Birthday and Balloons

What was nana thinking giving me clothes........?

It was our grand-daughter's fifth birthday yesterday, but other arrangements for both her and us had been made so went the week before.  
She carefully unpacked al her goodies from the Peppa Pig bag carefully avoiding two dresses which were put on the top of the goodies.

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This weekend Alex and I went to stay with our eldest son and daughter-in-law in Bristol.
I have always wanted to see the balloons, not necessarily go to see the take off but just to see them fly, but because they are weather dependent it is actually fifty-fifty whether you get to see them.  But Saturday morning we saw them in the distant, so hurriedly dressing and getting the car at 6.30 am Michael drove us to a vantage point to see the balloons ascending over Bristol, we thought we may go back to see them in the evening but the weather had other ideas!

Wonderful Weather and Weekend!

Back in January I thought we needed a break!  I went ahead and booked a weekend away not knowing that was going to have my hours cut at work.  Well I thought never mind we'll just eat less!  I booked the break at a B&B on the internet, I knew the area quite well having always holidayed in the area as a child and then in the early eighties my parents built a house in the South Hams area.  So Hartburtonford was the place, central to three places Dartmouth, Kingsbridge and Totnes.  Hartburtonford is the only place to stop for petrol, bit small to get out to look around, but like all small villages it boasts a church and churchyard, pub and village shop.  Our break was the on one of the warmest weekends in March, also the real reason for booking the weekend away was so I could visit the Vintage Fair at Totnes.  I was going to have a table but then realised I really did not have enough things to sell. 

The B&B was right on the bend of the main busy main road, I then hoped I made the right choice!  But, the view from our room was absolutely beautiful, We did not hear any traffic even with the door and window open, and not only a room with a view we had a door that opened straight on the waters edge, but we did think Health and Safety took it a bit far by announcing it was a door 

by showing us that it was the exit.................

We arrived on Friday afternoon so we could get up early on Saturday to go to Totnes, so that evening we drove to Dartmouth, one of our favourite places!  It seemed quite strange being back after about twenty years but really nothing had changed at all! 

Even the Seagulls like to travel in style to Dartmouth!

On Saturday we breakfasted then we travelled to Narnia Totnes for the Fair and to look round the town, oh and yes I did go back into the charity shops in case you were wondering.........!  I knew I would!! 

On Sunday, the morning was very breezy we went to Slapton.  A long road that stretches as far as the eye can see.  Freshwater on one side of the road and seawater on the other.

About twenty or so years ago this tank was pulled from the sea.

Sunday afternoon we visited Coleton Fishacre a National Trust property now but was once owned by the  D'Oyly Carte Family

On Monday was trains!  There are two stream railways in Dartmouth.  Dartmouth to Paington and Totnes to Buckfastleigh.  We chose to go from Buckfastleigh to Totnes and then walk the cycle track into Totnes.  We actually only made it to the outskirts of the town and had lunch in China Blue then strolled back to the station.  In the afternoon we looked round the shops and had a cream tea at Dartington.

A relief picture of Dartmouth on a wall of a building in Dartmouth.

These Owls were with their owner greeting people at Totnes Station

This pair of Ducks swam past our room every evening, but the female just did not want her photo too!!

There are more pictures here

They look just the same...........

Eleven months ago I took this photograph, same road and approximately at the same time of day . This road we go down every morning, when the white Cherry Blossom is out that is all that can be seen and after twenty-one years it doesn't get any better than this!

Holiday at Windowsill Bay - 2

I am not a happy bunny today! I feel like the child who is told you cannot have ice cream if you don’t eat your tea! Perhaps I am being a spoilt brat but when I get told I could go to Totnes, come what may, on Friday 21st May, I expected to go! I really shouldn’t have boasted I was going to Totnes again after a ten year gap of not going, I should have kept quiet about it and told people afterwards. Well the chauffeur (I don’t drive - I don’t like driving so I don’t do it - long story) awoke this morning not feeling well (I‘m sure he does it on purpose!), so there I was laying in bed 7am the time we should be leaving Minehead for a two hour drive to South Devon. I somehow knew yesterday we wouldn’t be going out today so I don‘t know why I am so disappointed. I decided to get up put the washing in the machine, go on the computer and read “happy” blogs! I am thinking thoughts of Murder and how I could commit murder to three members of my family without being found out! I was told we can go to Totnes tomorrow……..‘TOMORROW!………..I should have chosen Tuesday to go then there would have been a fighting chance of getting there all I wanted to do was to go to the Market, I could go alone on the bus, but actually takes and hour to get out of Minehead! Reading Sal’s blog there is something going on in Exeter tomorrow too. I thought I can‘t have both because we were not staying in Okehampton.……..but on this occasion I would prefer to go to Totnes. If we had been staying in Okehampton we could have gone to Exeter on the way home!



Yesterday we played tourists for the afternoon, I bought an ice and sat looking out to sea, nothing unusual in that you might say but the ice cream was melting faster than I could eat it! Locally made ice cream with a good reputation, if I had taken it back there would not have been any evidence of it ever being in the cone, it would have looked like I had eaten it and gone back for a refill, I emailed a complaint, still awaiting reply.

Wednesday we saw Caitlin again, Peter was returning Richard to Minehead.

Monday we went to Taunton, a brief visit in town and tea and cake in the new tea shop in town, then out to the outskirts for a new computer monitor We really do need one and I thought really we could do with out the expenditure on such thing, but since having it for four days now I realise how bad the other one had got! I also nearly bought a new mixer on Ebay as the other gave up after thirty years of use but according to the man who knows it’s capacitor had blown up hence the smoke filled kitchen. Hoping for a repair soon! I have brought a new hand mixer but I do prefer to using my big mixer which is now laying a box awaiting this capacitor - one day!

Minehead

One of our local views

Over the hill and far way............

This is the view from my back door..........

See you cannot see the hill!

(23rd January).

Wednesday, 14th May

One thing I noticed there was a lot of in the Midlands, there were lots of luminous yellow fields. We left for home about 10 am and arrived home about 2.30 pm. Toothache gone and forgotten for a while! We still have not completed "Harry Potter"! We are getting near the end though - please please don't tell me the end!

Bridge

Packhorse Bridge

Allerford, Porlock, Somerset

On the way to Bristol

Down country lanes listening to 30's music on the car radio and keeping an ear open for the Sat Nav! from one extreme to the other....... But that is not the reason for this blog. The reason dangerous driving! Here we are stuck between a horse box with no brake lights and a range-rover towing a caravan in narrow roads and country lanes! We were over-taken by three cars and a motor-bike. Need I say more.........

One of the roads near where I live.
The trees are Flowering Cherry

Over the hill and far away.........

This is the view from my back door. This time last year the Popular trees were much taller than they are now. In the summer you cannot see the hill in the background.