A Place to be Real Together

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Programme Brochure 2017
by Tony Jaques
Saturday 26th November 2016

Othona West Dorset's 2017 Brochure is at the printers right now and will be posted soon to those who have requested it! However, you can download our printed programme right now!

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the people whose skills and time have gone into producing the brochure:

Tiernan Philpot - photographer responsible for the cover photo of 'our' baby swallows. (The swallows have built nests on our stoop for the past few years.) And thank you to Rachel who was the first to take photos of the... Read More

Join Andy's Crowd?
by Tony Jaques
Friday 25th November 2016

Andy Howlett’s been making quirky movies with other young people here for years. Usually lampooning folk like me – tongue in cheek (I like to think!).

Now he’s taking on another unloved institution (just joking): the old Birmingham Central Library that was demolished this year. Well, Andy’s one of the Brummies who rather loved it.
 
He’s trying to complete a feature length film in praise of its uncompromising ‘brutalist’ architecture and querying how/why we sweep away buildings of the recent past.
 
Andy's been called a comic genius and certainly has a style all his own. Would you think about helping him crowdfund the rest of... Read More

A Newcomer on the Core: March to June 2016
by Caroline Cameron
Wednesday 1st June 2016

If you had told me this time last year that I would have left my job, friends and home in order to go and live in a small community in the West of Dorset (a place I had never previously visited, never mind lived), I would not have believed you. And yet… nearly three years ago after my first ‘encounter’ with Othona via the ‘Diggers and Dreamers’ website, here I am!

As I write this, the rain is drumming down on my skylight window after a day of cold and wet, which led to the fire being lit in the living room and visitors unearthing the blankets and hot water bottles in the evening for warmth. After such a positive start to the summer (days of glorious sunshine and cream teas on the lawn), who would have thought that the end of June would usher in such inclement weather? Wellies... Read More

Impressions of Othona: Aug 2015 to Feb 2016
by Aidan Childs
Monday 1st February 2016

Six months ago I became a member of the core community here. The time since then has been a huge experience for me, and what follows can only be a snapshot. I offer this as a selection of the memories that stay with me most strongly from the last half-year at Othona. There could be so much else to include! And much, much more that I've forgotten.

All along, what has stood out most for me has been the richness of this place. I arrived in August, halfway through the round of summer events, as an 'Astronomy Week' event was underway. From that first week, looking at the stars and planets through a telescope and listening to professional astronomer Roger's talks, I remember the dizzying sense of how vast this universe is. I remember the energy of a 'Let’s Make a Musical' week, when,... Read More