fudge

Monday 10 August 2015

Sun, Sea, Swanage and Swords

SD lost me at the weekend - yes, I did say LOST me!!!

How he managed to do that I DO NOT KNOW ...

I mean, I am NOT insignificant - I'm 6ft tall for goodness sake and if that isn't enough I'm usually waving an unruly mop of hair around like badly behaved candyfloss - I am NOT easy to mislay ...

He said he could see my shoes, I hadn't taken my toothbrush and I'd left my makeup behind so he guessed I was probably planning on coming back but he just didn't know where I'd gone.

His last sighting of me was in my PJ's clutching a bright pink plastic bowl of muesli and apparently he hadn't felt the need to tether me given that I was also barefoot - I felt forced to point out that I was NOT a pony or a goat or even a pot bellied pig that one might generally feel the need to tether!

No, SD agreed - You're like a bloody hobbit scuttling around up to no good ...

This man who professes to love me so much thinks I'm like a fictional humanoid creature who inhabits middle earth with leathery soles on my hairy feet ...

Just to qualify - I DO NOT have hairy toes - in fact I have NO hair on my toes (whereas SD has a considerable amount and Miss Mac even more!)

And he thinks I scuttle - he thinks I'm like a hairy toed crab/hobbit or something ...

Oh, and did I mention we were here:



A bloody great practically empty field in the middle of nowhere?

Seriously, if I HAD been gambolling or even scuttling crab like and barefoot in my PJ's clutching a pink plastic bowl of cereal across the field I THINK HE MIGHT JUST HAVE NOTICED ME - don't you ...

As it was I had actually taken my coconut mat to the far side of the van and settled down to eat my breakfast in the sunshine (and I still have the imprint of it on my bottom and thighs to prove it!).

Therefore I was not lost because I knew exactly where I was!

What a fantastic weekend!

SD wanted to make up for the fact that we had missed out on Swanage Regatta a couple of weeks before due to my health problems and so we packed up the van and headed for Corfe Castle deep in the Dorset countryside.



Corfe Castle stands above the village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck which is not a true island but rather a peninsula.

Corfe Castle was built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century and was one of the oldest castles in England to be built of stone rather than earth and timber.

Corfe Castle was twice besieged by the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War and fell in 1645 when it was partially demolished on Parliaments orders so that it's defences could not be re-used.



It is now owned by the National Trust and is a grade I listed building and a Sheduled Monument.

So there you are, a little bit of history but this isn't a history blog, I leave that to those much better qualified than me.

This is a blog about ME and my great weekend.

We spent the day wandering around Corfe Castle village looking at the beautiful houses:









Drinking coffee in the sunshine and I bought a SWORD!!

Now I'd wanted a really GOOD sword to go with my Xena warrior Princess costume that I didn't get to wear at the Regatta but I hadn't been able to find one and had to borrow a frankly inferior sword that was a little short and didn't have a scabbard.  I wanted a really swishy sword.   The type that you could chop someones head off with as befitting Xena but the one I'd borrowed was more like the stabby type.

Anyway, I saw the PERFECT sword outside a shop in a box full of swords and it was gold, the only one amongst the silver ones.  Just as I was approaching the shop a small boy PICKED UP MY SWORD!!!

I hovered while he examined it willing him to put it down and pick up a silver one - Xena NEEDED the gold one - she just ... she just ...  NEEDED it ...

SD refused to let me wrestle it from him or even challenge him to a duel on account of him only being about 6 which I didn't really see as relevant and I was heart broken when he went into the shop and handed over his 2 English pounds and walked off proudly clutching MY SWORD!!!

Fortunately when SD went in to enquire it transpired that they had lots more gold sword 'out the back' and so, like Sampson in Romeo and Juliet, I DID bite my thumb at him as I left proudly clutching my very own gold sword ...

After a wonderful afternoon we set up camp at Harmans Cross and lazed around for a bit before catching the steam train back to Corfe Castle for dinner.

How fantastic is this train station?




And this train?







