A River Walk

I do like to be close to water and if it can’t be the sea then a river will do as long as there is a walk alongside it. When I lived in Ludlow, Shropshire, I often walked along the River Teme doing a loop between the Dinham bridge near the castle and Ludford bridge. It was a pretty walk taking in the Whitcliffe common and the native woodland.

(please click on an image to enlarge in full)

Start of the walk off London Road

So when I chose Dorchester for my recent holiday I was pleased to find that there is a river walk which takes you out to the water meadows. And further afield if you want.

Peace and Quiet
Where the river divides. Left into town, right towards the water meadows and blue bridge.
The river divides into several streams in this area. This is the Mill Stream which powered Friary Mill.
The Hangman’s Cottage.
Cow Parsley
Dove Cote
A family outing
Sunlight on water
One Swan a swimming (there were actually two)
The Blue Bridge – leads out to the water meadows
The Blue Bridge
Water meadows. The system of water channels, weirs and hatches to regulate the flow of water was developed by Dutch engineers in the 17th century. A small amount of water meant that the grass continued to grow even through the winter. They are no longer maintained but in the late spring this is smothered in buttercups.
Buttercups
A green tunnel – lovely shade on a hot day
Iris pseudacorus, the yellow flag, yellow iris, or water flag
Wild flowers including comfrey and lady’s smock / cuckoo flower along a nature reserve boardwalk, a weir, the blue bridge and signs that the Romans were here. They built a town here in AD 43 (Durnovaria) and there are several Roman reminders around the town.
Whitebeam. There are lots of native trees growing alongside the river and lots of birds too. Whilst sitting in the riverside reserve I heard many different species: sparrows, song thrush, robin, blue tit, chiffchaff, great tit, blackbird, wren and goldfinch among others. (Thanks to the Merlin app)

It is a lovely flat walk beside the river with several benches on which to sit and enjoy the birdsong and the mallards.

And as I know Jo loves to be beside water this one is for one of her Monday Walks.

Just Back From… Dorset

And Surrey…

(Please click on the photographs to enlarge them)

Short stopover en route at Sidmouth on the south Devon coast (The Red Coast).

The OH and I often had a spring break – either April or May. Sometimes heading for Surrey where we would spend time with my daughter and the grandchildren (if they were around) and David would often catch a train to spend a day with his daughter in London or a longer stay at her home in Colchester.

Brewery Square in Dorchester (known to the locals as Dorch) where shops, restaurants, a gym, a cinema, a Premier Inn and residential apartments can be found

This year I had to do this on my own. Thinking about whether I should move nearer to family I chose to stay in Dorchester for a week, the historic county town of Dorset and home of the Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy,  before moving on to Surrey for the early spring Bank Holiday. Dorchester gave me an opportunity to explore some of east Dorset which I haven’t visited in many years. I liked the old part, hated Poundbury (soulless) but wasn’t keen on all the traffic. It does have excellent transport links with two railway stations with a route to Bristol and one to London.

Walk along the River Frome

I walked along the River Frome. I walked around the town. I ate dinner at a lovely country inn, I walked on the Jurassic coast (shingle) had takeaway coffee and ice-cream (not at the same time) visited Wareham and Studland and several gardens. The weather remained dry, though not always warm, and I stayed in a lovely pristine quiet converted stable in the old part of the town. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be. Before I met David I often had solo holidays and even when I accompanied him to conferences I spent many a day exploring on my own. The hardest part is during the evening and eating out alone. I just pretended I was away for work! And ate in the cottage most evenings.

Poundbury – designed by King Charles III when he was Prince of Wales with a mix of Victorian and Georgian architecture. This is Queen Mother Square. It’s a strange place. No road markings and free parking. Lots of cars, hardly any people. Streets were empty, playground was empty. A lot like a film set. But a good coffee shop in the Buttercross.
The Buttercross

Continue reading Just Back From… Dorset

Words on Wednesday

Old Harry Rocks, a series of white chalk stacks located at Handfast Point on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England.

Location: They mark the easternmost point of the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and are situated between the towns of Studland and Swanage and once were connected to the Needles on the Isle of Wight.

#WordlessWednesday

Song Without Warning

This will be the last song from David’s extensive catalogue. It is sad to think that there really are many songs and scraps of words that he wrote that will never be recorded, but I am glad that there are many that he did. I hope you have enjoyed listening to the few that I have picked out and also the ones on Cornwall In Colours and if you do want to hear more then please visit his collection on Bandcamp where you can find all of his albums. No need to purchase them.

“When you’ve written as many songs as I have, and lived as long, and been so obsessed with songwriting, you have to wonder sometimes what will become of them when you’re not around to sing them.”

(Note to anyone looking at this post in the Reader or on a phone you may need to visit the actual site to be able to view and listen to the music track)

Lyrics

Song Without Warning (Words and Music by David A. Harley)

This is my box of dreams, my nest of nightmares
Words and lines and verses in a cage
Fragments of conversation
Thoughts that barely made the page

Some days, I think someday I’ll write them
All the verses in vitro in this room
Someday these little birds will find the way to fly away
They won’t need me anymore and they’ll be gone

Some days I call myself a writer
Though I’m afraid I might have lost the paperwork
Till they tap me on the shoulder and remind me
My poetic licence hasn’t been revoked

When my last song has been written
When I’ve picked out my last chord
My box of dreams will still be here
Overflowing still with orphaned words

For every song without warning
That somehow made it to be heard
There’ll still be all these scraps of recollection
Thoughts and dreams that never found their words

Sometimes I call myself a writer
Though I’m afraid I might have lost the paperwork
Till they tap me on the shoulder and remind me
My poetic licence hasn’t been revoked

credits

from Kitsch and Canoodle, released August 22, 2021
Guitar and vocal by David A. Harley
© all rights reserved

David A. Harley 1949 – 2025