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NEWSLETTER ISSUE 111 / September 2019

Dear Friend,

Painting tutors at the watermill in Tuscany

We are pleased to announce that the Watermill 2020 website is now live, with full details of our inspiring creative courses next year. You can see it by clicking here or simply by typing watermill.net into your search engine.

We have many wonderful courses lined up for 2020, with a handful of new, exciting tutors, plus the return of many of our popular, established painting teachers. Details about dates, painting mediums and tutors are given below.

Already more than 100 people have booked their places on a 2020 creative course. Since we only have a total capacity of some 250 or so, you can see that if you want to come with a particular tutor, or at a particular time of year, or there is a specific medium that you want to try, now is the time to reserve your place.

And, to tempt you further, there is an Early Bird discount offer of £75 GBP (75 English pounds) off every 2020 creative course if you book before the end of 2019.

In this month’s newsletter there are stories on:

  • Don’t get cold feet about painting the river
  • When a Watermill writing tutor was a Watermill writing student
  • Food, glorious food...

Happy reading....

The pictures above and below this introductory section are by some of our new painting tutors in 2020: A Hotel Garden (detail) by Carl March (top left), Commerce Corner by Brienne Brown (top right); Market Day by Grahame Booth (bottom left) and Riverfront Cafe in Regensberg by Randy Hale (bottom right).

Painting tutors at the watermill in Italy

Come to the watermill in Tuscany with your partner or friend
‘A week at the Watermill.
Oh Rhett. You are so romantic.
I knew you could give a d*mn.’

Why not bring your friend or partner?

They don’t have to participate in the course, but they will be able to enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the mill and, whenever they want, to come out with you to our beautiful locations.

We also offer a range of Alternative activities for partners on all our courses, as well as a generous £GBP 250 discount if they share a room with you.

Picture on the right: Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh
in Gone with the Wind

 


Come and paint the river Rosaro: you don’t have to get your feet wet!

Painting by Anne-Marie Furze at the watermill

This vibrant pastel, of the River Rosaro bubbling beside the Watermill, is by Anne-Marie Furze, a guest on Sue Ford’s painting course earlier this year. She calls it Early Morning Light and she says: "I loved going down to the river before the Watermill was awake as it was so peaceful and the light was amazing. To capture this angle, I had to stand in the river which, believe me, was freezing, but worth every minute."

There is no need to get your feet wet painting our river: there are plenty of wonderful views from the bank, as you can see in the paintings here below by Watermill tutors Mark Warner, Mike Willdridge and Doranne Alden.

Painting the river Rosaro at the watermill in Tuscany

When a Watermill writing tutor was a Watermill writing student

Old photo of Jo's writing group at the mill

It’s not every day of the week that you get a Watermill tutor praising another tutor as a student! But that is just what has happened with Jo Parfitt and Laurence Marks.

Some years ago, in 2012, to be precise, Laurence was a student on one of Jo’s Writing Your Life Stories courses at the Watermill and above is a rather battered old photograph to prove it.

Laurence Marks

Laurence, who with his partner Maurice Gran, is one of Britain’s most successful scriptwriters (Goodnight Sweetheart, Birds of a Feather, The New Statesman, etc, etc) has warm memories of Jo’s course. He says: “For a week I became an honorary woman. Eleven women and me, all intent on learning the rudiments of how to write a memoir.

“I went home with my manhood intact, but I also left the Watermill knowing considerably more about the shortcuts and methods of chronicling my life. Under the careful, learned and sympathetic supervision of Jo Parfitt, I am now well into my magnum opus and not a morning passes when I don’t refer to the notes and advice Jo passed on to me.”

Jo Parfitt

Now Jo has returned the compliment. She wrote recently: “Laurence is up there in my ‘Top Ten Favouritest Students Ever’ list. He is a great writer, a funny writer and a showman, while retaining his humility. Thank you, Laurence, Student of the Year 2012.”

Writing at the watermill
Listening to words of wisdom
on the vine verandah

We are always pleased when our students enjoy our courses and doubly pleased when a tutor/student, with professional insights, appreciates the endeavours of another.

You, too, could enjoy the teaching of Jo and/or Laurence, because both of them are coming back (separately!) to take creative writing courses at the Watermill next year. We'd love you to join us on either of those inspiring weeks (or both, come to that, as one follows the other next May.)


