Thursday, August 25, 2011

Gone West


'In my beginning is my end' wrote T.S Eliot in his Four Quartets poem 'East Coker', and I really don't know about that - but it would be true to say that 'Near East Coker is my holiday destination'.

There will be no jaunt SW France-ward for us this year, austere times and all that, and whilst I will miss the southern sunshine I will not much miss the 14 hour drive; instead tomorrow we pootle westward in England for a quiet week where the zider apples grow and an American poet's ashes rest. 

Late Summer, the golden light, lengthening shadows and a decent pint - you know the sort of thing.

Now the light falls
Across the open field, leaving the deep lane
Shuttered with branches, dark in the afternoon

Well, hopefully not that dark T.S - I'm looking for at least one barbecue and some nice sunsets.

Catherine Howe - 'In The Hot Summer' (1971)

Will Tweet anything that grabs me - and see you back here in September x

20 comments:

  1. A decent pint south of Gretna is a hard thing to come by.

    Have a great time Mr H and family.

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  2. What fantastic names they've got that way. My aunt lived in Codford St Mary. But notice from Google maps that Melbury Osmond, Clifton Maybank and Frome St Quintin are nearby. They should form a 60s folk band - named after another Somerset town 'Stockwood'..

    Go for the cloudy, eggy-smelling scrumpy

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  3. Oh yes! If I want to be really really sick.

    Frome St Quintin - played rhythm guitar in a late 60s English public school psych band.

    Drew, your best wishes are appreciated but you are just trying to provoke me with your opening remark, and I will not be drawn.

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  4. That was not a remark but a statement of fact Mr H, all bloody warm and flat.

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  5. Happy hols Davy boy, I'm likely to be in Sherborne at some point in the next two weeks, my aunt and uncle are staying there currently so I'm trying to get over to see them.

    And I too am on my holidays in the West. Staying at home for two weeks!!

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  6. Beats the commute though Smoni, eh?

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  7. PS: I've made a little 28 minute mix to go with this post.

    You can download it here.

    If you open/play in iTunes you'll find the track list in the 'lyrics' tab.

    Proper job.

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  8. PPS: Sorry it's via Mediafire with all the annoying ads, but the file was too big for Box.net.

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  9. Mix just in time for the morning washing up, thank you.

    Wishing you and the entire H family a lovely trip x.

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  10. I feel the mix could not be better used than as washing up material.

    We are 'country' Greer. Swallows and green and ancient English stone.

    In my beginning...x

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  11. PS: Thankyou Lee. 'It's a jolly holiday with Mary...' (ancient childhood echoes, blah) x

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  12. That mix is rather lovely my friend. It has accompanied a prawn curry and chat with MLW as the birthday draws to close.

    Have a splendid break.

    x

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  13. Have a happy holiday Davy. Ignore drew. It's perfectly possible to get a decent pint south of Gretna. You may need to come to the north west to get it though

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  14. Um...Davy...where's is Sylvian's "September?"

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  15. ! I didn't forget, of course - thought of both it and you this morning - yet somehow it didn't seem right to break the holiday intermission. And today has been blissfully summer-like here - see my Twitpic.

    Still..
    'traditional' eh?

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  16. Postcript: I actually did go to East Coker church, one still Wednesday morning. Saw T.S's plaque, soaked up the centuries, left a note in the Visitors Book.

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  17. PPS: Gone West (the mix) is now on Mixcloud. Get me.

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