2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 6 - Greenway and The Hollow

Creme and Chatiments, Greenway

Day 6 (17/09/2015)

Today we headed back over to Greenway for a Creme et Chatiments Cooking demonstration (Cream and Punishment). Anne Martinetti hosted the event - she has published a recipe book with over 80 recipes based on the dishes mentioned in Agatha Christie's books - and today and we got to try a few.

We started off with some cucumber and horse radish sandwiches - which were very strong tasting - ideal for disguising the taste of poison! We also tried some plum cake and apple cake - finally ending with Delicious Death, the cake that was in Murder is Announced. It was very tasty, and was served with Devonshire Clotted Cream - one of Agatha Christie's favourite foods. Apparently, she used to drink pints of cream!!

The recipe book hasn't been translated into English - I had a quick flick through, and although I could read the ingredients, I couldn't understand the method! So, we'll have to give that one a miss.

The Boathouse

After the talk, we decided to go for a walk round Greenway gardens. What a beautiful place, I can see why Agatha Christie called it "the loveliest place in the world". The sun came out and it turned out to be a lovely warm day. We strolled down to the Boathouse - where Marlene Tucker was found murdered in Dead Man's Folly. We also found the sturdy table. This one had a lovely view of the River Dart.

There was lots of information there - including information about the filming of Dead Man's Folly with David Suchet. I thought it had mainly been filmed at Greenway, however, very little was filmed there. There were photos showing how the house changed from a two-storey to a three-story house, there was an extra garden on the back - and lots more!

Afterwards, we walked to the Battery and looked out over the River Dart - this is where Poirot and Ariadne Oliver met in Dead Man's Folly. What a peaceful place.

We then made our way back up through the gardens and bought a few things at the National Trust shop and headed back to Torquay.

Grand Hotel

We decided to go to the Grand Hotel, to have a cup of tea and find the sturdy table. The table was in the beautiful Art Deco Library. The hotel also did a number of Agatha Christie themed cocktails, unfortunately I was driving so didn't get chance to try one.

In the evening, we went to see The Hollow at the Palace Theatre in Paignton. The theatre version of the play does not include Hercule Poirot - Christie did not like to see her characters played out on the stage and wrote Hercule out of her plays. The production was good - a lot of the actors were the ones who were in The Unexpected Guest last year. The story was great, as you'd expect and there were only slight changes from the book - mainly the location of the action and murder. It was all based in the Angatell's drawing room.

All in all, another good day. Tomorrow we've not got as much planned - we're having a quieter day, but we are heading out to the Dark Night at the Abbey.

In the meantime, here are a few more photos from today...

The Boathouse

Greenway

Art Deco Library, The Grand Hotel

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 5 - Talks, Tea and a Twilight Tour

Afternoon Tea, Imperial Hotel

Day 5 (16/09/2015)

We're well into the Agatha Christie Festival now and today has been a very busy day, with four events I wanted to attend (well there were more, but there's just not enough time in the day!!)

In the morning, I attended two excellent talks. The first was at Torquay Museum, and was hosted by John Curran, Julius Green, Ben Nealon and Deborah Grant. John Curran covered the various adaptations of And Then There Were None, in particular on the stage and on screen. Julius Green spoke about the play, and how it was adapted in the war to give a happier ending - using a different version of the poem. I have his book - Curtain Up, which talks about Agatha's life in the theatre. It was also interesting to hear from the actors who are currently starring in And Then There Were None - Ben Nealon and Deborah Grant - and to hear how they study the characters when they take on the role.

Next on the list was the The Golden Age of Murder talk by Martin Edwards, at Torre Abbey. Martin was quite an entertaining speaker, and didn't seem to have any notes with him. I'm impressed by anyone who can stand up and speak in front of so many people - but to do it without notes shows he really knows his stuff! I have his book and have started reading it, it's such an easy read and really interesting. So far, it's about the Detection Club and looks into the background to some of it's members, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers and Anthony Berkeley Cox. A really good read so far, and I'm looking forward to getting home and the having the time to finish it!!

After the talks we headed over to the Imperial Hotel for Afternoon Tea on the Terrace - with Jazz music playing in the background. It was a lovely atmosphere, quite a few people were dressed up in 1920s-1940s outfits. The food was lovely - there were various sandwiches, scones (fruit and plain!) and cakes, all served with delicious tea!

Before leaving, I decided to search for the Sturdy Table, but couldn't find it anywhere - and it was pouring it down with rain. I later learned it had moved inside, so I might make another trip to the Imperial Hotel later in the week if I get time.

