Micro climates in Dorset

THE MAGIC OF DORSET

One of the biggest mysteries is how parts of Dorset can have such idyllic weather when all around it is cold and wet. The Square and Compass in Dorset is one of my favourite places to visit and through some strange magic - always seems to be in the sunshine. Can the alleged world domination by the Mason's really extend to controlling the weather too...can't be all bad if you're enjoying a pie and pint at this great British pub.

Holidays Abroad

SUNSHINE STRESS-BUSTER

Travelling abroad for some sunshine this weekend, the plan was to have a relaxing 4-5 day break to return refreshed and ready for what the world throws at me. Today, I'm back: tired, bloated and a little pink. So apart from the vitamin D, what good has a trip abroad really given me? Let's take a look at the pros and cons...

Pros

- Time with partner

- Exploring somewhere new

- Reading books

- Getting my skin in the sunshine

- Laying around not doing very much

- Feeling warm

- Basking in sunshine

- Looking at a picturesque coastline

- Swimming in warm pool and sea

- Eating mediterranean food

- Drinking cheaper alcohol

Cons

- Early 3am start for flight

- Extra cost of transport to and from airport 

- Airport stressful environment 

- Stress of people 

- Stress of baggage
- Stress of security

- Expense of air travel

- Time spent travelling

- Hot and sweaty
- Hotel bed too soft/too hard

- Sun creams cost and application

- Mediterranean food fried, greasy

- Cost of eating out a lot

- Over-endulgence with alcohol

If we properly look at the pros and cons for taking a short trip away to a foreign country - on the negative side, it's actually quite unsettling, stressful and expensive. Plus, a lot of time is spent travelling squashed in a plane, coach, train or queueing up with tired, stressed people. Often, these other poor souls who have also chosen to 'get away' for a relaxing break are being shepherded along, laden with their heavy bags and/or whiney kids, trying to keep up the appearance of a happy family. Not a relaxing scenario at all - and that's just the bit getting there.

Having an environment to not do very much when you do arrive at your destination, means a lot of money is spent eating and drinking to fill the time. So, summing all this up, I'd say a day trip from home could be just as rewarding in terms of exploring somewhere new and without a lot of the stresses experienced when flying - potentially far more relaxing, especially if one sleeps in their own bed at the end of the day. I've never really looked at a holiday in these terms before - but the reality of it does bring into question why so many people take these trips. Not to say going somewhere like the Balearics, where the aqua blue sea is warm and the sun shines in a clear blue sky seemingly every day, isn't wonderful - because it is, but just that a few days spent at home could positively be much better for us if relaxation is the key.

Making Good Returns

DIMINISHING RETURNS

There's so many great places to explore, new people to meet and exciting experiences of adventure - all out there waiting for that brave step into the unknown. So, why is there ever a need to go back to somewhere we've been before? If the first time was great - will the second time be as good... In my experience - no. It's very hard to live up to the first time so it's better to strive for somewhere new and take the risk. The more we try, the better we see and hence I try and stick to my motto - 'never go back.'

Barceló Illetas Abatros

Sometimes, when something is so good, when a 'go for what you know' is a sure bet - it makes perfect sense to go back. This hotel in Mallorca was just as great this weekend as it was for me two years ago. So the never go back motto now has been modified....The secret to going back now is to have new places to explore as well. That way, if the new doesn't inspire, there's always the known places to enjoy!

Some You Win...Some You Have To Let Go

IT'S THE TAKING PART THAT COUNTS

I like this saying. But I think it's used too often and in instances where winning really counts. The reason I like this phrase and for when it can be used - if you want to accept that no matter how hard you work at something, how hard you try and at what seemingly good odds you have for winning - sometimes, the result isn't the one you want. On these occasions, we need to take defeat gracefully, feel good about the good fortune of the winners and take enjoyment at being a part of the event itself. That way, everyone is a winner...

Life's Like A Duck Race

We went to a great little place today called Porthallow Cove, where we ate and drank at a fine pub called The Five Pilchards. This is also where they host the annual Easter Duck Race. Children and adults make their own ducks - some of which are elaborately made and others not so - and float them down a stream towards a cheering crowd of excited kids and (most excited) adults. 

We had one entrance in the kids race and two in the adult one. The crafts were lovingly prepared and geared for speed. We had fair odds of success. However, in both races, flimsy and poorly made craft won the races and claimed the large chocolate easter egg prizes. It hardly seemed fair when we'd put all the effort in! But, even though our craft was in the lead on three separate occasions, a twig or a shallow part of the bank would slow the craft down and give the lead away - and we came just outside of a place in each race. 

So, even though all the kids who took part, received a token chocolate egg, you could still tell who the winners were. The sun was shining and we'd enjoyed a fantastic lunch. We had tunes on in the car on the way back and the roof down, yet from the kids faces sitting in the back, you could still see who the winners weren't. It's in these moments that we need to use the phrase: 'it's the taking part that counts' - and really mean it. Because with all the other positives going on that were forgotten in that moment of coming in fourth, it was easy to get pulled in to taking on a mood that cast a downer on the afternoon's events. And like Forest Gump's chocolate box quote, I'm now taking ownership of my own wise words: 'life is like a duck race'. 

