Firestone Copse

Well, it was high time I got off my behind and went for a proper stomp again. With that in mind, teenager and I headed off to Firestone Copse near Wootton (on one of the hottest days of the year so far) and went for a shady stroll through the trees. It was lovely! Neither of us had ever really explored the copse so we went wherever a whim took us, turning right here, left there, and eventually ending up on the banks of Wootton Creek. Here the path was riddled with exposed roots and strewn with fir cones, with patches of golden sunlight streaming through. We were enchanted. I had only really seen the creek from the road or the ferry before, so this stretch was new to me. The path continued on and gently up, and we pottered along deserted woodland paths by the banks of dried up streams before eventually turning a corner and finding the carpark. Here we found lots of people returning from dog walking, or starting a family barbecue in the shade of the trees.

Our next stop was Quarr Abbey, where we stopped for a nice cup of tea and some people watching, before admiring the piglets (some very new born and exceedingly cute!) and heading home via the seaside where we stopped for a quick paddle. It's great to live on this Island.

Creekside Path

Quarr Piglets

Log piles

Wild Nights Out ....... June

Rhythmtree Festival Warm Up

We joined friends out at The Cow Co at Tapnell Farm near Freshwater for a warm up gig. Three bands played; we sat outside for the first two, who sounded good (and slightly bonkers for one of them!), and went indoors for the final band, The Ohmz. My friends husband was playing keyboards and we had fun listening to their excellent reggae tunes. Very good band, and worth seeing again. We ate burgers - yummy - and I drank soda water and elderflower cordial from the bar. Also nice. We might even go to Rhythmtree this year!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge
Teenager enjoyed this more than I did; I think the series is getting a little jaded now. However, the special effects were good and enough of it was funny to overcome the stilted acting. Not entirely sure why Paul McCartney was in it, albeit briefly - perhaps because  a Rolling Stone was in an earlier one? I preferred the Rolling Stone!

Wild Nights Out...... May

Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra
This was, as ever, a glorious concert. The first piece was 'Danzon No. 2' by Marquez; this was lively and really set the bar for the rest of the evening. The next two pieces were written for recorder, and featured the extremely talented Miriam Nerval. Her first piece was a Recorder Concerto by David Bedford, and used every type of recorder, with orchestral accompaniment. The concerto began with bass recorder and gradually worked up through tenor, treble, descent and sopranino. I enjoyed the latter stages more than the start as the deeper recorders were harder to hear, however Miriam played extremely well, and at times was playing two recorders at once! Skills. The final recorder piece was Vivaldi's 'Recorder Concerto in G Major'. This was glorious. I have never seen anyone's fingers move so fast - the skills and techniques needed were extremely demanding, and Miriam did a superb job.

 

After the interval, the orchestra performed 'Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93' by Shostakovich. I wasn't so keen on this; it was played well, but went on for a long time and I got rather bored in the first part. The piece did improve on me later on and I was really enjoying it by the end. Another superb evening by IOW Symphony.

Medina College Hair show

Every year, the Hair and Beauty students of Medina College put on a show. I went for the first time this year and was really impressed by the skills of the students involved - I struggle to do even the basics with my hair, even now, and these students had made some really complex creations. The evening was also a fundraiser, and raised £1000 for 'Kissy Puppy', a local children's charity. Very well done to all involved.

Quarr Abbey again

As it was a glorious spring afternoon the teenager and I  decided to get some air and headed off to Quarr Abbey near Binstead. We pottered about and admired the pigs and piglets, popped into the art exhibition, admired the updated shop (rosaries in all shapes and sizes), and looked round the exhibition about the Abbey's history. Next we strolled past the Abbey itself, and down to the woodland walk where we ambled in the shade, pausing at the wildlife shelter to see if we could spot any squirrels. No luck, sadly. If ever I get a large garden, or garden of any size, I would like a shelter like that to wile away sunny afternoons in. The path meandered on past log piles, and trees sprouting new growth, and came out opposite a paddock with some newly shorn sheep. We paused again and watched a pair of buzzards circling in the sky above, then strolled down the green lane between banks of hogweed and cow parsley, field maple, dogwood and wild grasses, spotting bees on the flowers.

