

Bridport Scottish Dancers

Walking the Way to

Church House, South Street. Instruction

Saturday 1st 12pm

538141 bridportscottishdancers.org.uk

Club 2018 Late Summer Show

Every 4th Wednesday 7.30pm

Free show, refreshments & a raffle.

Health in Bridport Starts from CAB 45 South Street.

30min walks, with trained health

walk leaders. Free. 01305 252222

& social dancing. Enquiries: 01308

Bridport and District Gardening

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United Church Hall, East Street.

sarahdavies@dorset.gov.uk Philosophy in Pubs ST/BT_SOS_advert:Layout 1 07/08/2018 10:53 ____________________________ GeorgePage Hotel,1South Street.

SOMERSET ART WEEKS 2018

SOMERSET OPEN STUDIOS

15 - 30 SEPTEMBER

Free guides now available at libraries, arts venues and tourist information centres throughout Wessex www.somersetartworks.org.uk

Telephone: 01458 253800 / Facebook: @somersetartworks Twitter: @SAW_Somerset / Instagram: somerset_art_works

6 | Bridport Times | September 2018

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bridportgardeningclub.co.uk or 01308 424055. ____________________________

ART FILM SOUND INSTALLATION PERFORMANCE

FEATURING NEW WORK BY: ALISTAIR GENTRY TIM SPOONER ANIA BAS CLAUDIA ANTONIUS & JÖRG JOZWIAK FARHAD BERAHMAN JOE BOREZ KATIE SURRIDGE & STEPHEN COLES LAURA HOPES LENI DOTHAN MISS HIGH LEG KICK RAPHAEL DADEN ROSIE LEVENTON THOMAS HUGHES BRIAN CALLINAN CAITLIN AKERS CARRIE MASON

08-16 SEPTEMBER PORTLAND, DORSET

DEBORAH EVANS JESSIE WYBREW KENNEDY COOMBS LILY LLOYD LUCY LARGE SUE PALMER & SHEILA GHELANI

#BSIDE18 B-SIDE.ORG.UK

WHAT'S ON Saturday 1st 7.30pm-11pm Bridport Ceilidhs Church House Hall, South Street, DT6 3NW. Featuring “GIG CB!” with Chris

Langmoor Gardens, Marine Parade,

DT6 3AD. No previous experience,

Mark Hix. Stalls & demonstrations

472771 thedancingmaster@outlook.com

Lyme Regis. Organised by celebrity chef, ____________________________

partner or costume needed. £6. 01935 ____________________________

Shaw calling - on Hat Festival weekend!.

Saturday 8th - Sunday 16th

Mondays 10th & 24th 7.30pm

01308 423 442 bridportceilidhs.wordpress.com

Bridport Open Studios

Biodanza @ Othona -

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Express, Connect, Relax!

Saturday 1st - Sunday 2nd

Venues across Bridport see

bridportopenstudios.co.uk for details.

Read Kit Glaisyer’s article on page…….

Othona Community, Coast Road,

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Burton Bradstock DT6 4RN. No dance partner needed. Teacher: Julia Hope-

Lyme Folk Weekend Various venues. Featuring Ninebarrow,

Merry Hell & Show of Hands. lymefolk.com

Saturday 8th 9.30am-12pm

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Dorset Wildlife Trust -

Friday 7th 7pm

Bird Ringing

Quiz Night

West Bexington beach car park, DT2

Tuesday 11th 2pm-4.30pm

Croton & talk from Mike Morse. Info:

Techniques

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With Lynda White. £3 for members

St. Swithun’s Church, Allington. Max 6

Brightwell. £8-£10. Info: 01308 897130 biodanza-bridport.co.uk

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9DG. Intro to bird ringing with Neil

Extended Watercolour

Monty Crook 01308 423442

Mosterton Village Hall, DT8 3HG

Saturday 8th

Saturday 8th 10am-4pm

National Heritage Open Day

The Wisdom Tradition

& £4 for visitors. Info: susan.dymock@

The Lyric Theatre. Free entry. the-lyric.com

& Entering Prayer

Saturday 8th 2pm

Street, DT6 3NZ. Led by Janet Lake.

Shadow of the Workshouse

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Hase. Members £1, visitors £2.50. 01308

per team, £5 pp at the door. BYO nibbles & drinks. Free parking

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btinternet.com

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Bridport Meeting House, 95 South

Tuesday 11th 2.30pm

info: iona.lake@aol.co.uk

United Church Hall, East St. Talk by Pat

Channel Islands: Families

Saturday 8th - Saturday 29th

Divided by War

Art Exhibition -

425710 jferentzi@aol.com

Loders Village Hall, Loders, DT6

Artists of the Jurassic Coast

Friday 14th 8pm

3SA. By Paul Radford. Members £1.50,

‘Me! Me! Me!’

visitors £3, afternoon tea inc

Eype Church Centre for the Arts,

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DT6 6AP

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The Lyric Theatre. With physical clown

Saturday 8th (10.30am-6pm) —

Sunday 9th 1.30pm-4pm

Frank Wurzinger. £12 the-lyric.com

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Sunday 9th (10.30am-4.30pm)

English Historical Dancing

Friday 14th - Saturday 22nd

Lyme Regis Food Rocks Festival

Royal British Legion Hall, Victoria Grove,

Inside Out Dorset

____________________________ Somerset & Dorset Family History Society presents:

____________________________

extraordinary events in extraordinary places 14 — 22 september 2018 insideoutdorset.co.uk 8 | Bridport Times | September 2018

A WA R D - W I N N I N G F A S H I O N B O U T I Q U E S E T I N T H E T R A N Q U I L , C O U N T R Y S I D E S U R R O U N D I N G S O F M A N O R YA R D O N S Y M O N D S B U R Y E S TA T E

SANDWICH . ROBELL . OUT OF XILE . MYRINE . RALSTON C OT TO N B R OT H E R S . B A R I LO C H E . E L S E W H E R E . YAV I SOAKED IN LUXURY . ONELIFE . LUELLA . ENVY

Opening Times Mon-Sat 10.30 - 5.00pm Sun 11.00 - 4.00pm F R E E PA R K I N G

M a n o r Ya r d . S y m o n d s b u r y .

Bridport. DT6 6HG Te l : 0 1 3 0 8 4 2 6 5 1 7 w w w.c o l m e r s h i l l .c o m

WHAT'S ON Various locations. International & UK

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free. insideoutdorset.co.uk

Artist Talk: Amanda Wallwork -

ploughman’s supper. Come on your own

circus, theatre, dance & art. Most events

Thursday 20th 6pm

or in teams of 4-6. Info: 01308 425037

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Mapping the South

Monday 24th 2pm-3.30pm

Saturday 15th -

Dorset Ridgeway

for 6 weeks

Sunday 16th 10am-5pm

Top Floor Studio, The Old Timberyard,

Art, Design & Architectural

talk & exhibition, booking essential.

First Half of the 18C

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Garden, East St. Tutor: Pam Simpson

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West Bay Road DT6 4EL. Free

History course: Dealing with the

amandawallwork.com 07816 224015

The White Room, Chapel in the

Saturday 15th 10am

Friday 21st 8pm

Askerswell Jumble Sale

Platform 4 presents:

MA. £60. chris.pamsimpson@btinternet.

Bridport United Church Hall. Coffee,

Invisible Music

etc. Funds split between Askerswell

Regis DT7 3QB. £10 advance, £12 on

All-Day Watercolour Workshop -

com & platform4.org

Mosterton Village Hall, DT8 3HG

Saturday 15th 2pm-5pm

Saturday 22nd 11am

The Skimmity Hitchers

coffee+JAZZ Mood Indigo Trio

only, info: susan.dymock@btinternet.com

The Coach House, Mapperton. £12 (ticket

St Mary’s Parish Church, South Street.

Thursday 27th 6pm-9pm

sawmill@mapperton.com 01308 863348

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Essence Lingerie, Barrack Street. 10%

Toby’s Harvest Festival Forde Abbey, Chard TA20 4LU. Talks & demonstrations. tobygardenfest.co.uk

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com 01300 321715

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new to you, bric a brac, books, produce

Marine Theatre Church Street, Lyme

Tuesday 25th

Parochial Church Council & Askerswell

door. Info: 01297 442138 marinetheatre.

Hedgerow & Harvest

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With Lynda White. Open to members

Village Hall

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plus pre-show ploughman’s lunch £22)

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For the Roof Appeal, 01308 422373

Ladies Evening

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Saturday 22nd 10am

Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th

Loving Healthy -

of sales donated to Bridport Millennium

Play & Presence:

Children’s Nutrition Workshop

Two-day Clown Masterclass

Bridport. £35, parents only.

The Lyric Theatre. Physical clown Frank Wurzinger leads a weekend masterclass.

lovinghealthy.co.uk

Green. £6 (members £5.50) inc bubbly, nibbles & lucky ticket prize, from Essence or 01308 425037.

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Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th

£98 the-lyric.com

Saturday 22nd 7.30pm

Poonamalee Productions/

____________________________

Fun Quiz in aid of

Dorchester Arts - A Pure Woman

Sunday 16th 10am-4pm

Bridport Millennium Green

Mapperton Autumn Plant Fair

Royal British Legion Hall, Victoria

A new play by Simon Reade.

£3, shared proceeds to Cancer Research UK

Grove. £6 (members £5.50) to inc

Shute Festival St Michael’s Church & Shute Primary School 28-30 September 2018

Tickets £15 FRI, £40 SAT, £30 SUN or £70 WEEKEND (kids free) available online and at Archway Books. Individual talk tickets £8 on door and at Archway Books.

www.shutefest.org.uk

10 | Bridport Times | September 2018

dorchesterarts.org.uk 01305 266926

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Esther Freud/Stephen Calloway Ann Swithinbank/William Ryan Ambra Edwards/Adam Hart-Davis Rachael Boast/Richard Edmonds Vadi & more Children’s Workshops/Landscape Walk Punch & Judy/Bushcraft/Land Art

Organic Topography

Eggardon 2018 limited edition giclee print 16.25” X 12.25”

James Burnett james.r.burnett@me.com www.james-burnett.com • james.r.burnett

bridporttimes.co.uk | 11

WHAT'S ON Friday 28th - Sunday 30th Shute Festival of Literature & Landscape

Tamarisk Farm, tamariskfarm.co.uk

____________________________

____________________________ Last Sunday of every month, 10am-4pm

Tickets & info: shutefest.org.uk

Fairs and markets

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Saturday 29th 9am-5pm

Every Wednesday & Saturday

Charter Fair

Weekly Market

Saturday 22nd 9am-3pm

Bucky Doo Square, DT6 3LF. Annual

South, West & East Street

Bridport Town Hall Craft Fair

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Second Saturday of

Sunday 30th

the month 9am–1pm

entry, variety of stalls. 01308 424901

Workshop: Sharing

Farmers’ Market

Memories Safely

Bridport Arts Centre

Saturday 15th 10am-2.30pm

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Bridport Vegan Market

Every Saturday, 9am–12pm

Bridport Youth & Community Centre,

charter fair. Music & charity stalls.

The Lyric Theatre. Led by theatre-maker Richard Crowe. the-lyric.com

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Planning ahead

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Country Market WI Hall, North Street

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Every Sunday, 10am-5pm

Saturday 6th October 2pm

Local Produce Market

Walk & Talk

Customs House, West Bay

12 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Bridport Vintage Market St Michael’s Trading Estate, DT6 3RR

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Bridport Town Hall, DT6 3LF. Free bridportandwestbay.co.uk

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DT6 3RL. Free entry. facebook: bridportvegan ____________________________ To include your event in our FREE

listings please email details (in approx

20 words) by the 1st of each preceding

month to gemma@homegrown-media.co.uk

EDITION FOUR

With contributions from Jackie Morris, Alex Preston, Neil Gower, Catherine Hyde, Helen Scales and Whitney Brown.

AVAILABLE ONLINE OR LOCALLY AT ‘THE BOOK SHOP’, BRIDPORT

EL EM ENT U M JOURNAL.COM

Theatre

A PURE WOMAN

Poonamallee Productions | Dorchester Arts Co-prduction A new play by Simon Reade, based on Christopher Nicholson’s novel WINTER. The story of 84 year-old Thomas Hardy, his second wife Florence and the young Dorset woman who played Tess of the D’Urbervilles.

Thur 27, Fri 28, Sat 29 & Sun 30 Sept Dorchester Corn Exchange

bridporttimes.co.uk | 13

PREVIEW In association with

Inside Out Dorset 2018

Mark Anderson ‘Furious Folly’ 20th and 21st September Camp Road, Weymouth, 9pm. Age guidance: 14+.

Tickets £10/£8 from insideoutdorset.co.uk

“No-mans-land at nightfall. A battlefield emerges, and audiences are immersed within an open-air collage of light, sound, pyrotechnics and performance.”

Biennial arts festival Inside Out Dorset is a rare chance to see rural and urban locations in Dorset

transformed by some of the best international outdoor circus, theatre, dance and art.

This year’s sites and national heritage locations include Poole Quay, Weymouth, the Iron Age

earthworks of Maiden Castle at Dorchester and woodlands around Shelley Park in Boscombe.

Boscombe will be the location for three UK premieres on 15 and 16 September: Manimal:

Gesticulating, a Way of thinking about the World by Les Souffleurs Commandos Poetiques from France and De Weide Wereld by Waterlanders, and Olie by Collectief Waldon, both from the Netherlands.

Inside Out Dorset co-artist director Kate Wood says: “We are looking forward to welcoming artists

from all over Europe to perform in our distinctive county. The opportunity to present so many premieres by companies that have never worked in the UK before is very special.” evolver.org.uk | insideoutdorset.co.uk 14 | Bridport Times | September 2018

ARCADIA

+ Q&A WITH ADRIAN COOPER OF COMMON GROUND

SATURDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER Doors 7pm Start 8pm

UK 2017 | Dir Paul Wright | Music by Adrian Utley, Will Gregory | 78 mins | Cert 12A

Arcadia is a provocative and poetic new film about our contradictory relationship with the land, crafted from archive footage.

