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Dear Friend
In this issue…
At the watermill…
Painting holidays…
Creative writing courses…
Self-Catering apartments…
......
A new beginning
Phew! The Breckon family made THE MOVE in November from castle to cottage – and now we are enjoying the secret delights of Forglen, one of the prettiest country estates in Scotland.
It took us six weeks to pack everything up at Castle of Park and wave it off to its various destinations: outgrown clothes to Oxfam, stuff to store, mega-loads of furniture to auction, various bits and bobs to friends, personal effects to Garden Cottage (where we are now) and mountains of bed linen, pillows and crockery to the car boot sale (or packed-to-the-gunwhales trailer sale, as ours was).
Lois is still having bad dreams about that sale. Emotions ran high and logic was cast to the wind. One gorgeously soft sky-blue kingsize lambswool blanket, never used and still in its packet, was on sale for a bargain £10. “I’ll give you 50p, and that’s my final offer!” sniffed one member of the great British public who wanted it for the dog’s basket. Lois, taking umbrage, brought the blanket back home, saying she’d rather see it burn than let it go for 50p.
 So we’re now cosy-ed up in Garden Cottage, a picturesque small house in the heart of the 1400-acre Forglen estate not far from where we used to live. Next door to our cottage is the magnificent Victorian walled garden for Forglen House (sometime seat of the Abercrombies) and a rhododendron glen complete with a babbling burn and waterfalls.
Bella and Rosa are in doggy heaven (what other state do they know, those lucky pooches), swimming for sticks and darting about the glen. The rest of us are enjoying the flora and fauna of Forglen, too. “It’s like being on a wildlife safari,” says Bill as a trio of roe deer lollop across the road in front of our car, or a barn owl flies across the windscreen and perches on a roadside branch, watching us unblinkingly. We’ve red squirrels in abundance, too, much more delicate than their grey cousins, squatting calmly on their hind legs eating nuts as we pass by. And in the next field, there are seven shaggy horned Highland cows, who regard us quizzically across the garden fence.
The cottage is but a stepping stone while our new house is being built a few miles away on Knock Hill. We’ve planned a modern Roman villa (a courtyard eco-house) with views of the sea. We’ll be using local stone, exposed timber, and lots of triple-glazing, and the whole should be ready some time in 2009.
An exciting year at the watermill
Our new incarnation ought to give us more time, but we seem busier than ever, not least because we are concentrating our holiday business efforts on our lovely house in Italy, the Watermill at Posara in Tuscany. Now that we are no longer running painting holidays or creative writing courses at the castle, we’ve been able to organise many more courses at the mill – and we’ve been able to sign up many of the tutors who made the castle courses so successful in recent years. So we are looking forward to a very busy season in Tuscany.
 If you’ve been to the castle, you’ll know the warmth of the hospitality provided there and if you’ve been to the watermill you’ll know that you can savour the true Italian lifestyle in a spectacular, unspoilt setting. Kerstin Rommel, who looks after the mill for us and acts as your host for the courses, gets even more praise than we did for her warm, charming, cheerful and efficient management, so you can be assured of a wonderful time.
So why not sample the true warmth of Italian hospitality at a watermill holiday this year? As well as a series of painting holidays, we are also running, for the first time, two creative writing holidays at the mill, in the Spring and Autumn. There are details below. And when there are no courses on, the mill apartments are available of self-catering lets.
“A magical setting for inspirational teaching”
 That was how House Beautiful magazine described the watermill and if you have not been before, we guess we ought to tell you a little something about the mill and the surrounding area.
Secluded millstream gardens, sun-drenched terraces, millstone tables under the vines for meals al fresco ... just some of the special charms of our historic watermill.
It stands beside the River Rosaro in the small village of Posara. Peaceful and secluded, yet part of the village, the mill is just a mile or so from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano with its cafés, restaurants and shops. This is the heart of the area of Lunigiana, in the North-west of Tuscany.
 Lunigiana feels very different from the rest of Tuscany: it is bordered on two sides by high mountains and on the third, by the sea. The scenery, with steep-sided valleys wooded with chestnut and European oak and overlooked by mountain crags and ruined fortresses, is unexpected and breath-taking, yet the unspoilt villages and towns of Lunigiana are close to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the resorts of the Golf of the Poets (where Byron and Shelley stayed) and less than an hour from the marvellous walled city of Lucca and from Pisa airport.