Family Holidays

EASTER BREAK

The first bank holiday of the year - and the longest, is the Easter weekend. It signifies the start of Spring, longer and lighter days and the beginning's of Summer just around the corner. That's why everyone goes crazy! It's a big deal and you have to get it right. A lot of us will have been sun-starved and only just surfacing from the winter cave. If, like me, you've been on special diets and alcohol free for the most part of the year, this is a weekend to let the hair down and indulge yourself. Usually, that's what happens on my bank holiday every year and quite often they will be lost weekends. So, for fear of coming through the fog on the other side, a different weekend awaits this year. A family trip away. What better opportunity to spend a few quality days with loved ones - playing with the kids on the beach, eating ice creams and being merry with a drink or two.

So, it's time to down tools. And that means switching off the phones, leaving email and Facebook status well alone and drawing the focusing towards having fun with the family that will impart special memories the kids can retain for future moments, so they, in turn can take our grand kids to the special places when it's their turn.

Family holidays are a treat for the soul. Make them happen and make them special. It's the best reward you can give yourself, a reality check on life - and will reveal to us what and who are the most important people in our lives.

St Ives

AN ARTIST'S HAVEN

The picturesque seaside town of St Ives in Cornwall was once renowned for it's pilchard fishing and after the pier was constructed, also known for being the largest port on the north coast of Cornwall. Since the late 1800's, this pretty coastal town has became a famous destination for artists.

J M W Turner, was among one of the earliest artists attracted to St Ives by the quality of light, where he famously painted seascapes. The arrival of the railway line in 1877 made St Ives all the more accessible to aspiring artists and became a key destination for the middle classes to set up their holiday homes.

The town saw it's greatest boom for being a trendy destination for hippies, artists and rock 'n' roll jet setters in the 60's but saw a decline in the late 70's through to the 90's, as holiday makers took off for cheaper and the sunnier climates of the Mediterranean resorts. Cornwall has had somewhat of a resurgence over the last decade and returning this Easter weekend, I could see how crazy this town now gets in the summer months.

Happy Memories
My parents have been going to St Ives regularly since 1967. It's where they first went on holiday together and worked for a time over the summer. It's obviously a happy memory and they have a real connection to the town and it's townsfolk, regarding it fondly as a second home.

I've been visiting with my folks on Easter weekends since I can remember and have lots of happy memories of the beautiful beaches, (now very retro) arcades, narrow cobbled lanes and quaint tea & ice cream parlours. Being a graphic designer myself, I can attest to the pleasure St Ives offers those who visit. For a small town with such a rich history in art over the years, it's evident where such energy exists for creatives, and one can easily see first hand, where Turner himself took great inspiration from painting the breathtaking sea views. This has to be one of the most picturesque seaside towns in the UK and it's not surprising that so many holiday makers want to stay there too.

A Destination Of The Heart
Although I love St Ives and I have such fond memories of going there as a kid, I've always reasoned to myself that living here full time would be tough. The winters can be harsh and for a Londoner like myself, I'd likely find the quieter off season months a little too quiet.

However, with Cornwall's general popularity increasing amongst UK holiday makers, potentially due in part to the stronger Euro and family travel costs in general, it feels increasingly as if the holiday makers and new jet set, have taken over the place this Easter. According to the locals I speak to, the spike in visitors are not just isolated to the seasonal summer months these days either. More people are moving to Cornwall permanently and who can blame the! It stands to reason that places which are most popular, will evolve to accommodate the tastes of those investing time/money and it's evident from the many different accents I'm hearing, that foreign holiday makers are also in great appreciation of the seductive Cornish charm.

But still, I can feel the characters and their influences from the 70's and 80's, as well as the general quirky Cornish ways of doing things, are being ebbed away to cater for it's present day tourists and second home investors. Cornwall appears to be changing into a quintessentially British 'theme park' – twee, polished and dressed up in a reflection of the ideal rather opposed to the real. And although this boom for local businesses is a positive sign for growth, observing the overly-large flashy cars crawling in procession through narrow streets and witnessing where snazzy boutique hotels have replaced the wonky B&B's – plus with major high street chains like Pizza Express taking up prominence on the seafront, – could it be paradoxically said that St Ives' new-found success is potentially becoming it's failure too? I personally miss the authenticity from the way it was before, warts and all – change is always difficult to accept.

But who am I to judge, I visit for maybe a week or so per year and I'm just another visitor at the end of the day. Luckily, some things haven't changed at all. Sitting here right now in front of The Sloop Inn, watching the advancing tide and defending my ground against the brazen gulls who swoop in low to retrieve carelessly dropped chips at my feet, I still get a gratifying feeling of being in a special place that eternally remains part of me and me part of it.

Land's End, Cornwall c.1834 – J.M.W. Turner

Update March 2018: 
If you are fortunate enough to visit Cornwall and St Ives, you will appreciate it's inspirational lure for artists and tourists alike. The Tate gallery, St Ives, is the perfect place to view some of the greats and witness their inspiration from the coast first hand. For those wishing to own a piece of art capturing the beautiful Cornish coastal views, great painters and their work can be found here at Artsy. For visitors and residents of Amsterdam, Holland – the Rijksmuseum has an exhibition featuring J.M. W. Turner amongst other great masters: 'High Society' – Four centuries of glamour by the great masters of the history of art, including Cranach, Veronese, Velázquez, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Sargent, Munch and Manet.