Signed first edition

We rounded off the day with a Twilight Tour of Greenway! It was a little eerie at first, we walked down the long winding driveway, and apart from us and another couple, there was no-one around. We decided to try the door to Greenway, and it was unlocked! So we went into the house - still no-one around. We quietly made our way to the inner hall where we found a group of people sat around the table reading - none of whom looked up when we walked in. It was very strange.

While we worked up the courage to speak to them, a National Trust volunteer came out from the kitchen area, and greeted us. We were then split into groups of about six, and taken on a tour of Greenway. We've been to Greenway on a couple of occasions, but this tour gave us more access to places we'd not been to before, and more personal information. It was amazing!

Also.....we got to see - and handle - some first edition Agatha Christie books!!! How exciting is that? I felt like I had to whisper when we were in the presence of them!! Before we could touch them we were shown how to handle and open them (not more than 90 degrees). There were even some signed books to Rosalind from Agatha. To think, she had held those very books - perhaps not with the attractive blue gloves on - but they were ones that had belonged to her at some point!!

The National Trust volunteers were fantastic, and very knowledgeable. After the tour, we went to the kitchen and had some wine and canapes, while we got to ask more questions and find out more about our favourite author. I think this has been one of my favourite events so far.

Here are a few more photos from Greenway...

Gardens, Greenway

Dining Room, Greenway

Library, Greenway

Agatha's Bedroom, Greenway

We've got another eventful day tomorrow - we're off to Greenway again for some tasty treats, all based on recipes from Agatha's books....! Hopefully without the poison added!! Bye for now...

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 4 - Birthday Celebrations and Burgh Island

Burgh Island

Day 4 (15/09/2015)

Today would have been Agatha Christie's 125th Birthday!! I wonder what she'd have thought about a festival all about her. According to her grandson, Mathew Prichard, Agatha was a very shy private lady so she probably wouldn't have wanted a fuss.

And Then There Were None

Today was the annual Burgh Island Agatha Christie luncheon. We dressed up this time, I wore a 1920s flapper-style outfit and my husband wore a dress suit with a white dinner jacket and black bow-tie! The weather forecast initially didn't look good for today, but when we arrived in Bigbury-on-sea, the clouds parted, the sun came out and it turned out to be a glorious day.

The tide was out this time, and as soon as we arrived we saw two Range Rovers set off from the island and head towards us - how they knew we'd arrived, I don't know, but it was quite nice. They took us across to the island so we didn't need to walk across the sand. No sea tractor this time. Although, that was good in a way, last year my hair was all over the place after travelling across on the tractor - it was a good experience though!

Evil Under the Sun

We had cocktails when were arrived - I had a Burgh Island Breeze, followed by a Strawberry Daquiri - which were both very nice (and I think quite strong!). Gary 'McBar' was there again, he amazes me, he recognised us from last year and called us by our first names all through the day - he did this with everyone and there were about 50 people there. How he remembered everyone's name, I'll never know.

All the tables were named after books this time, we were on the Seven Dials Mystery table. There was a 1930s authentic menu. For starter, I had Coquilles St Jacques, Sole-Suchet for main followed by Charlotte Russe for dessert. The food was lovely, the scallops were cooked to perfection, so was the sole. I couldn't eat all of my dessert.

After the meal, Gary McBar took everyone on a tour of the island. We gave it a miss this time as we went last year (and I'm not too keen on heights). This gave us time to enjoy the hotel a bit more before heading to the Pilchard Inn for one last drink before we headed back.

Burgh Island is at truly is an amazing place, and I can understand why Christie spent time here.

Torre Abbey Gardens

In the evening, we headed back to Torre Abbey for the 125th Birthday Celebrations. The grounds were beautifully lit up. There were a few entertainers, and characters from Agatha's books - Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot.

We were guided through the gardens and made our way to the main grass area, where there was a cake made by the students of South Devon College. We all sang Happy Birthday to Agatha Christie, and then Mathew Prichard cut the cake - and we all got a piece - it was a very tasty cake.

Another fantastic day! Here are a few more photos...

Dressed up ready for Burgh Island

Burgh Island

Our table, Burgh Island

125th Birthday Celebrations, Torre Abbey

Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with a couple of talks, afternoon tea and a trip to Greenway!! I can't wait!!

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 3 - Poisons, Portraits & Prosecco

Torre Abbey

Day 3 (14/09/15)

Today started off with a really interesting talk by Kathryn Harkup: A is for Arsenic. Dr Kathryn Harkup is a research chemist and an avid Christie fan - which makes her the perfect person to write a book on the poisons Christie uses in her novels.

