Have You All Missed me? I've Missed All Of You

Well, here I am, I'm back! Sorry for the lack of posts these last few days, I have been enjoying the weather, posting and seeing friends. So I have a lot to catch up on, so let us start with the run down of each day of this past week:

Monday

Perfect weather. We went to see the house again in Shebbear and realised then and there that it was not for us. A lot of work needed doing and seriously it wasn't worth it. The garden was over looked on each side and the building itself needed so much work! Plus the annex was a building site and hadn't seen a lick of paint for at least 50 years! Plus the people selling, the husband was a builder and perhaps a little bit of a cowboy and rushed the jobs in the house just a bit too much.
So afterwards we went to Sheepwash for lunch to the Half Moon Inn. A famous pub once upon a time run by a man named Benji and his brother. They owned a few miles of the Torridge where people would come to stay and fish. The Torridge was the idea behind Henry James 'Tarka the Otter', he lived there, along the banks, watching wild otters and it gave him the idea of the story, now a very famous book! (the old railway line was taken up around 25 years ago and now it's called the 'Tarka trail' for walkers and cyclists. I think it's around 40 miles long, straight through the heart of the Devon countryside). Benji was a real class landlord, everything was done to perfection and the pub always packed out with locals and visitors. You could go for dinner and had to chose what you wanted to eat over the phone when you booked the table, either fish, chicken or beef. When you came you had a drink first and then the dinner gong would sound and you'd be escorted to your table in the vast dining room, where all the plates were polished and the cutlery were solid silver. Bread first, then starter, main, pudding and then cheese and biscuits and port. A real night out! Benji sold the pub around 6 years ago and of course it hasn't been the same since. The only remenant is Alan, who worked all those years for Benji behind the bar, he's still there and he remembers us. It was on the market for £2million but it couldn't sell. Sheepwash is an odd little village, a terrible thatch fire over 100 years ago destroyed most of the village, but the square with the pub was saved and thank God for it. If any of you find yourself in North Devon please go and visit and the surrounding area. It has a lovely atmosphere and all the fields look out across Dartmoor.

The Half Moon Inn at Sheepwash

The square, Sheepwash

The Square and my Mum, Sheepwash

Buckland Filleigh House

Tuesday

As my Dad had been so ill with a cold we hadn't been anywhere, so today was the day to go out. We thought the night before maybe Padstow in Cornwall (Rick Stein fame) or Totnes and Dartmouth. So we decided on the latter. It's a long way down, over Dartnoor to the South of Devon. The countryside gets notably hillier and the roads busier. More tourists go to the South rather then the North. There are more attractions and caravan sites! Also the petrol becomes a few pence cheaper as well! First we went to Totnes for a much needed toilet (well we had driven 40 miles non-stop) and lunch. The town is very pretty, though the high street is on a hill, ok going down though! It has a beautiful church but we couldn't go in as there was a funeral, rather a large one as well and no-one was wearing black they were all in colours! Then we went to Dartmouth, again very beautiful, with the river Dart running through both towns. It was a little colder there as the wind was blowing off the water so my Dad bought we this lovely zip up top! We were discussing whether we should stay for dinner but then it's never very fair on my Dad as he can't sit back and relax with a drink as he has to drive home. So we decided against it. On the way back we went through Dittisham and looked at the church. The lanes were very narrow there and the locals rather unfriendly in their big four by fours and tractors and didn't slow down to give us room. It was a nightmare! Then our first bout of bad luck happened. We had to pull in to the hedge to let a car go by, when this little white van overtook us at speeds hitting us on the side. It was such a shock! Luckily he stopped. What we call a middle class lout, munching on an apple.Laid back public school type in a beaten up old van with his girlfriend. Of course he apologised. What happened was that he was looking down changing his CD player and then in the last second, looked up, saw us and swerved or he would have gone straight in the back of us and it would have been a lot worse. And no-one stopped and witnessed it, I would have! He didn't even have his insurance on him and so gave my Dad his details through mouth fulls of apple. The damage isn't that bad, white paint on the drivers side bumper and side, just above the back wheel. So we'll never drive down that road again!
Back in our home stretch, the better side of Devon, so good to be back! We went to our local pub 'The Duke of York' at Iddesleigh where I met this beautiful dog who wouldn't leave my side! Someone else was whistling to him (not his owner but a stranger) for him to come but the dog ignored him and stayed with me! We had a lovely meal and it was only around 6 miles to home to Dad could drink a little! Home for bed! (only after a small glass of Blair Atthol whiskey on the garden bench!)