‘Absorbing…Fascinating…Seductive’ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (Film of the week) Tickets £10 in advance from www.other-side.eventbrite.co.uk CHURCH STUDIO HAYDON DORSET DT9 5JB

A series of talks, live performances and screenings + food and drink of an interesting ilk In association with

Arts & Culture

IN CONVERSATION WITH

TOM ROBINSON Roy Gregory, Clocktower Music

Roy Gregory of Clocktower Music chats with musician and BBC Radio 6 presenter Tom Robinson, ahead of his Marine Theatre performance next month.

T

om and his band are touring to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the album, Power in the Darkness and, realising they had no gig on the south-west coast, they have chosen to play at Lyme Regis’s community theatre. The Marine Theatre’s history of performers, from The Kinks and Fleetwood Mac to film stars Charlie Chaplin and James Cagney, appealed to Tom, reminding him of great experiences he’d had at previous gigs in Bridport and The Martyrs Festival in Tolpuddle.

16 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Inspiration to tour came from the album’s re-issue a few years ago. Playing the songs with his new band had taken his breath away, especially as the old band had been so on-the-money. It’s 40 years since Tom’s band toured with ‘Stiff Little Fingers’, the first time they had really connected with audiences nationwide. Now he wants to perform the songs again, with present-day musicians and in light of today’s political scene.

‘I don’t think there’s going to be a 50th Anniversary Tour and there was no 20th or 30th Anniversary Tour, but I still have the energy to wield the Fender bass in anger… not sure I will in years to come!’ Laughs Tom. Asked if he felt the songs still resonated, Tom admits

much since Glad to Be Gay – it’s useful for today’s young people to see how far we’ve come; they can’t conceive that, back then, if two men kissed each other in the street it would land them both in prison.

When Tom wrote those lyrics, he didn’t think he’d get past 30. Now in his late 60s, he lives in a world unimaginable from the one in which he penned those songs. He recognises the difficulty of working in a capitalist market economy, trying to sell music while pursuing an agenda of fairness and equality. Back then his record company, EMI, had a weapons division.

However without EMI far fewer people would have heard the songs and his message would not have travelled as far as it did. In music, as in life, there are always going to be contradictions – it’s 2018 and we must inhabit the here-and-now.

Opening for Tom is Lee Forsyth Griffiths from Manchester, discovered by Trevor Horn and now recording his third album. ‘There’s only going to be one grey-haired geezer with a paunch on stage; that’s me,’ confesses Tom. ‘Lee is the life and soul of the touring party. His amazing soul voice is worth arriving early for.’

Tom’s band consists of Andy Treacey, groovemonster drummer from Faithless, along with guitarist and longtime collaborator Adam Philips. Tom’s BBC colleague, Jim Simmons, drives it along on the Hammond organ with Tom on bass which, in the intervening 40 years, he says he has ‘learnt to play a bit better.’

They pay tribute to the original band but play for the present – Tom knows the audience will understand as much as he does about the challenges we face in today’s world. He does not see his ideals as radical, just reasonable actions for guiding our lives and behaviour towards others. ‘I’d love for people to be leaving the Marine after our gig thinking, ‘Yes We Can.’ he’d thought that during the ‘90s and early ‘00s they’d become museum pieces but now, in these Brexit times, people can better understand with hindsight the flux of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. There was no inevitable progression from glam and prog rock to punk, new wave and the new romantics. In the late ‘70s the Callaghan government was in collapse and the economy in freefall, the National Front marched as do Tommy Robinson’s ilk now and – just as today – noone knew what would come next, so the idea of songs for uncertain times clearly deserves another outing.

While some of their lyrics are updated, others remain as recorded. The landscape has changed so

Tom Robinson plays the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis on Friday 5th October at 7.30pm. Tickets: £20 in advance, £23 on the door (10% discount for Theatre Friends), available online from marinetheatre.com or Lyme Regis and Bridport Tourist Information centres. (01297 442138 / 01308 424901). marinetheatre.com Catch up with Tom’s 3 weekly radio shows on BBC Radio 6 Music at bbc.co.uk/radio tomrobinson.com With thanks to Roy Gregory. clocktowermusic.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 17

Arts & Culture

NEW DIRECTION Curtis Fulcher, Director, Bridport Arts Centre

W

hat a charming place Bridport is, full of energy, character and colour. I started as the Director of Bridport Arts Centre in May this year and have been in post for just over three months.

Everyone has been very welcoming, so thank you Bridport.

I have come from a large arts centre in Hereford, which was the first dementia friendly arts venue in the UK; my role there was in communications and marketing.

In my role as Director of Bridport Arts Centre I aim to work in partnership with as many key players as possible to make the venue a hub for the local community.

I have a real passion for film and film programming, and there is plenty of potential to programme a variety of films to complement the amazing work done by the Electric Palace. This summer we have introduced Breakfast Movies to the programme; these include some old classics on the big screen with a free hot drink and pastry.

One of the most exciting things to happen during my time here has been the fabulous exhibition of costume

by Bridport Museum; the Arts Centre saw a record number of visitors with some brilliant feedback asking for more of the same. This space was complemented with fashion films as well as a historical fashion talk 18 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Image: Pete Millson

in the Allsop Gallery. Due to visitors’ requests to be involved with talks and discussions, I have pencilled in a bigger discussion about fashion in February 2019.

I have managed to programme most of the ‘What’s On’ season at the Arts Centre for February to May 2019.

There are some exciting events happening including a Family Festival which is supported by Western Power Distribution and a season of ‘F-Rated’ programming around the role of women within film and theatre… watch this space for the programme to be announced.

Fundraising is top of the agenda at the Arts Centre; with depleting funds we need to secure a future at the centre. There are several things you could do to get involved including an Auction of Promises in December, Race Night in January 2019 or pledging a donation to my crazy running challenge (10 halfmarathons in 10 months).

To sponsor Curtis on the running challenge, log on to justgiving.com/fundraising/curtis-fulcher2 For more information about the Arts Centre’s forthcoming programme of events visit bridport-arts.com

Contemporary Interiors in Wood 5 rooms full of unique wood work from over 200 craftsmen working in the UK.

RICHARD WILSON CERAMICS

Showing a bold range of pots full of colour. Also paintings from Stephen Bishop.

Courses also now available.

Beginners to master classes.

Ranging from kitchenware to one-off jewellery boxes and furniture.

Coffee shop and small children’s play area.

Rodden Row, Abbotsbury, DT3 4JL www.danselgallery.co.uk

01305 871515 Open 10am – 5.30pm everyday

GEORGE STREET, WEST BAY

01308 455656 | rwilsoncyp@gmail.com | rwilson-ceramics.co.uk

An evening with

IAN BOTHAM & GEOFF MILLER

Saturday September 15th TICKETS FROM £50

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George Albert Hotel Wardon Hill, Evershot, Nr. Dorchester, Dorset DT2 9PW Tel: 01935 483430 www.gahotel.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 19

Arts & Culture

SHIFTING PATTERNS Anna Powell, Director of Sladers Yard

A

s Bridport Open Studios approaches and summer draws to a close, we have time yet to enjoy Alex Lowery’s paintings exploring Chesil Beach. From West Bay to Portland, his pictures offer a new way of looking at this coastline. Again and again visitors tell us how they have gone out after seeing the exhibition and noticed colours and viewpoints they have never seen before. I do it myself and feel very lucky not only to be with the paintings all day but also to then go out into the landscape that inspired them and see it with his eyes. This extraordinary summer has been the perfect setting for Alex’s infinite seas and skies, and also for the heady turquoise in the smoky, soda-fired surfaces of Jack Doherty’s elemental porcelain vessels.

On 22nd September our theme moves from light to water (although light is crucial in this too). The new show, entitled Currents, brings together four painters who look at water in different ways. For Janette Kerr, water is deeply dynamic, whipped up by the wind and portrayed in energetic, expressionist brushstrokes.

Vanessa Gardiner’s water is often a well of opaque colour with geometrically divided areas of froth and shadow.

Her blues sing out in rich notes calling to us. It’s a pleasure to watch people respond. Julian Bailey’s joyous seas seem to sparkle and move with thick impasto paint 20 | Bridport Times | September 2018

and quick gestural brushstrokes. Luke Elwes turns the surface of water into a shimmering meditation.

Luke Elwes came to this gallery through Alex Lowery. The two have shown together numerous times over the years: at the Estorick Collection in London, here at Sladers and most recently in Bergamo, Italy. Both artists make ambitious work in subtle, understated intelligent ways. As well as paintings Luke writes and talks about art in the Royal Academy Magazine, Galleries Magazine, on BBC Radio 4 and at abstractcritical.com.

Luke’s own paintings involve layers of painting – areas of rich colour interspersed with white – which are dissolved and floated sometimes with river water or oil paint thinners and allowed to trickle or flow across the paper or canvas.

The results seem to reflect light and invite the viewer to look into them as if they were pools of water.

‘For me,’ Luke has written, ‘it has become a way of marking my own transient presence in the flow of phenomena, of paying quiet attention to the shifting patterns on the water, the fall of light on a given day, and the incidental life that passes across one’s visual field. Beneath all this, there is also the delicate registering of material erasures, the disappearances and the brief resurgences, the momentary recollection of this place’s silent (sinking) past.’

Luke’s early years were spent in Iran, where the light and space of the desert were a formative influence. He studied History at Bristol University and Painting at Camberwell Art School between 1979 and 1985, then Art History at Birkbeck College, London University, becoming an MA in 2007. While working at Christies, he began to travel and write and, in 1987, met Bruce Chatwin who inspired a trip to Australia. Since then he has continued to travel extensively, discovering and revisiting remote locations in India, Asia Minor and North Africa. In 1998 he was artist in residence on an expedition to Mount Kailash, a holy mountain in western Tibet. Since 2000 he has worked for long periods on an island off the east coast of the UK. In 2013 he was awarded a grant to study at the Vermont Studio Center and in 2015 he was resident artist at the Albers Foundation (USA).

The idea of the journey is central to his painting, both its physical and temporal unfolding and its recollection in memory. Rooted in the particular, the images also explore an interior space. ‘The future is not knowable country,’ he has written. ‘Out on the Essex marshes where I work, everything changes. It becomes an untended wilderness of dissolving paths and silted-up streams where creeks and channels endlessly mutate in the tidal salt waters.

Beyond the fragmentary system of sea walls and dykes one encounters an untethered world, prone to flooding and now bearing silent witness to the cumulative effects on this fragile ecosystem of climate change.’

Since the beginning of this year, Luke has been working on a series of paintings based on the experience of travelling by boat along a stretch of the river Ganges.

The Ganga paintings draw on the power of this sacred river which flows through the precarious lives of the people and cultures that have thrived throughout history on its banks. His method of working, of gentle mark making, dissolving and erasing gives rise to a mood of reverie. Like watching water, nothing is permanent.

‘Perhaps the only response,’ Luke says, ‘(as one who paints) is to “gather in” the present and recognise that if the current is one of flux and uncertainty it is nevertheless still – in the earth beneath our feet, the ‘weather’ and the sky above - an essential realm of connectedness and embodied experience.’

Currents: New paintings by Julian Bailey, Luke Elwes, Vanessa Gardiner and Janette Kerr RSA Hon, Sladers Yard, West Bay from 22nd September until 11th November. sladersyard.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 21

Arts & Culture

Photography, Pete Millson

T

his is the 20th anniversary year of Bridport & West Dorset Open Studios, an annual event started by artist Caroline Ireland in 1999, which this year features around 70 artists taking part in 40 venues in Bridport and across West Dorset. Our 2018 sponsor is Sculpture by the Lakes, an oasis for art lovers and collectors created by renowned sculptor Simon Gudgeon and his wife, Monique.

Our 2018 patron is Philip Sutton RA, who also has a major exhibition, ‘Philip Sutton at 90’ at Bridport Arts Centre until 6th October. Philip studied under William Coldstream at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1948 to 1953. In 1956 he was elected a Member of the London Group and has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe. He was elected a Royal Academician in 1988. You can read more about Philip in our 48-page guide, which has information about all our participating artists and maps to all the venues.

I’ve been Director of Bridport Open Studios since 2011 and this year I’m joined once again by Tash Lummes as Event Coordinator along with fresh energy from artist Suzy Moger as Assistant Director. We also have our regular guide designer Kate Gowrie and map designer Ian Escott, plus our team of volunteers and helpers. Meanwhile, renowned photographer Pete Millson has been busy taking photos of the artists in their studios.

Pete has 20 years’ experience working for the national press and has six portraits in the National Portrait Gallery permanent collection. Our guide cover artist this year is Jon Adam, a highly respected abstract painter based 22 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Boo Mallinson

in West Bay. Adam’s distinctive oil paintings express an emotional interpretation and abstraction of the natural world, using hand-ground pigments to maximise depth and luminosity and intensify our emotive response.

All participating artists can be found within a 10-mile radius of Bridport. In the west, celebrated sculptor Greta Berlin is in Fishpond near Marshwood, print-maker Sophie Sharp is at Shave Cross, painter Mandy Selhurst is in Broadwindsor and Eeles Pottery is in Mosterton.

Further north there’s beaded jewellery and batik art

by Chris Linacre in Halstock, abstract painter Mike Jackson in Evershot, multimedia artist Kula Shine and Jane Shaw with her delicate animal sculptures in Cattistock, with vibrant floral paintings by Carole Irving in nearby Maiden Newton.

To the east of Bridport, just off the A35, you’ll find artist duo ceramicist Douglas Reeve and painter Beverley Rouwen in Kingston Russell, with renowned illustrator Claudio Munoz and painter Jill Newsome further south in Puncknowle. Furniture and objects in wood by Alan Hussey are alongside innovative and timeless fabrics and clothing by Corrie Van Rijn in Askerswell. In nearby Shipton Gorge, there are semi-abstract paintings by Caroline Liddington, and abstract paintings by Suzy Moger in Uploders. Then in Nettlecombe you’ll find metal sculptures by Canadian artist Coleen du Pon, plus sculptures and drawings by Jem Main and pastel paintings and textiles by Zoe Main, alongside ceramics by Ali Herbert. In West Milton, enjoy ceramics by Katherine Lloyd and paintings by Marion Taylor. My own >

Russ Snedker bridporttimes.co.uk | 23

Arts & Culture

Sue Barnes

Marian Young

Douglas And Beverley Reeve

Caroline Liddington 24 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Colleen Du Pon

landscape paintings are in my new studio in Bradpole.

