Thursday 25 July 2019

Liz Shakespeare Reviews 'A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood' by Allan Boxall

The publication of a new book set in Devon is always good news, but the publication of one as captivating as A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood is a cause for celebration. There are few authors who know rural Devon well enough to write about it convincingly but Allan Boxall, now in his early eighties, knows it well and worked on A Breath of Moonscent for almost twenty years before he ventured to publish it. His hard work has paid off. The book describes the area in intimate and affectionate detail and will delight anyone who loves the Devon countryside and its people.
Allan Boxall moved to North Devon with his parents during the Second World War, when he was four years old. It was a wonderful childhood, Allan was free to roam the countryside and he soon made friends, acquiring a Devon accent along the way. He attended school in Dolton and then Torrington, and worked on a farm for eighteen months before eventually leaving Devon to join the Navy.

A Breath of Moonscent focusses on an area of North Devon that has been lovingly documented before. The Dolton area was the subject of much work by the eminent photographer James Ravilious, who created an invaluable record of rural life when he worked for the Beaford Photographic Archive. The aim of the project was to capture the very special and individual nature of North Devon just as it was starting to change. Allan Boxall’s written account depicts the same area at an earlier time, before change was envisaged, and he portrays in words what Ravilious achieved in images.

This is not a romanticised account of rural life. There are hardships, there are deaths, there are regrets, but the author shows that these events are part of the natural cycle of life. Reading his portrayals of the people of Dolton, one feels one has known them personally – or, at least, seen a Ravilious photograph of them:

‘Tom Baker was a tough old fellow, gnarled and stringy as a war-scarred tomcat, a face weather-beaten and ravaged by seventy years of sun, rain, and biting winds, pocked by the savage stings of angry wasps which had attacked him when he accidently hacked into their nest whilst paring a hedge, mean and short-tempered through decades of failed harvests which he remembered more than the successful ones.’

Some of the people Boxall writes about were indeed photographed by Ravilious in later years including one of Ravilious’s favourite subjects, Archie Parkhouse, who is as familiar from Boxall’s description as he is in the photographs.

Until comparatively recent times, life in North Devon was dominated by the seasons and the weather, because most people either worked on the land, or walked or cycled along miles of narrow lanes to reach school or work. Boxall recalls in loving detail the skeletal woods and barren fields of winter, the magical return of spring when ‘Snowdrops lined the brook like a carpet of green-tinted snow’, the summer hedgerows ‘awash with summer seas of umbellifers and red campion; honey bees and bumble bees, wood wasps and butterflies; a kaleidoscope of pastel colours shimmering and swaying,’ and autumn, ‘with the beech leaves golden, the oak secreting fawn-brown acorns neat in their pitted cups.’

Alongside the lyrical descriptions of landscape, there are many amusing stories. The account of moving house, - when a steep, stony lane had to be descended with a china cabinet, Calor gas stove and other household bits and pieces piled high on a cart drawn by an excitable horse - is likely to make the reader laugh out loud.

A Breath of Moonscent takes us back to a magical era in North Devon, when life was hard but the rewards were great; when there was no roar of distant traffic, when the stars were brighter, and the silence was disturbed only by the hoot of an owl or the bark of a fox.
Liz Shakespeare Reviews 'A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood' by Allan Boxall
Devon Author Allan Boxall
A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood by Allan Boxall  Published by Blue Poppy Publishing 25/7/2019
A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood by Allan Boxall
Archie Parkhouse - Photograph by James Ravilious for the Beaford Archive  © Beaford Arts
Archie Parkhouse. Photograph by James Ravilious for the Beaford Archive  © Beaford Arts
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A Breath of Moonscent: Memories of a Devon Childhood by Allan Boxall
Published by Blue Poppy Publishing
Available from www.bluepoppypublishing.co.uk or from bookshops.
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Liz Shakespeare is the author of five books set in Devon. 
Tap here to visit Liz Shakespeare's website
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About Beaford Arts "The Beaford Archive is an extraordinary collection of material about North Devon dating back to 1890. It is best known for its photographs by James Ravilious, for whom the Archive was his life’s work, and it was one of the first commissions taken on by Roger Deakins, now an Oscar-winning cinematographer." 
Tap this link to visit "HERE: Uncovering North Devon" 

Thursday 18 July 2019

Signs of Summer. Join local Devon Author, Liz Shakespeare, at local events around the Southwest.