 Set in a gentle valley with mountain peaks in the background, the mill is a peaceful spot and we have lovingly restored the historic buildings and created five self-contained apartments around a courtyard.
These apartments come together for our painting and creative writing courses. The bright and airy rooms are well decorated and tastefully furnished. All enjoy lovely views of the river, the gardens or the mountains.
Around the mill there's a walled garden, a vine verandah, a lavender garden and riverside gardens, all with tables and chairs and providing delightful spots for sun-kissed or shady relaxation and contemplation. Then there are further secluded private gardens where you can stroll beside the millstream for about a quarter of a mile.
Painting in Posara
For centuries artists have drawn their inspiration from the Tuscan landscape and you could find few better places to enjoy your art and improve your skills than at The Watermill at Posara.
Secluded, yet part of the village; peaceful, yet just a mile from the walled medieval town of Fivizzano with its cafés, restaurants and shops; with pleasant gardens and peaceful millstream walks and with stunning views of the mountains in the background, the mill provides the ideal location for a painting holiday.
 Our courses are designed to help both experienced painters and beginners to make the most of their abilities and, most of all, enjoy their painting. We usually spend the first day or so painting around the mill, followed by excursions to the hills (olive groves and mountain views), to the medieval walls of Fivizzano and the castle and village of Verrucola. We take a picnic lunch, including local hams and cheeses. Wednesday is a leisure day and we organise an excursion by train through the beautiful nearby Regional Park of the Apuan Alps to the wonderful walled city of Lucca.
 We should emphasise that everything is included in the cost of your course: accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals (including dinner with wine at charming local restaurants), local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport; the excursion by train to Lucca) and tuition. All you have to do is to get to Pisa and we do the rest.
You will stay in bright, well-decorated bedrooms with traditional features in an elegant Tuscan house complex around a courtyard. There is a large communal sitting room with an open fire and a dining room for leisurely breakfasts. Dinner (included in the cost of the course) will be at several small and friendly local restaurants and will include regional Italian dishes and wines. We can cater for vegetarians on request. Non-painting partners are welcome (at a small discount), but you’ll have more fun if you join in and dabble!
Prices depend on which room you choose (see www.watermill.net for details). They start at £665+IVA (Italian VAT) per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a discount of £25 for a non-painting partner. Single rooms start at £715+IVA (Italian VAT). Italian IVA is currently 20%.
 The 2008 painting courses
We have been lucky to engage the services of the following great painting tutors for 2008. Several of them have already taken courses in Posara and several others have had successful courses at Castle of Park in the past and are looking forward to reaching under the Tuscan sun!
You can find out more about our tutors, about their courses and about the watermill on www.watermill.net, where each tutor also has a gallery featuring some of their work.
Annelise Pio Hansen
(Saturday 10 May to Saturday 17 May 2008)
Watercolours
Annelise's colours are soft but bright, just like the light reaching the sandy beaches and the soft hills not far from where she lives just outside Copenhagen.
For more about Annelise and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
Michael Kitchen
(Saturday 24 May to Saturday 31 May 2008)
Watercolours, oils and pastels
Michael works in watercolours, oils and pastels and is skilled in portraiture and in country and coastal scenes.
For more about Michael and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
 Mike Willdridge
(Saturday 31 May to Saturday 7 June 2008)
Watercolours, oils, acrylics, pastels
Mike works in a wide variety of media both ‘on location’ and in the studio. He works and teaches in a loose and free painting style.
For more about Mike and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
Muriel Owen
(Saturday 28 June to Saturday 5 July 2008)
Watercolours
Muriel is a leading watercolour painter. Her speciality is architecture and landscapes. Printed handouts accompany some of her demonstrations.
For more about Muriel and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
 Bruce Wilson
(Saturday 5 July to Saturday 12 July 2008)
Watercolours and other media
Bruce has become well known as a botanical artist, having done botanical illustration for books, magazines and TV.
For more about Bruce and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
Patricia Johnston
(Saturday 19 July to Saturday 26 July 2008)
Watercolours and oils
Patricia loves painting on location, to produce exciting, vibrant work. Her tutorials are fun and encouraging, both to beginners and more experienced painters. For more about Patricia and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
Frank Halliday
(Saturday 26 July to Saturday 2 August 2008)
Watercolours
Frank’s dry Yorkshire sense of humour makes every class or course that he runs a perfect delight, and you will have fun learning. Frank ran a fun-filled course at the castle last year; this is his first trip to Posara. For more about Frank and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
 Jennifer Branch
(Saturday 30 August to Saturday 6 September 2008)
Watercolours, oils, acrylics
Jennifer is a modern impressionist bringing her subjects to vibrant life on paper. While she prefers to work in watercolours, Jennifer is also skilled in oils and acrylics and is happy to teach in those media, too.
