I’m currently trying to add a second blog (for my own use) to the one I already manage for Guru Boutique. It’s driving me even more bonkers than I already am. Fortunately, I have a brilliant friend who with a bit of luck might help me to get it up and running.

This second blog will deal with things I personally find to be important,  interesting, enlightening, worthwhile, beautiful or amusing.

In it, I hope to include a few of my own (and other people’s) scribbles, sketches, songs and snaps. I also hope to link it to Guru’s little publishing and events sideline and include some of those things and also include posts about the arts, personal history, the importance of our sense of place and society in general.

I’ve called it Honesty (hence the header image showing the old fashioned plant of that name). If I do get this personal blog going I’d love a few friends to join it and follow its progress. Here’s the link just in case you want to take me up on that… https://wordpress.com/view/berylmaughanhankin.blog

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Three years ago today, we sadly had to say our last goodbyes to this amazing man and true friend, Vernon Levy. I may add more about him one day (as there is so much to add), but right now I just want to say how much all of us at Guru miss him. He was a true friend and a great teacher to so many. We (and I suspect all who had the pleasure of meeting him), think of him often and always will.

Well, it was definitely not busy with shoppers in our lovely Darlington today but, who can blame people for bypassing towns for once and getting away from it all for the Easter Bank Holiday. There is one local town that bucked the trend, though. Just look at Whitby in the photo that goes with this post!
I can totally understand the attraction of that place. So many interesting features to find out about and explore. It’s a real gem on the North Yorkshire coast. The place where Captain Cook the great explorer served his apprenticeship, the spiritual home of the good ship Endeavour. Famous whaling port in the days when that was a huge industry (although I don’t really dwell on that). The Dracula/Bram Stoker connection, the 199 steps. Whitby Abbey, the place where the great Synod of Whitby took place and holy men from all over the world travelled great distances over long lengths of time to converge there in order to form the laws of Christianity. Whitby jet (made famous by Queen Victoria when she insisted on it for her mourning jewellery after the death of her beloved Albert). A history of smugglers and smuggling. Folk festivals. Regattas. Home to Sutcliffe, a pioneering photographer. Scenic views, fine harbour, beaches, pier, the setting for many movies and TV series. Museums, the world-renowned Goth Festivals, fabulous fish’n’chips, olde worlde taverns, interesting shops, amusement galleries, lots to see and do on a great day, or longer, out and I’m sure there is more. No wonder it’s a popular destination, no wonder it is so successful and no wonder we all love it so much.