Kathryn gave a great analysis of the poisons used in Christie's novels, and described three in particular - Strychnine (The Mysterious Affair at Styles), Phosphorus (Dumb Witness) and Arsenic (Murder is Easy). All three used to be quite readily available - Strychnine was given as a medicine, Phosphorus was used on match heads and Arsenic was available over the counter in rat poison. There were some really interesting facts, apparently, in the olden days, people used to eat match heads as a form of suicide! We found out how to spot the various poisonings, how to slow down the effects and what the antidotes are. Kathryn even explained the dosage that was considered lethal. Luckily, nowadays, these poisons are not so readily available.

Following this excellent talk, I went to have a look at the Unfinished Portrait exhibition. The exhibition is on in Torre Abbey until 18 October, so there's plenty of time to see it. If you're an avid fan like me, then I would recommend going along. I've seen many photos of Agatha in her autobiography, books she's written, books about her and online but this exhibition gives you a insight into Agatha's personal life, including some of her personal photos in photo albums. Definitely worth a visit.

Sturdy Table, Torre Abbey

After the exhibition, I decided to go and have a look for some of the Sturdy Tables dotted around Torquay and I found three. The first one at Torre Abbey, in the Medieval Garden. I sat there for a while to listen to the wind blowing through the trees and smell the lavender as the bees buzzed busily by.

The second Sturdy table I found was in the Artizan Gallery - it was a lovely table, decorated with Agatha Christie book covers. There was also a matching lamp and wine bottle! The art gallery, also had a number of Agatha Christie based art - all done by local artists. It was a lovely little gallery.

I found my third and final Sturdy Table for today at Dot's Pantry on Union Street. The table was in the window so you could watch the world go by while enjoying a bit of cake. I decided to buy some cake to take out and took a piece back to my husband - he was a little concerned, considering I had just attended a talk on poisons and visited Torre Abbey and the poisons garden...! But don't worry, he's fine and well, no red berries, glowing icing or taste of almonds in sight!

What a better way to finish off the day than with a Murder Mystery! This event was not part of the official Agatha Christie Festival, but arranged by the Dartmouth Railway Company. It's a Murder Mystery on a train! We arrived at Paignton Station and were greeted with a glass of Prosecco. The characters came and mingled with us while we waited to board the train. Once we boarded the train, and settled in, we set off. The view was lovely, we went past Goodrington Sands and Broadsands. Then the food arrived while the characters acted around us. We made a 'unscheduled' stop at Churston Station where the actors left the train and acted out scenes on the platform. As soon as we arrived in Kingswear there was a scream! The butler had been found strangled. We were then given the opportunity to question three remaining suspects and then deliver our verdict. It was good fun!

Here are a few more photos from the day...

Sturdy Table, Artizan Gallery

Cakes, Dot's Pantry

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 2 - The Grand Hotel & Talking Books

The Agatha Christie Suite

Day 2 (13/09/2015)

The theme for today's events at the Agatha Christie Festival was 'Agatha Christie and the First World War' and there were many events centred around this theme. We booked onto the 'Agatha, Archie and The Grand Hotel' event which took place, at The Grand Hotel - where Agatha and Archie spent their honeymoon on Christmas Eve in 1914.

The first part of the talk was given by Fiona Hallworth from Clifton College, Bristol and focused on Archie Christie and his upbringing and education. Archie attended Clifton College which wasn't very far from where his mother and step-father lived. It was sad to hear that all of Archie's team mates died in the First World War and he was the only one to survive. The research is in the early stages, so there were still a lot of questions, but it looked at the different influences on his life and how these may have led to influences on Agatha and her writing.

Anna Farthing, the Festival's Director, followed with a look at Agatha's life and learning in comparison to Archie's. Where Archie's education was planned and timetabled, Agatha's was relaxed and almost entirely at her leisure. Anna Farthing also read a section from Agatha Christie's biography, about her wedding day and how Archie was determined that they marry as soon as possible, when he was on leave from the First World War. We also got to see his leave record, which showed when he on leave from the war - which wasn't that often. It must have been so difficult, to marry and then see your husband go back to war a few days later.

We were then given a brief history of The Grand Hotel by a member of the hotel management before being taken on a tour - including the newly refurbished Agatha Christie Suite!!