If food be the music of love, play on

Sunday lunch at the mill

As well as its reputation for inspiring creative courses, the Watermill is also becoming well known for the quality and variety of its food, prepared by Lois and our local cooks, using the freshest local ingredients.

Our aim is to serve Italian cooking at its best, not just traditional dishes, but modern ‘takes’ on la cucina italiana.

We plan to give you some of our recipes in our newsletters over the coming months, but today we thought we would tell you about the famous Watermill Sunday lunch.

Here’s the menu:

  • Finocchio al forno (fennel braised in a white wine, cream and cheese sauce)
  • Bresaola (air-cured beef) with parmesan shavings, olive oil andrucola (rocket)
  • Panzanella (the watermill’s own version of a classic Florentine recipe)
  • Uova ubriache (drunken eggs: hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise and capers)
  • Insalata verde (green salad, from the Watermill garden in season) with edible borage or nasturtium flowers and a mustard and honey vinaigrette dressing)

Add to that fresh fruit in season and soft almond biscuits with your tea or coffee and it’s a meal to remember.

Sunday lunch at the watermill in Tuscany
Lois prepares our unique Panzanella; sizzling baked fennel, ready to eat.
Pictures: Francesco Lastrucci

Why not come and taste our cooking for yourself? For more about our 2020 creative courses, please click here. Next month we will show you how we make our Panzanella.


Watermill in Tuscany's Painting NewsPAINTING NEWS

Our sympathetic, caring, inspiring 2020 painting tutors

We have exciting new tutors, as well as old friends, for our 2020 painting courses. Choose a tutor, a medium or a date that suits you best – but hurry, places are filling fast. And don’t forget: if you book any one of our 2020 creative courses before 31 December 2019, you can enjoy our Early Bird discount of £75 (seventy-five English pounds).


Carl March

Carl March
18 - 25 April 2020
Drawing and watercolours en plein air
To learn more about Carl and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Grahame Booth

Grahame Booth
25 April - 2 May 2020
Watercolours
To learn more about Grahame and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Brienne M Brown

Brienne M Brown
16 - 23 May 2020
Watercolours
To learn more about Brienne and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Sandra Strohschein

Sandra Strohschein
30 May - 6 June 2020
6 - 13 June 2020
Watercolours
To learn more about Sandra and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Randy Hale

Randy Hale
13 - 20 June 2020
Watercolours
To learn more about Randy and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Vicki Norman

Vicki Norman
20 - 27 June 2020
Oils and watercolours (and other mediums)
To learn more about Vicki and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes
27 June – 4 July 2020
Watercolours en plein air
To learn more about Chris and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Mark Warner

Mark Warner
11 - 18 July 2020
Colourful Acrylics, Drawing, Pen & Wash
To learn more about Mark and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Terry Jarvis

Terry Jarvis
15 - 22 August 2020
Watercolours (& oils, pastels and acrylics)
To learn more about Terry and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Mike Willdridge

Mike Willdridge
29 August – 5 September 2020
Watercolour and drawing (also gouache and acrylics)
To learn more about Mike and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Rebecca de Mendonça

Rebecca de Mendonça
5 - 12 September 2020
Pastels and Mixed media
To learn more about Rebecca and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Maggie Renner Hellmann

Maggie Renner Hellmann
12 - 19 September 2020
19 - 26 September 2020
Courageous Color Workshop’ in oils, acrylics, watercolours and pastels
To learn more about Maggie and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Mary Padgett

Mary Padgett
26 September - 3 October 2020
Pastels (and other portable media) en plein air
To learn more about Mary and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Milind Mulick

Milind Mulick
3 - 10 October 2020
Colourful watercolours
To learn more about Milind and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.


Tim Wilmot

Tim Wilmot
10 – 17 October 2020
Watercolours
To learn more about Tim and his course at the mill, please visit his 2020 Profile Page.



Only a couple of painting places left this year

We only have a couple of places left on our painting courses for the rest of this,year: on Claire Warner's week in September and David Taylor's in October. Everything else is fully booked but, if you would particularly like to come on one of them, please let us know and we’ll put you on the waiting list. There are often cancellations.


Claire Warner

Claire Warner
14 - 21 September 2019 - due to cancellations, one place left
Watercolours, oils and acrylics
To learn more about Claire and her course at the mill, please visit her 2019 Profile Page.


Maggie Renner Hellmann

Maggie Renner Hellmann
21 - 28 September 2019 - fully booked, waiting list open
Courageous Color Workshop' in oils, acrylics, pastels and watercolors
To learn more about Maggie and her course at the mill, please visit her 2019 Profile Page.


