Dear Friend,
The Watermill Facebook page now has more than 4,000 Friends. Our sincere thanks to you all for your continuing support.
And while we are on matters electronic, you can see all about the Watermill activities on our website by clicking here and you can also become a Friend of the Watermill itself (It’s free!).
As a Watermill Friend you’ll enjoy many exclusive benefits:
- practical and inspiring tips and helpful advice from our watermill tutors on painting and drawing, creative writing and yoga and meditation
- mouth-watering recipes from The Watermill’s menus.
- first notice of special discount offers on our creative courses. It’s our policy to give Friends the first choice on outstanding deals to help us fill the few remaining places on up-coming courses.
*** And there are two new exclusive offers for friends right now, to ‘tidy up’ the bookings for our first courses of the year: our unique Italian language course and Doranne Alden’s lovely watercolour painting course. So, if you are already a friend, please sign in and if you are not, please Register today, to see the offers, to enjoy our tutors’ tips and advice and our mouth-watering recipes. Just click here
Of course, we’d be delighted if you would like to join us on any of our other sun-filled, fun-filled, inspiring creative courses.
Bookings this year are more buoyant than ever, with more than 220 people booked in for our creative courses. We reckon our maximum capacity, still keeping the intimate, house-party atmosphere of the Watermill, is around 250, so you can see that, at most, we have 30 or so places left. If you’d like one of them, now is the time to reserve it! Come and see what all the fuss is about.
While some of our courses are already fully booked (and we have opened waiting lists in case of cancellations), others still have places and there are more details below of what is available and when. So, come and join us for a creative week in the heart of rural Tuscany and enjoy the warm hospitality of the Watermill.
Painting holidays are our core activity, with our wonderful, inspiring international tutors and the stunning locations in and around the mill and in the surrounding unspoilt Tuscan countryside of Lunigiana. The latest ‘availability snapshot is below.
We still also have some places on our knitting, yoga, Italian language and cooking courses and again there are details below.
Come with your partner!
We’d love to welcome you here for one of our sun-filled, fun-filled, inspiring weeks.
And don’t forget that your friend or partner doesn’t need to participate in the creative course, whether it’s painting, language, cooking, knitting or yoga. We offer them a range of Alternative activities for partners on all our 2017 courses, as well as a generous £GBP 250 discount if they share a room with you.
Now April’s here, time for the spaghetti harvest
After a mild March, our spaghetti trees have produced a great crop this year and, as is traditional on 1 April, local girls come into the Watermill walled garden for the ceremony of Il Raccogliendo dei Primi Fili, The Picking of the First Strands. We drink plenty of the new red wine and tell stories of previous years’ harvests where the strands, like the catches in fishermen’s tales, grow longer with each retelling...
Sorry! But it is April 1st! And the date brought in mind that wonderful hoax perpetrated by the BBC on the prestigious Panorama programme many years ago. Actually, it’s precisely 60 years since that impeccable broadcaster Richard Dimbleby presented in authoritative tones pictures of the spaghetti harvest in the Italian-speaking region of Ticino in Switzerland.
Of course, it was a bit patronizing, since many of us in those days had never eaten spaghetti, let alone knowing where it came from, but it was funny and memorable, nonetheless. Perhaps the biggest hoax ever pulled by a respectable broadcasting organization. You can see the video on You Tube by clicking here
A clip from the
Panorama spaghetti hoax.
Copyright of the BBC
Some eight million people watched the programme on 1 April 1957 and while many rang the BBC to question its authenticity, a few asked for more information about how they could grow their own spaghetti trees.
Well, we are sorry to disappoint you, but we won’t be growing spaghetti at the Watermill this year, though we will be serving delicious pasta dishes on all our creative courses. And we’ll be showing you how to make the very best homemade pasta during out first-ever Cookery course, L’arte di mangiar bene, the Art of Eating well, this Summer. Come and join us (details below).
Don’t be afraid to change the scenery to suit your picture, says Tim
Our enthusiastic and inspiring English watercolour tutor Tim Wilmot tells that it important not to let the scenery get in the way of a good picture! And he’s already started moving about the wonderful scenery of Lunigiana, the rural area of Tuscany surrounding the Watermill, like the view above which you’ll see often during you creative week.