For more about Jennifer and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
Laraine Simpson
(Saturday 6 September to Saturday 13 September 2008)
Watercolours, oils, acrylics, pastels
Laraine is highly regarded as a perceptive, patient and encouraging tutor working with beginners and advanced students alike. She works in oils, pastels, watercolours, and a variety of drawing materials.
For more about Laraine and her paintings, visit her Tutor's page
 Terry Jarvis
(Saturday 13 September to Saturday 20 September 2008)
Watercolours, oils, acrylics, pastels
Terry is one of Australia’s leading watercolour artists. He also works in oils, pastels and acrylics. He also loves drawing and helping his students to develop their drawing skills.
For more about Terry and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
 Charles Sluga
(Saturday 4 October to Saturday 11 October 2008)
Watercolours
Charles is a highly respected and sought after artist and watercolour teacher in Australia. His friendly and enthusiastic approach, and eagerness to impart his wide knowledge, is reflected in his popularity as a tutor, and the waiting lists for his regular classes.
For more about Charles and his paintings, visit his Tutor's page
Getting there
 It is very easy to join a Watermill at Posara painting course. We pick you up at Pisa airport between 11am and 2pm (unless you decide to drive to Italy, in which case we’ll give you full directions).
You can book your own flights (there are good connections from Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, East Midlands, Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Bristol and Exeter) or, to make life easier, you can use the services of our Personal Travel Adviser, Ann Carter, who will fix everything for you at very competitive prices. There is absolutely no obligation to use her, but if you would like her help, her phone number is 01886 889000 and her email address is ann.carter@tarsc.net.
We have found that many travel agents these days are not very helpful and are often tied to big tour operators. Ann will give you personal service.
Creative writing at Posara
At the pink Castle of Park our creative writing courses concentrated, not unnaturally, on Romance – and where better to continue the romantic tradition than in Italy and in a yellow stucco/mellow stone watermill in the ancient and historic countryside of Tuscany.
 The mill is just the sort of place to which Boccaccio’s seven women and three men would have fled to tell their 100 tales of love (from the erotic to the tragic) in The Decameron. We reckon to have 10 or so writers on each course, so you too could regale the group with your ideas about love and romance…
Our courses at The Watermill at Posara provide a unique opportunity to improve your creative writing skills, learning from excellent tutors and enjoying the companionship of a select group of like-minded people. We offer intimate, well structured tuition concentrating on writing romantic fiction.
A Watermill at Posara course will undoubtedly help you to become a better writer. You will have opportunities to experiment with new techniques and fresh ways to express your thoughts and ideas. As well as group presentations and discussions, each tutor will discuss your work with you on a one-to-one basis.
The ethos of our courses is creativity and enjoyment, but if one of your aims is to sell your work, you will also learn what publishers and producers are looking for and how to provide manuscripts and scripts that are more likely to be accepted. This service and the critique of your work is, in itself, worth more than the cost of the course!
Our expert tutors will inspire and inform you -- and in your leisure moments you'll enjoy all delights of the mill, the riverside, the hills and the mountains in the background, plus savouring the delights of a truly unspoilt Italian lifestyle.
 The courses at the watermill are designed to help both enthusiastic beginners and more experienced writers. We aim to help you make the most of your abilities, whatever your level. Since there will only be ten or so people on each course, you can be assured of individual attention. But, above all, we are certain you will ENJOY your time with us.
We welcome couples, even if one of you will not be taking part in the course. There is a small discount for non-participating partners.
 After your work, you'll need a breath or two of fresh air. As well as strolls around the gardens and millstream, we’ll take you to Fivizzano for meals in local restaurants.
And on Wednesday we’ll take the train on the single-track railway through the regional park of the Apuan Alps to the beautiful walled city of Lucca, the quintessential Italian city.
 The 2008 creative writing courses
We are running just two exclusive creative writing courses this year. The tutors and the format are based on the highly successful format that we established at the Castle of Park in Scotland. We are transferring that expertise to Tuscany.
These are the courses:
 Sharon Kendrick
(Saturday 3 May to Saturday 10 May 2008)
‘Writing romantic fiction’
Sharon will pass on the benefits of her vast experience in writing romantic fiction and her intimate knowledge of what publishers like Harlequin Mills & Boon are looking for in a romantic novel.
