So here I am with less than 24 hours to go until we fly to Iceland, drinking many mugs of Lemsip and sucking on menthol sweets trying to beat this cold that Vicky has so kindly shared with me.
Mum and Dad popped down with their neighbours Michael and Kathy for most of last week. The weather was excellent throughout and so there was plenty of opportunity for getting out and about, eating too much good food and drinking plenty of beer and cider too :)
Their stay in fact began with a trip to our Occombe Farm Cider Festival. In it's very first year the festival ran all of Saturday afternoon and well into the night, with 39 different ciders stacked behind the bar and a whole host of musical talents taking to the stage. Our former "next door but one" neighbours from Deal, John and Irene, joined us for the event and between us we sipped our way through many a good cider during the course of the sunny afternoon.
Sunday afternoon was spent out at Berry Head for a spot of lunch at the Guardhouse Cafe, followed by a walk looking for anything interesting out at sea. Only 2 days previous we had been at Berry Head for a bird ID training course, and while we had been looking at sea birds we has seen all manner of things such as Seals, Harbour Porpoise and the occasional Common Dolphin. This afternoon however there was no such excitement to be had, and other than the odd diving Gannet a huge US Navy vessel proved to be the only real point of interest out to sea.
The beauty of Berry Head is that even when the wildlife doesn't come out to play the area is still a wonderful area to sit and let the world pass you by. The dramatic coastline makes for an excellent view, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore below does wonders to help you relax.
Monday was spent on the Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes round robin. We started the day on the Paignton to Dartmouth (Kingswear) train. Michael is a big fan of steam railways, and so it was great that he was able to ride a line that he has not traveled before while he was visiting us. Again the weather played ball, making the views out across the coast and across the River Dart all the more beautiful.
The boat to Totnes was as equally enjoyable with the sun shining down on us. Plenty of wildlife up and down the river could be seen, and even a Seal popped his head up half way through the journey to say hello.
The bus ride back to Paignton was on a traditional open top sight seeing style bus, and while sitting upstairs felt like a good idea when we got on by the time we alighted at the other end several members of the group were using the word "numb" to describe some of their extremities!
Our final day together on Tuesday saw us go for a relaxed stroll around some of our local area including our base at Occombe Farm and the quaint nearby Cockington Village. A savoury cheese tea at the little thatched tea rooms in the village was a particular highlight, before a trip up to view some glass blowing and blacksmithing the craft studios.
Wednesday and Thursday saw us go back to work before we headed up to Dunstable on Saturday for Vicky's Aunt Susan's wedding. The service and the reception were both lovely, and gave us the opportunity to catch up with a few familiar faces. As we had to do a day round trip from Devon though we weren't able to stay as long as we might have, and so we look forward to catching up properly with everybody at another time.
This weeks amusing news comes from Canada, and shows what you probably wouldn't expect to find on the green at your local golf course...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29174094
See you all when we return from Iceland :)
Mum and Dad popped down with their neighbours Michael and Kathy for most of last week. The weather was excellent throughout and so there was plenty of opportunity for getting out and about, eating too much good food and drinking plenty of beer and cider too :)
Their stay in fact began with a trip to our Occombe Farm Cider Festival. In it's very first year the festival ran all of Saturday afternoon and well into the night, with 39 different ciders stacked behind the bar and a whole host of musical talents taking to the stage. Our former "next door but one" neighbours from Deal, John and Irene, joined us for the event and between us we sipped our way through many a good cider during the course of the sunny afternoon.
The first of many ciders on Saturday afternoon!
John, Irene, myself, Vicky, Mum, Michael, Kathy and Dad on Paignton beach
Sunday afternoon was spent out at Berry Head for a spot of lunch at the Guardhouse Cafe, followed by a walk looking for anything interesting out at sea. Only 2 days previous we had been at Berry Head for a bird ID training course, and while we had been looking at sea birds we has seen all manner of things such as Seals, Harbour Porpoise and the occasional Common Dolphin. This afternoon however there was no such excitement to be had, and other than the odd diving Gannet a huge US Navy vessel proved to be the only real point of interest out to sea.
The beauty of Berry Head is that even when the wildlife doesn't come out to play the area is still a wonderful area to sit and let the world pass you by. The dramatic coastline makes for an excellent view, and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore below does wonders to help you relax.
Dad, Mum, myself, Vicky, Kathy and Michael on the headland at Berry Head
Monday was spent on the Paignton, Dartmouth and Totnes round robin. We started the day on the Paignton to Dartmouth (Kingswear) train. Michael is a big fan of steam railways, and so it was great that he was able to ride a line that he has not traveled before while he was visiting us. Again the weather played ball, making the views out across the coast and across the River Dart all the more beautiful.
Train just leaving the station to make the return journey from Kingswear
The boat to Totnes was as equally enjoyable with the sun shining down on us. Plenty of wildlife up and down the river could be seen, and even a Seal popped his head up half way through the journey to say hello.
The bus ride back to Paignton was on a traditional open top sight seeing style bus, and while sitting upstairs felt like a good idea when we got on by the time we alighted at the other end several members of the group were using the word "numb" to describe some of their extremities!
Our final day together on Tuesday saw us go for a relaxed stroll around some of our local area including our base at Occombe Farm and the quaint nearby Cockington Village. A savoury cheese tea at the little thatched tea rooms in the village was a particular highlight, before a trip up to view some glass blowing and blacksmithing the craft studios.
Wednesday and Thursday saw us go back to work before we headed up to Dunstable on Saturday for Vicky's Aunt Susan's wedding. The service and the reception were both lovely, and gave us the opportunity to catch up with a few familiar faces. As we had to do a day round trip from Devon though we weren't able to stay as long as we might have, and so we look forward to catching up properly with everybody at another time.
Vicky, myself, Mum and Dad at Susan and Philip's wedding
This weeks amusing news comes from Canada, and shows what you probably wouldn't expect to find on the green at your local golf course...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29174094
See you all when we return from Iceland :)
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