In the little village of Symondsbury, on the other side of Bridport, is painter Peter Hitchin, with sculptor Geraldine Guest in nearby Crepe Farm. To the south, the annual group exhibition Artists of the Jurassic Coast are showing at Eype Church with John Boyd, Lynne Grace, Marion Taylor, Charlotte Miller, Brian Cocks, Maggie Cooke and David Emery.

Further South in West Bay, you’ll find The Shed Gallery group of photographers at the Salt House, while at Sladers Yard Gallery there are paintings by Alex Lowery, ceramics by Jack Doherty and furniture by Petter Southall. Across the road in the Old Timberyard, you’ll find our cover artist Jon Adam plus ceramicist Richard Wilson and Fiamma Montagu, widely known for her ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, commemorating the centenary of the start of WW1.

Heading back into Bridport, there are textiles by Elizabeth Sayers, contemporary figurative fabric works by Louise Riley, abstract paintings by Mart and Ali Tebbs and six artists in the Portmanteau Gallery where you can also find ceramics by Björk Haraldsdóttir, woven tapestry, prints and etchings by Jacy Wall, paintings by Boo Mallinson and

by Helen Lloyd-Elliott and ceramics by Sarah Hitchens.

In North Allington there are stained glass works by Jude Alderman and, on South Street, figurative paintings

by Judith Gate as well as expressive paintings by Ellie Ledger. On St Michael’s Lane, enjoy abstract paintings

by Marian Young and ceramics by Harry Anderson. On Gundry Lane, explore paintings and drawings by Sue Barnes, Caroline Ireland and David Brooke.

On the St Michael’s Trading Estate, discover contemporary abstract organic sculptures by Isla Chaney, plus figurative and illustrative works by Russ Snedker, recent abstract paintings by Ellie Preston and abstract expressionist paintings by Rob Morgan. Also, enjoy beautiful Hats by Fiona Neylan, plus landscape pieces

by Jenny Penny, as well as sculptural ceramic works by Jenny Hanrahan, with stoneware and functional pots

by Maggie Luck. Then venture upstairs to Studio in the Attic with photo-art by Sally Davies and portrait paintings by Elizabeth Sporne. * Unfortunately, David Smith, Steve Rose, Squirrell Bindery & Press and Franny Owen have had to pull out of the event because of the fire on 7th July." bridportopenstudios.co.uk kitglaisyer.com

Arts & Culture

THE LANGUAGE OF TREES Alice Blogg

B

ack at the beginning of August the swallows were regrouping to fly away. Saying goodbye to summer fills me with dread each year. I always have to remind myself to appreciate the thought of the coming winter months, a time to hibernate and rest, a reflective time to bury your head into creative wonders.

September is such a beautiful month; the colours and sunshine never fail us. Late summer and early autumn bring dewy mornings and sunny days - the perfect time to forage for mushrooms. Bridport sits in a dip surrounded by ancient woodlands, the only place to find such delights as ceps (otherwise known as the porcini, the king of the mushroom world) and chanterelles. It’s a time to gorge on mushroom delights, as many as one can find: stuffed parasol mushrooms with aioli, cep tagliatelle with parsley or simple chanterelles with butter on toast.

Long, winding walks through unknown majestic trees, discovering new wonders of the land around us, dappled light and the sweet musty smell of the forest floor - if only I could bottle this smell and feeling!

Fungus only exists with trees, a symbiotic relationship. Italian folklore holds that porcini sprout up at the time of the new moon. I tend to look between June and November, the growth being triggered by rainfall during periods of warm weather followed by frequent autumn rain and a drop in soil temperature.

When foraging, my eyes are wide open and I see every minute detail. The fungi hide and blend themselves into the leaf clutter and forest floor, very well disguised - if I find one it’s a bonus, a moment of pure delight.

There is a complicated, underground network which produces mushrooms, and that is the way trees communicate and send each other nutrients. Yes, that’s correct, trees talk to each other! They do it through a network of latticed fungi buried in the soil, similar to the neural networks in a human brain. It’s their way of communicating, not only transferring resources but also

26 | Bridport Times | September 2018

sending defence signals too. Trees send threads called mycelium out through the soil to pick up nutrients and water and bring them back, exchanging them for photosynthate (a sugar made by photosynthesis). This below-ground pipeline connects many tree root systems together so that nutrients can be exchanged between trees. Mother-trees are the biggest, oldest trees in the network, more connected and with very large root systems; they help young saplings and care for the rest.

Just as a community of humans work better together, so do trees. The ‘wood wide web.’

You’ve probably seen mycelium, a spider weblike structure that grows on mouldy bread or rotten tomatoes, white or cream in colour. Many designers are looking to the natural world to understand how things are made, how nature creates, and trying to create using the same principles as nature. One way of doing this is to grow our own objects using mycelium. Using mycelium seems to be a fresh alternative for Londonbased furniture designer and maker Sebastian Cox and Brooklyn-based designer Danielle Trofe. Both designers use mycelium to grow lampshades and furniture.

I look forward to seeing what becomes of this material in the future and it’s good to see the Sebastian Cox mycelium shortlisted for the Wood Awards alongside a magnificent collection of John Makepeace’s chairs. The Wood Awards is the UK’s premier competition for excellence in architecture and product design in the world’s only naturally sustainable material. The awards aim to recognise, encourage and promote outstanding design, craftsmanship and installation using wood. If you’re in the ‘Big Smoke’ you can see the shortlisted winners for the Wood Awards on show during London Design Fair, in Brick Lane, 20th-23rd September. aliceblogg.co.uk

bridporttimes.co.uk | 27

History

An old watercolour sketch of St. Mary’s and the churchyard in the museum’s collection (undated).

WONDERING ABOUT CHURCHYARDS

I

Graham Avis, Bridport Museum Volunteer

n his book At Home, the writer Bill Bryson speculates that many parish churches appear to sit in a slight depression, as if their foundations have sunk. This, he suggests, is not due to sinking foundations but rather that the surrounding churchyard has risen due to the large number of burials that have taken place within its confines. It set me wondering about our own parish churchyard in Bridport.

The Local History Centre has copies of the Bridport burial registers, the earliest entries being in 1600. There are some major gaps in the 17th Century (approximately 50 years are missing overall) but, other than these gaps, we know the names of everyone buried within the churchyard, and later within the Bridport Town Cemetery which opened in 1855. Other than a small number of Quaker burial places and a few burial places near non-conformist chapels, the churchyard, and later the cemetery, were the only places in which one could be buried. Bradpole residents were also interred in 28 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Bridport’s parish churchyard until 1521 and Allington residents until 1827.

The registers list the names of over 13,500 people who were buried in the churchyard and, if we use the average number of burials in the 17th Century to estimate the likely numbers in the missing 50 years, we can add a further 2,000 to that number, suggesting that there were over 15,500 burials between 1600 and 1855.

Given that the church has been in existence since well before that date, the total number must be much greater.

How is it possible that a small churchyard can contain the remains of so many people? In 1849 in a lecture at the Town Hall, the Unitarian Minister, Revd.

John Lettis Short, suggested that death rates in the town were too high and hence one of the causes of the churchyard being full. He suggested that, ‘Presuming the dead body was committed to the grave for the purpose of mingling with its parent earth, ten years must be allowed for this process.’ On this basis he believed that

Bridport churchyard could support up to 112 burials a year. In the seven years leading up to the lecture there had been over 120 burials per year. It was this that was the driver to open the Bridport Town Cemetery.

I have found it impossible to look at the burial records other than from a 21st Century viewpoint. The number and ages of children who died are incredible by today’s standards and leave me reflecting how far modern science has come in preventing the tragedies that affected families in the 18th and 19th Century. There is a further cause for reflection. In 1833, at the end of the parish burial record book, the Rector, Robert Broadley wrote: ‘Vide Register page 74 Burial No. 586.

In the year 1832 a disorder called the “Cholera Morbus or Asiatic Cholera” extended through most of the countries of Europe and proved fatal in many parts of England – The first case that appeared in Bridport was on 9th August when a married woman named Sarah Biddlecombe, age 53, died after a few hours illness, and was buried the next day, During the following week six other persons, and many more sickened of the same complaint. So alarming and contagious was the disease now considered by people in general that the shopkeepers of Bridport complained of the stagnation of trade, from many persons in the country being deterred from coming into town through fear and exaggerated accounts of the pestilential ravages of Cholera. There were twenty-three funerals between the 15th August and the 15th September, 17 of which were registered with the letters C:M: in the margins to denote the epidemic malady which had proved fatal to the deceased.

I have never been able to ascertain the number that had been attacked by the Cholera and recovered – but it’s remarkable that the disease in Bridport was confined to South Street, and in that street to within 60 or 80 yards of the house in which Sarah Biddlecombe lived and died.

R.B. 4 Jan 1833’

OPEN DOORS

18 September 10am 15 October 2pm

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We are adventurous A Co-educational Diamond Model School Flexi, weekly and full boarding Daily buses across Dorset and Somerset

Call: 01963 211015 Visit: www.leweston.co.uk

The above was written 20 years before Dr John Snow produced his theory that Cholera was a water-borne disease, and subsequently convinced the medical profession that this was true. How many lives might have been saved if the observation by Bridport’s Rector, and possibly other observers in England, had been taken seriously and used to successfully challenge the common view that the disease was spread by particles in the air? bridportmuseum.co.uk @bridportmuseum facebook.com/BridportMuseum

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bridporttimes.co.uk | 29

Wild Dorset

YEAR OF THE DRAGON Sally Welbourn, Dorset Wildlife Trust

Emperor Dragonfly © Ken Dolbear MBE

N

o summer is complete without experiencing the sights and sounds of a dragonfly as it hunts over a nearby pond. Agile and colourful, dragonflies are a joy to watch with their aerial manoeuvres rivalling the fastest military aircraft as they duck and turn in pursuit of prey or narrowly avoiding the clutches of hungry hobbies. These adaptable insects lord over wetlands, moorland and even woodland glades, feeding on flies, midges and sometimes each other. Maybe you thought butterflies were the only insects worth a second glance; well, these multi-coloured, iridescent predators are equally worthy of our appreciation.

In addition to occasional visitors from continental Europe, there are 17 species of damselfly and 23 species of dragonfly resident in the UK. They are found in almost every habitat, bringing a splash of colour to the landscape just as the wildflowers and butterflies are winding down – so now is the perfect time to spot them!

This year in Dorset we’ve been lucky enough to witness the arrival of the southern migrant hawker dragonfly, which is usually found in warmer climes. Spotted in Lytchett Bay Nature Reserve in east Dorset, this is a first recording for the county, most likely due to the prolonged period of warm weather this summer. The overall appearance of the male southern migrant hawker is much bluer than the more common migrant hawker, and it is 30 | Bridport Times | September 2018

often called the blue-eye walker on account of its blue eyes.

The migrant hawker dragonfly is one of the most exciting dragonflies to spot, and you can often find them hunting along sheltered hedgerows in August and September.

Another impressive dragonfly you may see this year is the emperor dragonfly, a characteristic dragonfly of new ponds where, for the first few years, its larvae may be extremely common. The males are pale blue with an apple-green throat and a black stripe running the length of the body.

To help with your identification of dragonflies and damselflies, visit The Wildlife Trust ID website.

Three facts:

1 The difference between the damselfly and dragonfly is that the damselfly is slimmer and rests with its wings folded, while the stockier dragonfly keeps its wings spread outwards.

2 Like insects, dragonflies are at their most active in warm and sunny conditions.

3 They are most commonly found near water, although several species travel a long way from water to feed in gardens, fields and woodland edges. wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

Wild Days All our lives are better when they are a bit wild.

www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk/events

DORSET WILDLIFE TRUST Photos © Vicky Ashby, Katharine Davies, Damian Garcia & Matthew Roberts.

Wild Dorset

HOMESPUN

W

Ellen Simon, Tamarisk Farm

e have complicated our lives by having a lot of different breeds of sheep. Each is a different colour, has specific needs and their own rams. And they have very different personalities.

We did not select them all for good, hard-headed business reasons. We chose the Herdwicks (our most recent breed) in a reminiscent mood: we lived in Cumbria early in our married life where we saw and loved them when walking and climbing in the fells.

Herdwicks are hefted, which means that they learn their territory and stay within it – which is just as well for us as they are very adept at getting over, under, through and around our fences! The handsome black and white Jacobs were bequeathed from my brother’s flock and the Shetlands began as a present to our son when he was about ten years old. Our first Hebrideans arrived unexpectedly from the Isle of Wight: Adam had been advising the National Trust ranger there about maintaining their wildflower pastures and had commented that they might have an influx of fleabane, which you will have seen if you walk at Cogden. It gives a fine, late summer display of bright yellow flowers which attract insects but can be very invasive. ‘Oh no,’ they said, ‘we don’t have fleabane, we have Hebrideans!’

When they in turn came to visit they had in the truck three young ewes! Even though they have taught their daughters and granddaughters to eat the fleabane, we still can’t keep it down. We think of our Dorset Downs as the sensible, commercial flock that fatten well, and so they are, but even these were chosen because our other son, when very young thirty years ago, preferred their fluffy dark faces to the clean white faces of the more popular Polled Dorset breed. Dorset Downs are a rare breed, listed in the Minorities section (less than 3000 breeding ewes) of the Rare Breeds Society, so we are pleased to be part of keeping this breed alive.

The wealth of the nation in the thirteenth century, and for a long time after that, was built on the wool this country produced. Indeed, the landscape and social history was defined by the Enclosure Acts which supported the wool industry. The Speaker of the House of Lords sits on a Woolsack because wool was so important when 32 | Bridport Times | September 2018

the office was established. Since that time, however, the trade has declined and for the last couple of centuries the main reason most people have kept sheep in Britain is for their meat. The Wool Marketing Board, the only remaining state monopoly, does its best to sell our wool but it competes with other less natural and less local fibres and it no longer fills British farm coffers. There are new ways being developed to use what has nearly become a waste product, such as house insulation and packaging. For many years income from the wool has not covered the cost and work of shearing, but still the shearing must happen for the welfare of the sheep.

