Mostly Motley

Author: Anny

  • A Time For Remembrance and Reflection

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    When I was at high school back in the 1970’s, we studied the First World War, as part of our English course – reading the War Poets, performing Oh What A Lovely War. Some of us interviewed veterans of the First War and wrote up pieces about their experiences. We almost all had grandparents living,…

  • Progress Report

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    My daughters have just brought home their school reports. Panic not, I am not going to regale you with their content – I’m not that sort of mother and I hope someone will take me outside and shoot me if I should ever become one. No, what I wanted to say, is just how different…

  • Cawdor Castle, Oh, Yes Please…

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    I have to be honest – I’m insanely jealous of the people who own Cawdor Castle. I first went there with friends in 1995 and from the moment I walked inside, I felt comfortable – it’s one of those places, where you feel that you could just slip off your shoes, and curl up in a…

  • The Romance of Tomb Effigies

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    I’ve just realised something – I’m an effigy junkie. I’ve been visiting churches for as long as I can remember, fascinated by the architecture and the history, but it only dawned on me at the weekend, how much I’m drawn to the effigies. It was really brought home to me, when I visited Paulerspury (Northamptonshire,…

  • Chilling Out in Sutherland

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    I know that spending three weeks, touring the north of England and Scotland in two small tents, isn’t everyone’s idea of a great holiday, but it happens to be mine (well in the absence of funds to do it in five-star hotels anyway). Which is why, after exploring Ardnamurchan for a few days, we set off…

  • Hunting For Castles in Ardnamurchan

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    When we travelled north in August on our mammoth camping expedition, our first stop in Scotland was at Resipole, on the Ardnamurchan peninsula. First, one incy-wincy rant: what on earth are drivers doing on those single track roads? If we’d encountered one or maybe two idiots speeding into blind bends on single track roads, we’d have…

  • Going To Bed With Phil Rickman

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    I have a confession to make, for the past three nights, I’ve been taking another man to my bed – Phil Rickman. Well OK, not really – the husband would probably have noticed – in fact I’ve actually been reading Phil Rickman’s latest book, The Secrets of Pain – another in his series of novels…

  • Lanercost Priory Pilgrimage.

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    Lanercost Priory: Burtholme, Nr Brampton, Cumbria – CA8 2HQ One of the unexpected pleasures of our recent holiday, was finding that we were camping not far from a place I’d heard about, but never visited – Lanercost Priory. Why I should want to go there, apart from the usual enjoyment of all things ruined, is because…

  • Yoga Or The Pub?

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    Now it has to be said that although I like walking, I am not one of life’s natural fitness fanatics. I did have a brief love affair with rowing when I was at university, but I think it all went pear-shaped when I realised that I’d rather be lazily sculling myself across the river on…

  • Exploring Hadrian’s Wall

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    It’s confession time. Although I’ve been a history geek for as long as I can remember, I’d never been to Hadrian’s Wall until last month. We’d decided to head up to Scotland for a couple of weeks camping and thought it would get us off nicely if we started with a few days exploring Hadrian’s…

  • Camping Adventures In Scotland

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    Well, we actually did it – after talking about it for a couple of years, we finally packed up the car with the two small tents, an assorted collection of waterproof clothes and beachwear and of course the unsuspecting daughters, and drove north to Scotland. It had been ten years to the date since our last family…

  • A Visit To Canon’s Ashby & A Picnic.

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    Canon’s Ashby House in very rural Northamptonshire, is one of those half forgotten manor houses that pepper England, and when you find them, you feel as if you’ve been let into a precious secret. I probably shouldn’t even write about Canon’s Ashby in case it gets big headed and loses it’s charm; but I will,…