Tim says:“I am looking forward to my first visit to The Watermill and painting the wonderful Tuscan scenery that surrounds it. But before I get there, I thought I’d try a little exercise based on a photograph Bill sent me of a chapel in a nearby vineyard, with the Apuan Alps in the background.”
“But I was uneasy about two things here – the vineyard rows going across side to side and the telephone/electric post and cable.
“I wanted something that would lead you into the picture – perhaps a lane to the house, or figures placed in some way. Apologies to the vineyard owner, but I decided to have the rows of vines leading up to the house and a sense of a slight rise.
In a similar way, the aerial cable going across the scene does nothing for the composition, so that was left out.
Tim Wilmot, from England, specialises in watercolours, exploiting the medium with tone and light in a loose impressionistic style.He says:“I seem to have an affinity with painting landscapes, although I have dabbled with portraits and still life in the past, but always come back to landscapes.”
Tim adds: "For many years I’ve taken a sketchbook on my travels and I quickly scribble scenes in a shorthand sort of way. Then, returning home, I recreate those memories with paint and brush. Watercolour is also an ideal medium for capturing those quick impressions.”
As well as an exciting artist, Tim is also an inspiring teacher and on his course, suitable for all levels, he’ll help you to improve your drawing skills, loosen up your style, learn how to incorporate figures in a landscape as well as nurturing you own artistic ambitions. As one student of Tim’s says:“I can’t help being inspired by the careful and wonderfully measured strokes of a genius.”
Come and move the scenery around with Tim on his painting course at The Watermill next October. Although it’s early days, half a dozen people are already booked in, so we have room for five or so more.
To learn more about Tim and his course at The Watermill, please visit his Tutor Profile page
Painting tutor of the month: Sue Ford
We like this demonstration picture by Sue Ford of the beach at Monterosso in the Cinque Terre so much that it is hanging on the sitting room wall at The Watermill. We also like Sue’s hat.
When we saw that recent picture above we thought ‘We know that hat!’. And when we looked through some of the pictures taken on Sue’s last fun-filled course here at the Watermill a couple of years ago, we knew we were right! Here’s Sue with some of her students in the Watermill walled garden in 2015 and her hat.
Why not join us for Sue’s sunny (you’ll need a hat, but if you forget, we’ll lend you one), inspiring painting course this Summer. Sue will be with us from Saturday 15 July to Saturday 22 July 2017. We already have eight people booked in (one, a non-painting partner), so we have room for three or four more.We’d love you to join us.
Some of Sue’s students painting
in the private monastery
we visit during our painting weeks
Sue’s week-long painting course is in watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic. Sue says: "I just love creating pictures in any medium – and I love passing on what I’ve learned to other people and to help them release their creativity.”
We have fond memories of Sue’s last visit. Here’s a quote from a guest: “I had a wonderful time. Everything was superb – the accommodation, the trips out and the food! Utterly wonderful. It was an experience that I will treasure. Sue Ford is an exceptional tutor with a lovely manner and treats all with respect and kindness”
Saterday 15 to Saterday 22 July 2017
Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic with Sue Ford
To learn more about Sue and her course at The Watermill, please click here
2017 Painting courses: the full line-up
As we said our places are filling fast, but we still have plenty of lovely bedrooms (all with en suite bathrooms) and apartment suites left.
Doranne Alden - two places left
13 May to 20 May 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Doranne, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page
Sandra Strohschein - fully booked, waiting list open
27 May to 3 June 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Sandra, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page.
