If It’s Good Enough for Philip Larkin ….

Recently I read a quote from Philip Larkin. He evidently published an average of only four poems a year when in his prime. He said ‘Silence is preferable to publishing rubbish and far better for one’s reputation.’ It’s a relief that so prolific a poet could feel like this and acknowledge that sometimes the best words just won’t come to you.

It can happen to us all. Sometimes whatever we write just doesn’t gel. Perhaps we have our minds on problems elsewhere, or maybe we have health issues, and we can’t relax sufficiently to produce our best work. What’s the best way to deal with it?

We all have our own ways of coping. If there are problems we can solve, we should do so. If there are no solutions, acceptance is the only way. Sometimes going for a walk gives us time to clear our thoughts. How do you resolve it, or does it not happen to you?

Cliffs at West Bay

On a different note, my husband Mike and I had our first visit this year to West Bay, about an hour’s drive away from home along the Dorset coast; the cliffs there are so imposing. We like the place. The small town is not particularly attractive; it has far too much concrete for our liking, but there is also a certain quaintness in some parts. Also, and this is the big plus, it has the coastline. I rest my case.

As you can see from the photo, the cliffs are not too stable now, so I’m not sure those people should be so close to them. On the west side of the town, areas are now roped off because of further cliff falls. It’s a shame, as what looks to be a lovely little beach is no longer accessible, but that’s nature. We’re looking forward to our next visit.

Falling cliffs make this a dangerous area

West Bay revisited

 

Cliffs at West Bay

Last week we visited West Bay, about  half an hour away by car along the Dorset coast. This is the first visit this year; we wanted to see if the coastline looked different following last winter’s fierce storms. Thankfully the cliffs are as imposing as ever. We noticed little change although we are aware that there have been many rock falls and slippages along the Jurassic Coast. People do have to take care when walking and pay attention to any warning notices, both on the shorelines and the cliffs above.

What we did notice was the bank of shingle thrown up by the tides. Cottages which previously looked directly at the sea in some cases now look at a mound of sand. No doubt other tides will even this out.

The Jurassic coastline continues to inspire artists, writers, geologists and fossil hunters. From the white chalky cliffs of the Purbeck area to the west end of this coast, where the soil in Devon is deep red, there are many variations of hue. The striations are unique to each cove or cliff and artists utilise this in their work. We visited an art exhibition in West Bay which demonstrates this very clearly.

Closer look at cliffs

We ended our morning out in suitable fashion – enjoying locally-caught fish, and beautifully cooked chips, from one of the many kiosks providing food to tourists and locals alike.

Butterfly Summer and autumn cobwebs

Although summer is well over now, early autumn has so far been balmy here. I’ve even seen a couple of butterflies in the last week. It has definitely been a butterfly summer in our small garden. Apart from the usual Peacock butterflies, Red Admirals, and other more common (but still beautiful) varieties, this summer I’ve been lucky enough to see a Comma, and a Clouded Yellow. I had planned to set up my tripod and photograph them, but sadly each time I intended to do so, some family matters, usually genuinely urgent, stepped in to prevent me doing so. Perhaps next year?

With the advent of autumn, our garden became festooned with garlands of spiders’ webs. I did manage to capture some on the camera, with varying results. This spider was doing his morning gymnastics when I photographed him, so the web shook tremulously.

We caught the last of the warm sunny days last week with a return visit to West Bay, enjoying the reflections of boats and ending up with the obligatory fish and chip lunch.  Now the autumn rains seem to have arrived, although yesterday was still sunny.

 

 

 

 

On the writing front, in September I had a true story published in Crystal Magazine. I submitted a poem to a Writing Magazine competition, and an article to Crystal. I’ve had to remind my husband that I’m supposed to be the writer in the house, as he had two letters published in the Purbeck Gazette.

A photograph of mine was published in the Purbeck Gazette. This month so far has been difficult; I’m in the middle of writing an article which has needed a certain amount of research, but I’m getting there.

More from West Bay, and must do better.

The major industries in West Bay are fishing and tourism. It’s always possible to buy fresh fish here, both wet fish and fish and chips. Also crabs and lobsters are big business. As for tourism, this is a very popular spot, lovely walks, beautiful coast and countryside.

It’s not a good idea to feed the seagulls, but you do have to watch that they don’t steal the food from your fingers. They can also be vicious. I still think they’re lovely to look at. I would never feed them.

Writing didn’t do too well in April. We’ve had a lot going on in our lives this month, which kind of got in the way; nevertheless I submitted one poem and an article. Nothing published during the month though, so as the old school reports used to say – Must do better.

West Bay

At last we have some spring weather, and yesterday we drove to West Bay. Anyone watching the thriller on the television would recognise this as Broadchurch. It’s a lovely area, part of the Jurassic Coast and you can see the texture of the headland quite clearly. We enjoyed a walk around the seaside, and fish and chips by the harbour wall. A great day out, and more photos taken than I’ve taken in a while.