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Friday 22 February 2013

Getting away from my mobile phone


Blackpool Sands
I've been in Devon this week with my family where we made the most of crisp winter days with blue skies. We stayed in a thatched cottage in a remote village with views of the River Dart. En route when looking for services, we were pleased to spot a brown sign for Stourhead House, a stunning Palladian mansion inspired by the Italian Grand Tour.

Steam train from the ferry
In Dittisham we rang the bell by the Ferry Boat Inn (where we enjoyed the best Sunday roast ever) and a man appeared in a boat. He took us across the river to Greenway, Agatha Christie's house. We went on a riverboat cruise in Dartmouth where we saw a dolphin, a seal and a steam train; and at Blackpool Sands we found a sandy beach.

The best part about being in a remote village was that my mobile phone only worked if I stood on the crumbling steps by the church in the cold. Even then a couple of bars wasn't always enough to let my messages and emails through. I'm so used to tweets and texts beeping throughout the day that initially I missed them. But without them, my head was clearer and I found that I enjoyed the break. Of course as soon as we went anywhere in the car, the first thing I did was check messages and emails and reply to them. And on the last day I gave in and went into the pub/village store for a cappuccino and used their Wi-Fi.

On the path to Greenway from boat
Now it's almost March (hello Spring?), I need to change gear with respect to my writing so I can produce a half-decent draft of The Painting for the RNA New Writers' Scheme by the end of August. This means I shall have to [try and] limit time spent social networking. Sometimes it's easy to switch on the computer, open Word, open the internet; then Tweetdeck and Facebook, then Blogger to check stats and before I know it an hour has passed.

Do you sometimes wish you could get away from your mobile phone?

16 comments:

  1. Looks gorgeous ! I agree with you that's it's good to be without the phone or ipad which Im on constantly I even take it abroad with me and check emails. It would do us all good to get back to basics of not carrying a phone everywhere with us, good luck with the book.

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    1. Hi Anne, thanks for your comment. Hope you're feeling better. The scenery in Devon is beautiful and the blue skies meant we could make the most of it. It's good for me to not be able to use my mobile sometimes. When I go on those writing courses in Peaslake I can't get a mobile signal either, although they do have Wi-Fi in the hotel.x

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  2. Lovely photos Anita, I have very happy memories of Devon.

    Yes it is good to get offline occasionally. We had a lovely few days away immediately before Christmas with no internet access, it certainly helped the unwinding and relaxing.

    Happy writing.

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    1. Hi Shauna, thanks for visiting-the scenery was so beautiful, I couldn't stop taking pics!

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  3. Lovely pics Anita. I agree, we're all so used to constant updates that it's healthy to step off the treadmill of social media and enjoy the silence. All the best for your draft. :)

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    1. Thanks Helen-hope your writing is going well.x

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  4. Beautiful part of the world, Anita, and it sounds like you had lots of inspiration. I don't have an up-to-date mobile so can't access the Internet from it. Since I always use my computer for access, I enjoy times away from the desk knowing I can't be distracted. Maybe I should keep it that way!

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    1. Hi Rosemary, yes there was lots to inspire. Stourhead House in Wiltshire, where we stopped for lunch on the way provided lots of inspiration for Book 2 too.

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  5. Devon is so beautiful, I'd love to go back there for a visit at some point.

    I'm hopeless with my mobile, which I have to keep on silent for work and always forget to change the setting. I constantly miss calls. The Ipad at home, on the other hand, is in constant use.

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    1. It's a lovely part of the world Georgina. Oh yes, the iPad-another object which consumes time!x

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  6. Looks lovely, Anita. I've never been to Devon but everyone I know who has says it's beautiful.
    I'm definitely too attached to my phone but I think a wee bit time away every now and then is a good idea. Can hardly remember what I did with myself before twitter etc! Good luck with The Painting :-)

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    1. Hi Elle, thanks for your comment. Yes, Twitter etc has changed everything! Thanks x

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  7. Devon is so lovely, and it's nice to sometimes be somewhere with no signal! The only thing is I hate coming back to an inbox packed with emails. But what did we do before phones with instant access to everything? I'm sure we were all much more patient! (And probably less stressed...)

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    1. Hi Stacey, thanks for your comment. Yes, life was so different before email. I remember working in an office where we just did our job and occasionally someone would type and photocopy a memo to hand round. Then we had email and monitoring the emails became part of the job...x

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  8. Oh, I love beaches in the winter - they are one of my favourite things! No people and the sea is always a bit wild and devil-may-care. It has a great energy about it and always makes me feel creative.

    When I was back in SA I had no mobile phone reception and I cannot tell you how good it was - no Twitter, no texts, nothing. I think I checked my emails once a day if that. It was refreshing and you realise how little you actually 'need' to be in constant touch with the world out there.

    Having said that, it was jolly good to get plugged back in when I got back to the UK!

    http://unpublishedworksofme.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Hi Melissa, thanks for visiting. I like beaches in the winter too. It's great to get a break from social media etc, but like you I was pleased to get back to it! Hope your writing is going well.

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