With their lovely woolly coats on, they are simply much too hot in summer and they are vulnerable to horrible and life-threatening fly-strike. To bypass this difficulty some farmers are keeping sheep which have been bred to shed their wool (using genetics from the Wiltshire Horn breed) but, commercial though we may be, we are also sentimental and have great pleasure in our established flocks and varied breeds. So we have gone the other way, making a virtue of the necessity to shear by making the wool into yarn.

I learned to spin at ten years old, taught by a member of the Dorset Guild of Spinners and Weavers. I have always loved the natural colours but I rarely found time to spin enough to knit what I wanted. Frustration at buying wool when we had our own going to waste led us to create the Tamarisk brand of yarns.

After shearing, the fleeces are separated by breed and colour, then bagged and selected wool is sent down to Cornwall to be carded and spun using dependable Victorian machinery. The mill we use is certified organic, so we can be sure our organic wool remains free from chemicals.

We are so pleased with and proud of our product – natural and undyed in a wonderful variety of soft greys and browns, through to bolder blacks and chocolates.

Some are the same colours as they came off the sheep, others have been blended using different proportions of darker and lighter fleeces to create new colours. It has been a great pleasure, every time we get a new colour, to play with it, creating different samplers and patterns.

Members of my family who don’t knit always find that the process seems completely miraculous: a ball of

yarn turns into a sock over the course of a few evenings listening to the radio. This is 3D printing for clothes!

After the hot summer we’ve had, the autumn evenings are drawing in and I’m ready to start knitting as the evenings cool down - time to start thinking of the winter clothing we might want: a new jumper or hats for Christmas presents. One of my current projects is a Fair Isle jumper for my daughter to wear in the depths of winter.

Sheep have provided us with clothing for millennia and knitted clothing has been around for the last 800 years. In the yarn spun from our mixture of native breeds and in our sheepskins, we are continuing the rich history of Britain. Despite their inconvenient habits, the pleasure we gain from seeing the variety of sheep in our fields and enjoying the characters of each breed makes keeping them all worthwhile.

To discover more about knitting wool and sheep, join Tamarisk Farm for a walk and talk on the 6th of October.

Meet by the farm shop at 2pm. tamariskfarm.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 33

Wild Dorset

IN HOT WATER

Neville Copperthwaite, Marine Consultant and Project Coordinator

S

ea temperatures in Lyme Bay are in the high ‘teens and have triggered an explosion of marine life from Beer Head to Portland Bill. The influx of shoals of baitfish – sprats and sand eels – has attracted the attentions of larger predators: little fish are eaten by bigger fish that are eaten by bigger fish that are eaten by bigger fish. Mackerel eat the sprats, bass eat the mackerel, dolphins and sharks eat the bass. Yes, you did read that correctly, sharks!

Fishermen at the Portland end of the Bay have reported species such as porbeagle and thresher sharks ominously cruising around their boats; there was also a recent unconfirmed siting of a killer whale seen jumping out of the water at the Beer end of the Bay. I spoke to local fisherman Jim Newton who said that the siting was more likely that of a Risso’s dolphin, as several have been spotted leaping out of the sea in that characteristic arc of 34 | Bridport Times | September 2018

glittering blue. The dorsal fin of a Risso’s dolphin and a killer whale are remarkably similar so mis-identification would be understandable. Nevertheless, killer whales, normally associated with the colder seas around the poles, are being found increasingly in UK waters.

Scientists believe the creatures are being attracted by Britain’s recovering fish stocks and, if this proves to be the case, in future years we are likely to see an abundance of them in Lyme Bay due to the successful sustainable fishing methods of local fishermen. The ultimate killing machine, as top predator the killer whale can easily despatch a great white shark. If this species became established around the bay it would be absolutely at the top of the food chain and every other species would probably learn to swim a little faster!

It is now frowned upon to catch any sort of shark and, at the other end of the shark scale, dogfish have

been proliferating. These are bottom-dwellers and, due to high population numbers within the bay, anglers now find them a nuisance as they continually take their bait but then have to be thrown back. You may remember that, once upon a time, you could buy rock salmon from your local fish and chip shop - this was, in actual fact, a more acceptable marketing name for the dogfish. More recently, conservationists cottonedon to the power of marketing and gave the dogfish a third name, the Cat Shark. This name invites a more sympathetic response from the public to marine conservation campaigns and I find it interesting to note that the three names the humble dogfish has acquired epitomise the struggle for control of our marine resources between the fishing industry and marine conservationists.

Staying with bottom-dwellers, there are unusually

high numbers of octopus being landed at the Portland end of the bay, these being caught accidentally in crab and lobster pots. It is heartening to hear of this as those of you of a more mature age will remember the extremely cold winter of 1963. This was the winter that saw the demise of the octopus locally along with many other marine species. It has taken a long time for the octopus population to recover in significant numbers but it seems life will find a way. Having said that, the success of one species is always at the cost of another; the last few years has seen a downturn in crab landings. Octopus are partial to crab (they get caught in pots because they are preying on the crabs inside them) and considering some of them are over two metres in length, they may well be part of the cause of this downturn.

As if sharks are not enough to contend with, the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream are bringing with them jellyfish. Rhizostoma jellyfish are the big ones that look like dustbin lids from above. They can actually damage an outboard motor if hit by one. They are not particularly poisonous and look beautiful if viewed from below. In the past I have seen young cod and pollack living amongst their cauliflower-like tentacles for protection. There are also shoals of smaller compass jellyfish and these have a slight sting but are nothing to worry about.

The one to look out for is the Portuguese man o’ war jelly fish. It is easily recognised from its purple bag which floats on top of the water. It has the ability to inflate this bag with gas in order to use it as a sail and change course in the wind. It is deceptively pretty, for underneath it has tentacles up to 30 metres long! They are threadlike and transparent and extremely difficult to see; the stings on the tentacles are excruciatingly painful and have been known to kill people who have swum into them. And beware, if you come across one stranded on a beach, give it a very wide berth because it can still sting even when dead.

So, sharks and deadly jellyfish, right here in Lyme Bay! I’m aware that this article may make some of you apprehensive about putting your toes in the sea ever again, however being armed with information such as which jellyfish sting and which don’t can only make your visit to the sea safer and more interesting.

And just as an example of how safe the sea can be, I can tell you that I have worked, played, dived and fished in, on and under the sea all my life and have never been hurt or injured. Well, not very often anyway… n.copperthwaite@gmail.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 35

Outdoors

STICKS AND STONES Fraser Christian, Coastal Survival School

I

f, like many, you have laboured across the sand and shingle in search of a perfect beach barbecue spot, laden with armfuls of equipment and disposable, single-use items such as instant barbecues – then stop!

Think about what you may find along the shore that could replace some of your barbecue or cooking equipment.

Sticks and stones found along the seashore make the perfect replacement to environmentally-costly disposables, or heavy reusable garden barbecues. The wild, or make-your-own, beach barbecue option, is both local and sustainable and, in the case of the stones, multi, multi, reusable! A word of warning though: the shingle along local beaches has a nasty habit of exploding and sending small, red-hot fragments out in all directions, traveling fast enough to penetrate clothing, you, and anyone with you!

To build a safe beach oven or barbecue, first gather a few large, flat sandstone or clay-based stones. When dry, these stones are fairly stable and can take the heat, but always be aware that hot stones can explode. Be cautious if you’re unsure of the rocks available. Start with a base stone and add 3 sides, or a back and two sides if you like, with the back into the wind. Bank the shingle up against the outsides of the upright stones for support. The basic construction can easily accommodate a small driftwood fire or a few handfuls of charcoal. Wooden skewers of whatever you fancy can simply be laid across or, if you 36 | Bridport Times | September 2018

wish, use the grill from your last ‘disposable’ unit or a small reusable grill from a standard barbecue.

My absolute favourite way though is to add a top stone, with a slight gap at the rear, acting like a chimney, allowing for a ‘Billy Can’ to sit there ticking over while the top rock heats up, then some real stone baking goes on perfectly!

My last trip out in search of the seemingly now elusive shoals of mackerel proved most rewarding with shoals of small ‘whitebait’ fish washed up in their thousands, with the mackerel close behind them herding them inshore. We gratefully scooped up and bagged plenty for preserving later and set about gutting and bleeding out the fish to remove unwanted blood in the tissue structure. Before cooking a few on the now red-hot top stone, we made a simple flatbread mix, with flour, a drop of beer and a handful of the close-to-hand rock samphire. Simple food, prepared and eaten with your hands, cooked over the fire and enjoyed as the sun sets over the bay on another red-hot day - what could be more delicious?

Please ensure your barbecue is well extinguished and cooled before you leave it. And why not take a spare sack with you to collect some of the ‘rubbish’ other less sustainable folk leave behind? coastalsurvival.com

bridporttimes.co.uk | 37

Outdoors

BIRD MAN

Martin Ballam, Xtreme Falconry

S

outh East London, not exactly the place you would expect to develop a life-long passion for working with birds, is where I spent the first ten years of my life, in a mid-terraced house in the same street as much of my large family. I remember less traffic, street parties and trips to Trafalgar Square on the bus with my nan. Was it the pigeons that kick-started it? I don’t think so.

My aunt and uncle lived in St Ives, in Cornwall, and my family were lucky enough to visit in the spring and summer holidays; we loved it. The beach and the sea were simply stunning - and still are today. In December 1981, my parents finally took the plunge and we moved to a lovely village called St Erth, just outside of Hayle.

In 1983 relatives came to stay with us and we took them to visit Bird Paradise, one of the biggest collections of birds on show in the UK. Something clicked. I saw a pair of amazing eagles called Bateleurs and I couldn’t get them out of my head. My sister was working in the tea 38 | Bridport Times | September 2018

rooms at the time and I plucked up the courage to offer my services as a volunteer; I was 13 years old.

I had to go and meet the team of keepers. Jill was the head keeper and she assigned me to a keeper called Claire for my first introduction to some of the birds - ‘Godfrey’ the Goffins Cockatoo, ‘Tween’ the Queen of Bavarias Conure and the infamous ‘Roger’, a Blue Fronted Amazon Parrot. Roger was a tough guy and would only allow one person to hold him, that being the then deputy head keeper, David. However, Roger liked me! Much to the amazement of the other keepers, he let me hold him; I was chuffed to pieces.

So, there it all started. I became totally obsessed with the amazing variety of birds to work with - and it was hard work. The daily food prep for the different species was immense - the parrot section, the softbill section, the pheasants, the cranes, the waterfowl including the flamingoes and, one of my personal favourites, the

Image: Katharine Davies

Gentoo Penguins. What brilliant birds they are! But the park also had birds of prey.

Part of the work was to present some of the tame birds to the public every day at 2pm - it was called ‘Photocall’. I now remember it as utter chaos and a health and safety nightmare! Basically, it was a 20-25-minute presentation over a voicebox to the masses gathered around the ‘top paddock’.

Something was tingling away inside; I wanted to do the presentation. I asked the head keeper, Jill, and she checked with the boss, a man called Mike Reynolds.

He had built the park from scratch and had a clear vision. He also had a brilliant advertising mind (he had come up with the idea of the ‘Milky Bar Kid’ in his previous employment). Mike agreed to let me have a go but first I had to do the whole talk to him and Jill the following morning – ‘X Factor’ had nothing on this! But I did it, aged 14 nudging 15, and I was so

proud. My first presentations to the public began.

Not long after this we had a visit from a lady called Jane Laloe. Jane was a falconer and did the first public falconry demonstrations in the 1950’s, on horseback, flying three White Bellied Sea Eagles. Jane did a demonstration: we were all amazed and the public were enthralled. My boss realised this was something we had to have as part of the daily attractions at the bird park and so the ‘Eagles of Paradise’ was born. I so much wanted to be part of this but I was young and had no experience in training eagles, or anything else really. A new employee was needed, a falconer. To cut a long story short, we keepers worked as a team, helping on all bird sections and learning about all the birds and their needs and covering each other. The new falconer however was unwilling to teach his skills and only stayed 6 weeks. Another falconer arrived but only lasted 3 weeks. Now was my chance.

My boss asked if I was capable and I said yes. Jane taught me and became a firm friend and, at 15, I was flying birds and doing the presentations at every opportunity, even after school. At 16 I was offered a full-time job and away we went, myself and Zara the Golden Eagle, Archie the Bald Eagle and the first eagle I trained, ‘Jason’ the Indian Tawny Eagle. The best one, however, was Barnaby the Barn Owl, still the greatest Barn Owl I have flown. He would hunt me down whilst I hid in the crowd whispering his name. Archie was a star, his daily epic flights over the estuary sending every seagull skywards thinking ‘where did that come from?’ I had a few great years but things were changing and I could see the end coming.

The deputy head keeper was made curator but our personalities clashed and, although I desperately wanted to progress my career, I felt held back and sidelined. I was forced to change my shows to the ‘American way’ with music gently playing; I wanted to teach people with fun information and humour so that they learnt more and would come back again. Seeing no way out I became rather depressed and, in August 1996, I resigned my position.

Fortunately, my career was not over. I subsequently found out through an ex-colleague that a man had built a new falconry centre and had been trying to head-hunt me for a year; his requests to contact him were not passed on to me. However, at last I had his request and I travelled over to Kent to pay him a visit. That was the start of my falconry career.

To be continued… xtremefalconry.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 39

Outdoors

NINE STONES

T

Chris Tripp BA(Hons) MA, Field and Community Archaeologist

hese cold, grey stone sentinels have stood for millennia, their pock-marked faces mute and inscrutable. But for how long have they withstood time and weather? Unless using the magic of carbon dating, such stones can only be dated by finding artefacts, graves or settlements and little has been found for these stone circles that squat silently in our landscape. However, archaeology has gathered enough evidence from a variety of sites to be able to say they were erected in the Bronze Age, roughly four and half thousand years ago.

40 | Bridport Times | September 2018

For many decades antiquarians speculated as to who built them, whether it was visiting Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks or Romans. It was, however, the first makers of metal, those who fashioned bronze, gold and silver from the raw excavated minerals of Britain and Ireland, who created a collective of stone witnesses to our past. What do the stones whisper to us? What can the ‘Nine Stones’ circle say?

