Today the weather is ...

Sunny!!! Yes, after the wind and rain we've been experiencing over the last few days the sun has finally emerged to dry us all out.  All over the village people have been out in their gardens repairing the damage - my sweet peas were nearly horizontal and the last of the roses were blown away in the night .. but if it stays warm then everything will soon start to grow again and we really did need the rain.

The sweet peas are wonderful this year ... I'm picking a bunch this size nearly every day ... it's important to keep picking so they keep flowering.  Their fragrance is wonderful -  I keep a vase on my desk and can smell them now as I'm typing.  Next to the jug of sweet peas in the picture above is a jar of sea-glass or mermaids' tears, mostly found on the beach at Lannacombe - our favourite.

                                   

And Lannacombe is where, after a nourishing lunch of cheese sandwich and homemade elderflower presse, we headed off to ...

                                   

Ben loves to charge around pretending to be a pirate's dog (after all his kennel name is Mileoak Captain Jack!), whilst Amy is happy to simply sit in the sunshine and soak up the atmosphere (plus a large amount of seawater and sand into her fuzzy coat!)  Feels like we've waited a long time for summer this year .. let's hope the warm weather continues now.

Amy is ten today!!

Happy Birthday Amy- 1o today!!

Seem here with my daughter - one of her biggest fans.

Happy Birthday Ben!

3 years old today

On the mend ...

Update from Chillington Animal Hospital .... her ladyship is on the mend. Amy has indicated that a little white fish poached in milk, possibly some minced steak and some of her favourite doggy choc biscuits would be well received. She has also managed a gentle walk down to the playing field and back.

Get well soon Amy!

Amy is not well. She has hurt her back and simply lies on her bed whimpering in spite of the vet's best efforts. She reminds me now of the picture I took when I first had her ....

That was 4 years ago .. her coat was such a mess that it had to be clipped very short and she was so unhappy with life - this photo tells the whole story.

But these days she's not in any pain with her crippled legs and is a great favourite in the village, taking a starring role at the village fete with her own stall .. "Guess the weight of the dog." Here she is with a young friend at last year's fete...

Now not even a gentle push of Ben's nose can make her smile. The vet says she will get better with plenty of rest and love. Hmmm.... she did manage to nibble on a little chopped chicken tonight... perhaps she's turned the corner. Get well soon Amy!

No snow at Salcombe!

Snow, what snow? No snow here!! Sorry the rest of the UK is cut off from us, but we're enjoying some (relatively) warm sunshine here today.

The car's thermometer told me it was 11 deg C in the sunshine as I drew up in the car park at Snape Point, just above Batson Creek. We set off down the track ...

The hedges had been trimmed and below us in the valley a bonfire smouldered, but we didn't go down to investigate. I love this walk, normally we trek right around the point, but it's been so wet lately that I decided to stay on the track. The views across Batson Creek to Salcombe are beautiful and so I kept stopping to take photographs ....

Which made Ben very impatient. He doesn't see the point at all.

You can just see the bottom car park at Salcombe on the left in this picture, with all the masts of the boats that have been put into winter storage. The pontoons you can see are crammed with boats during the summer season.


Salcombe was bustling though, we could hear traffic and the sound of hammering from one of the workshops. I didn't take Ben down to the creek as I knew the path would be pure liquid mud. Here in Devon we do very special extra-slidey mud and I've ended up on my bum more than once in the past. With a drive home and a visit to Morrisons en-route I didn't want to be walking around covered in mud, so I refused to go down through the gate.


Instead I took this very artistic (I think) photo looking out to sea. Looks like a holiday brochure!

"Ha!" says Ben, "I'll take my revenge. If Mum won't take me down to the creek then I'll wallow in this muddy puddle instead."

And he did! The end.

January brings the snow .....

January brings the snow..... makes your feet and fingers glow.
Makes those newfies feel so good ... walking in our frosty wood.

Ben and ..

Amy (this one's rather good, I think) She looks very wise (which she isn't!!)

"Are there wolves in these woods Mum?" "No, only big black bear-dogs!"

Soo pretty - and so unusual for us to get snow here in South Devon.

Our House

Found this poem when browsing - describes perfectly the situation here at Coombe Leigh.

The Month After Christmas...

'Twas the month after Christmas,
and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store
(less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt---
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
"Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
~Author Unknown

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R!

From South Pool to East Portlemouth

What glorious autumn sunshine we've been enjoying this month. Really warm during the day, yet with a chill in the air at night to remind us that summer is behind us now. So I loaded Ben into the car and we set off on an expedition. We wound our way through the little lanes, emerging at the top of the hill above South Pool. Like many of the villages around here it has a most impressive church with a very tall tower - far too large for today's congregations.

