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Published: March 24th 2009
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Sidmouth
One crazy English day in early March we braved the weather conditions and drove out to Sidmouth, on the northern beaches near Exeter. After sampling a lovely creamed tea (aka Devonshire tea) while the rain beat down and the winds whipped up a frenzy, we were lucky to snatch a limpse of lovely sunshine as we walked along the stoney beaches.
Once again as in Brighton, we experienced the deafening sounds of the waves sweeping back over the rocks, although this time we were thoughtful enough to catch it on film (even if we had no idea where we were when we were commentating, with me saying we were at Exmouth and Davin thinking we were at Budleigh Salterton... You will find this amusing when we can actually play you the clip)
In a playful regression to our childhoods, we also found the hills on the headland to have all the ingredients necessary to roll down.... And so that's what Davin did -in true childish form with no regard for grass stains or broken limbs, he laid down on the grass and rolled his way down the
hill. Unfortunately we didn't catch this on film, managing only an action shot half way down and then the ending! Was hilarious!
Curry and Scrabble
The next Thursday night we met up with our friend Alastair at the pub across the road for some curry and a hearty game of Scrabble. (Not sure if i've mentioned Alastair before but he was the kind gentleman who helped us out on one of our very first nights in Exeter as we tried desperately to find a potential dwelling in the lovely English drizzly rain. He kindly took us, a pair of wet miserable strangers, into his home, while he googled the address on our behalf. Not sure if i would have done the same if the situation had been reversed, but we are eternally grateful that he did!)
We had a really great night, and while the curry didn't rate highly against our lovely butter chicken from Hathis back home, the Scrabble was really fun - especially as the two males at the table seemed to lose their language skills as their blood alcohol concentrations increased...
Needlesss to say, the dictionary was referred to on many occasion to verify outrageous claims and to settle arguments. The highlight for me was when Dav looked at me very suspiciously, asking just what S-I-X was meant to spell out...! You may have had to have been there to appreciate how funny this was, but i have a chuckle eveytime i think of it!
Cotehele
That Saturday we once again headed out with Alastair to explore some of the surrounding areas not already ticked off our list. We were lucky to be blessed with a really gorgeous day weatherwise, with the sun beating down and actually providing some heat for the first time since our arrival. This was of course completely counterbalanced by the freezing winds outside, but made for a lovely toasty trip when in the protection of the car.
We stopped off at Drogo Castle, the last castle to be built in England. Given that the appeal of castles for me is mainly to do with the fantastic history and the different architecture, there really wasn't much to see, and so after
a cup of tea we once again hit the road.
We ended up at Cotehele, a collection of lovely old stone buildings set on a few acres of gorgeous gardens. With the weather to enjoy it and spring providing splashes of colour everywhere, we explored the grounds. The highlight was climbling an old tower in the midde of a paddock where we were greeted with fantastic views of the sourounding fields.
Last weekend in Exeter
Following my last Friday of work, a few friends from the hospital joined us at the pub for a few drinks. Was a really great night as i have met some really wonderful people here that i will miss as we continue on our travels. Once again Dav and I were booted out at closing time and so we stumbled the long journey home (across the road - love it!).
Saturday saw us driving out to Newton Abbot, about half an hour south of Exeter, to meet up with a mate of Dav's from his work, Chris, and his partner Lou. After a few drinks
Alastair and Anji
The Scrabble Battle at the pub, we ended up back at their house where we were treated to an all male-made dinner - some homemade 'Carribean Chicken' cooked by Chris, followed by a fantastic carrot cake made by Dav - followed by a competitive game of trivia (is their any other way when playing with Dav and myself?!)
On the Sunday night we had a few drinks with our co-inhabitants - Jackie and Des, Dan and Lucy, and Fabien, a French student with whom we overlapped living at College Road by a few weeks. It was a nice night as we discussed the differences in our respective countries and Fabien tirelessly attempted to help me perfect my French accent...
Anji's last day at work
I always find leaving somewhere really sureal - just like leaving Torquay before we embarked on our travells, I find it so weird leaving somewhere that is your life, people you see everyday, and then all of a sudden it all becomes part of your past. I had a lovely last day, with my mind being quite responsible and not wandering too much.
I left in the early afternoon so that we could drive up to stay the night at Lucretia and Craig's, and was presented with a lovely card and chocolates, and got many photos of the crazy crew.
All in all we have had a great time in Exeter and will definately think of here fondly. We have met some lovely people, and hopefully at least some of our paths will cross again somewhere down the track.
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