Staying in a Monastery - The Positives and Negatives

Having always thought that you needed to be ultra religious to stay in a monastery, I now realise that isn't the case although a tolerance and respect of others' beliefs is understandably expected.

Image courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/HilfieldFriary/

Having recently returned from a stay at Hilfield Friary in Dorset, I am now going to let you into a few more secrets, just in case you were thinking about visiting a religious order. Granted, friary life isn't for everyone but here are the positives and negatives.

Have you ever thought about staying in a monastery?

Perhaps staying in a monastery is just what you need to get away from it all.

Views from Hilfield

A boat trip to Lundy Island

Ever thought about taking a trip to Lundy Island?  - A little island of adventure with a resident population of sika deer, wild goats and 28 people.

MS Oldenburg @ Lundy

I am Sailing

Shanklin Sailing Club  - Catamarans Ready

“Do you sail?”

Dawn Chorus Walk 2017

There are few people for whom I would gladly get up at 4am, but I would make an exception for Ian Boyd, Director of Arc Consulting, a non-profit company that promotes the re-utilization of public spaces and buildings for the benefit of the community, both humans and wildlife.

The Infectious Enthusiasm of Ian Boyd

Top Tips for May

Australia's Natural Wonders 

I was a bit of a weird child.  Like many of my peers, my grandmother looked after me during school holidays while my parents went out to work.  But unlike my friends who were content to play with dolls  and prams and have imaginary tea parties, I fantasised about far off countries. Places where adventures took place with mountains and wild animals and lots of caves to explore.  Of course, I hadn't even been out of the UK by then and it would be many years later before foreign travel was not the norm.  But I'd heard about Australia, a relative had moved out there.  I knew of its vast red deserts and its incredibly warm climate, the kangaroos and koala bears and I was enthralled by the book Walkabout, which we all read in school.

Wild Seas - Tasmania

Reptile Centre - Reptilarium & Terrapin Sanctuary at Fort Victoria

The opening day of the Isle of Wight's newest reptile attraction at Fort Victoria, The Reptilarium and Terrapin Sanctuary, saw the staff nervously excited and the visitors curious and interested as to what lay ahead of them in the old fort's tunnels.

Through an unassuming entrance lies 4 rooms of biodiversity: Desert, Jungle, a Terrapin Pool and a Nocturnal Room with reptiles as rare and diverse as Moroccan Uromastyx to Painted Wood Turtles.

Entrance to Reptilarium and Terrapin Sanctuary