think what you may be missing

Through a hole and over a stile to what new piece of Dorset?
















To a few daisies perhaps -

or even daisies in profusion with a hint of water in the distance









 and wild iris
















and buttercups in a truly rural setting

bordering the peace of Longham Lakes past which, not a few hundred yards away and not knowing what they pass by, stream cars head to tail moving at snail's pace in a bid to spend bank holiday on a crowded beach.

Optimism is trust that things will get better no matter how bad they seem

I have joined a golf club again after four years of “retirement”. 

At 89 that is optimism and worthy of an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

Extract from Mail Online 24 May.

Golfer ordered to pay £10,000 compensation after his terrible slice struck another player on the head.

The court heard that a study had shown that 92 per cent of golf shots fell within a 30 degree cone of the intended line but the shot played by Mr Muir fell into the eight per cent outside that group.

I had a golf lesson yesterday.

“A golf lesson?” queried my daughter in disbelief. Then, she hadn't read about Mr. Muir!

Steve Thorne, Senior Golf Professional at Canford Magna Golf Club greeted me as though I was an eighteen year old seeking help for a minor fault, not an 89 year old seeking extra length! 

Half an hour later I was hitting the ball better than for many, many years.

I went off to hit a few balls and met this young lad on the practice ground. 

"Want a play a few holes", I asked.

"Sure!" Nice fellow; an Irishman by the sound of him.

"Are you a member?"

"No"! he grimaced. Been up to Wentworth and missed out on a weekend with the boys. As I was passing I thought I'd drop in and hit a few balls".

And so off we went. He seemed impressed with the results of my lesson.

Nice mannered lad.

"That was awesome" he exclaimed.

"If you have the time, half an hour with Steve Thorne will probably get rid of your problems".

Well! you have to be kind to a golfer who is having trouble with his game!

Colour glorious colour

We have been here before, but when the trees were bare and snowdrops were the first signs of life.








Now the woodlands are a background to the colour of acers, rhododendrons and azaleas

In terms of colour, Dorset's Kingston Lacey has it all.

You have to believe next time will be even better!

This is a picture of a seemingly dejected golfer.

Even the swans couldn't stand about waiting to watch more.

But it was only 'seemingly': we had quite an enjoyable morning really!

most of the time, when we weren't actually playing golf that is!

The great explorers

Look at the chimney in this picture taken from where we live.

Above the chimney on the horizon is a wood.
In front of the wood, seemingly almost sitting on top of the chimney, is a faint blur which is exactly 10 miles as the crow flies from our flat.
It is the village of Kingston up on the Purbeck Hills, not far from Corfe Castle which is perched on the hill on the right of the picture.

For the past five months I have sat and looked at this view and wondered what it was like. Today we went to discover a new part of the world. Not being crows our journey was a bit further than 10 miles, but well worth the effort.




Across typicaly beautiful Dorset countryside, this is the approach to Kingston from Corfe Castle;






                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    and this is a close up of the church of St James whose tower marks the village from any distance.





More importantly, as in most good English villages, the pub, this one the Scott Arms, stands just below the church!










But no ordinary pub when you go round the back and sit in the garden and stare in awe at the view towards Corfe Castle with Poole Harbour and Broadstone beyond.

But, we didn't come to sit in a pub garden - well not yet anyway!





Off we went up the hill  which is steep, passing nosey sheep and views of Poole Harbour, until we could see the Jurassic Coast and sea on the other side of the Purbeck Hills.

We rested by a wood in which wild garlic grew in profusion and which later we discovered in our salad with our Dorset crab. At least they didn't add the bluebells!

And so, back down the hill to the Scott Arms which is a real discovery and where the food and beers are good.


For old explorers we hadn't done badly, although surprised at the number of other old explorers who all stopped for a chat.




Note for Eddie Harley.


If you wonder why I am climbing hills it is to get fit for golf. I have joined Canford Magna Golf Club which you can find on the internet and probably, one day, in the Guiness Book of Records as the oldest person ever to join a golf club: that's what I felt like on the way up the hill"!







Here's a picture of my new golfing partner, John, who plays like I do. As he said: "it's not the golf but the joy of being out here on a golf course that matters"; a phrase with which I agreed and which is used by all golfers when the ball doesn't go in the direction they though they had hit it!

Odds and ends on a windy day in Poole

Windy day yesterday and too damp underfoot for the bluebell woods. Went down to Poole Quay and its very good museum. Mind you, it was even windier there than at home.

Look at this picture carefully and note where he has his feet. I asked a father and grandfather with a small boy on a scooter why his right foot was on the scooter requiring him to pedal with his left foot.  I asked because I keeping seeing so many scooters being propelled in this fashion and I would have thought it natural to stand on the left foot and propel with the right foot.

The father didn't know and the grandfather said he must be left-handed but didn't know whether he was or not!  So, it has nothing to do with museums: I just asked!







Here's the museum. You could sit on the balcony at the top and  take light refreshments: but not yesterday unless you didn't mind the weather and wanted to see the views:










This is looking out to the harbour with a ship






and this is the High Street.




I borrowed these two pictures from a Poole Museum blog because mine looked somewhat dismal in yesterday's weather.


And here is another kind of ship or boat inside the museum.It is a dugout and if you think it seems to be suffering from woodworm it's because it is 2,310 years old!






Here'a a picture of the Guildhall Tavern I should have included in our 'anniversary' blog.

and here is John, a new found golfing friend.






It has been a blustery weekend and rain is falling now; but it wasn't this morning: it rarely does on golf courses!


Going back to the scooter, I suppose this is the sensible way!

What do you do in Poole?











A couple of evenings a week we go to the best bowling club in England and play "Spoons" where the members of the team with the best score each receive a spoon. Good company, exercise and a little sport for a couple of hours in great surroundings which I wrote about in January.
I mention it again, modestly, because I have just won my first spoon!

The weather being mostly fine hereabouts, I play a little golf at Canford Magna which has two 18 holes and one 9 hole courses: isn't it lovely now the trees have leaves?

    

You don't haveto walk all the time- there are places of rest and relaxation: 

You can even get married if you have time after a round of golf with the boys!

If that still leaves you with time on your hands there is always Broadstone Royal British Legion Club with its restaurant, bars, entertainment, snooker room and golf society! 

The only thing that's short down here is time to fit it all in!