What are you all up to
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That’s the new town at Sherford. Thousands of houses going up but no extra schools or doctors' surgeries😕.
The Saltram Estate tends to be an island of calm amid the chaos of major roads, industrial estates, railway and so on. The area has changed much from when we first moved there in the early 80s.
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Will let you know when we get down to Cornwall, will be a coup!e of weeks yet. Sounds as if you've had a good drive round today. We will be interested in the CL you are stopping in near Chard, for future reference.
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Sad anniversary today of the 9/11 attacks. There’s a nice memorial to a brave Cornishman in Hayle of that day. Always flowers and other things left by folks at the bottom of the stone.
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A sunny morning here, the morning after the night before with both the uplifting last night Proms and the 🎾 match.
Good to hear the travel plans are going well and the anniversary dinner was a success. I can't keep up with everyone!
We're fans of Saltram House too, the outside space is a welcome area for the locals. I like the house, it was one of the first to open up a bit and offer up the piano to would be keen players and a sofa or two to sit and relax. Greenway is similar, love it there, still has a nice atmosphere.
Off to take the dogs out, OH is out on the river Parrett, fishing early today, a break from doing things at home.
Have a good day everyone.
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Brue there was folk fishing by the river Lot yesterday when we went for a walk around the village did watch the one man casting his line from one side of the river to the other side and the river is quite wide at that point the other man was on the outflow of the small river Vers into the Lot plenty of trout about.
Lovely morning here and the weather is getting hot again for the next two days over 30C just a bit to warm for us.
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I went to our coop just now and the manager was saying although ,yes there is a problem with deliveries both to the distribution hubs and then to the stores,,but is is not being helped by people yet again seeing we have a certain item in stock we were short of a couple of days ago and then buying far more than normal "just in case"
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Had an easy enough drive down to Priddy, above Cheddar Gorge, today to another CL that we have not used before, Rowberrow Farm. The site is fine, 5 grass pitches, all now occupied, and a couple of empty H/S ones for M/Hs. The only problem for us is that there's no footpath from the site for walking Flyte, and the road past the gate is rather busy.
We went for a walk after lunch in Stockhill Woods and Priddy Mineries, ancient lead workings. Drove back through Priddy village where one of the pubs was all boarded up (wonder if that's the to covid?) and past the C&CC site which looked to be full.
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Sounds good Nellie. We are on our CL tonight, nice easy run up here to Chard, via Axminster. We spent most of the day at Forde Abbey. Stunning gardens, one of the best we have visited for a long time. Abbey is interesting, you don’t get to see much of the interior, but the outside is beautiful, complimented by the gardens. CL is only 10 minutes drive away.
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Little incident that had us chuckling our last night at Marazion. Someone had organised a supermarket drop. Van drove onto Site, horrified visitor quickly asked van to turn around and go to one of footpaths into Site from surrounding road. Goods duly unloaded and portered all way across Site. 😂
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Very pleasant day here. Pottering around nothing strenuous.
Lunch in the garden and the return of a sound I'd forgotten I missed over the last months. Children playing outside at break time. Wonderful to hear th ear squeals from a distance. Long may they continue.
50 minute hang on to speak to the GP receptionist, but got a non urgent chat today with GP, so on guarding the phone. Must have paid off to wait until after lunch.
Brown bin collection again this week and as a relax from listening to delighted canned music and your call is important to us I'm pruning shrubs, I'm not being quite as ruthless as I started off so it must be working. Might be worse after our discussion as I want to amend my meds, always difficult as they have job believing I know my own body and my results are within the perramiters..... If only you could see we could see 😉 the same GP it would be easier. Maybe they could check back on my notes?!
Hope folks are enjoying their day.
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Had a trouble free drive on Sunday down to our next CL. Waved passing Exeter site just in the case the Ttda's were in residence. Evidently not. No wonder we didn't see any waving back.
Wifi (and phone signal) very hit and miss on the CL. Seems fine at the moment hence the post. Had a walk into Tolpuddle yesterday after arriving. Why doesn't Tincleton stand on the River Piddle instead of on the River Frome? That would seem more logical to me.
