Blogs from Devon, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 12

Today was the first day that we've had rain. It was short lived but we got soaked! Once the cloud passed and the sun came out, the day was beautiful. We spent the day in Plymouth. Plymouth was destroyed (bombed) during the Battle of Britain. Children were abruptly tagged and evacuated. Those children who did not have family to go to were essentially given to strangers in a bidding war. More about this at a later time. Today Plymouth is a large city. It holds the Mayflower memorial (where the Pilgrims sailed from) and an extensive WWII memorial that lists thousands upon thousands of names. We did a great deal of walking around the city and had a nice lunch in yet another pub. It's a running joke that John has wholeheartedly embraced the culture. He ... read more

We went to the picturesque seaside town of Dartmouth, where Dartmouth Naval College is. This town is very charming. It was within this port that so many ships sank. There were so many sunken, scattered ships that it was said you could walk across the harbor from one side to the other without touching the water. It makes it hard to imagine considering the breathtaking images (and homes) I saw lining the harbor today. John used up his entire camera battery taking photographs. There were hundreds of worthwhile images to capture! No matter where we are each day, come the afternoon we stop for afternoon tea. John has thoroughly adopted this tradition. He enjoys the full experience, complete with scones, clotted cream and jam. Reagan has been a trooper through her jet lag, no naps and ... read more

I continue to be confused by the amount of daylight we are getting. We feel as if it's only 3:00 in the afternoon because at 9pm it is still bright and sunny out. Hence, Reagan is still awake at 10:30 pm again tonight. Today was a busy day that filled itself with memories. I started the day feeling overwhelmed by all that I wanted to see, do and accomplish and the limited amount of time I have to do it in. So we decided to take a break in our weekly planning and head out on an adventure. Our first stop of the day was to Dartington Hall Estate and Gardens. It is a medieval stone house with a twentieth century garden on a 1,000 acre estate. "In 1925 Americans, Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst, bought the ... read more

Just for you Andy, here is a test post with a picture of e dawg. Just a about to get her in the bath, so we can get some kip before the drive to Heathrow!... read more

Message from Mabel Thank you one and all for your lovely, thoughtful cards and messages on this, my 91st birthday. I am truly overwhelmed! I had no idea what was planned to celebrate; a mystery which could not have been better! The day began with the breakfast table adorned with cards and lily of the valley from Pauline's garden. Mum was thrilled - lily of the valley is known as May's birthday flower. She was encouraged to be organised to leave at 10:30am. A short drive to Churston Station, and still no clues were given except that it was a mystery. We boarded a green bus with a wonderfully humerous driver and headed along the 'country lanes' to Greenway, summer home of Agatha Christie. Despite driver Chris' commentary, Mum still hadn't worked out where we were ... read more