Readers who enjoy books with local settings will have the opportunity to buy signed copies this summer. Liz Shakespeare has become well-known as an author who brings to life the people, history and landscapes of Devon, and she has a busy summer ahead visiting many South-West events.
Liz said ‘My most recent book, The Postman Poet, tells the story of Devon’s own Edward Capern and I am particularly looking forward to telling readers about him this year, which marks the two hundredth anniversary of his birth.’
 
Liz has a long Devon ancestry which she feels has given her a good understanding of Devon and its people. The Postman Poet will be featured at the Dartmoor Folk Festival on August 10th when Liz will be joining with musicians Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll to celebrate the life and songs of Devon’s Postman Poet.
Historical research was also the inspiration for her previous books, The Turning of the Tide, a true story of a young Clovelly mother confined in Bideford Workhouse, Fever: A Story from a Devon Churchyard, and The Memory Be Green: An Oral History of a Devon Village. All Around The Year, is a collection of twelve poignant stories, deeply rooted in the Devon countryside, and each linked to a month of the year from January through to December.
Liz will be signing copies of all her books at:
    • Launceston Show on July 25th
    • In the Magpie Marquee at the Mid-Devon Show on July 27th
    • Woolsery Show on July 29th
    • Clovelly Maritime Festival on August 3rd
    • In the Crafts and Gifts Marquee at the North Devon Show on August 7th
    • Okehampton Show on August 8th
    • Dartmoor Folk Festival on August 10th and 11th
    • Chagford Show on August 15th
    • RHS Garden Rosemoor on August 16th and 17th
    • Holsworthy Show on August 22nd
    • Lustleigh Village Show on August 26th
    • Clovelly Crab and Lobster Festival on September 1st
      Liz Shakespeare commemorates the 200th Anniversary of Edward Capern "The Postman Poet".
      Liz’s books can also be ordered post-free from her website www.lizshakespeare.co.uk 
       Liz Shakespeare commemorates the 200th Anniversary of Edward Capern "The Postman Poet".

      Friday 21 June 2019

      SAVE THE DATE. The Northam Care Trust's Annual Summer Fete Saturday 13th July

      The Northam Care Trust (formerly Northam Lodge) will be holding their annual Summer Fete on Saturday 13th July from 12pm to 4pm in the grounds of the Rose Hill Activity Centre, Heywood Road, Bideford EX39 3PG.
      There will be stalls to browse, fun and games for all ages, pillow bash, classic cars and a fire engine. Satisfy your appetite with hot dogs, an ice cream parlour and our own delicious cake stall. Entertainment will be provided by the Dance Fit Belly Dancers, the Atlantic Racquet Centre will be holding a tennis demo, and Moo Music will be providing moosical and sensory fun for all ages.
      Fundraising is essential for us at The Northam Care Trust. This year all money raised at the Fete will go towards the sensory developments of our external garden areas to improve access for our clients. Please SAVE THE DATE and come along for a fun afternoon and support your local Charity.

      The Northam Care Trust's Annual Summer Fete Saturday 13th July
      at www.northamcaretrust.co.uk.
       ðŸ‘€ðŸ‘€ðŸ‘€
      ABOUT NORTHAM CARE TRUST
      The Northam Care Trust is a charity formed as Northam Lodge in 1978 and our mission is to support people with learning and physical disabilities in having choice and control in achieving the best possible quality of life, evidenced by real quality outcomes and supported by our passion for excellence. They are based in Northam and Bideford in North Devon and have developed person centred support for people with profound and multiple learning and other disabilities and complex needs in residential and day activities. Excellent communication, respect, dignity, engagement, support for carers and a set of values and behaviours underpin our work and add value with personalisation at the core. They are the only organisation in North Devon and North Cornwall providing this high care specialist service and are a vital resource for families and carers whose relatives live in our accommodation or use our community support facilities including the range of day activities we offer at Rose Hill. Tap here to find out more about the Northam Care Trust Past and Present
      The Northam Care Trust