Off "Up onto the Downs" today. Went to see Maiden Castle Iron Fort that stands above Dorchester. Mightily impressive. Then continued on a walk up onto the Ridge and back on a circular walk. Had to walk through about 200 Cows in a rather restricted field en route. Glad we didn't have any dogs with us.
Called into Dorchester as we hadn't been into the town before. Nice place. Had a coffee and bought some books and bits and pieces.
Hope one and all are well. Think we're heading to Radipole Lake and some birdwatching near Weymouth tomorrow.
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Caught you out WN😁 We left Exeter yesterday, we are near Chard now, so that’s why we didn’t wave back👍
Week Two’s disaster occurred today (following on from last week’s slam dunk in the surf at Gunwalloe🤣) Gorgeous day, warm and sunny, so he who is in charge of cycling sorted out a nice circular route from Site for us. All set up, eateries in backpacks, off we go. Up, and up, and up.......and a bit more up. Then down, down, very fast, more down. Then up again, down again, having a really great time. Got to our mid way point, just decided to stop at next village to have lunch.......ominous ker-twang from my bike, came to a dead stop. Problem with chain, keeps sticking. Just couldn’t free it, then it finally gave way altogether. So, I look at my “man what can”, expecting him to whisk out his chain mending tool. (I know he has one, it’s been used before🤔) Silence. No chain mending tool, and did I know we took the wrong route at the last turn? So, I am marooned nine mile from home, goodness knows where, and my soigneur has gone very quiet😂 Plan B. We walk up a very, very big hill, to a nice village called Hawkchurch, have our lunch, and I and my untrustworthy steed are left to have a look around the church, while soigneur rides on, fetches motorhome from Site and rescues me. Only took an hour, and we have found a bike shop for tomorrow😂
Off further North tomorrow, via Haynes Motor Museum, Shaftesbury, across Salisbury Plain, and our next CL near Devizes. 👍0 -
Forde Abbey is our list of places to visit when we get over to that part of the S West, tda, provided of course that it is still open by then. Haven't checked yet. Did you have to book or just turn up?
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You seem be having a few incidents this trip, to add to your previous tumble last time out, tda. Hope that 3 is the magic (tragic?) number and all goes swimmingly from now on. Take care.
Raining now so glad that we got back early from our shopping trip and got the washing done and dried before it started. Hope that it has passed through by the morning although it will mean a damp walk out shortly.
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Our next CL is on a canal side Nellie. What could possibly go wrong?🤣
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It’s open seven days at the moment, although I think some days are garden only. We just turned up, no pre booking. We ended up visiting on a Sunday, so a tad busier than usual, but it was fine. The gardens are wonderful, lots to see. HHA as well. Don’t miss the meadow flower spiral walk, absolutely stunning garden feature👏👏👏
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Great to read about people's current plans and visits.
We are, at present at Englethwaite Hall CAMC site. What a wonderful little site with really helpful site staff. No toilet block here, but we are on a serviced pitch. I can rarely get Internet using my bundled Internet from the phone, although I understand the 'site Internet' isn't much better.
I'll try and add some pictures a bit later on, when Internet can take it. Hope all ae well.
David
Edit: photos added
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A bit more than heavy rain than this morning ,we have had monsoon conditions since about 0700 ,our pond was over 8 inches below the lip yesterday (checked when clearing duck weed) it is now over flowing
and a very fast river running down the road and footpaths0 -
Would that be Court Farm, TDA? We were there couple of months ago. Had a meal at the Bridge Inn along the canal but apparently the Crown in the village is reckoned to be better.
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We've got that CL earmarked too, sounds nice.
Good to hear that DSB has discovered the delights of Englethwaite Hall, it's even better in May when the gardens spring into flower.
TDA, you sounded a bit off course if you got as far as Hawkchurch! Nice to hear you got to Forde Abbey. It's a garden for all seasons but I think the summer is best. I can recommend Minterne Gardens too, near Cerne Abbas, if anyone is in the area, they are different but worth a visit. LINK Also Abbotsbury if you're on the Dorset coast ....another LINK
Hope all the onwards journeys and new places go well for everyone.