For more about Sharon, visit her Tutor's page
 Anita Burgh
(Saturday 27 September to Saturday 4 October 2008)
Novel writing: release your potential’
For those of you who want to write a novel, but need help with work in progress or simply don’t know where to begin. While Anita loves to write, she also enjoys motivating others to do the same.
For more about Anita, visit her Tutor's page
As with our painting courses, we should emphasise that everything is included in the cost of your course: tuition, accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals (including dinner with wine at charming local restaurants) and local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport; the excursion by train to Lucca). All you have to do is to get to Pisa and we do the rest. (See Getting there, above.)
 You will stay in bright, well-decorated bedrooms with traditional features in an elegant Tuscan house complex around a courtyard. There is a large communal sitting room with an open fire and a dining room for leisurely breakfasts. Lunch will usually be taken outside in the mill gardens. Dinner (included in the cost of the course) will be at several small and friendly local restaurants and will include regional Italian dishes and wines. We can cater for vegetarians on request. There are facilities at the mill for individual tea and coffee making.
Prices depend on which room you choose (see www.watermill.net for details). They start at £665+IVA (Italian VAT) per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a discount of £25 for a non-painting partner. Single rooms start at £715+IVA (Italian VAT). Italian IVA is currently 20%.
Savour the true Italian lifestyle
When the mill is not busy with painting and creative writing courses it easily reverts back to self-contained apartments which are available for self-catering lets for a week or more.
The five spacious and elegant apartments are arranged around the courtyard. All have comfortable living rooms, well furnished bedrooms, a well equipped kitchen and modern bathroom.
Two apartments are in the three-storey Tuscan house in the mill courtyard, with views over the gardens and the mountains beyond; two others are set above the older watermill, with river and valley views; the fifth is set beside the olive press and the artists’ studio and looks out over gardens and the river.
There’s more information and plenty of pictures on our website www.watermill.net, but here are a few details:
 Apartment One (sleeps 4) has a large sitting room, with a wood fire, opening through an arch into a dining room with a fine old mahogany table and dining chairs. The newly fitted kitchen, with fridge and cooker, is big enough in which to eat breakfast. On the floor above are two double bedrooms, one with twin beds and the other furnished in Italian ‘Chippendale’ style, with a huge double bed. There’s a balcony overlooking the courtyard and gardens.
 Apartment Two (sleeps 2) has a modern bathroom and kitchen/dining room - and a huge bedroom, with easy chairs and an antique double bed. There are views over courtyard, river and mountains. Inside the entrance there is a wonderful wisteria stencil that leads you up your own marble staircase. It’s the ideal holiday home for a couple – and honeymooners have been known seldom to leave it!
 Apartment Three (sleeps 4) has a cosy sitting room, a large kitchen/dining room, two large double bedrooms, one with a double bed, the other with two singles. The bathroom has recently been renovated. Guests in this apartment have the exclusive use of a sunny roof terrace overlooking the river.
 Apartment Four (sleeps 2) has a large sitting/dining room with the kitchen in one corner and patio doors to a small balcony. The bathroom is modern and the double bedroom, furnished in old pine (with double bed), looks over the river and the mill cascades.
Apartment Five (sleeps 4) has recently been created in part of the mill next to the old olive press. The large sitting /dining room has a kitchen along one wall and views over the riverside gardens. The large main bedroom has a double bed and there are two single beds in the other.
 The gardens: The courtyard and gardens are for communal use.
In the walled garden, as well as relaxing under the sunshades, tables and chairs provided, you can use the pizza oven, the barbecue and pick vegetables and fruit in season for your own use.
In the riverside gardens you can take lunch or supper on the terrace, cool off in the plunge pool, dangle your toes in the river and walk across the wooden bridge into the bamboozery.
In the kiwi garden you can sit among the lavender beds and count the ripening kiwi fruit.
The millstream gardens extend for about a quarter of a mile upstream, the millrace bubbling through a series of small wooded glades, with fig trees, bamboos, shrubs and wild flowers.
Anything more you’d like to know?
If there is anything more we can tell you about our activities, and the true Italian lifestyle, please call us on +44 1888 568375 . or use our secure Contact Form. And keep up with our website at www.watermill.net.
In the meantime, with very best wishes,
Lois and Bill, Lydia and Lara, Bella and Rosa (the Labradogs)
- and Blaze, the guineapig.
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