Agatha and Archie honeymoon in a two-bedroomed apartment. As mentioned, the room has been refurbished in a modern art-deco style. The manager, who showed us round, said that everything was made or renovated by staff in the hotel, the rooms were painted by the maintenance staff, the furniture was reupholstered by staff etc. They also make and bake all their own bread, food and source all meat and fish from within 10 miles of the hotel (except for Scottish salmon - which is the best).

We also had a tour of the 1881 restaurant and out on the terrace - it's a beautiful building and very nicely decorated. There was a lovely view of Torquay from the Terrace - just a shame about the weather!

The Little Theatre

This evening, we attended the RNIB's Talking Books event at a place called The Little Theatre, which is tucked away on St Mark's Road towards Hesketh Crescent and Meadfoot Beach. It's the 80th anniversary of Talking Books, and Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was one of the first three novels available.

It was quite an informative evening - we learnt the history of Braille, and how Talking Books started and the reasons behind it. Many of the men who returned from the First World War had been blinded, they could not return to their jobs and found it difficult to get back into everyday life. They could not read Braille and it was difficult to pick up at their stage in life. This was where the evening became interactive. We were all given a pack when we arrived, and in it was a card with the Braille alphabet on. We were asked to close our eyes, and find the Braille card in our bags - which was quite difficult. We were then asked to try and feel the letters - again, this is very difficult. You have to have very sensitive fingertips to be able to read it.

We also learnt how audio books are made - I didn't realise how much was involved in this process - from hiring an actor, studio, producer to editing and creating the cd/download. It's a very expensive business. We heard from Harper Collins who are aiming to provide all their new titles this year in hardback, paperback, e-book and audio book - however the consumer wants it! Harper Collins also provided everyone with a free Agatha Christie audio book. I got Endless Night and my husband got a collection of short stories including 'Death by Drowning' and 'The Plymouth Express' read by Joan Hickson and David Suchet respectively!

Finally, we heard from the RNIB - who do so much for all those who are registered blind or partially sighted. The lady said that every day, about 100 people are registered as blind. As well as providing a lending library of audio books, they also produce educational materials for schools and colleges. When the final Harry Potter novel was released, they created Braille copies and hand-delivered them to children around the country on the day of release - so visually-impaired children were able to chat to their friends about the new book because they had a copy too!

All in all, it's been a lovely day learning about Agatha Christie and the First World War. Looking forward to tomorrow when we go on a Murder Mystery Dining Train...!!

Braille alphabet card, glasses to simulate partial-sight, wear dots to raise lots for RNIB

2015 Agatha Christie Festival: Day 1 - Arrival & Mystery Film Event

Torquay

Day 1 (12/09/2015)

It's finally here! After a long drive we arrived in Torquay for the Agatha Christie Festival. It's so exciting to be back in Torquay - it felt like we hadn't been away. I have so many happy memories of Torquay from when I was a child, and now as an adult coming back for the festival each year, it's wonderful. Torquay is looking lovely, the gardens are in full bloom in Princess Gardens and Abbey Park (above). Now all we need is for the weather to improve a bit and it will be perfect!!

We checked into our apartment when we arrived - it's a beautiful place, nicely decorated with lovely furnishings. Great as a base from which to enjoy our adventures this week.

We caught up with some friends we met last year and went over to their hotel for some pre-dinner drinks. Some other friends of theirs were also there, and one of them was dressed as Poirot - he looked amazing - his outfit was perfect, right down to the cane and the pince-nez! I'll get some photos this week (if he doesn't mind). We're going to Burgh Island together, so there should be plenty of opportunity.

The Festival theme for today was 'Festive Family Fun'. There were a number of events during the day that we unfortunately missed as we were driving down. But we were here in time for John Curran's Mystery Film Night!

The event was hosted in the Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey again. Last year we heard a radio play which was followed by a film. However, this year we were treated to two films! As per last year, John Curran didn't tell us what the films were until we saw the opening credits....

The first film was a 25-minute Manga-style adaptation of The Blue Geranium, starring Miss Marple and her great-niece Mabel West (a new character). And what an interesting adaptation it was!!! The adaptation was quite true to the book, but this is the first time I've seen an animated version of any of Agatha Christie's books. The film forms part of a series which includes both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot cases. Mabel West is the link between the two, as mentioned, she's Miss Marple's great-niece but she also works as Poirot's assistant! If she can pick up skills from the both of them, she'll be an awesome detective!