The silence of the ‘Nine Stones’ circle is regularly shattered now by the A35 traffic, the drivers oblivious to the stones’ existence as they speed past from Winterbourne

A Celtic Temple at Winterburn, William Stukeley, 1723

Abbas on the way to Bridport. Standing in dappled light, this circle is a small one, nine metres by eight metres.

Individual stones stand at less than a metre high next to their two kin of just over two metres - grander stones which mark the entrance. Once it was a matter of taking one’s life in one’s hands to visit these lonely stones; now, however, there is a permissive path over a field that leads to this noisy but still calm spot. Place a hand on the rough surface and feel the small stones embedded in the white-grey material, what geologists call conglomerate.

These pebbles were subsumed into it during the retreat of the last great Ice Age, ten thousand years ago. The stones are all as individual as we are, with different shapes and patterns on their surfaces.

You can listen but they won’t tell you why they were placed here so long ago, or for what purpose. Are they a prehistoric Lourdes, as some academics have suggested, where families brought sick and dying relatives into the sacred circle praying for a cure? Did they bring their dead here to a place of rituals to say goodbye as their souls left on the journey to the underworld? If one could magically remove the A35 this space would be quite still, just the place for meditation, for visualising a world beyond our own. Perhaps their purpose is to witness and mark out the direction of the rising and setting sun and moon? Or is it the march of the stars across the dark heavens that needs to be known, to help understand the passage of time? Many stone circles are far more complex than they appear to us now, with geophysics finding holes for wooden posts around the stones, which may have been integral to the structure, use and meaning of these spaces.

Do we need to know what they were used for? A strange question from an archaeologist! Sometimes we just have to acknowledge that some questions cannot be answered, however we can look to ourselves to gain some understanding. For these sites are not dead. They are part of our living landscape, just as they were for the people of the past. We still interact with sites as they did, and we give them meaning by conserving them and visiting them and thinking about them. Our connection to the past and its people is through them.

There is a famous quote from Leslie Poles Hartley’s The Go-Between: “the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” He condenses the problems of history and prehistory; distant, intangible, perhaps lost. But we reconstitute the past in order to chart our collective and individual history. It is not simply there in memory; it must be articulated to become memory. How we relate to what archaeology can tell us, by finding material culture under and above the ground, is the key to understanding why our ancestors created these enduring monuments. That is the question you should ask yourself as you stand and wonder.

‘Facial Reconstruction & Archaeology’- Material culture (artefacts) from around the world; treasure, art and amazing burials; come face-to-face with your ancestors through facial reconstruction. The Town Mill, Lyme Regis 12th September 10.30am - 12pm. To book email tripp. chris60@gmail.com or call 07768 695162. dorsetdiggers.blogspot.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 41

Outdoors

42 | Bridport Times | September 2018

On Foot

KIMBERLINS AND SLINGERS – PART I Emma Tabor and Paul Newman

E

ach month we devise a walk for you to try with your family and friends (including four-legged members) pointing out a few interesting things along the way, be it flora, fauna, architecture, history, the unusual and sometimes the unfamiliar. For September and October, we venture a little further with a walk which reveals the fascinating timeline etched throughout the Isle of Portland, famous for its stone used in buildings around the world. Some of its numerous quarries are now abandoned, providing a refuge for wildlife. There are military remains all around including The Verne Citadel and High Angle Battery. Part of the route also follows the Weymouth to Easton railway.

Thomas Hardy’s Isle of Slingers remains enigmatic and its idiosyncratic charm is now celebrated by b-side festival, which takes place from 8th – 16th September.

Distance: 13 miles Time: Allow a full day Park: Ferrybridge car park Walk Features: An exposed walk following the South West Coast Path around the defiant wind and waveworn outcrop of this limestone isle. The route takes in Tout Quarry Sculpture Park, three lighthouses at Portland Bill and a detour to the wonderfully-secluded Church Ope Cove - overlooked by Rufus Castle and the unusual graveyard at St Andrew’s church – with wonderful views along Chesil Beach and The Fleet, Portland Harbour and along the Purbeck Coast. There are a couple of steep sections: from Chesil Cove to Tout Quarry and from the railway path to reconnect with the coast path by the Young Offender’s Institute.

Refreshments: The Lobster Pot café at Portland Bill is a good halfway stop and you could take a picnic for a stop at Church Ope Cove. There’s the Chesil Chippie for when you’ve finished the walk! > bridporttimes.co.uk | 43

Directions

Start: SY 669 754 The walk starts at the Dorset Wildlife Trust car park and Fine Foundation Centre at Ferrybridge but you can miss out the initial section along the causeway by starting at the Masonic car park in Victoria Square.

1 From the Ferrybridge car park, cross the road and make for the inner edge of Portland Harbour. Turn right and follow the line of the old Weymouth to Easton railway heading towards Portland. In ⅔ mile, you will reach a roundabout. Keep right following the main road along the footpath on the right-hand side of the road. After just over ½ mile you will then reach Victoria Square and the Masonic car park.

2 Keep right past the Little Ship Inn and head along Chiswell; after 280 yards you will see signs for Chesil Cove at Chesil Cove Inn. Turn right into Big Ope to head up a short drive and then left to emerge on the promenade above Chesil Cove. Follow this for 225 yards; the coast path then switches back before a café, first to your left and then right as the path starts its ascent towards Tout Quarry. As you climb there are some good views across the Chiswell Earthworks, a sculpture of five terraces by Richard Maine RA, which echo the strip lynchets found in this part of Dorset as well as the rhythm of the 44 | Bridport Times | September 2018

sea. It’s a significant monument to the human and physical forces which have shaped the Isle and was commissioned in 1986 by Common Ground and other project partners. Keeping dwellings on your left and, after a short, steep climb, you will reach the top to be rewarded with fine views over Chesil Beach, Fortuneswell and Portland Harbour.

3 Turn right and, after a few yards, turn right again to the entrance of Tout Quarry Sculpture Park. Turn left to explore the park, which includes many sculptures including Falling by Anthony Gormley. After exploring the park, you would normally retrace your steps to follow the coast path but a recent landslide means it is now necessary to divert along the main track through the middle of the quarry to meet the car park by Trade Croft. Keep right through the car park, turn left onto Trade Croft and follow this to turn right onto the main road to Weston. After a short while, you will pass St George’s church, a fine-looking building, consecrated in 1766 and built as a replacement to St Andrew’s church on the eastern side of the Isle. Keep following the road to Weston; after the cemetery there is a footpath sign to the right to take you back to the coast path. Follow this, which zig zags alongside a housing estate, ignoring a footpath sign to the left and head straight for Blacknor Fort. Immediately before the fort, which is now a house, bear left and follow the perimeter fence to rejoin the coast path.

4 Turn left onto the coast path and follow this for 2¾ miles to Portland Bill. This is a fairly straightforward, level stretch, a great spot to see kestrels and maybe a peregrine falcon. You pass Old Higher lighthouse before descending down to the Bill. From here, you will see the dramatic shape of Pulpit Rock, an outcrop left from quarrying activity. Further round, behind the Ministry of Defence Magnetic Site, is West Portland Raised Beach, formed around 200,000 years ago in the Pleistocene Epoch. The lighthouse on the southernmost tip was built in 1905. You can now climb it to see its 3½ ton lens which floats on over ½ ton of mercury. Despite the obvious tourist appeal of Portland Bill, there is still a sense of wildness and danger as you look out into the channel and watch white horses formed by the Portland Tidal Race.

Time for a break… join us in October to complete the walk. b-side.org.uk commonground.org.uk

E AT | E V E N T S | S H O P | S T AY

Welcome to Symondsbury Estate set in the beautiful Dorset countryside just a stone’s throw from the Jurassic Coast, with fabulous walks, bike trails and award winning produce. Enjoy lunch at our kitchen, visit one of our seasonal events or browse our home, garden, gift shops and more at Manor Yard... ...isn’t it time you discovered Symondsbury Estate.

SY M O N D SBURY E S TAT E

+44 (0)1308 424116 www.symondsburyestate.co.uk The Estate Office Manor Yard, Bridport, Dorset DT6 6HG

THIS IS THE KIT Words Jo Denbury Photography Katharine Davies

We’re standing in a field just off the narrow lane that climbs out of Askerswell towards Maiden Newton.

Looking west, Eggardon Hill looms high beside us and across the patchwork of fields we can see Lewesdon Hill in the distance. The landscape looks scorched and shorn sheep search for remaining patches of green. In the rising heat the earth takes on an eerie burnt umber; the land’s breath seems to have slowed, waiting for the rain.

This is one of artist Kit Glaisyer’s favourite spots.

‘I like to internalise a landscape before I paint,’ explains Kit. ‘I’ll return to it many times in different light to take photos and sketch. I’m waiting for those particular moments when the light is just right,’ he continues, sharing his method and preparation for the painted cinematic landscapes that he creates. >

46 | Bridport Times | September 2018

bridporttimes.co.uk | 47

A Path up Allington Hill, West Dorset Oil on canvas, 84 x 123cm, 2007

48 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Kit began painting at a young age. He grew up in Buckland Newton where his father was a local GP. Both his parents painted and, as they didn’t have a TV at home, much of his spare time was spent out in the rolling countryside painting watercolours with his father.

After leaving school he made his way to London and, influenced by the work of Gerhard Richter, began to work as an abstract painter.

In 1993 he joined Farnham School of Art to study Fine Art but after two terms found the course frustrating and left to return to London, where he stayed for most of the ‘90s. ‘I held off landscape painting until I returned to Dorset,’ he says. ‘One day, driving back from London, I came over the hill into the Bride Valley and there was a beautiful mist hanging over it. It was then I realised I had to spend time painting landscapes.’ He began working en plein air, recognising the importance of this approach, however he also knew he wanted to paint without hurry.

In 1998 he joined the Oakhayes Art Residency in Symondsbury Art College and in 1999 he was one of the first to take a studio at St Michael’s in Bridport. He

produced his first cinematic landscape and from that came a commission, affording him the time to paint another. More commissions and sales followed, and he has continued as a painter ever since.

Kit’s paintings can take up to six months to complete.

‘They’re oil on canvas and are built up with multiple glazes,’ he explains. ‘I put things in and take them out until they feel right. I love cinema as a medium, how it engages the viewer, and I want to do achieve this in my paintings.’ Although we’re talking about his landscapes, my mind flits to his atmospheric paintings of the town’s Café Royal, a series which reminds me of a photographic collection, Written in the West, by the film director Wim Wenders. The images were taken while preparing for his film Paris, Texas. Wenders drove empty highways, seeking out dramatically and visually haunting vistas. Although Wenders’ images are of the ‘Wild West’, in atmosphere they’re not a million miles away from Kit’s paintings.

Just as every image in a film is the distillation of a moment, so Kit’s paintings are a snapshot of nature, frozen in time. ‘We’ve all seen a view that has deeply > bridporttimes.co.uk | 49

50 | Bridport Times | September 2018

A Hazy Summer's View Across the Marshwood Vale, West Dorset Oil on canvas, 120 x 55cm, 2009

bridporttimes.co.uk | 51

52 | Bridport Times | September 2018

A View from Lewesdon Hill, Looking Towards Charmouth Gap oil on canvas, 140 x 59cm

moved us, if only for a few moments, and it’s those moments I am trying to paint. I’m working at a very emotional level. The studio pieces are about an orchestral feeling of the subtleties of light, atmosphere and mood .

My method in the studio is to paint, step away and then come back to the canvas. I ask myself what the mood of the painting is.’ For Kit, painting is a dialogue, a conversation between the materials and the surface.

As we chat and admire the view it soon becomes clear that Kit is someone with a heightened sensibility to his environment. His body and mind are attuned to it, a sensitivity that is so obviously present in his work.

‘I need to be a painter,’ he says. ‘It makes the choice for you and I’ve dedicated my life to it.’ This statement is all the more poignant given that St Michael’s studios has suffered a terrible fire in which Kit and many other artists lost their work, and shopkeepers their livelihoods.

We don’t discuss the impact of the fire but what Kit does say is that after the event he went down to the sea and swam. I can’t help but think of the elements: earth, fire, water. Three of the four elements that we return to time and time again, elements that can bring such devastation but also renewal.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Bridport Open Studios and despite all that has happened Kit is determined to make it happen. ‘For an artist, Bridport is an idyllic community and we all look out for each other,’ he says. ‘The community will be stronger as a result of the fire and it will bring an appreciation of what Bridport has, which is something we must not lose.’ Kit believes in the importance of looking after the town’s artists who have contributed so much to Bridport’s evolving community. Currently there are over 15 artists who have been displaced by the fire and Kit is working to find new studio space for them. In the meantime, over 50 artists across the locality hope to show their work during Open Studios and Kit is juggling the organisation of the show with his own work. ‘Really, it’s a labour of love,’ says Kit, ‘but it’s very important to keep the spirit going – we are a show by artists for artists.’ It is this spirit that rightly places the Open Studios as a significant date in Bridport’s calendar.

Bridport & West Dorset Open Studios 2018 will take place for 9 days from Saturday 8th - Sunday 16th September.

Please see website for details. kitglaisyer.com bridportopenstudios.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 53

AA Rosette awarded restaurant by the sea, as recently seen on ITVʼs ʻThis Morningʼ with Phil Vickery

NEW FOR SUMMER! CLUB HOUSE AFTERNOON TEAS TUESDAY - FRIDAY | 3 - 5PM | UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY

www.theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk bookings@theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk | 01308 898302

THE CLUB HOUSE | WEST BEXINGTON | DT2 9DG 54 | Bridport Times | September 2018

C R A F T C E N T R E A N D R E S TA U R A N T

Saturday 29th September Three course seafood supper with local gin tasting with Lloyd Brown from The Grey Bear Bar Company. The evening starts at 7pm.

Advance bookings only.

Saturday 27th October Classic cocktail masterclass and tasting by Lloyd Brown from The Grey Bear Bar Company with canapes and nibbles. Advance booking only.