We are very busy here with Somerset Arts, by Oct 3rd we will get some time to ourselves (except we are going over to Selworthy near Porlock for a day next week to meet friends and one night seeing Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra...Vaughan Williams, Lark Ascending is the main event. First time out in a theatre venue, I see all the side and back tickets have been booked, not sure if the centre will fill up?!
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It's a bit quirky, Brue, but I quite liked it. The site staff have made a real effort. They have a large Connect 4 game (I think that's what it is) and Wi-fi chairs...
More photos.....
David
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We'll be off to Abbotsbury later in the week Brue. There's a nice walk we did last time we were there that takes you to the castle on the ridge and then drops down to Chesil Beach and finally calls in at Catherines Chapel. We'll do that again before calling in to the gardens themselves.
Had an easier day today. Couldn't do much for most of the morning as it was raining but made our way to Radipole Lake to do a spot of birdwatching and then on to Tesco for a shop. Gosh the shelves were sparse at what is a large Tesco. Worst I've seen this holiday. Have to find somewhere else for my specialist bread.
It looks like we'll be having a bike ride tomorrow from Blandford Forum to Sturminster Newton on an old railway line off road bike track so I'll pop into somewhere whilst up there.
Plagued with flies at the moment.🪰😡
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Had to think where the castle was WN, then remembered the hill fort! Hardy's Monument has another good view point, hope you enjoy your visit.
The Sturminster Mill on the Stour is very attractive if it's open, but I don't expect their produce is GF. (Mill LINK)
Flies are everywhere just now, must be the humid weather.
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After rain in the night we woke to a thick mist which has hung about most of the day, although we did have a little late evening sunshine. Drove over to Charterhouse and had a decent walk through the lead mine workings then up onto Black Down and back up Velvet Bottom nature reserve. Not many people about, 7 in total during our 3.5 hrs out until we got back to the car and there was a school party doing a survey among the remnants of one of the lead mines.
Love the photos, David. We like the Englethwaite site too.
Brue, hope your visits go to plan and hope you don't end up with more than you go with.
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Sounds like folks are having a good time whilst away, NTH I remember doing a butterfly survey at Velvet Bottom reserve a few ago.
Well they did forecast a storm and we had it overnight so far on the weather gauge we have had 95.8mm of rain and more forecast for today the thunder was an awful sound it does seem different here compared to where we lived in Somerset and where our friends live they overlook a valley and it sounds a lot noisier there and she hates thunderstorms, they had a full house last night of Americans and very demanding so glad they have gone off on the walk today, I think they have got a break from guests now as they have friends from UK here.
No gardening here today so ill have to find other chores to do.
We are going away to Obterre for 8 nights from 2nd October and having a couple of nights on the way up so looking forward to getting away at last as our plans to go away this month are now cancelled due to other things to do and the weather for the rest of this month do not look good.
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A week ago today the weather was glorious - not just warm, but hot and sunny. Perfect for our day as V.I.P.s at Westmorland Show. By 08:00 we were at the Showground in our best President and President's Wife clothes. We had hats to keep the sun off and golf buggies to drive us round. A wonderful day.
For the first time the Show was held over two days, so that meant two outfits. I only took a couple of photos, but lots were taken of us admiring exhibits etc. And talking to the royal visitors. We'll get to see them in due course.
This week is very much back to normal. Many mouths to feed. Grass to mow. Meetings on farm and elsewhere. And alarm set for 05:00. We did change it for the show days (to 04:30 - my husband had to milk before donning his posh clothes).
A few photos of us - and apologies if I posted them last week. Last week is all a blur and I'm not sure what I did!
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Great photos Goldie were you not sure about the hat in the last photo?
When I lived in Shropshire as a youngster I used to help up the lane from us with milking especially weekends and school holidays so know about early starts and only having a few of the old style milking machines which I used to be able to put together and the hay used to be raked by hand with the old wooden rakes, memories but I used to enjoy it as mum used to be a home help so she would be out early and walk to her ladies as she called them.
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We are off in October too RedKite, but due to offering up ourselves for the open studios event down here we have some busy days ahead. I'm taking a break to get the washing out, it's finally sunny and I don't want visitors to be grappling with sheets flapping in their faces.
Goldie what a handsome pair you make in your show outfits, the photos are great, the hats look good!
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