Seaside Art Retreat

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to Felixstowe for a seaside Art Retreat which was organised  by one of the people I met at Call of the Wild Soul. Seven lovely ladies met up for a weekend of fun, art, conversation and relaxation thanks to our fabulous hostess Marie and her family. 

Of course this kind of event is not without its dangers, the main one being ‘supplies envy’ when looking at the goodies everyone else had brought with them, and which, for some of us, has led to a post weekend online shopping spree!

Rather than write more about the weekend I  will post the time capsule I made as part of the course I am doing with Xanthe Berkley. This is my first attempted at Videoing which I found a lot more fun than I expected to  and only wish I had taken more film especially on the prom and by the pier. I shall know next time!

Hope you will find time to have a look - enjoy!

Seaside Art Retreat - Take 2 from Barbara Evans on Vimeo.

A Photo Walk in Steephill Cove

As usual we spent the holiday weekend on the Isle of Wight and taking advantage of the long weekend we decided to go over to Ventnor, with the aim of visiting Steephill Cove, a charming spot that can only be reached on foot via the coastal path or by boat. We had only been there once before out of season and were keen to see it in its summer glory. 

As we rounded the bend  we saw the cove was a hive of activity with kids digging on the beach, in the sea, and generally having a good time.

 

For grown ups there is the additional bonus of the Wheeler family’s foodie offerings in their restaurant the ‘Boat House’ and the ‘Crab Shack’. We hadn't booked for the Boat House  but managed to get a seat at the Crab shack where we enjoyed delicious crab pasties which are the shack speciality, washed down with a glass of cold Muscadet.

Apparently the Wheeler family have been longshoremen at Steephill for 500 years. Nowadays they sell their fresh seafood, look after the beach and hire out deck chairs. 

 The cove itself was colonized as a resort in Victorian times and boasts a few pretty cottages together with sometimes dilapidated, but ultimately picturesque shacks and huts. Some of these have been turned into attractive holiday accommodation.

 

It is hard to describe the ambience of the cove which is an attractive  jumble of flowers shacks, lobsterpots and cottages. 

 

Don’t miss it if you take a trip to the Isle of Wight.