Our beautiful CHRISTMAS ROOM will open from the 1 ST OCTOBER and our CHRISTMAS MENU is available to book from the 1 ST NOVEMBER F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N O R T O M A K E A BOOKING, TELEPHONE: 01308 868362

O P E N D A I LY F R O M 1 0 A M - 5 P M • B R O A D W I N D S O R , D O R S E T, D T 8 3 P X

Food & Drink

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE MERINGUE WITH WALNUTS AND ELDER Gill Meller, River Cottage

56 | Bridport Times | September 2018

S

ometimes it’s hard to let go of the summer: warm mornings, holidays, swimming in the sea, Pimms, long lunches – and pavlova. This pavlova, though, is inspired by the autumn hedgerow, bursting with ripe elderberries, tart blackberries and sugary, fried windfall apples. Wet walnuts are fresh, sweet and milky.

Apples and blackberries, two of autumn’s great gifts, don’t always have to go into pies or crumbles. They’re great together in all sorts of ways. A purée of both fruits stirred through a vanilla custard and churned makes one of the most delicious ice creams I know. A raw apple and blackberry salad, simply dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and tender thyme leaves showcases this perfect partnership in its purest sense.

Elderberries, like other early autumn fruits such as blackberries, are deep-flavoured and rich from the summer’s light. They are sweet too, but unlike blackberries, have a distinct tannin to their flavour, which works incredibly well with apples and pears. Usually I cook this little fruit with some sugar or honey and pass the blood-coloured compote through a sieve. The juice – rich in vitamin C and antioxidants - is exceptionally good for you but the raw fruit, in large quantities isn’t supposed to be, so I use them sparingly on this autumn pavlova.

These days, British ‘wet’ walnuts, are easy to get hold of – look out for them in farm shops and at roadside stalls from October to November. They are like our regular walnuts, in that they are fully-formed, but fresh off the tree and so haven’t been allowed to dry out in their shell. The flesh inside is pale, sweet, soft and milky.

they form and hold soft peaks. (You can do this in a food mixer with a whisk attachment, if you prefer.)

Keeping the whisk running, add 1 large spoonful of sugar at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated.

Continue to whisk for a further 6–8 minutes, until the meringue is thick, pale, smooth and glossy.

3 Lightly grease a sheet of baking parchment and lay it on a large (at least 30cm x 30cm/12in x 12in) flat baking tray. Spoon the meringue onto the parchment, trying to make a large round with slightly peaked edges – it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Bake the meringue in the oven for 25–30 minutes, then turn down the heat to 90°C/185°F/gas mark ½ and bake for a further 2 hours, until the meringue has formed a crisp shell. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (If you’re not using the meringue straight away, store it in an airtight container.)

4 Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then add the apple. If the apples are a little tart, add the caster sugar and stir. Cook the apples for 4–5 minutes, turning them over occasionally, until they have taken on a little colour and are beginning to soften.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

5 In a clean bowl, whisk the double cream with the vanilla seeds until thick and pillowy. Spoon the cream over the meringue base spreading it roughly out towards the edges. Arrange the cooked apple pieces over the cream. Scatter the blackberries over the top.

Finally, sprinkle over the broken-up wet walnuts (or walnuts or hazelnuts) and the elderberries and serve.

Ingredients Serves 8–12

This recipe features in Gather: Everyday seasonal recipes from a year in our landscapes by Gill Meller (Quadrille, £25) Photography © Andrew Montgomery

a dash of sunflower or walnut oil 2 small–medium dessert apples, quartered, cored, then each quarter cut into 2 or 3 wedges 1–2 teaspoons golden caster sugar (optional) 300ml double cream ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped 2 handfuls of blackberries 1 or 2 sprays ripe elderberries, berries picked 35g shelled wet walnuts, or walnuts, or hazelnuts, roughly broken for the meringue 4 egg whites 200g golden caster sugar Method

1 Heat the oven to 120°C/235°F/gas mark 1.

2 First, make the meringue. Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Whisk with a hand-held electric whisk until

If you’d like to make the most of the autumn bounty, why not join River Cottage foraging guru, John Wright, for one of his mushroom forays? You’ll learn how to identify and collect mushrooms responsibly in the beautiful Devon/Dorset countryside and then return to River Cottage for cookery demos and a forager’s supper.

Bridport Times reader offer: Get £20 off any mushroom foraging date when you quote BTFORAGE20. Offer valid on dates until 28/10/18. For more details and to book visit www.rivercottage.net or call Amy in the Events Team on 01297 630302. rivercottage.net bridporttimes.co.uk | 57

Food & Drink

AGRETTI, CHARD AND ANCHOVY BRUSCHETTA

Cass Titcombe, Brassica Restaurant

S

eptember is the month where there is an abundance of my favourite ingredients, agretti and Swiss chard being two of them. This is a perfect example of the style of food we cook at Brassica Restaurant - mixing lots of great local produce with a little something luxurious from further afield.

Agretti is a succulent, Italian, grass-type vegetable similar to samphire which grows in Italy from February through to May. Being a salt-tolerant plant, agretti grows in coastal regions and can be irrigated with salt water.

It is often known as saltwort or monks’ beard (barba di frate). Luckily British growers are now cultivating it with great success; the season starts in May and can last until September. In Italy it is served very simply sautéed with olive oil and lemon however, in the restaurant, we like to serve it with fish dishes - it seems to have a natural affinity with anchovies or bottarga (salted and dried mullet roes).

Swiss chard is a very easy plant to grow and very 58 | Bridport Times | September 2018

popular with home gardeners and allotment owners, the leaves tasting similar to spinach but closer biologically to beets which give it an earthier taste.

When it comes to anchovies the Spanish produce some of the best in the world and we mainly use Ortiz – a Spanish brand caught and processed in the Cantabrian Sea. They are by no means the cheapest on the market but you can also pay a lot more! The quality is excellent and they also do some fabulous sardines and bonito.

Ingredients

1 bunch Swiss chard 100g agretti 2 cloves garlic (peeled and 1 finely chopped) sea salt black pepper 1 lemon (peel removed with a potato peeler) 200ml cider vinegar

Image: Louise Chidgey

60g sugar extra virgin olive oil 1 small tin Ortiz anchovies 4 thick slices sourdough 1/2 tspn coriander seeds 2 bay leaves Method

(Steps 1-3 should be done the day before) 1 Remove the green leaves from the chard stems and keep the stalks. Wash both parts well, keep the leaves until you need to cook the dish.

2 Slice the chard stems into 1cm thickness and sprinkle with salt and leave for 30 mins in a glass or stainless-steel bowl.

3 Place vinegar with 200ml water, sugar, coriander seeds, peel from the lemon and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Once boiling, pour over the stalks and

4 5

6

7

mix well. Cover with a lid and leave for 24 hours minimum.

Wash agretti and pick through, removing any woody stems.

Heat up a griddle pan if you have one and grill the bread well on both sides, rub with one of the cloves of garlic and keep warm.

Heat up a sautĂŠ or frying pan and add a few good glugs of oil, add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add the anchovies to the oil and cook for a few minutes to break them up slightly. Add agretti and chard leaves, cook for a couple of minutes until leaves are just wilted. Season with plenty of fresh ground black pepper, salt and a squeeze of lemon.

Divide between the 4 pieces of toast and top with some of the pickled chard stems. @brassicarestaurant_mercantile bridporttimes.co.uk | 59

Food & Drink

Image: Kirstin Reynolds 60 | Bridport Times | September 2018

HAND-DIVED SCALLOPS WITH BLACK PUDDING

AND CHARGRILLED SWEETCORN RELISH Charlie Soole, The Club House, West Bexington

I

f you have been driving around the Dorset or Devon countryside recently you may have seen plenty of fields of maize (sweetcorn). September is the time for harvesting this delicious, sweet and golden grain. I have been looking forward to this harvesting season, as Rosie at Tamarisk Farm has grown a larger crop this year. Last year, her sweetcorn crop was the best and sweetest I have ever tasted, something confirmed by her other clients.

Everyone said that she must grow more this year.

When using scallops, try to find hand-dived ones as these are more sustainable and have a low impact on the environment. We try to source scallops as locally as possible.

Black pudding is one of those things that people either love or hate - a bit like Marmite. I love it. It goes so well with the salty sweetness of the scallops and the sweet intensity of the corn. If you can get over what black pudding is made from and give it a go then I’m sure you will love it too. However, if you don’t feel that you can use black pudding, use some cooking chorizo instead – its smokiness will also complement the scallops and the corn.

Ingredients

(Serves 4 as a starter) 12 large scallops 2 corn on the cob 100g black pudding 1 red chilli deseeded and finely diced 1 large banana shallot finely diced Juice of 1 lime 1/2 bunch of coriander roughly chopped Extra virgin rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil Smoked paprika Salt and pepper

Method

1 First make the sweetcorn relish. Boil or steam the corn for 10 minutes then place in a flat tray and pour over some of the extra virgin rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. The best way to grill the sweetcorn would be on a barbecue but you can also place under a hot grill and turn every few minutes.

You want the corn to be slightly charred. Once the corn is done, place them back in the tray that you used to season them in and sprinkle with the smoked paprika. Leave them to cool. Once the corn is cool enough to handle take a sharp knife and slice the kernels off the cob. The easiest way of doing this is to stand the cob upright on a chopping board and slice downwards. Place all the kernels into a bowl.

2 Place the finely diced shallot in a saucepan and cover with extra virgin rapeseed oil. Heat the shallot and oil on a low heat until the shallot is translucent.

Place the shallot, oil and finely diced chilli into the bowl with the corn kernels. Add the juice of the lime and the chopped coriander. Season to taste.

3 Roll the black pudding into little balls and either fry in a little oil or grill them.

4 Cooking the scallops does not take long at all. Oil and season the scallops just before cooking. Place them into a smoking hot frying pan. Cook on one side for about 1 minute and then turn over and cook for the same time. They want to be caramelised on the outside. Do not overcook the scallops as they will be rubbery.

5 Serve immediately, spooning over the relish and the black pudding balls. Garnish with a few sprigs of coriander.

Delicious! theclubhousewestbexington.co.uk

bridporttimes.co.uk | 61

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Body & Mind

6 NATURAL WAYS TO OPTIMISE YOUR ENERGY Tamara Jones, Nutritional Therapist and Founder, Loving Healthy

A

re you feeling sluggish and fatigued? Looking for healthy ways to boost your energy levels?

Here is a list of 6 things you can do to create more energy during your day: Blood sugar balance

Controlling your energy is all about balancing your blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar drops you might feel tired, irritable, fatigued or depressed.

Eating regularly and choosing foods that release energy slowly will help to keep your blood sugar levels steady.

• Try foods that release energy slowly such as those high in protein, e.g., nuts and seeds, oats and whole grains.

• Avoid alcohol and other stimulants as these can trigger the release of cortisol (stress hormone) and play havoc with your blood sugar levels.

• Try eating smaller portions spaced out more regularly 64 | Bridport Times | September 2018

throughout the day.

• Avoid foods which make your blood sugar rise and fall rapidly, such as sweets, biscuits and sugary drinks.

They can be tempting when you’re feeling tired but this kind of food isn’t good for your energy or your physical health in the long run.

Exercise

Exercise and movement help us release ‘happy’ hormones called endorphins and are two of the best methods for increasing energy and motivation whilst also enhancing overall health. You don’t need to go to the gym or run a marathon to reap the benefits – moderate levels of activity will help increase energy levels and reduce stress and tension. Sometimes when you’re lacking in energy, exercise seems like a big task.

Start small. Find a 45-minute window of time every day — or at least every other day — to just walk.

Start slow and work your way up to a brisk walk.

the trick, so keep a fresh source of water nearby during your daily routine. Add slices of lemon, lime, mint, or oranges for a little variety.

Have caffeine-free days

People with low energy often crave stimulants such as coffee, tea or energy drinks to boost their energy to get through the day. Caffeine stimulates the production of stress hormones, it gives you an energy hit, but it will shortly be followed by an energy slump. Try alternatives such as dandelion root coffee or herbal teas such as peppermint tea, ginger tea and lemon tea etc.

Energy-boosting vitamins and minerals

There are certain nutrients that are required on a cellular level to manufacture ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate). This is your body’s energy source, the high energy molecule that stores the energy required to do everything we need to do. You need B vitamins and magnesium in particular for the manufacture of ATP. These are known as cofactors. Typically, levels of these two nutrients are low in people who are stressed and lacking in energy. Therefore, making sure you get your recommended daily amount will ensure your body has a reliable source of energy to call upon. Good sources include whole grains, eggs, beans and lentils, a wide range of vegetables, fish and meats.

Prioritise sleep

Although this may be the most obvious advice, many of us often underestimate the impact that shortened sleeping time, or disrupted sleep, can have on our energy levels and health and well-being, in general.

Focus on a sleep routine so that you aim for at least 7 hours sleep. Try and switch off all technology - phones, computers and laptops - 60 minutes before bed: the bright screens on electronics can lead to alertness because they reduce the sleep hormone melatonin.

Instead, try having a relaxing bath or reading a book.

Hydrate

Water is important for the proper functioning of different organs of the body. In fact, when the body is dehydrated, it can affect your energy levels as well as brain functioning and mood. Being even slightly dehydrated can take a toll on your energy levels.

Drinking 8 glasses or 1.5 litres of water per day will do

Try my Raw Cacao Energy Balls. These are ideal as they contain dried fruit and nuts, which provide you with good fibre and protein and a slower release of energy.

Energy Balls

15-20 balls depending on size Ingredients

1 cup almonds ½ cup walnuts 1 cup Medjool dates 1 tbsp chia seeds 1 tbsp flaxseeds 1 tbsp melted coconut oil 1 tbsp raw cacao powder Method

Put all ingredients into a food processor and blitz. Use your hands to roll the mixture into little balls, place in a bowl and store in the fridge. lovinghealthy.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 65

Body & Mind

EMBRACING CHANGE

I

Jane Fox, Yogaspace

love autumn with its grounded earthiness and quietness after the bright, shiny summer. It brings a change in rhythm and pace as we begin a new academic year and let go of the freedom of summer; it brings change in light and length of days. If we are to stay balanced, change of any sort needs careful attention and skilful negotiation. Just how do we keep ourselves balanced and grounded in times of change, whether small or large?

