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Yesterday we were watching 'Countryfile' on tv and they had an item about rambling on the North Devon coast which featured Morte Point. So often I've seen film of beautiful coastline and thought how wonderful it would be to visit those areas and here was our very own walking spot.
There were 5 seals down in the water at their usual place. (Zoom in to see one between the outermost 2 rock outcrops.) A little less exciting after my Lundy seal encounter.
There were a number of these large parasol mushrooms about. It wasn't until I checked them out in my wildlife book at home that I discovered they are 'edible and tasty'. If we don't wait another 8 weeks before going for another walk perhaps we can bring 1 or 2 home to add to our supper. We were both pleased to note that our fitness has improved and we were able to chat comfortably all the way up the big slopes that used to have us gently puffing as we neared the summits.
When we did get home we found our postman in our yard. Nothing unusual in that until we spotted the large puddle of oil. A rock had bounced up while he was driving along a farmers' track and when he got to our place he realised that it had smashed the oil sump. It was his further bad luck that there was nobody at our place and very unusually everybody was out at the stables next door. He was just about to start walking the 6 miles back to town when we turned up. After a cup of tea and a few phone calls (mobile phone coverage is not very good in our valley) he took a lift back into town with Peter and later a guy came with a flat bed lorry and took the van away.
Thank you for the kind comments about my struggle with the old diet this week. They have made me feel more positive. Romas took this photo of me last week which I think is a bit more flattering than last week's group shot. I am determined to lose those few pounds and stay near to my 'weight aged 16'.
Later I was out in the garden getting on with school planning when I heard a dreadful commotion coming from the trees nearby. It sounded like a cross between a duck and a jackdaw.
But it wasn't a bird at all, it was a very cross squirrel. Its tail was vibrating with every angry chatter. It may have been defending the crop of nuts in the hazel trees or simply attempting to scare away an intruder. I know there is a drey up in those trees as well.
And the possible cause of all that anger might have been Elwen who was walking about below the trees.
Oh dear, oh dear! I am so embarrassed by this. Another week where I have hardly managed to stick to my diet. And all because I wallowed in self pity over the lack of birthday celebrations and hit the chocolate stash. It is always the same and what an utterly trivial thing to be stressing about. But this is the purpose of my weekly 'weigh in', now I know I have to get to grip with my lack of self control and get back into my routine. Might even have to print off another page and carry on for a few more weeks.
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| entrance to the upper parking lot at the NC Arboretum |
The house is so quiet, even Peter has gone out for the day, off with the gun club to a range in Cornwall.
A wet view of the garden showing the half trimmed hedge.
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| Joe-Pye in meadow |
Vicky and Romas left after lunch so now it is just the two of us rattling around in this big farmhouse. It was nice having them here this week because then it was not such a major transition at the end of the grand visit. Going from 11 in the house to just 2 takes a bit of adjusting to. We had some enjoyable evenings playing board games and watching films together. Just heard that Avatar will be shown again on general release with some extra footage so we will definitely be heading off to the cinema when it comes to out town. Being an old converted cinema the screen 1 is the original auditorium and has the largest screen in the south-west. The seating is very comfortable especially if you pay a little extra for the Pullman seats and and the sound system is excellent with the base sound making the whole place rumble.
This afternoon I had another go at the land drain under the lawn. I've rodded it from both ends but I need to find the curly attachment to clear the clay that is still causing the water to stop flowing. I also carried on with trimming the big hedge. It's a really big job so I always do it in sections or I'll run out of steam after the first day. Nothing much else happening in this oh so quiet house.
I spent the afternoon in town and had a very civilised cappuccino and cake with my friend. I did ask to take a photo of the yummy selection of cakes but the baker/owner said no. As there are more of us at home I was able to take advantage of the end of day reductions at the pasty shop and bought 4 traditional pasties and 2 Thai chicken pasties (unusual but tasty). 
We have finally taken possession of our 'new' car, a Toyota Rav4. This purchase was yet another example of the web of connections that exists in our lives here. Last year we were at a party next door when the girl who works at the stables mentioned that she was thinking about selling her Rav. (She just happens to be the grand-daughter of one of my WI friends and lives in a farm visible on the other side of the valley.) Peter told her that we would be interested if & when she decided to sell. This summer we needed another car so luckily the Rav was still available and we bought it. It is a good purchase because we know that it has been looked after and has done relatively low mileage. But this isn't the end of the connections. Some years ago during a brief snowy spell our Landrover went off the road when we were all headed for school. I left Peter and the boys to sort the Landrover and hitched a lift with my neighbours who happened to be passing. Unfortunately we also went off the road at a difficult corner but I was able to cadge a lift into town with a couple driving ... you've guessed it - the same Rav, and it turned out that the driver's sister is one of my fellow teachers at school. That's one web of connections.
I'm hoping that the weather will be as nice tomorrow so that I can have a relaxing day in the garden.
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| sedum beds, perennial meadow, and raised beds for vegetables |
I've got procrastination down to a fine art but finally I've started looking at the planning for next term and doing some of the dreaded paperwork. Actually once I get started it's not too bad. The key to surviving this job is to be utterly organised. That way it's easy to take the inevitable last minute changes without going into a total flap. At least that's how it works for me.
In between getting on with my schoolwork I pottered about and did a bit of my jigsaw out in the conservatory. I work without reference to the picture and take a strange pleasure in matching all those seemingly random pieces together. Maybe I'll ask Peter to give me my Christmas puzzle in a bag so that I have no idea what the picture is. That might be fun.
It dried up briefly in the afternoon so I got the drain rods out and had a go at clearing the land drain that runs under the back lawn which is beginning to get very waterlogged. I was very glad it was only rain water as I had to delve into a deep puddle nearly up to my shoulder. Even so it was an early shower after that. I was going to finish with a bit of therapeutic sawing down of a branch that is growing too low over the stream but when I saw the nearly ripe cob nuts on it I decided it could wait until winter. No wonder the squirrel has been making forays into the garden.
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