Tom J Byrne - five or six places left
3 June to 10 June 2017
Oils and Watercolours
To learn more about Tom, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Keiko Tanabe - one place left
10 June to 17 June 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Keiko, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page
Maggie Renner Hellmann - one or two places left
17 June to 24 June 2017
'Courageous Color Workshop’
To learn more about Maggie, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page
Lea Nixon - four or five places left
24 June to 1 July 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Lea, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Terry Jarvis - course full, waiting list open
1 July to 8 July 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Terry, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Sue Ford - three or four places left
15 July to 22 July 2017
Watercolours, pastels, collage and mixed media plus acrylic
To learn more about Sue, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page
Mark Warner - ttwo or three places left
22 July to 29 July 2017
Acrylics/Watercolours incorporating conte/pastel
To learn more about Mark, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Varvara Neiman - fully booked, waiting list open
26 August to 2 September 2017
Water-based oils, acrylics and watercolour
To learn more about Varvara, her course at the mill and to see more of her pictures, please visit her Profile Page
Mike Willdridge - fully booked, waiting list open
2 September to 9 September 2017
Watercolours and drawing (also gouache and acrylics with an emphasis on sketching and drawing on location)
To learn more about Mike, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Nel Whatmore & Rebecca de Mendonça
- one or two places left
23 September to 30 September 2017
Pastels
To learn more about Nel & Rebecca, their course and to see more of their pictures, please visit their Profile Page
Charles Sluga - fully booked, waiting list open
30 September to 7 October 2017
Watercolours (and acrylics and oils)
To learn more about Charles, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Tim Wilmot - four or five places left
7 October to 14 October 2017
Watercolours
To learn more about Tim, his course at the mill and to see more of his pictures, please visit his Profile Page
Come and join us and enjoy the magic at the mill!
*** Why not bring your non-painting partner as well?
There’s a generous £250 discount for him/her if they share a room with you - and there’s plenty for them to do. Have a look at our Partner’s Activities Page for suggestions.
Use the 2017 programme link below to view the full list of our inspiring 2017 painting tutors
Bring an nkp and they can enjoy your knitting week too
We have four fabulous knitting courses this year and only three knitting places left. There’s one place on Marie Wallin’s second knitting week, from Saturday 8 July to Saturday 15 July and two places on Lisa Richardson’s course from Saturday 6 May to Saturday 13 May.
Actually, we already have 12 people booked in for Lisa’s week, but two of them are (male) non-knitting partners (nkps) sharing a room with their knitters, so that’s why we have two (double) rooms left. Similarly, there are 13 people coming on Marie’s course, but no fewer than four nkps, so we have one (double) room still free.
A bit complicated, but basically it means that if you want to come as a knitter, you can bring a partner, too, if you want to – and there’ll be plenty of company and things to do for them while you are knitting away!
Marie's watermill projets
Internationally renowned knitting designer Marie Wallin is returning to the Watermill for the third year running and we are delighted to welcome her back for more fun-filled, inspirational courses.
A comment from a previous booker just about sums up the feelings of course participants: “This was the best gift I've ever given myself and I will cherish the memory forever. I loved everything; the location, accommodations, amazing food, being with friends, making new ones, walks in the Italian countryside, learning fantastic new knitting skills and not having to worry about anything. It was everything I dreamed of and more. Marie Wallin is an amazing teacher and person.”
Marie has two new projects for her 2017 courses, a fabulous Fairisle Tam (above left) and a mosaic scarf/cowl (above right) in Rowan Felted Tweed. We look forward to seeing the results.
2017 Knitting courses:
Lisa Richardson - two places left
6 May to 13 May 2017
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about Lisa and her course at the mill, please visit her Profile Page
Marie Wallin
20 May to 27 May 2017- fully booked, waiting list open
8 July to 15 July 2017- one place left
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about Marie and her course at the mill, please visit her Profile Page
Sarah Hatton - fully booked, waiting list open
16 September to 23 September 2017
To learn more about Sarah and her courses at the mill, please visit her Profile Page
And don’t forget that your friend or partner doesn’t need to participate in the creative course, whether it’s painting, language, knitting or yoga.
We offer them a range of Alternative activities for partners on all our 2017 courses, as well as a generous £GBP 250 discount if they share a room with you.
Fresh produce for our cookery course
Tomatoes fresh from the Watermill garden:
will there be enough for passata?
Although it is only April ,Lois, Ingrid and our team of cookery experts are already looking forward to August, when we are running The Watermill’s first-ever cookery course, and thinking of what we will do with all the produce from the garden.
We’ll be eating a lot of it fresh, of course, but Lois says: “In August, we begin to think about preserving the excess of our produce, ready for the Winter months.The last of the zucchini will be bottled, for example, and we might makepassatawith our tomatoes (although there aren’t usually many left after we’ve eaten them fresh!).”