66 | Bridport Times | September 2018

‘Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.

Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.’ (Lao Tzu) Having moved to Italy in the last month, change has been my constant companion, sometimes my friend and sometimes not. I noticed a couple of key things that knocked me off balance.

First, denial. My tendency to squash down feelings that I disliked was creating a total imbalance on all fronts, mental, physical and spiritual. I felt like a pressure cooker with no steam valve. Every suppressed feeling became a lumpy obstacle that I had to negotiate each day. I needed to, ‘Let reality be reality.’

Second, a desire for certainty. A few areas of our plans were just not working out to my agenda! I tried every which way to make these particular aspects of the preparation certain and fixed so I could tick them off the list, but it wouldn’t happen. Then I returned home one day, loaded up from IKEA, to find something else had fallen through and that was it… after weeks of fighting it, I surrendered! I began to melt my agenda and let things take shape, ‘whatever way they like.’

My resistance had caused me nothing but grief.

Physical pain in my shoulders and back as well as being emotionally overwhelmed and unbalanced. Taking time for myself and slowing down allowed me to see that the more I tried to hold on to a certain state the more imbalance it created, and I lost that state much faster.

Like holding onto a bar of soap, the harder you grip, the quicker it slips out of your hands. When I practice the balance postures and feel the tiny adjustments the feet have to make to keep me balancing on one leg, it is a perfect reminder that we are in fact balancing constantly, making minute movements to balance our bodies and stay upright on our small base.

Tree (Vrkasana) to Warrior 3 sequence

Balance Asanas require: 1 Attention: Being a witness to ourselves, drawing ourselves back to the moment. The balance postures innately help us do this by demanding that we keep absolutely focused on what we are doing.

2 Alignment: Keep coming back to your inner plumbline through the centre of your body.

3 Strength: Draw in the navel, lift the pelvic floor (Mulabanda) and feel your core supporting your balance.

• Take a few deep breaths in Samastithi (equal standing) and then bring your palms together at the heart centre into Namaste mudra. Press them firmly together.

• Transfer the weight into the left leg and spread the foot and toes.

• Gently fix the gaze: “A steady gaze is a steady mind.”

• Lift the right leg and place the sole of the right foot into the left inner thigh and press firmly. If you are building your practice, use a wall to steady yourself and start by bringing the right foot to the left ankle.

• Take 5 full, deep, belly filling breaths feeling your core as you lift Mulabanda.

Transitioning to Warrior 3

• Inhale and take your hands over your head, reaching the fingertips up to the sky and feeling the sole of your left foot even more rooted into the ground.

• Slowly and gently release the right foot and begin to draw the foot behind you, reaching the right heel away so the foot is flexed.

• As you are doing this begin to pivot forwards feeling the hips and tracking your gaze down towards the floor in front of your feet.

• When your torso is parallel to the floor continue to reach the fingertips forwards and heel away.

• Take 3 breaths and then slowly pivot back up bringing the right foot to the floor and the hands back to the heart.

• Take a couple of easy breaths, shake out the left leg, feeling both feet on the floor and realigning your inner plumbline.

Keep an open mind and a sense of humour; sometimes balance just isn’t happening. It is, though, a great barometer as to what is going on inside and that’s the point, to notice.

Keeping our balance through the changes in life requires us to give mind, body and spirit kindness, love and understanding to accommodate the newness of change. Don’t forget to thank yourself for giving it a go!

‘Just as in the upper spaces, clouds appear and vanish, in the space of the heart endless feelings and thoughts rise and set.

Ignore the clouds and look for the sun in their midst. As you concentrate on the light, your mind also will become peaceful.’

(Swami Muktananda) yogaspacebridport.com

bridporttimes.co.uk | 67

Body & Mind

HERBAL MEDICINE FOR STRESS AND ANXIETY Caroline Butler BSc (Hons) MNIMH, Medical Herbalist

A

s the summer months come to an end and children go back to school, we know that holiday time is over and there can be a feeling of getting back to the grindstone. Sometimes the normal responsibilities and requirements of life can suddenly seem overwhelming, or external influences and life events can create extra strain. Feeling stressed or anxious is not a sign of weakness but a natural response to pressure, whether it’s from work, home life, our own expectations or physically tough conditions.

Stress can be physical or emotional and have farreaching effects. I see a lot of people who are managing extremely difficult situations very well and who are bewildered when their bodies suddenly let them down by becoming ill. ‘But I don’t feel stressed!’ is a frequent comment. Unfortunately, our bodies have a way of acting out physically whatever strains we are under, however we may feel mentally. Although at times removing the root cause of stress is the only real solution, herbs can give support by addressing physical symptoms, strengthening and nourishing the body and calming the mind.

There is a group of herbs called adaptogens that help the body adapt to stress, restoring normal function and giving a variety of other benefits. After a huge amount of research these plants were used by Russia to boost the performance of astronauts and help them deal with the stresses, physical and emotional, of life in space. Ginseng is one of the more well-known of these herbs and has been shown to increase energy, endurance and stamina. However, it is important not just to think of herbs that can increase our ability to keep going, but also of herbs that can allow us to rest. Vervain is a good herb for restless, driven people, who don’t know how to stop, or for those who need to convalesce after a serious illness or overwork.

Stress triggers our bodies ‘fight or flight’ response.

This shuts down non-essential bodily activity, such as 68 | Bridport Times | September 2018

digesting a recent meal, in favour of pumping blood to the muscles ready to run away from the problem.

Though useful in the time of sabre-tooth tigers, this response is less helpful when the problem is a job deadline, and however much you may want to, running away won’t help. It can have a terrible effect on digestion, create tension in muscles throughout the body and cause feelings of breathlessness and panic.

Different calming herbs can ease these symptoms at the same time as addressing the background stress that caused them. For example, chamomile and lemon balm can help with digestive trouble and also calm the mind. Often anxiety is accompanied by palpitations, which can then cause more worry, and in this case motherwort or hawthorn can be very effective. I find

motherwort and ashwaganda are great herbs for anxiety and other symptoms related to the menopause.

Wood betony is another wonderful herb, easing tension headaches, releasing tightness in the shoulders and having a grounding effect when life feels unsettled.

Combined with rose it makes one of my favourite relaxing teas. Guelder rose, or cramp bark as it is also known, is an antispasmodic muscle relaxant. I use it most often to relieve cramping menstrual pains but it also relieves tension held in other areas of the body, having an overall relaxing effect.

Herbs that allow restful sleep are very valuable; our bodies repair themselves during sleep, and our minds sift and sort the day’s events, allowing us to start the next day refreshed and ready. Valerian, hops and

passionflower are commonly used for this, though there are many more. Where sleep is interrupted by pain, Jamaican dogwood or anemone can be very helpful; where sleep seems impossible to reach because the brain just will not stop whirring away, skullcap can calm it down. When sleep patterns are completely disrupted, St John’s Wort can restore the diurnal/nocturnal rhythm, as can ashwaganda, one of the adaptogenic herbs.

Stress affects us in so many ways; it can disrupt almost every bodily function and provoke every negative emotion from rage to self-doubt. Although not the answer to everything, herbs can give an immense amount of support. herbalcaroline.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 69

Jeremy Norton BESPOKE KITCHENS AND FURNITURE BRIDPORT

jeremynorton.co.uk 70 | Bridport Times | September 2018

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SUSTAINABLE HOMES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Sam Wilberforce

72 | Bridport Times | September 2018

W

hen Sally Cooke proposed in 2013 that plenty of home-owners would be willing to open their homes to the public to showcase sustainable living, I was very sceptical. Why would anyone willingly let strangers traipse over their house voyeuristically snooping at their most private places? It turned out that she was correct as quite a few volunteers came forward. We opened nineteen homes that year, counting 900+ visits over the weekend. The visitors often came with well-thought-out questions, eager to learn from people who had ‘been there’.

Now in its sixth year, West Dorset Open EcoHomes has become a regular event in September with a constant supply of new homes, including two communities and twelve private homes, one of which is rented. 14 homes will open during the two weekends, 22nd – 23rd and 29th – 30th September.

Over a quarter of our total energy consumption takes place in the home. Key to reducing this consumption is building our homes so that they are energy efficient.

The most efficient designs are Passive Houses, with a combination of very good insulation and air-tightness, and energy bills as low as £50 a year (compared to £1300 for a typical household). This standard is widespread in buildings in Germany and Sweden. Dorset has only one passive house, in Weymouth, and the architect-owner, Sarah Small, RIBA, will be giving a presentation on the 27th September at the Christian Science building, Rax Lane. She will be joined by Vince Adams to talk about the proposed low cost EcoHomes in Watton Village.

Building an efficient house does not have to be expensive, for instance setting the house east-west not only allows for a south-facing roof for solar panels but also means it can passively heat up from the sun. Overhangs on the roofs prevent overheating in the summer when the sun is higher in the sky. If WDDC planners were to insist that Vearse Farm properties are built in this way it would not significantly increase costs and would make the houses more affordable in the long run due to reduced energy bills.

However, it is not only new houses that can be made energy efficient. Retrofitting insulation, abolishing draughts, capturing rainwater for the garden or toilet flushing, are all relatively cheap options and pay for themselves in a few years. Solar PV and thermal panels take longer to pay back.

This year’s Open EcoHomes includes a timber frame house made with greenwood larch, oak and Douglas fir using traditional techniques of wood-pinned joints.

Another home is a showcase of how to renovate and

insulate a 200-year old farmhouse to satisfy the most rigorous conservation standards whilst using modern materials and technology. Two of the houses are heated by geothermal energy, with bore-holes down to warmer strata: cold water is pumped down some 50m and returns hot.

Others have wood pellet or wood chip heating systems.

All these houses have solar PV panels, and excess electricity is fed into the grid. Some of them have battery systems which can store the electricity generated during the day and feed it back in the evening. Three of the homes have electric cars and anyone considering their next car will be able to find out the benefit and pitfalls of going electric.

Building a new, low energy house remains a dream for most, however, even if we can’t build our dream home, we can still save energy without spending a lot of money, as several of the homes demonstrate.

A sustainable lifestyle is achievable - using a bicycle, growing vegetables, lining curtains, saving water, reducing waste, and simple things such as closing curtains at night are all low-cost actions which will save resources and money. Co-housing is another approach in which sharing resources saves money.

The homeowners who are opening their homes have come to the task of tackling efficiency from different perspectives: some take a technological route, favouring gadgets and gizmos; others favour low impact, natural building materials which do not embody much energy and can be recycled at the end of the building’s life. Yet others have planned their life around relying less on fossil fuels, living near town, growing vegetables and walking or biking.

All share an enthusiasm about tackling climate change, making their homes as resource-efficient as possible, and all are willing to share their expertise and enthusiasm.

More details of the Open EcoHomes event can be found on our website, or you can pick up a leaflet from the Tourist Information Centre or other outlets which stock the Bridport Times.

Open EcoHomes is organised by Transition Town Bridport. The Transition Town movement is based around the belief that we must prepare for a post-fossil fuel society because of climate change and peak oil. This means abandoning the growth approach to economics, building up the local economy, reducing energy use, providing a future for young people and building a resilient community. bridport.greenopenhomes.net transitiontownbridport.co.uk bridporttimes.co.uk | 73

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CAPTURING THE MOOD Molly Bruce, Interior Designer

F

or some people, re-decorating during a moment of impulsive inspiration can be a great idea: throwing caution to the wind, trusting instincts, treating the walls like a canvas and painting with wild abandon. For others it can spell disaster: those who find themselves gasping the words, ‘What was I thinking?!’ or attempting to placate loved ones with, ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’ Waking, the morning after, to find the entire, multi-coloured set from Moulin Rouge replicated in the bedroom, last night’s wine-fuelled enthusiasm quickly turns to regret. We can, of course, learn from our mistakes but a good way to avoid making potentially costly, time-consuming blunders in the first place is to begin your design process by putting together a mood board.

A mood board consists of a collection of colours, pictures and materials which provide the step from initial concept to experimentation, a miniature, visual and textural example of how a finished design might look and the atmosphere you want to capture within a space, hence the word ‘mood.’

The finished piece can often be a work of art in its own right, the beginning of a story about to unfold and a good record to hold on to.

I have been guilty of being too impatient for mood boards. At times, when the inspiration grabs me in my own home, I like to seize the opportunity before my brainwave fades and I forget half the design. Over time I have learnt the benefits of mood boards; now when an idea strikes, I jot it down on paper until I have a moment to record it properly because, although ideas are free, the reality of transferring them into a space is expensive and the finished design can be rather different from how it first looked in your head. For those who find it hard to visualise the end result, I recommend using mood boards to give yourself time to mull on themes, seeing which colours, patterns and textures work well together.

Everyone has their own way of working. Some people use computer programmes or apps to construct their ideas but I personally like to have the finished product in my hands so that I can see perfect colour accuracy and feel the quality and textures of the paint, tiles, wood or fabric etc. It is also useful to keep the samples around you in order to see the colours change with the light – keep on experimenting, adding or taking away anything that isn’t working. I like my boards to have an air of mystery to them; every room should have a bit of intrigue, something compelling to grab the eye.

You may find it easier to make several mood boards, the first being initial ideas, photographs of inspiration and jottings describing the look and feel you want to create. Then you can narrow things down, choosing from paint charts and fabric books, tile samples and so on. If you haven’t got the samples to hand when the vision hits you, grab the next best thing. I often use magazine cuttings, books or album covers, pieces of jewellery or clothing that have just the right shade. Then I go hunting for the real thing.

