A rainy week at Isla Cristina + a new Kirsty McGee #Kickstarter

I'm linking up with The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.

We've spent this week at Camper Park Playas De Luz which is just outside Isla Cristina in Andalusia. The campsite only opened in August of this year and consists of a two tiered gravelled plateau overlooking marshlands. Dave chose it for its proximity to a via verde which runs directly alongside the campsite entrance. We thought we would be able to cycle for quite a distance in two directions to explore the area. Unfortunately torrential rain on our first night followed by more rain on pretty much every other day has rendered the via verde more a canal so not ideal for cycling! We've had a few walks - tiptoeing along its edges! - though and cycled into Isla Cristina for shopping and sightseeing. The older part of town is pretty and quaint. I loved a seated statue of a man reading (couldn't spot a sculptor's name).

I was put off by the state of the litter- and glass-strewn cycle path over the bridge into town - and having to push my bike back with a puncture one time. Even by Spanish standards, the roadway looked uncared for. Once into town it was ok though and the red painted cycle route around the edge of town is nice to ride along.

We actually shopped at a Lidl too! Having been quite rude about them in the past because I couldn't ever find food there that I wanted to eat, I discovered this week that Spanish Lidls at least have improved drastically over the last few years! They had organic fresh fruit and vegetables, plus a good range of preprepared vegetarian foods. I had thought vegetarian and vegan food would be much more difficult to find in Spain, but in the supermarkets at least it's been as easy as in France and the UK.

For music fans amongst us,

There's A New Kirsty McGee Album On Kickstarter!!

Get pledging! I love Kirsty's music and she needs £5500 or the album won't happen. Pleeez join me?!

In bookish news I am currently (finally?) getting into the Christmas spirit by reading Christmas At Black Cherry Retreat by Angela Britnell. I got a copy as part of it's Rachel's Random Resources blog tour - Rachel gets some great books on her tours. Take a look and sign up your blog if you haven't already!


Giveaways closing soon
28th Nov: Anthony Spaeth books giveaway at Dab Of Darkness
29th Nov: An Unpromised Land by Leon Gettler audiobook giveaway at Dab Of Darkness
See all giveaways and free books in my Giveaway Linkup

On my blogs this week were:

Stephanie Jane
2019 New Release Challenge sign-up post

Literary Flits
The Bees by Laline Paull review
Divided We Stand by Rachel McLean spotlight
Hildegard of Bingen by Honey Meconi review
Sweet Days Of Discipline by Fleur Jaeggy review
Becoming Someone by Anne Goodwin review
The Dragon and the Lumberjack by S W Ellenwood spotlight + excerpt
The Girl And The Rat by Jari Jarvela review

Artisan Rainbow
Westie #Scottie Dog Tree Decoration by Cherish Handmade
House Number Sign by Sol Pixie Dust
Ceramic Daisy #Flower by JG Ceramic Gifts
Stained Glass #Mistletoe by Mayfly Mosaics
#Kawaii #Penguin Key Charm by Claytive Designs
#Snowman Toilet Roll Cover by Tilly Knits Shop
Upcycled Book Apple Ornament by Creaton Crafts

Airing Out
Campsite - Playas De Luz - Isla Cristina - Andalusia - Spain

Stained Glass #Mistletoe by Mayfly Mosaics

Upcycled Book Apple Ornament by Creaton Crafts

We visit The Shops At Dartington and find Totnes Community Bookshop

Dave was intrigued when he saw The Shops marked on the

Upcycled figure at The Shops 

map at nearby Dartington. Normally towns don't bother to announce their retail district so proudly so he investigated further. It turns out that The Shops At Dartington are part of something a bit special. The estate was purchased by Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst in 1925 and they 'embarked on what they called the Dartington Experiment to regenerate a rural community.' The Elmhirsts welcomed people who were interested in social change and reform - artists, economists, horticulturalists - and the estate is still very much a social enterprise today, ploughing any commercial profit back into local projects. There is a full calendar of musical, artistic, culinary and literary events as well as an arthouse cinema, beautiful gardens, restaurants and the eponymous Shops. Parking is pretty cheap and we also spotted a Sustrans cycle / walking route from Totnes.

We began wandering around outside this pretty venue

The Sustrans route leading away from the bridge 

which is all old stone and flowers. Lots of the trees were in full blossom and there are interesting details like the above upcycled figure near to the Restore shop. Restore is a voluntary enterprise, part of Refurnish Devon, which brings people together to learn how to repair and restore their existing furniture as well as upcycling individual pieces for the shop. Right now there's a nice gateleg table there!

We managed not to allow ourselves into the very tempting food shop and also bypassed another business selling fire bowls, outdoor pizza ovens and the like. A homewares shop had Christy towels at half price, but we don't have the space! Instead we spent our time (and money) in a greeting card shop which has a fabulous range of cards - special occasions, humorous, and arty. I especially appreciated their support of local artists and liked designs by Kerry Tremlett from Exeter and Sally Anderson from

Sally Anderson greeting cards 

Teignmouth. Our final discovery was a branch of the vegetarian Cranks Restaurant which Dave remembers as the first veggie eaterie in London. He even ate there in 1967 and we are planning to treat me to a birthday lunch at the Dartington establishment (on Tuesday, just as a by the way!) so I will review it next week. I think if we do find our perfect abode in Torquay, we will be visiting Dartington fairly frequently!

Another town we would be visiting frequently would be Totnes. We have already stopped by once and loved its hippy vibe. This time we hoped for another good DVD, but couldn't find anything promising that we hadn't already seen. My other aim was to find a cafe with a book exchange shelf because I thought Totnes looked a likely place. I wasn't able to google one either there or in Torquay - so if you know better, please let me know. But in the meantime, we made the wonderful discovery of the Totnes Community Bookshop in Castle Street. It officially became a community enterprise in March and hosts events such as open mic poetry evenings, author visits and acoustic music. I think all the books are second hand, but are in good condition and there's an excellent selection. Most of the paperbacks that caught my eye were £2 each so we chose five between us and, best of all, I got a £1 trade-in each on the three I had hoped to exchange. So if you want to read Daughter Of The Killing Fields, Fermat's Last Theorem (review blogged tomorrow) or The Amateur Marriage, my copies are now all at the Totnes Community Bookshop. Go take a look!

Photo from Totnes Community Bookshop FB page