Not in the mood lately

Just haven't been in the mood to post to this blog lately.  I think it's because here is where I loved to write about life with Amy and Ben ... and of course now it's just Ben and I.  Amy has left such an enormous hole in our lives I think we're still trying to come to terms with her absence. 

We're feeling  like this!  I took Ben up to Start Point last week - we walked all the way round which Amy hadn't been able to do for a very long time. 

But as we climbed up towards the ridge we came to this point ...

... and the enormity of her absence took my breath away.  Amy wasn't part of my life for very long - just four and a half short years.  She was crippled when she came to me, and deeply unhappy - which she showed by withdrawing into herself, growling and biting (yes really) when I tried to show her life was worth living after all.  Perseverance paid off and over the course of about a year she became the most loving and loyal companion I could have wished for. 

That's not to say she was perfect - far from it!  She was the most stubborn, self-opinionated and frankly greedy dog I have ever owned.  She knew what was due to her as the most beautiful (in her opinion!) newfie that ever there was!  But she simply loved people, bustling up to all and sundry (particularly children) and collapsing at their feet in the hope of a tummy tickle.  Not to forget of course that she did once save a child's life, bringing a little girl in from the sea, in her long-ago youth.

Amy was also the only dog I have ever owned that would look admiringly at her own image in shop windows!  In fact she adored shopping.  She never had to be tied up outside a shop, but would wait for me as long as patience lasted - and if I took (in her opinion) too long then she'd bustle importantly inside to come and find me and tell me to hurry up!  I remember leaving her outside WH Smiths once, and coming out to find a total stranger tugging on her lead ... impossible to steal ... she wasn't going to budge an inch without me and at 147 lbs, no-one could make her!

So I've been immersing myself in work - which I love - not forgetting of course that the "Bustle" of Bustle and Sew was named for Amy ... and won't be posting here again for a little while.

Meanwhile you can keep up with some of the news (and the odd photo of Ben which creeps in occasionally) on Bustle & Sew, and I expect I'll be back again before too long with some new photos and stories about life here in Devon.

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!

Start Point with Newfs

I could have blogged about the bonfire last night .. our fireworks here in Chillington are famous - and justifiably so, we feel. Amy used to adore fireworks, she'd gaze upwards in wonder and her eyes would sparkle with reflected stars. But now she doesn't see so well, and fireworks have lost their magic for her. So I decided to give her a treat she can still enjoy and this morning took both dogs down to Start Point.

This is a great walk for them both as Ben can bound up and down the cliffs pretending to be a mountain lion, while Amy paces sedately at my side. We were the only people there which was great ... and the dogs couldn't wait to go through the gate.

Before WW2 the narrow road down to the lighthouse didn't exist - it was constructed by US forces to drive their jeeps up and down to the point.

Now it's a great newfie track!

Very moody and atmospheric - the lighthouse just peeping out from behind the jagged rocks. Last night its beam made a dramatic backdrop to our display as it strobed across the sky behind the fireworks field.

Looking back towards Start Bay - a wonderful panorama. I tried to put three photos together, but it didn't really work very well. Just look at the colour of the water!

Ben always knew he was a superstar!! He definitely made the most of this photo opportunity!

Then he tried to continue along the coastal path. But I had to say NO as Amy simply can't manage this walk any more. Another time, Ben.

Ben is making sure Amy's OK. They do love each other!

Then home again. Maybe later we'll go and examine the bonfire and see if it's still smouldering.

Where does the time go?

Where does the time go? I can't believe that nearly a month has passed since Ben and I took the tidal road to Mill Bay. Such busyness betweenwhiles! A couple of weeks ago townie husband and I decided to use our National Trust tickets for possibly the last time this season.

We had some shopping to do in Torquay so called at Coleton Fishacre on the way home. This is one of my favourite properties - it was built in the 1920s when Sir Rupert d'Oyly Carte noticed the beautiful valley whilst sailing between Brixham and Dartmouth. He bought the land and had the house built ... how the other half lived !!!

After parking we strolled down the drive towards the house. I decided not to go inside on this visit as we only had an hour to spare and took a walk around the beautiful gardens which tumble down towards the coastline. This was taken looking down from the rill garden towards the sea.

Beautiful colour from some late summer stragglers.

The trees were beginning to turn and the colours against the deep blue of the sea were wonderful.

This seal is sunning himself - love the little ramp for the pondlife!

The next day was Monday, so back to work - part-time in Kingsbridge for a local charity. After parking the car I discovered I still had my camera in my bag so took these shots of my walk along the harbour to Quay House where I work ..

Looking towards Kingsbridge.

And back the other way. A truly glorious autumn morning.

And working part-time leaves me plenty of time for DevonBears .. busy making lots of stock for the Candlelit Dartmouth weekend in December. Hope to be very busy and sell lots of goodies - fingers crossed - and then the newfies can have new collars, a new stuffie for Ben for Christmas and seasonal delights for husband and daughter too! (That's a lot of cushions to sew and sell!)

Applique cushions.

And a well-organised cupboard - that's the other thing I've been up to - having a good sort and tidy - supervised by the two newfies - and Ben in particular who has been delighted by some of the bits and pieces I've discovered. But that's for another post (maybe!)

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.

Frogmore Regatta

Today was the Frogmore Regatta. The sun shone and it was wonderful! There were icecreams, swingboats, lots of people falling in the water - and a dog show!

I had hoped to be able to report that one of the Newfies at least had won a rosette, but sadly this was not to be. Our classes - for most handsome dog and prettiest bitch were right at the end of the show - which was moving veerrrrry slowly. It started at 1 pm and by 1.45 only the first class, for waggiest tail, had been judged.

Now this was great in one way as it meant we had more time to meet friends, lick icecreams (and small children), lose money on the tombola etc etc, but in another way it was very bad as the heavily-coated Newfs just became hotter and hotter and more and more uncomfortable and, in Ben's case, worse and worse behaved. So we came away again. Never mind - there's always next year!