We parked alongside the creek and, taking note of the white ducks roosting on a bank in the middle of the (very shallow) stream I took care that Ben headed off in the opposite direction towards the stepping stones and down the path that leads along the bank.

The tide was low however, and the temptation to wallow was proving rather too great for my furry friend.

So, ignoring his protests I returned him to the newfmobile (aka my car) and we continued along the tidal road towards East Portlemouth.

Look at the colour of the sky!

Last time I blogged about this walk we came to see the bluebells. No bluebells today! Just one black dog!

Who knows the path down to the beach very well!

And took to the water like - well - like a newfie really!

BUT THEN - A RED LETTER DAY FOR BEN!!! WHAT EXCITEMENT!!! A NEW FRIEND!!!

WHO WAS B I G G E R THAN HIM!

That doesn't happen very often! Something to tell Amy when we get home. Luckily both dogs were gentle and friendly and happy to nuzzle one another in an agreeable way. I didn't find out the Dane's name, but he was quite an elderly chap who weighed a good stone more than Ben!

Then we turned back up the path and headed towards home ... only a few more pictures to look at ...

Looking back along the beach - not quite deserted, but nearly so....

Naturally Mr Impatient Ben got to the top of the path first.

Back to the newfmobile ..

Leaned over a gate at Rickham to take the photo above. It's beautiful now, but so bleak up here during the winter months when the wind is howling and the lane is a sea of mud. That's when I'm glad I live down in the village, tucked snugly away under the hill.

The end of the expedition - the lane down towards home, tea and Amy waiting for us.

The year has turned ...

... and autumn has definitely arrived. Each day is a little shorter, the lights go on a little earlier and the back door is closed before the evening chill enters the house. The atmosphere in the village has changed too with the departure of the summer visitors. Everywhere is less crowded and people have more time to stop and chat again. The schools have gone back and other autumn activities have commenced - lunch club has started and I've joined a choir based in Kingsbridge.

The newfies love the cooler weather and the freedom to return to their favourite haunts without worrying about the reactions of those who are unfamiliar with my two furry friends ... no more squeals of fright or anxious crossings of the road ... it's such a shame that people often react like that even when the newfs are on their leads. Amy in particular is such a sociable old lady and loves nothing more than to collapse at someone's feet in the hope of having her tummy tickled. Luckily most local people know her well and are more than happy to oblige!

No more buttercups ....

Today we went on one of our usual walks taking in the woods above the village. We were joined for part of the way by Belinda and her terrier doing the school run(!) but they soon outpaced us as Amy does not walk very fast and I was stopping to take photos....

Autumn berries

Apples for scrumping!

An autumn view ...

and a happy Amy (loves having her photo taken)


Still some blackberries to be had (yum!)

Then we turned at the top of the woods and headed down the path towards home.


Ben is worn out - and Amy wants her tea!!

Ferry across the Dart

Ben loves travelling on the Hauley Ferry. It's not something we do very often, but when we do, he delights in standing right at the front of the pontoon, letting his furry ears blow in the breeze and muttering phrases like "Ahoy there, landlubbers!" and "Newfs Ahoy!" I've even been inspired to make a cushion based on Bayards Cove and the Hauley Ferry (at the top of this post) and was delighted to read its history in the Autumn magazine from the South Hams District Council.

The magazine informed me that there has been a ferry across the river Dart between Kingswear and Bayards Cove since at least 1365 - operated by a Mr William Carey at that time. In 1558 Robert Collyns was the operator, paying 12/- per annum rent to include half of the landing stage. In those days of course, rowing boats and a larger wooden float capable of carrying a small cart, with maybe a horse or two, were the only link across the river.

The picture above is a bit more recent than the 16th century - probably round about 1865 showing the first wooden "horse boat" with a lifting prow at each end capable of carrying two horses and a loaded waggon. It was powered by oars until the arrival of steam power in 1867 and in 1909 the first of a long line of Hauley Tugs was ordered by Mr Heal, the operator at that time, from Philip's boatyard further up the river Dart.

Then came the motor car ... and the ferry continued under a variety of operators right through the war until it was taken over by Dartmouth Corporation in 1949. It was taken over again in 1974 by South Hams council and continues to this day - currently with Hauley Tugs V and VI plying their trade across the Dart.

It's interesting to note how little the view across to Kingswear has changed in the last century - I expect the original operators would still recognise the route across and the landing area. I don't think Newfies were around in those days though - they're from Canada - which of course hadn't been discovered in 1365!!