The second film was was made by the BBC in 1982, John Curran mentioned it had only ever been shown on Boxing Day the same year. It starred Penelope Keith as the main character Clarissa and was based on one of Agatha Christie's plays - Spider's Web. I've never seen this play before, so it was quite a treat to see it on screen and to try and guess whodunnit - and Agatha kept me guessing to the end. Like all Christie's once the culprit was revealed it made sense and I remembered clues I'd previously overlooked. Made me wonder how I could have missed such obvious clues!

Tomorrow is 'Agatha Christie and the First World War' and we're going to one of the talks at the Grand Hotel. Depending on the weather we might also have a walk round Torquay and see if we can find some of the Sturdy Tables!

Bye for now!!

Agatha Christie in...Dartmoor

Dartmoor

Not far from Agatha Christie's hometown of Torquay, is the quiet but bleak moorland of Dartmoor. Agatha spent a lot of time here - including a huge family picnic for her 80th birthday. Dartmoor was never far from her mind, descriptions of Dartmoor appear frequently in her books, and she compared Dartmoor to places she visited as part of her Grand Tour. Dartmoor also provided inspiration for some of her novels, short stories and a poem, and, it was here that she completed her first novel.

In 1917, on the suggestion of her mother, Agatha went to the Moorlands Hotel near Haytor in Dartmoor. Agatha spent the next two weeks completing, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which was published a few years later in 1920. This book introduces Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hasting and Inspector Japp. It's strange to think Poirot and co. have been around for nearly 100 years!

***The following contains spoilers***

The Sittaford Mystery (1931) takes place in the fictional village of Sittaford, on the outskirts of Dartmoor. Imagine the scene - there's a raging blizzard, the wind is howling and the snow is coming down thick and fast (creating a closed circle of suspects - so, the characters decide to hold a seance (as you do)! During which, a spirit announces Captain Trevelyan has been murdered! Major Barnaby, an old friend of Trevelyan's, treks through the blizzard, across the moors to make sure he's okay - only to find the prediction is true, and Trevelyan is dead. It's up to Emily Trefusis and Charles Enderby to solve the case.

This novel, like many others, have been adapted for television - but things are a little different. I think I mentioned in some earlier posts that Miss Marple either replaces a character, or becomes an addition to the cast, when Christie's novels are adapted for television, and this is no exception. Miss Marple makes an appearance alongside Emily Trefusis, to solve the murder. It's not a very good adaptation of the novel, there are a lot of changes - including the murderer! Also, it's not filmed on Dartmoor, which is a shame.


Another novel with links to Dartmoor is The Big Four (1927). As part of the investigation Poirot and Hastings travel to the fictional village of Hoppaton, Dartmoor, after finding a letter from a Jonathan Whalley.

'Hoppaton was a small village clustering in a hollow right on the fringe of the moorland. It was reached by a nine-mile drive from Moretonhampstead' (ch3)

In Evil Under the Sun (1941), Poirot organises a day trip to Dartmoor, and notes how 'Christine Redfern sprang lightly from stone to stone' (ch12) - a fact that would come in handy later on in the story.

In the Miss Marple short story, The Idol of Astarte (from The Thirteen Problems), Dr Pender tells the tale of a murder that takes place on a property 'situated on the borders of Dartmoor':

'From the windows of it one looked our over the panorama of the Moor, vast rolling hills crowned with weatherbeaten Tors' (ch3)

Agatha Christie also wrote a poem called 'Dartmoor'. In which she describes it as 'the quiet country where the hills/Are purple in the evenings, and the tors/Are grey and quiet, and the tall standing stones/Lead out across the moorland till they end/At water's edge.' (Poems, 1973).

Dartmoor wasn't far from Agatha's mind when she went on the Grand Tour with her first husband, Archie. While travelling from Bloemfontein to Harrismith, South Africa, she notes in one of her letters:

'Rather lovely scenery in the afternoon all through the hills - rather like Dartmoor round Two Bridges' (Wednesday, March 8, 1922)

Dartmoor was evidently a special place for Agatha - as was much of Devon. This is certainly a place to visit while on the Agatha Christie Literary Trail.

One final note, there's a River Lemon running through Dartmoor - I've been wondering if this was the inspiration for the Miss Lemon's name...? Although, Miss Lemon didn't make an appearance in a Christie story until 1934, and it wasn't as Hercule Poirot's secretary - she was Parker Pyne's secretary!! Miss Lemon didn't start working for Poirot until the short story, The Nemean Lion in 1947. I wonder what she was up to in the interim years? Hmmm, the mystery of Miss Lemon!

So, did the River Lemon give it's name to Miss Lemon....? I'd like to think it did....!