Ty Newydd again
Back to Ty Newydd, the National Writing Centre of Wales for a nature writing course with Mark Cocker and Kathleen Jamie (with Horatio Clare as the guest writer/reader) last week. when I was there in the autumn it was late October and quite a different feel to everything. and this was such a different course to the rather alternative storytelling retreat with Hugh Lupton and Eric Madden.
last week it was warm and we had a lot of sun
the lavender in flower and filled with bees – honey, and several different bumblebees
I think this is a carder bee
and this is a white-tailed bumble. One of our morning workshops with Mark had us looking hard at the bees for at least fifteen minutes to write something really concentrated about them.
there were also dragonflies – this is a dead one found in the house
and a few moths. this rosy footman was stranded in the house overnight
having entered and become confused by the glass the night before. there are so many moths with wonderful names; it was great to have someone (Mark) who is an expert on insects to share information.
this time I managed a walk to the beach almost every morning – the circular walk is just over two miles, taking in small paths
through tree-edged fields of grass
under the single railway line
past brambles – ripe blackberries one morning for breakfast –
bracken, grazing cows
a deliciously tarry hut
down to where the river Dwyfor comes out into Cardigan Bay
and along the coastal path
beside burling water (burly water described by Norman MacCaig) that in spate into a high tide must be quite a sight –
but the tide was out or going out in the mornings last week – and one morning a heron flapped across low to the little waves
there’s always a special light in the mornings
and back up to the house, David Lloyd George’s last home
a lawn full of self-heal, and the semi-circular porch and window echoed by lines of flat pebbles set on end raying out in another semicircle before the grass starts
the house is surrounded by mature trees, but this walnut is my favourite, its branch across the stone steps down to the kitchen and utility part of the house.
I omitted to take photos of the wood and the river where we spent one morning making notes, leaving me with a few close-up portraits of Himalayan balsam flowers – extraordinary sexy glutinous objects.
full of thoughts about my own writing and about the very good insights into the poems we worked on, from the whole group of writers, and from Kathleen Jamie. I drove home in a gale, shreds of leaves flying across the road. these damsons blown early off the tree in my garden went into a cake. the next lot will be gin.
those blues seem to have got under my skin
yesterday I tackled a large oil painting (48 x 48 inches) which has been waiting for me to know what to do to it. the large emulsion brush turned out to be the key.
it’s good to have a break from something like painting. doors open, just like that!
Said, on August 13th, 2019 at 7:39 am :
Thanks for this generous post about every lovely thing you encountered.
Said, on August 13th, 2019 at 10:34 am :
What a marvel-lous set of images and comments – Thank you, Jane
a great blog…..
Best
Tomx
Said, on August 13th, 2019 at 10:43 am :
thank you both for lovely comments!
Said, on August 13th, 2019 at 12:15 pm :
Super blog xx
Said, on August 16th, 2019 at 11:11 am :
Thank you, Jane, for reminding me of the beauty and riches of our week at Ty Newydd. Gorgeous photos! And I love your paintings too. 🙂
Said, on August 16th, 2019 at 11:32 am :
thanks Alison and thanks for reading it!
Said, on October 26th, 2019 at 12:06 am :
Lovely! This takes me back to a wonderful week at Ty Newydd. Thanks, Jane.