Your final mood board should be as accurate as possible, with real samples (at least two coats if it’s paint!). It helps to arrange a board in relation to your room: a floor sample at the bottom then, working your way up, a paint sample covering a larger area in proportion to a curtain fabric or photograph of some furniture. Try to be patient; taking your time in the beginning will ensure a better end result. For those who err on the cautious side but yearn to be more daring, this is the ticket to a carefully considered, well-thought-through design. No more awkward justifications or humiliating reflections; present your accomplishments with pride! mollybruce.co.uk

@mollyellenbruce shop.ninacampbell.com farrow-ball.com stylelibrary.com/zoffany

76 | Bridport Times | September 2018

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KEEP IN THE SHADE

Annabelle Hunt, Colour Consultant, Bridport Timber & Flooring

Farrow & Ball Lotus 2065 in Brinjal No.222 80 | Bridport Times | September 2018

S

eptember brings with it a bitter sweetness. Although the weather may yet be lovely for weeks, the end of summer is tangible with an autumnal sharpness in the mornings and shorter evenings. As a teenager, I used to be filled with dread at the first signs that the glaucous blue-grey sedums in the garden were beginning to change colour. Now I’m older, I appreciate that autumn is also about new beginnings and opportunities, whether it’s settling into a new school, the excitement of leaving home for the first time or starting a new job or project. If, however, I hear a certain song* on the radio I’m right back to feeling sentimental again.

Once the summer holidays are over and the weather cools, we settle into old or new routines and our focus begins to turn inward, shifting from the light and brightness of summer to a more cooling and deep autumnal style. We think about slowing down and spending quality time surrounded by things and people we love. By using colour that makes you feel good, you can create reassuring, nurturing spaces which can become an antidote to uncertainty.

As a self-confessed colour junkie, I admit I do get rather excited when Farrow & Ball announce that they are releasing new colours. This month they are adding nine new colours to their palette. I find it fun to think about what colours they could possibly add and where they will be slotted into the colour card. On the flip side of that, which of the existing colours will be archived? We needn’t worry too much about that though, as archive colours are just that and always remain available.

Always aware of their heritage as well as interior trends, Farrow & Ball carefully consider which new shades to add to their palette of 132 colours. In general, we are feeling much braver about using deep, dramatic tones in our homes and there are several fabulous new colours to satisfy, but those who prefer uncomplicated neutrals will not be disappointed either.

Well known for their quirky and off-beat choice of names, some of the new colours have an exotic, international feel. Ranging from relaxed and uplifting neutrals and soft romantic shades to strong and vital tones, which are deeply fashionable yet give a nod to history, the new colours are perfect additions to the colour card. I have been a Farrow & Ball devotee for longer than I care to admit and I absolutely love the infinite variety of schemes you can create with their paints.

So, whether you have returned home full of exotic inspiration from far-off lands or are feeling more nostalgic and longing for something comforting and familiar, if you really fall in love with a colour it is highly unlikely that you’ll go off it in a couple of months. Even if you do though, it’s only paint. While trends come and go, design is about living with what you love and creating your own style. *Don Henley Boys of Summer bridporttimber.co.uk @annabellehuntcolourconsultant

bridporttimes.co.uk | 81

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82 | Bridport Times | September 2018

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Gardening

AFTERGLOW Charlie Groves, Groves Nurseries

G

ardeners, much like farmers and garden nurseries, know pretty much what they’ll be doing in the garden month by month.

However no two years are ever the same because Mother Nature keeps us on our toes. Just look at this year: the beast and mini-beast from the east followed by one of the hottest and driest summers for years have caused problems for gardeners and real hardship for farmers.

We rise to the challenge and, no matter what nature throws at us, both gardeners and farmers cope somehow 84 | Bridport Times | September 2018

as new seasons arrive with their own quirks; we adapt and get on with the jobs at hand. Every gardener knows the feeling, usually towards the end of September when summer is definitely over: vibrant bedding plants reach their straggly end, hanging baskets look past it, borders lose their ‘wow’ factor and there is an awareness that the first frosts are around the corner. For many, unless you’ve been clever by planting colourful autumn perennials such as sedums, Michaelmas daisies and crocosmia, it’s everything onto the compost heap and the garden closes

down till the first spring bulbs push into life. However, it needn’t be like that. A bit of careful planning can make your autumn garden a vibrant vista well into winter with glorious foliage and colourful berries; in my own garden I really look forward to this season bursting into colour with well-chosen plants that keep the magic going and give my garden a fiery autumn glow.

I’ll share a few of my favourites but, for inspiration, I suggest you visit some of the spectacular stately gardens in the area – Mapperton or Forde Abbey for instance – where you’ll see the stars of the autumn landscape looking stunning on a grand scale. Any garden, however small, can have its share of fiery foliage by planting the right things. There are some fantastic small trees and shrubs that will give a glorious display of autumnal colour. I love acers, also known as Japanese maples, which are ideal for smaller plots. They provide interest from spring to autumn when they really become the stars of the garden, with foliage that turns from pale yellow through orange to bright scarlet before the leaves eventually fall. A firm favourite of mine is acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ which makes a good slow-growing shrub or multi-stemmed tree; it’s probably the best acer for intense red autumn colour but there are many other wonderful ones to choose from. Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ is so slow-growing that in most gardens it only reaches about three to five feet so is perfect for containers giving a striking scarlet display in autumn.

Other trees with impressive autumn colour include the katsura tree (cercidiphyllum japonicum) with its pink-tinged fiery autumn foliage that has a whiff of toffee apples. For small gardens, you can’t go wrong with amelanchier lamarkii which has beautiful bronze leaves in spring along with white blossom. It isn’t a summer performer but I can forgive that as it redeems itself in

autumn when it has its second season of glory, its leaves turning brilliant shades of rosy red and orange.

If you’ve only room for shrubs, take a look at the spindle tree, an easy-going shrub with excellent autumn colour. Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ has leaves that turn pink, red and gold just as its bunches of smalllobed, shocking-pink fruits split open to show orange seeds inside; it’s a really stunning plant. Two smoke bushes (cotinus coggygria) ‘Royal Purple’ and ‘Flame’ are other autumn show-offs that give a spectacular display as do the leaves of disanthus cercidifolius which turn a blue-tinged red, almost purple, in autumn then deep red and orange before they finally fall. Many cornus (dogwood) have good autumn colour such as cornus kousa, a year-round performer with large, white, flowerlike bracts in late spring to early summer, followed by strawberry-like fruits and then glorious orange and red autumn leaves.

If shrubs and trees are all too large, then one border perennial in particular is at its brilliant best in autumn: the Chinese lantern flower physalis alkekengi. It produces miniature paper lanterns of bright orange which last until long after the leaves have fallen and is a real show stopper. You can also add seasonal colour by carpeting the ground under existing trees and shrubs with autumn-flowering bulbs such as hardy cyclamen, colchicums and autumn crocus; it’s too late to plant them now but plant some next summer to add another two months of colour to your garden.

Every autumn, usually at the end of October, we hold our popular discount ‘Tree-Mendous’ weekend offering tips from our experts on planting, choosing and caring for trees. If you’d like to pick a star autumn performer, do come along. grovesnurseries.co.uk

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Fences, Paving, Terracing, Design and Planting Plans Contact Rose Chaney 07840 910025 day 01308 425567 eve rose.sophia.chaney@gmail.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 85

Philosophy

A STREAM THAT FLOWS BETWEEN BANKS

T

Kelvin Clayton

he popular image of a philosopher is probably something akin to The Thinker, the famous bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, that of a solitary figure, chin resting on one hand, sitting deep in thought. This image couldn’t be further from the community atmosphere of the Philosophy in Pubs approach. What, though, is the best way of developing such a community atmosphere?

One method that has been discussed and tried out by various Philosophy in Pubs groups is Bohm Dialogue. Named after David Bohm, the physicist who originally proposed it, this form of dialogue is neither a debate, nor a discussion on a set theme or agenda. Rather it is a free-flowing group conversation in which participants attempt to experience everyone’s point of view and reach a common understanding. According to Bohm, it’s an attempt to create a ‘free space’ for something new to happen.

Anyway, such is the theory and, just as the best way of assessing a pudding is by eating it, the best way of assessing a theory is by putting it into practice. And that was our plan for July’s meeting of the Bridport PiP Group, a plan that was only partially successful. We had hoped to acquire the services of an experienced Bohm Dialogue facilitator, someone who really understood the process and who could guide a group of novices through its mysterious ways, but unfortunately this was not to be. Instead we could only discuss our best understanding of the process.

From a personal perspective, I can’t help asking whether such a process is a bit of a luxury? I fully understand that having a predefined purpose or agenda will work against reflection on the collective thought process, but is this really important? We face so many serious issues, there are so many problems that need resolving, and resolving quickly, that I have this image of Nero playing his fiddle in a state of perfect peace and understanding whilst all around him is chaos and mayhem.

More to the point, is such a dialogue philosophy? Or is it closer to an experiment in social psychology? I say this is not to suggest that social psychology is in anyway less important than philosophy, merely to point out that, for me at least, philosophy is about challenging certitude, and this requires a definite purpose and focus. In asking these questions I do not wish to negate the potential value of the regular practice of Bohm Dialogue, but as a separate activity – not as a method of community philosophy.

Philosophy in Pubs is a grass-roots community organisation promoting and practising community philosophy in the UK. Discussions take place regularly in venues around the country. Anyone can attend and anyone can propose a topic for discussion. The Bridport group meets on the third Wednesday of the month in The George Hotel, South Street at 7.30pm. Attending the discussion is free and there is no need for any background knowledge of philosophy. All that’s required is an open mind and a desire to examine issues more closely than usual. For further details, email Kelvin Clayton at kelvin.clayton@icloud.com

86 | Bridport Times | September 2018

Chesters Commercial are pleased to announce the sale of St John’s House, Yeovil

Community

A NEW CHAPTER

Christian Tyler, Chairman of Read Easy, Bridport

T

here are times in life when working without pay is the best way of learning about the world.

Some people do it while still at school, others during a gap year or at university. There is a growing trend among young professionals, once they’ve started their career, to take time off to work for charities overseas. People who have lost their jobs through redundancy or illness find volunteering a good way of getting back into paid employment. For most of us, however, (especially if we are lucky or prudent enough to have secured a decent pension) it is retirement which brings us the opportunity to volunteer. The only question then is, ‘What should I do?’

Having been involved most of my life with the written word, I chose literacy. I was aware that our jails are full of people who cannot read and write properly, so I hoped to find a job in a prison. That proved difficult.

Instead, I discovered Read Easy, a local charity founded on the same lines as a prison scheme in which inmates who can read teach those who cannot.

Read Easy was founded in West Dorset in 2010 and has spread to more than 30 places in England. With 25 volunteer coaches and 17 current ‘students’, Bridport is one of the largest and most successful Read Easy groups in the country. It has taught more than 80 people since it started in 2011.

There are many success stories. A former fisherman 88 | Bridport Times | September 2018

was able to find a new job, help his son with homework and take his turn chalking at darts now that he could read the names on the board. A woman who loved reading but had lost the ability after a severe stroke was able to pick up Tolstoy’s War and Peace again. Another woman was able to move into a flat and run her own life. A young mother was able to read stories to her children for the first time. A chef who had never seen a Shakespeare play read a synopsis of Macbeth and went to London to see it performed.

For me the appeal of Read Easy is that it is a close, personal and impartial kind of help – and it’s free. It is a challenge to take someone along a path that they may have avoided for years due to lack of confidence, a bad school experience or learning difficulties. People who struggle to read can be very adept at concealing the fact - even their families may be unaware of it. It takes courage for them to come forward but when they reach the end of the course there is a great sense of satisfaction on both sides. The reader may find it a life-changing experience: in self-confidence, in employability, in home life and social life. The coach shares to the full the reader’s pleasure and feeling of achievement – even of triumph.

If you are interested, please get in touch. This could be the opportunity you have been waiting for. christian.tyler@btinternet.com readeasy.org.uk/groups/bridport

Literature

LITERARY REVIEW Antonia Squire, The Book Shop

Transcription by Kate Atkinson (Transworld Publishers, 2018) RRP £20.00 Exclusive Bridport Times reader offer price of £17.50 from The Book Shop

I

n 1981 an elderly woman has returned to England on the eve of the Royal Wedding after many years abroad, only to be hit by a car on the London streets. Forty years earlier, she was a young woman doing her part in the war. Ten years after that, she sat at the helm of Children’s Hour at the BBC. What a life she must have led.

Juliet Armstrong was just the sort of girl the Security Services were looking for at the start of the war. The right school, so she was sure to be discreet; the right connections, so she was sure to be trustworthy; and she came with ever such a good recommendation from the Headmistress. Just the right sort on paper. Juliet didn’t really want to be in the Security Services, she wanted to be in the Women’s Armed Forces, but when MI5 calls, you can’t really say no, it’s just not done.

Juliet, being a young woman, was to be the secretary rather than a spy, part of a unit tracking fascist sympathisers – Mosley’s lot, if you will. There were quite a few of them in the upper echelons of British society but the ones MI5 had their eye on were more the foot soldiers than the leaders. Sometimes though, a young woman of Juliet’s upbringing is just the sort of girl you need to send out to find the people who were able to fly under the radar of the police. It would take a girl to infiltrate a cell of female British fascists.

The war changed everyone.

Many found themselves doing things that they never thought they could, found in themselves a ruthlessness they never suspected and lived in fear that some of their acts would be discovered. How then, can one go back to being Juliet after the war. Is it possible that others have discovered her secrets? Is that why she is being followed, if indeed she is being followed?

Who is after her? Does someone want revenge? How can she find out? How can she protect herself ? Does she even need protection?

This is a brilliant new novel from Kate Atkinson with an absolute gem of a character. Juliet has just the right combination of confusion, bluster, idealism, intelligence and sass to make her a truly beguiling heroine. In a time of great uncertainty and moral clarity Juliet does all that is asked of her and more. The twists and turns of wartime and post-war London simply make you wonder throughout, why on earth did she live abroad for so many years?

This Special Limited Edition available only at Independent Booksellers across the UK is published on 6th September, preorder yours at The Bookshop. dorsetbooks.com bridporttimes.co.uk | 89

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AUGUST SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Topical information (4) 3. Head of a government department (8) 9. Time off (7) 10. Speech sound (5) 11. Cereal grain (3) 12. Woollen fabric (5) 13. Make a physical or mental effort (5) 15. Opposite of old (5) 17. African country whose capital is Niamey (5) 18. Belgian town (3) 19. Military opponent (5) 20. Person devoted to love (7) 21. Responded to (8) 22. Fail to speak clearly (4) 90 | Bridport Times | September 2018

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