An Anniversary

I can't believe that it was four years ago today that we were celebrating our wedding!

All the planning, preparations and panic seemed suddenly very unimportant the moment I stepped into the church and walked down the aisle towards my imminent husband.  The rest of the day passed in a deliriously happy blur...it's just as well I have the photos to reminisce over!

So last weekend we decided to sneak off on a little adventure to celebrate our anniversary.  We packed up the things, leapt in the car and whizzed off through a golden Dartmoor to a gorgeous campsite on the North coast of Devon near Bideford.

Lack of planning of any sort meant that we arrived in a swiftly descending darkness and had to put up our tent with the help of headlights and head-torches.

However, being the excellent team that we are; we had the thing up in no time and settled down to supper in front of a roaring fire.

The weather was decidedly unfriendly and distinctly gloomy the next morning, a trifle which we conquered in short time with huge mugs of hot tea and piles of bacon and eggs.

There is nothing quite like the smell of bacon frying in the countryside...

We beetled our way along the coast to the shores of Westward Ho and enjoyed rather a damp picnic sheltering under the brolly before wandering miles along the beach under dry but brooding skies.

The sun came out just long enough to light up the little beached jellyfish before retreating once more behind its foreboding curtain.

As the sky got steadily greyer we decided for dryness' sake to head back to the car and find some shelter.  We drove round to Bideford and went for a rummage in the charity shops (sadly no treasure) and in an antique shop (several bargains!).

We went to the local pub for supper and by the time we got back to the tent the weather had calmed down a but and we were able to enjoy another evening by the fire.

Next morning initially promised little better weatherwise, but it got steadily brighter while we enjoyed tea and porridge, and steadily clearer while we packed away the the tent (always so much nicer in sunshine than rain!) and when we got in the car to leave it was absolutely glorious!

We drove to Bude and had a fabulous day doing very little except ambling along the beach, sitting talking in the sunshine and stuffing enormous ice-creams.

Then home again home again to a not so lovely lack of excuse for a fire but at least a lovely comfortable bed!

Plymouth's Weather Extremes

We had some friends to stay for a couple of days last week and were treated to two extremes of August weather.

The first afternoon we decided to meander up to the Hoe, and then carry on down to the Barbican for a coffee and some hot fresh doughnuts.  It began to drizzle just as we were parking the car and by the time we had made it down all the stairs to the ground floor of the car park, it had developed into proper rain.

In true British style, we scoffed at the prospect of rain sending us home, purchased some enormous brollies and set off towards the sea front.

As we struggled doggedly up the hill, the rain got heavier and heavier, finally reaching a state of full downpour just as we reached the brow of the hill.

Stepping onto the Hoe, we met the wind coming in off the sea, which uninhibited by buildings and trees, was busy whipping the rain in all directions and sending it scudding across the tarmac in great sparkling sheets.  The brollies were becoming less and less effective and so, having taken a quick look at the sea through the fog, we admitted defeat and sploshed back to the car, thoroughly soaked and decidedly chilly.

Despite it being August, the decision on our return home was unanimous, we needed a fire.

Several cups of tea, an entire packet of chocolate digestives and a Jamaica ginger cake later, everything was looking much rosier and we settled down to a delicious evening toasting ourselves by the fire.

The next morning was still slightly damp but had an optimistically brighter and more promising air about it, and by lunchtime had perked up enough for us to decide it was safe to venture out.  By the time we hit Wembury (having gathered quantities of fish and chips on the way) it was absolutely glorious; warm, sunny and just perfect for a walk on the beach.

When we got down to the beach the tide was out so we hopped and wobbled our way along the rocks stopping occasionally to peer in the rockpools, poke anemones and pick up treasures.

Having dawdled over the rockpools, clambered rocks and leapt crevasses, we agreed we might be in need of a small pick-me-up before we headed back.  Luckily there is a little shop dealing in delicious local ice creams, which we made short work of before ambling back along the coast path.

We got home with windswept faces, tanned noses and that lovely fuzzy feeling you have after a breezy day at the beach.