Totnes High Street (going up and plenty of Buntings)

The River Dart, Totnes, South Devon

Totnes Church

Dartmouth, Kingswear on the other side

Dartmouth, I so wanted to be on that boat!

Dartmouth, what would make a perfect studio!

Dittisham Church

On the surround of the Pulpit

Stained Glass Window of Dittisham

Dittisham (yes, still, I love old church's!)

Lovely graveyard (as graveyards go!)

View of Dartmoor from The Duke of York

My friend Dog!

Wednesday

A day of Spring cleaning and again, lovely weather. My friend Katie from Dunsbeare came for the afternoon and for dinner (tea in Devon, dinner is lunch!). We were real ladies of leisure sitting outside, chatting and sunbathing. Making daisy chains and lambs tails and then wild flower book marks with sticky back plastic! Very creative! The hours past calmly by as our skin slowly burnt! Oh well, it turns brown afterwards! I've been putting on these new creams with a hint of tan in them. The only problem is that after showering it comes off so all the towels are stained brown, that and my nightie and bedding, hope it comes off!

The sunset of Wednesday

Around 10 mins later

Another 10 mins

Thursday

Up really early as an architect from Chagford was coming round. We've decided to extend the cottage and have it as our main home. Improve the conservatory, take my studio away and build out, a kitchen and on top a study and en- suite for me. Convert the loft into a bedroom and en-suite and convert the sheds into my studio (keeping a swallow loft above). We could also build over the present kitchen as a spare room for books and such things. It is possible well, only planning permission permitted. The cottage is 400 hundred years old and luckily not listed otherwise it would be impossible! It was part of the Clinton Estate (at one stage the Clintons, formally the Rolles, owned most of Devon) and it was the Gamekeepers cottage and still has the hooks in the sheds where he used to hang up the animals he had shot! The cottage is made out of cob and used to be thatched. Beautiful stone fireplaces and our very own bread oven! Surrounded by rich, fertile land, actually the best farming land in the whole of Devon. The best view is from the bathroom window, across the cow field, the woods and the view beyond, not to mention the stunning sunsets. The only down side is the small lane that runs along the side and up the garden. We only usually get local and farm traffic. The tractors are the best and not to mention the combines in August, which hardly fits the lanes. You're standing at the bathroom window brushing your teeth when the combine comes past and you're at eye level to the person driving it who always gives a cheerful wave!
But after all of that cleaning, the architect doesn't show up! He had forgotten and was in Cornwall instead. 2nd piece of bad luck! So he's how coming on Tuesday at 9pm! Not very professional is it?!

Thursday

You know I don't have a clue what happened. I think there was a shopping trip to Torrington and then Rosemoor (a lovely garden, shop and nursery). We did some gardening and I did some painting. That was it I think.

Wild Flower - Hawkbit

Friday

The Royal Cornwall Show with Sue. The biggest and best Agricultural Show, over 90 acres big! Packed with people. But more on that later, as in tomorrow or when we're back. I took over 200 pictures, mainly of the animals, so I need broadband!

A taster of the show, I wonder if this ram was called Jacob?!

A very hot day, how comes the bull doesn't have sunglasses too?!

Saturday

Exhausted from 8 hours of show! First England match of the World Cup (I hate football) after 60 minutes I went to bed! So tired and so sunburnt!

Sunday

Today. Mostly now spent doing this! Time of the month yet again, so will take it slowly today. Showers predicted yet sun is shining.

Oh well, that's it folks. This would have been posted earlier but the pictures are taking so long to upload! It's almost 1pm, so by the time this is prob posted it'll be around 4! Sorry.

Lots of love to everyone and I will be back to normal soon!

Emy xxx