A post at last!

Good morning and a long overdue post! Several times I’ve started and scrapped what I was going to say. Why? I really don’t know. I suppose I just felt it wasn’t interesting enough. It’s still a weird time, some more restrictions lifted, but I’m not in any rush to go to anywhere busy. So it’s been a very quite a quiet Devonshire life in the main.

So, back to the business of letting you lovely people know what I have actually been up to this past 18 (!) days. Well, the day after my last post, it was Bumble’s 5th birthday! A day, back in November, that we didn’t think she’d ever see! Obviously her cancer is still there, but she is well in herself and is truly having the best life. Our daughter had the day off, so Hubby and I went over to see the birthday girl in her garden. The heavens opened a couple of times, but that didn’t stop Bumble enjoying her birthday pupcakes!........

She also had a delivery of handmade dog biscuits..........

The day after, my son and I met my daughter and Bumble at Budleigh beach for a walk. It’s a pebble beach and shelves down to the sea, which is a challenge going down and back up again (and this was after doing Joe Wicks in the morning too!) My poor legs! The sea was a bit choppy due to the weather, so there were some waves breaking into the shore, rather than the normal lapping. Bumble, on a longline, jumped in after pebbles and thoroughly enjoyed herself.......

Once, back up the mountain of pebbles, we had a well deserved coffee, until the black clouds rolled in with a massive cloudburst! A quick sprint into our respective cars, with our coffees.

Father’s Day was a quiet day. A day of reflection for me, as I lost my Dad in Dec 2016. The weather was lovely here, so our daughter and Bumble came over to enjoy the sun. Hubby had his presents, we sat and chatted. Bumble had her own chair to sit on (I know, it’s in a bit of a state, but perfect for her paws!) .......

I’ve met my friend and her dog for walks each week. We opt for Haldon Forest or Exmouth beach. Both are quiet early in the mornings. Our Exmouth walk was a bit murky, but warm.......

Some very strange rock formations have been unearthed, where there used to be sand....

 The rain held off and the beachside takeaway cafe was open for a very good cup of coffee after our walk and some gravy bones for Bruce, her dog.

We’ve had torrential rain!.......

which led to more baking. In this case chocolate and banana bread.......

I have actually ventured into town. Well, the far end which is very quiet. I normally see a podiatrist every 12 weeks and was due to see her 2 days after lockdown. They are now open again, with lots of precautionary measures in place. I was required to wear a mask, so tried my hand at making my own. I had some material, looked up various patterns and hey presto. Don’t look at the stitching too closely, I don’t have a machine, so it’s hand stitched. My daughter was so impressed, she requested one too!.....

We had a lovely surprise last week. A dear friend of ours, who has gone through a cancer battle, in the last 12 months, gave us this gorgeous vase as a thank you for our support. He picked up that I love Highland cows......

So I’ve had a week of flowers too. Hubby felt obliged, haha, to buy me some for our new vase. There was enough to put in a small vase in the window too. I cut my first peony and my son gave me some flowers this Wednesday to cheer me up ( it was my Dad’s birthday) ........

And just a last couple of pics. Early the other morning, whilst walking up the garden to feed the birds, I noticed the sun on the dew on my Lady’s Mantle plants. The photos don’t do it justice really. The tiny droplets glistened like diamonds!....

The remainder of the time has been spent gardening, household chores etc.
So that’s it! Hope you are enjoying the sunny weather, if you like the heat, or are managing to keep cool, if you don’t. Have a lovely weekend, cheerio for now, Ann x

A few firsts.......

.....since the slight relaxation of lockdown.

On Tuesday, I met up with my friend for a walk in Haldon Forest. It was nice and quiet, with plenty of room for social distancing. She had with her, Bruce, her dog and also her son’s dog, so I had a dog for the morning! It was so lovely to see my friend and have a right old natter, while the dogs had a huge explore, disappearing into the undergrowth. (Ironically, the last time we met up, was also at Haldon Forest, the day before lockdown was implemented. We were already socially distancing from each other.) We saw very few people at all on our walk, but we had met up quite early so the dogs wouldn’t get too hot. For some reason I omitted to take any photos! We were too busy chatting and  catching up on all our news (it’s never the same by texting someone, is it?) We’ve decided to move our catch up day to a Tuesday, so we’re going for another walk tomorrow.

Saturday night, we ( our household) made our way to our daughter’s house ( or rather garden!), my son’s girlfriend did the same, as did my daughter’s ex (they’ve always got on, is he still an ex? Who knows) Anyway, the six of us were all together for a barbecue. It’s a good job she has a large garden, so we could spread out. We had a great time, even though it rained! But it was so lovely to be all in the same place. The only one who wasn’t too keen was Bumble, she doesn’t like to be wet, so she sidled up to me, as she was wrapped up warm in a towel, then a blanket.......

The other days have been filled with the weekly visit to the farm shop, routine of housework, catching up with family on the phone and a bit of crafting. My brother’s birthday was at the weekend and being a keen cricketer, I made him this card.........

Today I spent the morning in the garden, planting up my pumpkin, cucumber, peppers and more tomatoes! The weather held up until later this afternoon, when we had more rain. So that’s it really, a quiet-ish week with a couple of heart warming moments.

I haven’t got much planned for the rest of the week, that is very exciting. Although my son has Thursday off, so he has suggested he and I go for a walk somewhere. Unfortunately the forecast is appalling (at the moment) for Thursday, but we will go out, even if we just go for a nice drive somewhere.

Hope you all have a lovely week, thanks for popping by, cheerio for now, Ann x