Charles Sluga

Charles Sluga
28 September - 5 October 2019 - fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours, acrylics and oils
To learn more about Charles and his course at the mill, please visit his 2019 Profile Page.


Tim Wilmot

Tim Wilmot
5 - 12 October 2019 - fully booked, waiting list open
Watercolours
To learn more about Tim and his course at the mill, please visit his 2019 Profile Page.


David Taylor

David Taylor
12 - 19 October 2019 - due to cancellations, one place left
Watercolours
To learn more about David and his course at the mill, please visit his 2019 Profile Page.



Summer Resident Tutor - Sandra Strohschein
Our Summer painter in residence,
Sandra Strohschein

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 2020 painting programme link above to view the list of our inspiring 2020 painting tutors.


Watermill in Italy's Knitting NewsKNITTING NEWS

Wow! and double Wow!

Knitting group in Tuscany

We knew our Watermill knitting weeks were popular, but within days of announcing our two 2020 knitting courses, they were almost full. And as we go to press one week is already completely full up and we only have a place or two left on the second one. Wow! and double Wow!

The first week is with the celebrated cashmere designer and yarn producer Louisa Harding, and the other is the Watermill’s first-ever Knitting Retreat. We have 11 knitters and three non-knitting partners booked into Louisa’s week at the end of May, so we are full up. But there are often cancellations, so if you’re interested get in touch and we will put you on a waiting list.

Knitting in Italy

For our knitting retreat, where you enjoy the convivial company of like-minded people and the renowned hospitality of the Watermill, but on which there is no tutor, we already have 10 bookings, one of whom is a non-knitting partner (but is coming to use the painting studio), and we have three bedrooms left.

Now is the time to grab one of those last places, especially as we have an Early Bird offer: if you book before the end of the year there is £75 GBP (seventy-five English pounds) on this exciting knitting week.


Louisa Harding

Louisa Harding
23 - 30 May 2020 - fully booked, waiting list open
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about Louisa and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


Knitting retreat

Knitting Retreat
4 - 11 July 2020
Knitting and La Bella Vita
To learn more about this retreat, please visit our 2020 Retreat Overview Page.


Knitting group at the watermill in Italy

Don't forget your partner!

And don’t forget that your friend or partner doesn’t need to participate in the creative course, whether it’s painting, language or writing.

We offer them a range of Alternative activities for partners on all our 2020 courses, as well as a generous £GBP 250 discount if they share a room with you.


Creative writing News at the watermill in ItalyCREATIVE WRITING NEWS

Our enriching 2020 writing courses

We are running two creative writing courses planned for 2020, with highly successful tutors. First, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, the celebrated comedy and drama writers, are returning for another of their celebrated scriptwriting courses and secondly, we look forward to another inspirational Writing Your Life Stories week with Jo Parfitt.


Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran

Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran
2 – 9 May 2020
Scriptwriting
To learn more about Laurence and Maurice and their course at the mill, please visit their 2020 Profile Page.


Jo Parfitt

Jo Parfitt
9 – 16 May 2020
Write the stories of your life
To learn more about Jo and her course at the mill, please visit her 2020 Profile Page.


 

ITALIAN LANGUAGE NEWS

Our exhilarating 2020 language course

We are delighted to welcome back Francesca la Sala for another of her exhilarating Italian language courses at the Watermill. She will be with us next August and already the bookings are beginning to flow in. So, if you are interested in improving your knowledge and your practice of the wonderful Italian language -- and enjoying la bella vita Italiana in the peaceful ambience of the Watermill, it’s time to get your booking in!


Francesca la SalaLangues Services and Francesca la Sala
22 - 29 August 2020
Learning Italian with the Italians
To learn more about Francesca and her
2020 course at the mill, please click here.


The watermill in Italy's newsletter specialsNEWSLETTER SPECIALS

Everything's included in your watermill painting holiday, creative writing holiday, knitting week or Italian Language course

Don’t forget that everything is included in the cost of a painting holiday, writing, 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.

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.


Thank you for reading the watermill in Italy's newsletterTHANK YOU

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the mill and, for those of you who have already tasted the many delights at The Watermill at Posara, we look forward to welcoming you back.

Your hosts at the watermill, Italy

With very best wishes a tutti

Your hosts at the watermill in Tuscany

Lois and Bill Breckon