A Literary Evening.

I went to my second Literary Evening on Sunday.  This is not something I discovered through my studies but was introduced to me by my sister, herself a Professor at Kingston University.  This second evening in a sequence of planned events was a talk on the work and life of Daphne du Maurier.  I love the gothic genre and du Maurer's writing; this was an opportunity to learn more and I certainly did.

I didn't realise that Daphne du Maurier had written so many books, including 'The Birds' made famous by Alfred Hitchcock in the movie of the same name. There are the ones we all know of course, Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, My Cousin Rachel and so on, but there are some that I didn't know of.  These books of course head a list of 'must reads' for me. Mary Anne, The House on the Strand, The Scapegoat and so on...

The evening is held at my family's recently acquired hotel 'The Dragon Inn' in Crickhowell, but more of that in another posting.  The evening is held in a private dining room, discreetly lit with candles, and a three course dinner is served on a refectory type table.  A glass of chilled Presecco is served upon arrival with the meal  served shortly afterwards.  The menu is extensive and the food wonderful.  This is all inclusive with the talk (complete with visual aids) for £25 per person.  A total number of approximately 30 people will have tickets.  It's a first come, first served basis and sadly a lot of people are disappointed; but if you feel this sort of evening is for you, make inquiries early!

It was a lovely evening with like minded people, and a thoroughly enjoyable one.

A New Start

Good afternoon.

When I stopped posting on this blog, I never intended it to be over three years before my return!  Many events and all this time later here I am - again!  I still intend to write about the daily living of a retired lady and promote the Welsh valleys whenever I can, but some things have changed.  I am more qualified to write now, after taking a three year course at Newport University in Creative Writing.  It was at the start of this course that I gave up blogging.

I quickly realised that all my energies were require for writing and research for my course, one that I thoroughly enjoyed. When I completed it, I stopped writing for almost a year - I don't know why - but I am going to start again with this blog.  I hope some familiar followers will re-discover the blog and some new people will join me along the way.  I have a bit of catching up to do, so I'll end this re-introduction right now so that you can catch up with Miss Jones as she is in 2014!

Ahhh... Autumn

A wonderful season and this year we have had the weather to appreciate it in all it's glory. For me it's a time of reflection; of the months gone by, other Autumn seasons, other places, other homes.  But no matter where you live the season remains the same, rich in reds,oranges and ochres, a season crying out to be photographed - a season of remembrance.

One Solitary Grave

Just up the incline from the Viewing Point yesterday (see previous posting) was a grave on the side of the road which led to where we had parked. My friend and I had already concluded that this was formerly a limestone area, but this headstone confirmed the fact.

Well, if you choose to be laid anywhere, this was a wonderful spot for it.

View of Three Counties

'Observe all around you and be thankful for all that you have in this transitory life time'. That was the first quote for homework this week.  Beautiful I thought. The second instruction was to go to a place that you have never been before, sit a while, then close your eyes and commence a story. Hm mm...

I went to visit a friend in the Swansea valley on Friday.  I asked to be taken somewhere where I could achieve this. I was taken to a viewing point in the Brecon Beacons National Park.  It was superb, perfect for the project. I made some notes and felt I had enough material to complete the task set for me.  When I got home and re-read the instruction it said 'begin your storey with an action'! Difficult .... as I had visited one of the most beautiful and peaceful place imaginable!

Having to commence the story this weekend - ready for Tuesday morning - I decided to put a hang glider in the tale, completely fictional of course, but then my course is Creative Writing.  I commenced with him and his cavorting and the rest was easy as they say!

The pictures above are not nearly good enough to reflect the beauty of the views of the three counties below, but they indicate the serenity of the place.

Ballet - Under Milk Wood

Under Milk Wood performed by Ballet Cymru

Watching the performance of Under Milk Wood last night I decided that this was the absolute best of the three performances by this company that I have seen. Ballet Cymru have  performed How Green is my Valley and Lady of the Lake previously and I saw them both, but this one definitely has the edge.A play for voices is now a dance for words!

A Review Quotes:

Ballet Cymru are a young, vital group who are pushing back the barriers of classical ballet.  Using powerful and timeless stories the company challenges it's dancers to interpret some of the finest characters in literature. With a unique unpretentious style, Ballet Cymru is the perfect way to enjoy the highest possible standard of dance and storytelling.

Jane Eyre

Having watched this film last night I found it slow and dark - dark as in lighting not in content . Directed by Cary Fukunaga, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, based on the 1847 novel of the same name by Charlotte Bronte. The content was as accurate as I have seen and Mia Wasikowska has possibly given the best performance of Jane Eyre to date. But somehow it didn't work for me.  Almost two thirds of the film was shot in candlelight and, although atmospheric, became difficult to watch which made the film seem slow. No criticism of the performances though, and Dame Judy Dench was superb as Mrs Fairfax - as usual. The film was apparently shot in mainly in Derbyshire. Northern England – Yorkshire and Derbyshire, the moors and dales – they look like they’re something straight out of a  horror film.  Ten out of ten for atmospherics all the way through.