We watched as the sun set over the castle and the lights came on in the village below leaving the castle in silhouette above it:




Inside the pub they had their own illuminations covering the ceiling:




The following day I woke up early as I usually do and went off for a wander while I waited patiently for SD to wake up.

After having a bit of a play on the adventure playground and finding some beehives:


I went back and jumped up and down on SD until he felt sick and got up - it was after all ALMOST 7.30am!!

That's when I got my breakfast and SD lost me.

Anyway, once he'd 'found me' again we packed up the van and headed down to Swanage for the day.

The sun shone, it was hot, hot, HOT (I was wearing a bikini top with my shorts and now have sunburn in curious parody of the VW logo - SD may not have tethered me but it looks a hell of a lot like he's BRANDED me!) - there was sea, there was sand, there was the most amazing salted caramel and fudge ice cream.



and there was this:



A tiny little rabbit jelly mould which makes me SO happy as I've recently decided to become a collector of jelly moulds ...

I know, you are slightly taken aback by the thought of Sarah Mac applying herself enough to ANYTHING to become a collector but fortunately I have SD to keep me focused and he gently steered me away from the antique watering can rose (which I actually REALLY needed as I have a watering can without one) and stopped me when I wondered if I might instead become a collector of brass lady shaped bells ...

Anyway, my jelly mould collection will no doubt be a whole other eagerly awaited post  but I just thought I'd share that one as it did come from Swanage.

So, it really was a FANTASTIC weekend and one that I really didn't want to end - especially when I got back and found ...

Hmmm, well, that really IS another post ...

12 comments:

joeh said...

I'm still trying to figure out how you were lost, but you've lost me.

Sounds like a wonderful weekend.

Sarah said...

Me too Joe - I wasn't actually lost at all except for in SD's mind - he just ASSUMED I'd wandered (or gambolled or scuttled) off somewhere - it never even occurred to him that I might have done something as normal as just gone to sit somewhere quiet to eat my breakfast ...

A.K. Knight said...

Mr. FC talks about Corfe Castle all the time. He used to live there. I will check if he recognizes any of the pictures on your blog and report back.

(No one likes an inferior sword. I would have arm wrestled the kid for it.)

Sarah said...

Did he FC - What a wonderful place to live! I have loads more photos, these are just from my phone and I haven't downloaded the camera ones yet. I may well write another post when I do. I'm so glad it didn't come to a wrestling match with that kid, I am trying so hard to be a proper grown up these days but things like that seems designed to get in my way ... xx

Brighton Pensioner said...

Another two of those places I've never visited but keep meaning to . . . And you've really got me wanting to. But I expect they are crowded so maybe I won't bother just yet.

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Loved it. And, curiously enough, we'll be heading that way 'ere long (or whatever) and are REALLY looking forward to it; I may even do some history-type posts as a result. Do you think that, maybe, you were lost and are now found?

Sarah said...

You should go BP. considering it was August and a lovely day Corfe Castle really wasn't that crowded (other than an excess of small boys buying swords!) and Swanage, although pretty busy, has a very long seafront so it can cope with lots of people. I would avoid the Regatta though as it's very busy then. Perhaps September would be a good time to visit?

I was thinking of you when I said I'd leave that to those better qualified Mike. I'll look out for your post. We had such a good time and I think it was less that I was lost but then was found rather than SD was blind and then could see :-)

Sharon said...

Just found your blog because of a comment you made to BP. I can't seem to stop reading previous posts. Love the pictures of England. (I am in South Carolina, USA) You make me laugh, particularly the kitten in the tub. I have cats and know what they get up to.

Sarah said...

Love the way you can find people through other people Sharon and thank you, so glad you are enjoying the blog - I think I found BP through Joe (Cranky Old Man). I have another cat related post coming soon so stay tuned ;-)

Emma Kate at Paint and Style said...

It looks incredibly beautiful! It's now on my list of places I need to visit. xxx

Sarah said...

It really is Emma Kate and do visit if you can, we had a wonderful day xx

Holly said...

I have hairy toes in the style of a hobbit :( I like your jelly mould. That is one beautiful little place. Would happily live there!