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An inspirational lady

We have been staying with our very dear friend, 60goingon16.  She lives in a small village set amongst the wooded hills and valleys of mid-Devon.  We had a wonderful, mellow time, reminiscing about people and places we have shared over forty years of friendship.  We have enjoyed walking the dogs, yummy things to eat, and some time sitting in the sunshine in her garden, while a neighbour had a rather delicious smelling bonfire a few doors further up the street. The air smelt autumnal and the sunlight was gentle and golden.
In Dulverton, there is currently an exhibition about an amazing lady called Hope Bourne.  You can read more about her here 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-28064139
She was born in Oxford in 1918.  In the early 1950s she and her mother came to live on Exmoor. By the 1970s Hope Bourne was on her own, with no home, no formal qualifications and little money.  What she did possess, in abundance, was intelligence, fortitude, and a deep love of wild places.  She lived alone, in a small caravan sited in a remote part of Exmoor.  She was more or less self-sufficient, earning a small living through her writing, sketches and paintings of her environment.  She loved colour, "one of the great emotional forces of life".  Her surroundings developed a deep sense of spirituality within her.  
There is much to learn from her words and so I shall be checking out second-hand book shops to look for her books.  She is a very inspirational lady.


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