23 December 2010

Even closer to Christmas now.....

Went out for a quiet (!) drink with some chums last night and ended up in the Galleon Bar at The Royal Castle Hotel

Right in the centre of town and opposite the Boat Float The RCH is one of the first places we went in, 20 odd years ago when we re-discovered Dartmouth.

Love it there, usually meet someone we know and they do great things all year round. New Year's Eve is always a fantastic event at The RCH. Full fancy dress being the order of the day.
And there it is at the back of the Boat Float, taken back in the summer. Today and for the Christmas period, The RCH carries a very fetching red ribbon cross on the front, picture to follow.....


Just off now to a champagne breakfast at a local hostelry organised by a very dear friend who is flying out to Holland tomorrow, to be with her son at Christmas. It is a tough gig but someones got to do it. I think there's food as well as champers so nice and balanced start to the day.


If you're tempted to come down to Darty for New Year, there may be some accommodation available and it's best to try the Tourist Information Office (TIC); they have details of local availability. Click on the link or phone 01803 834224.

22 December 2010

Nearly Christmas.....

'tis the 23rd of December and today was the 'works do' for the By The Dart team. We were booked onto The Resnova wonderful floating restaurant on the River Dart.
May not look too enticing now but picture it in July, sun cascading off the hull, sipping martinis from the deck, it's heaven. And the views of Dartmouth and our poor relatives - Kingswear, are breathtaking.

Anyway, back to today. The whole team were picked up from the Dartmouth side and Kingswear and ferried over to the restaurant by the Puffin water taxi. See below:
 So in some particular order we have: Mark, Clare, Heather, Lizzy, AD, Anne, Sarah, Ruth, Paul, Lisa, Sarah (again) and Chloe.

All looking terribly cold but excited!









Dartmouth was very nippy today and this was the view from the water taxi, the trees look snowy but the white is actually frost!












After lunch we all got delivered safely back to the correct side of the river and stumbled off home. Apart from Mark who went back to the office to finish off.
Everyone had a lovely time, so thanks to Mark & Ruth and Happy Christmas to all.




19 December 2010

Lazy Sunday.....

Enjoying a very peaceful Sunday following a lovely party last night with very dear friends in town.
Woke up and it's raining, no snow, very odd! 
 
Have been told off for not giving a balanced view of stuff. So here goes:
The very best place to find out about Dartmouth for tourists is of course our wonderful Dartmouth Tourist Information Centre or Darty TIC as it is known. Not only can you ask them to send you a brilliant brochure, 2011 edition just launched, you can ring them up 01803 834224 or pop in to see them. They actually have a team of Superwomen & Ken who will answer any and all your questions. You can also buy train tickets, National Express coach tickets and even Princess Theatre, Torquay tickets.








Thought I would include a few photos I took yesterday in the crisp afternoon sunshine.

18 December 2010

More snow!




More snow! Dartmouth now almost buried under a full millimeter of snow (in places). I'm not sure how long supplies will last, this is now desperate.
On the other hand, it'll probably all be gone by lunchtime!
It might be cold and snow covered but the sky is blue and the sun is out, it looks gorgeous.

17 December 2010

Getting closer to Crimble....

More snow overnight, must have had almost 1/2 a millimeter! All gone by lunchtime. Had some guests arrive from Cardiff and they have had about 8 inches (sorry for the mixed measurements) but that's a lot.

Great Film Society party last night with 70 odd people there. (I do mean odd) ((not really)) The food was really good, buffet style with cold meats, cheeses, pizza, samosas, garlic bread, homemade pickles and dips. All free to our lovely members. Did I mention it is currently just £25 per year to join. Bit of a debate over whether we should show Tron:Legacy here next year. Some argue we are more comfortable and intimate atmosphered' than the Flavel but I think the Flavel wins (only on this film though) because of their new digital projection and sound quality. That way you really appreaciate the Daft Punk soundtrack and visuals fully. But hey, what do I know?

Am working on the By The Dart Business Directory for January and chasing subscribers for artwork as we close for print any day now. Big issue with 2,000 listings in 2011. 'By The Dart' magazine has now become fully accepted as a great place to advertise in. 

As well as the usual adverts of course, what makes it popular are the features. Profiles on local people, stories behind the jobs, interviews and lots more about the people and community that is Dartmouth.
Another advantage, besides it being free, is that each edition goes online. You can read it here: www.yudu.com. Just type 'By The Dart' into the search box and there are all the back editions.

16 December 2010

Still December 2010 but the next day....

Tonight is the Christmas Party for Dartmouth Film Society at The Guildhall. We're showing Shrek, Forever After, The Final Chapter. Nice old fashioned Christmassy film with food and a bar!

The DFS is a great club that shows alternative films (usually) to mainstream blockbusters. It generally has a film every fortnight on a Thursday and in 2011 will start the film at 7.30pm.
It has been brought forward 30mins for 2011 so people from over the water can catch the last ferry without risking a coronary running down the embankment!

Good season of films coming up in 2011 including: The Boat That Rocked, A Prophet, Away We Go, Mother, The illusionist and Crazy Heart starring Jeff Bridges. It's only £25 a year and you get to see over 20 films so stunning value.
Website is www.dartmouthfilmsociety.org.uk.

Afterwards we wander down the road to The Windjammer pub to discuss film and drink beer and wine. The Windjammer has quality live music regularly through the year.



15 December 2010

In the beginning...




We escaped to Dartmouth in June 2004. It was hot. We became exhausted just unloading the removal van and carting all our stuff into the house. But we felt exhilarated because Dartmouth looked so beautiful and we were finally here.

Having moved here because we fell in love with it over a number of years I have decided to start a blog to explain to people what it is like once you move here.
We were told all sorts of stuff like "it wont be like a holiday once you're there!"
But do you know what, it is. It's brilliant.

So I am going to try to show what it is like in case you are thinking of moving here or just coming to visit. Beware, you will probably get hooked.

There is a lot to cover so I am going to run it as a diary and make it seasonal, sort of.

December 2010.
It's been cold, very cold, for Darty. Far from feeling excited by snow we feel rather 'down' because we don't feel like going out as it's too cold and slushy. We miss going out along the embankment or walking out to the Castle.

This is our roof terrace a couple of weeks ago. It never snows in Darty, but it did then!
We must be patient and wait for it to improve a bit so we can wrap up and venture out.