The grapes will be
ripening on the vine verandah
She adds:“We’ll make a compote with the plums for bagging and freezing and enjoying later with breakfast cereals, for example. And we’ll boil up a fragrant, jewel-like rosemary-and-grape jelly with our young uva fragola, for eating with fresh pecorino or roasted meats. Herbs are usually rampant by this time (parsley, thyme, marjoram, sage, mint) and so we dry them and store them for use later.”
Why not join us and help prepare all these delicious delights and more on our unique cookery course, which we've called L’arte di mangiar bene', the art of eating well. This lies at the heart of the Italian lifestyle — and that’s just what you’ll enjoy on The Watermill’s first-ever cookery week.
You’ll learn the secrets of healthy eating from Lois and The Watermill team, among them an Italian grandmother (Mirella, to the right), an organic farmer and our gardener’s wife, Marida. You’ll choose freshest local ingredients (we’ll pick many of them ourselves each day) and prepare them deliciously for the table.
We’ll visit markets, vegetable gardens, olive groves and vineyards. The Italians are the healthiest people in Europe and this is due not just the quality of the food, but to la bella vita italiana, the relaxed lifestyle which means taking time to talk to friends and to enjoy their company, not least in convivial meals around the dining table. You’ll be savouring all that, too.
Lois Breckon, Ingrid Fabbian and Team -
Six or so places left
19 August to 26 August 2017
L'Arte di Mangiar Bene
To learn more about Lois, her Team and their cooking course at The Watermill, please click here.
Mindful walking with Claire
Our relaxed yet stimulating yoga and teacher Claire Murphy has been meditating on some of the techniques she’ll be sharing during her week-long retreat at the Watermill this September. And here are some simple thoughts on Mindful Walking
Claire says:“During your stay at the Watermill, it is anticipated that at least on a couple of mornings before breakfast we will engage in some mindful walking.The aim is not having a particular destination in mind; rather, it’s about bringing our attention to the experience and sensation of walking.
“Meditation is often assumed to be a practice that exists solely on a cushion or a chair; however we reap the benefits more when we take it through all our everyday activities. When we usually walk, we are taking our constant chattering mind along with us. It may be thinking about the train that was delayed; feeling miserable that it’s, yet again, raining; worrying about work / home / children; or even fantasising about the weekend ahead (even though it’s only Monday morning).This means we miss out on so much that can enrich our moment-by-moment joy.”
Claire says:“In mindful walking we notice the sensations of our feet as they make contact with the earth, or even the finer details of how one heel lifts up, there’s more pressure in the ball of the opposite foot. In noticing the sensation through the feet, we then move the awareness up to understand how our knees, hips and pelvis are all part of this amazing action of walking.
“As we walk, the focus comes into our breath, then can slowly be expanded to smell – what aromas do I notice? Visually – taking in all that you see, the colours and textures. Not forgetting sounds. Listen to all that is happening around you. Rather than listening to the voice of your mind.
“We may also use the mindful walking of a morning within the mindful writing we shall engage in too. Even more reason to join us before our delicious breakfast is served!”
We’ll nourish your soul on rural walks and visits to ancient walled towns and hilltop villages, castles and convents. You’ll also savour the relaxed atmosphere of la bella vita italianain local cafes, shops, restaurants and markets. We’ll venture a little journal writing and painting in The Watermill studio overlooking the river or under the shade of the vine verandah to nourish your mind. And we’ll nourish your body with fresh, home-cooked, nutritionally balanced meals lovingly prepared by the Watermill cooks, with many of the ingredients freshly picked from The Watermill’s own gardens. There will be vegetarian options for every meal, of course. Private sessions with a local Shiatsu practitioner are also available, at cost, on request. We’ve eight people booked in for this retreat, so have room for three or four more.
Yoga, meditation and massage have been a way of life for Claire Murphy for more than 25 years and she’s passionate about teaching them. Together we’ve created a unique seven-day programme.
Claire has a wealth of teaching experience in both yoga and meditation, primarily focused on women’s health.