The lane came out opposite a stone cottage by fields containing the ruined remains of the medieval Abbey, and more sheep. Another lane led on towards Binstead in one direction, so we pottered that way passing beneath a huge weeping willow and uphill to a gate. We turned around then and followed the lane back to the car and home. If I lived in Binstead or Wootton I think I would come to Quarr all the time; it is such a peaceful place with magnificent wildlife and beautiful surroundings. Glorious - I can see why the monks settled here.

Quarr Abbey

Wild Rose

Wild Nights out..... April

April Fool's Day ended with an enthusiastic and tuneful performance of Dvorak's 'Stabat Mater' at Medina Theatre. The members of Isle of Wight Cantata choir sang their hearts out, and were ably accompanied by a selection of musicians from the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, as well as four choral soloists. Rachel Tweddle conducted everybody with great skill, as ever.

 

To bookend the month, I took the teenager to see 'The Queer Bash' at The Apollo Theatre; this was written and performed by members of Red Tie Theatre, and was performed with a great deal of skill. The theme was to explore issues surrounding the LGBTQ community and society as a whole, and had the audience running the full gamut of emotions throughout. I cried and laughed throughout. This was an extremely thought provoking production by young actors who had a lot to say, and a lot of talent to say it with. Coincidentally, one of the cast members had made the national headlines that day by calling out the local MP's views on homosexuality while he was visiting her politics class at school. He resigned. #whatesthersays

 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/apr/28/tory-mp-steps-down-after-telling-pupils-homosexuality-is-wrong

Wild Nights Out.... March

One of my challenges this year is to go out more of an evening. So far this month I have had two such expeditions. The first was to Shanklin Theatre to watch the hilarious Omid Djalili and his equally funny warm up man, Boothby Graffoe. The theatre was lovely and old fashioned, and the show was a hoot! The only downside was the lack of parking in Shanklin, but we found a side street with a parking space eventually.

Yesterday I attended the spring concert of the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra. This was sold out, as usual. The programme was music from Poulenc, Ravel, Franck, and Saint-Saens; the Ravel piece was 'Piano Concerto in G', with the soloist Viv McLean. This was performed beautifully, and Viv McLean's solo in the second part moved me to tears. Yes. Really. Wow, he was superb! I could see his face throughout and he was clearly enjoying every moment - a joy to watch and listen to. The concert ended with Saint-Saens 'Bacchanale from 'Samson and Delila'', which was played with skill and enthusiasm by the orchestra. Absolutely glorious.

Firestone Copse and Quarr Abbey

It's been a while since my intrepid walking partner and I went for a stomp, but today was the day. We drove out to Firestone Copse near Wootton Bridge and parked the car. Our route led us along woodland pathways, with carpets of daffodils and wood anemones to our left and right, until we reached Firestone Copse Road. Turning left we followed the road until it met Kite Hill Road, the main road to Ryde. Crossing with caution we continued our route, turning left down a path next to a post box, which led to Fishbourne Lane and past the ferry terminal. We turned right up a bridleway opposite the Fishbourne Inn and followed a broad lane until we reached Quarr Abbey, home to Dominican monks on the Island. We had a glorious view of the Abbey, and paused briefly to admire their famous pigs - beautiful but smelly!

The path led downhill towards the mediaeval ruins of the original abbey, where we turned right and followed another footpath back to the main road. Taking our lives in our hands we sprinted across the road between fast cars (well, fast for the Island, and fast enough for us) and passed through a gate to a very muddy field beyond. The path quickly dried out and led through some woodland and past a large, private pond. More of a small lakelet really. Rather serene and beautiful anyway. Beyond this was a field with several stately oak trees, which we passed between, and came to a lane.

The lane led to Newnham Farm, so we followed the footpath through the farmyard and two fields, and then up a long, shallow hill. At the top we found a shrine to a local man who dies in the First World War, and also commemorated the men of Binstead and Havenstreet who also died in the war. This was a rather lovely memorial, and most unusual, so we paused for a few minutes to admire it.

The path continued down the hill to meet the other end of Firestone Copse Road, which we followed until we reached the copse and followed more woodland paths to the car park. We finished our afternoon with a visit to Briddlesford Farm Shop and the Bluebells Café. Perfect!

Route: http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4502120.html

Distance: 4.2 miles

Quarr Abbey

Medieval Abbey Ruins

Pond

War Memorial, Newnham Farm