Jane Dallaway

  • Another day trip to the Isle of Wight

    5 October 2026

    We’ve been thinking about having a holiday in Northern Ireland. We’d take Breezy with us, obviously, and getting us all there will almost certainly involve a ferry. She’s never been on one, so we thought we’d give it a try in the name of research and training. We had a fun day out last year when we headed to the Isle of Wight by hovercraft, so this time we tried the ferry. We went over as foot passengers, and decided to come back from Ryde on the FastCat so she got a different method of transport under her paws.

    Breezy, a black and white terrier, sitting beneath a Wightlink sign reading Foot Passengers Wait Here

    Breezy standing on the blue ferry deck, peering between white railings at the sunlit sea

    We sat outside on the sun deck for much of the 45 minute ferry crossing, before heading into the lounge for the last 10 or 15 minutes to see how she did. It was noisier inside, and there were quite a few doggies, some making their presence known. She didn’t react and just sat down by our sides as she would in a cafe. A good start.

    A low tide beach with seaweed strewn across the sand, trees on the left and the Solent stretching away under a blue sky

    Once off the ferry we walked along the coastal path towards Ryde.

    The red brick tower of Quarr Abbey rising above a young apple orchard

    Quarr Abbey's stepped gables and tall brick tower against a deep blue sky, seen over a garden wall and greenhouse

    We stopped off at Quarr Abbey, which was surprisingly busy. A truly impressive building. The cafe was even busier, with a 30 to 45 minute delay on hot food. Breezy isn’t allowed in the tea room (only assistance dogs), but dogs on leads are welcome in the tea garden, so we sat outside. We didn’t want to sit around that long in the sunshine, so we opted for cheese scones. The food was fine, nothing special, but convenient.

    The ruins of the original Quarr Abbey across a meadow, framed by hawthorn branches with the sea beyond

    A little further along the coastal path are the remains of the original abbey. The walk to Ryde didn’t take very long at all and we were there several hours before our booked crossing. After a wander around the town and picking up a few odds and ends from cute shops on Union Street, we had a tea and treat at Chocolate Apothecary before heading down the pier to board an earlier FastCat.

    Calm blue sea from the FastCat window, with the Portsmouth skyline and Spinnaker Tower on the horizon

    This time we stayed inside. We could feel a lot more movement from the water, even though it was a pretty still day, but Breezy seemed unfazed.

    Breezy curled up asleep in her purple harness on a patchwork bone-print mat on the FastCat floor

    She just lay down on her mat and slept.

    Based on this outing a longer ferry journey might well be an option. Time to do more research!

  • Explorer Day: Hampstead

    2 October 2026

    Somehow, despite living in London for 8 years once upon a time, I’ve never been to Hampstead until today. My friend and I made the most of a warm and sunny late-summer-feeling day and had a great explore, really getting a feel for the place.

    Inside The Well Walk Theatre cafe, with a chandelier, dark panelling and a broomstick hanging in the window

    We started the day with a cup of tea at The Well Walk Theatre cafe. A lovely space. Elegant and stylish but also cosy. We liked it so much that we returned here for a bite to eat after our explore of the Heath. Just across the road was Burgh House, so we had a wander around there enjoying the building and the art. The cafe looked wonderful with a great cake selection.

    St Paul's Cathedral rising behind bomb rubble, a war painting by Donald Towner at Burgh House

    Continuing the summer’s theme of war art, here’s another piece that I spotted in the Amongst the Trees and Terraces: Donald Chisholm Towner (1903 - 1985) exhibition. The information panel told me he was born and brought up in Eastbourne so I wondered if he was related to the Towner of the gallery there. It turns out that he was the Great-Nephew of that Towner.

    Snowy Heath with bare trees and a frozen pond by Donald Towner at Burgh House

    Another piece by Donald Towner, this time of the Heath.

    Colourful painting of Hampstead buildings and trees by Duncan Grant at Burgh House

    I spotted this in the Hampstead Vanished and Imagined exhibition and recognised it as Duncan Grant after spending time at Charleston last week.

    Samizdat installation at Burgh House, a tower of chained books topped with a typewriter

    This piece was arresting, almost literally. The information panel tells me it relates “to the clandestine copying and distribution of banned literature, particularly in Eastern Europe during the 1960s-1980s”, and that “This installation pays homage to those who risked their freedom to keep suppressed voices alive.”

    One of the Hampstead Heath ponds, still and green, ringed with trees

    From here we headed to the Heath. We walked through woodland, across meadows, through fields and around ponds. I hadn’t appreciated how varied the landscape would be.

    Big clouds over treetops, taken from a bench at the top of Parliament Hill

    Looking over the London skyline from Parliament Hill, with two people on a bench

    And then we made it to the viewpoint at Parliament Hill, where we sat on a bench at the top and looked over to trees and greenery on one side, and the city on the other. It felt really special, and peaceful.

    Kenwood House seen across the dry meadow below it

    After leaving our bench we headed off around some of the ponds and found ourselves in the Kenwood Estate looking at the house from the water’s edge. An impressive building which must have had quite the view in its history.

    A pistachio ice cream sandwich dipped in dark chocolate

    After re-tracing our steps to the Well Walk Theatre cafe for a late lunch, we walked back towards the train station through Hampstead village. I couldn’t resist ending my day out with this beautiful piece of ice cream art, a pistachio ice cream sandwich.

  • It’s safe to cross

    29 September 2026

    A pedestrian crossing light in Berlin showing a green walking man in a hat, against a clear blue sky

    Many years ago, when I was in Berlin, I took this photo. I liked the sprightly hatted man telling me it was safe to cross. A bit of research tells me that he is an Ampelmännchen.

    I’m not the only one to have enjoyed the different “it’s safe to walk” lights. Yesterday’s edition of The Knowledge pointed me at Walking Men From Around the World.

    Nine green crossing figures from Lyon, Corunna, Puno, Andorra, Barcelona, Cuenca, Buenos Aires, Hoi An and Cape Town, with Corunna's a woman in a skirt with a ponytail

    I enjoyed seeing that Corunna uses a female figure to let people know it’s safe to cross. Perhaps the Moss and Fog article should be called “Walking Men (and Women) From Around the World”. That said, the original art installation behind the imagery in the article is called Walking Men Worldwide, so perhaps it’s OK?!

    It did leave me wondering if there are other places that use women on their crossing lights, so I did a bit of an AI search. Turns out that there are, though they seem to be rare. Germany has the Ampelfrau, with her skirt and pigtails, and Amersfoort in the Netherlands has (or had) Sofie, with a ponytail. Pingtung in Taiwan even had a couple who became parents. I think it’s the variety I find charming.