Thursday 5 April 2012

Isle of Wight

Last weekend I attended Wight Wood Turners for an all day demo. Not having been to the island for over 30 years it was decided to go for a long weekend as a family, So Liz booked us The Beach Retreat and we left for the ferry at Lymington arriving there in good time to make it to the Beach Retreat to watch the sun setting over the Solent, with the beach being only a short distance away across a small field.

There is something beautiful and magical watching the sun set here are some pictures taken on two of the evenings.

 

 Here are a few of the neighbours.



Wading birds were also regular visitors.


My daughters taking in the view, all of the entertainment had to be self generated as there was only solar powered electricity for the lights with the heating being provided via a wood-burning stove, no phone, no computer, no television ,  it was heaven to say the least.



 So in the evenings it was a short walk to the beach with refreshments in hand, drift wood was collected and I showed Liz and my daughters how to build a fire, sausages were cooked on a BBQ, and we spent the evening watching the sun set and the boats go by.






Then after the first evening it was up and away for the demo at Wight Woodturners.

Thank you to Michael Graves, chairman, and to all the members for a warm welcome and a great day. The below pictures were kindly taken by David Woodford, copyright remains that of David Woodward and are used with kind permission.



Refining the top curve.

Finishing cuts with the traditional grind.






 Hollowing with the spindle gouge.



Finishing the base.



After a wonderful day and on returning to the retreat we all headed for the beech again for another BBQ.




The following day was a chance to have a look around the Island, so first off was a visit to Arreton Village
which is 1000 yrs old , has a 12 century church and barns that are full of craft makers/artisans working in glass, ceramics and woodcarving.


Wood carving of George and the Dragon.


Bethany standing next to an old anchor outside of a maritime museum.


Spring is certainly here.

 
Then it was onto the model village a short drive away.The models are amazing and well worth a visit.














The following pictures are of the bark of a tree within the grounds, the textures were amazing.




After a great day it was back to the Retreat to relax with another fire with my family and to watch the sun setting again, something that I never get bored of, 





Early morning mist.



Then it was off for a full English at a waterside cafe in Gurnard and a last chance to take in the view and relaxed atmosphere.







Then finally on route to the ferry we stopped at the Needles and took a trip on the chair lift to the beach to take some pictures of the view and to look at the amazing colourful rock formations within the cliffs. 











Then back up the cliffs and to the port.



And after a short trip on the ferry it was back to the main land and home.




4 comments:

Lee Robert Sneddon said...

Hi Mark,

Looks like you all had a great time, canny beat it mate.

I called to chat with you but you were away enjoying yourself with the family.

Had a great chat with your Mum and we spent about 45minutes setting the world to rights.

Hope you and the family are ok.

Take care,

Lee.

john smith said...

Hi Mark I have just looked at your I.O.W.Photos it must have been a great weekend with all the family.It was nice you could mix the Demo and some fun and relaxation with them.I am looking forward to your next piece of turning with some inspiration taken from the sunsets and the rock formations and their colours.Regards John

Mark said...

Hi Lee

Thanks for the comment.

We had a great time away, recharged the batteries with it making us all realise, a) how much energy we must use and waste every day in our homes, b) how the old ways of entertainment are the best, (no computers) etc.

We will certainly be going back as the island being small everything is within a small time frame.

Hope you are all well and will be in touch soon.


Hi John

Thank you for your comment and interest, apologies for the delay in putting the comments up I thought I had clicked the button after moderation but it didn't work for some reason.

Thank you for your interest. It was indeed a great weekend and I took as usual with me hundreds of pictures.

Unfortunately I am not getting much time in the workshop at the moment but hopefully in the next month I may get some more time to cut some wood.

Thank you again for your comments

Take care

George Foweraker said...

Hi Mark.
Nice pics.You obviously had a well deserved good time with the family and away from the telephone.
It is nice sometimes just to get away from it all and relax I am glad you all enjoyed it.