Claire currently teaches classes for women through all stages of their life and has even run sessions for women in recovery from cancer. In addition, her approach is very much from a remedial perspective in which she sees yoga being available to everybody.
In addition to her yoga capabilities, Claire has studied meditation within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for many years as well as being a qualified mindfulness for stress relief teacher. It’s this presence and focus that she brings to all her teachings and infuses all her sessions with mindful awareness. Claire’s style of teaching is very eclectic, borne out of studying and training in various traditions over the years across the UK and in many other areas of Europe and extensively in the USA. She brings a sense of humour and imagination to her teaching in order to make it accessible to everyone.
The sessions at The Watermill will be friendly and welcoming and no prior experience of yoga or meditation is necessary: all levels from beginner to intermediate will be catered for and we’ll also tailor our sessions to your particular needs. The classes are secular (non-denominational).
Claire Murphy - three or four places left
9 September to 16 September 2017
Nourish - mind, body and soul
To learn more about Claire and her course at The Watermill, please visit her Profile Page
Don’t say magari when you can still come on our rocambolesco language course
Magari is a much-used Italian word, which means different things in different contexts. It can mean maybe, but more often than not it’s used wistfully to say If only... or I wish I could...
Well, with only a few weeks to go, now’s the time to stop saying magari when thinking of coming on our unique Italian language course and say Si. You know you deserve it!
This year’s language week runs from Saturday 29 April to Saturday 6 May 2017 and it really is ‘acourse with a difference.’ Not only are there formal lessons on the vine verandah (some 20 hours in the week), but we also make trips and excursions to savour the natural beauty of Lunigiana, the area surrounding the mill, to explore its history and culture, to sample its traditional foods – and above all, to meet the people, speak Italian, and practise what we’ve learned.
We’ve teamed up again with the prestigious language school in Florence, Langues Services, to design a week in which people can learn Italian in the most natural and enjoyable way ever.
You’ll meet Italian people and interact with their daily lives. Your immersion into the language and culture of real Italians will be customised for you, to suit your curiosity and your interests, helping you to treasure everything you learn and make it a seamless part of who you are.
You will have the perfect opportunity to make new friends in the company of like-minded people learning and improving their Italian language skills... and enjoying unspoilt Italy and, of course, 'rocambolesco' food and wine.
Giulia Balestri - four or so places left
29 April to 6 May 2017
Italian language week
To learn more about Giulia and her course at The Watermill, please click here
Everything's included in your watermill painting holiday, yoga retreat, or knitting week
Don’t forget that everything is included in the cost of a painting holiday, yoga retreat, knitting or language holiday: tuition, accommodation (including all linen and towels), pre-dinner aperitifs, all meals and local transportation (including transfers to Pisa airport; an excursion by train to visit the ancient walled city of Lucca or the stunning seaside villages of the Cinque Terre). All you have to do is to get to Pisa airport and we do the rest. Prices depend on which room you choose. They start at £(GBP) 1,445 per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a discount of £250 GBP for a non-painting or non-writing partner. Single rooms start at £ (GBP) 1,575.
Whether you're travelling alone or with a partner you can be sure of a warm welcome, and that you'll be well looked after. We have built our reputation on the comfort of the mill and the care we provide.
Become a friend of The Watermill at Posara
Visit our Friends Website (Link below). Just follow the instructions to Register as a Friend and then Log In to enjoy special privileges. If you become a ‘Friend’ (it will cost you nothing) you’ll enjoy many exclusive benefits, including dozens of practical and inspiring tips from our international painting and creative writing tutors and recipes from the watermill’s mouth-watering menus. And there will be exclusive offers for Friends to make our courses and holidays even more attractive.
Make a retreat of your own
The mill is a very special place, offering tranquillity and seclusion but at the same time within easy reach of good company and restaurants should you want them. When we're not running courses you can retreat to one of our three self-contained apartments; unwind in the walled garden and by the riverside; and indulge yourself with delicious local food and wine.
All that remains is to wish you a warm April from all the team here in Italy. We look forward so much to welcoming you to The Watermill at Posara this year!
With very best wishes a tutti
Lois and Bill Breckon