Is it Summer?

A fabulous week punctuated by a really horrendous day (for this time of year) on Wednesday. On Whit Monday the weather was glorious although the day started very dull. Wednesday by contrast was cold, very wet and very windy - a truly horrible day and so much in contrast to the rest of the week.

Julie still rowed on Wednesday evening, but by then the weather had started to settle. Pete is still cycling when he can and is starting to feel the benefit, although the sun has been so strong he needs to be selective about when to go out.

We've had a really good week and Saturday saw us having a bbq with friends - we provided the venue, them the food and drink, and bbq (long story). It was great being able to sit outside until almost 10 o'clock and still have the light of the setting sun to see by. Sunday night it was just great to sit in the cool of the late evening and cool down after the heat of the day.

Nothing much to add for this week, except to say that having the weather and the beach and countryside on your doorstep is what we were always hoping for an so far this week hasn't disappointed. We are both working, but having evenings like this week has offered the opportunity to extend our days.

Rower Vs. Cyclist

When we first moved to Devon our son Matthew suggested we keep a Blog, but it took a couple of months to get round to it. Pete was a bit undecided, however, once he looked into it, encouraged by a work friend, he found it is a fairly easy thing to do. It does take time and to do it well and not make it into an industry Pete decided on this format - three pictures every week and some text to keep family and friends informed. It will also serve us a diary of what we did and when, although it certainly doesn't cover off all we have done and thought throughout the week. Pete would dearly love to spend more time on it to include more pictures and having looked into it again we still think this is the best format, as it imposes some discipline into the process. Pete will try to upload some more photographs that can be accessed from the slide shows in the left-hand pane of the Blog.

This week started as a really windy one and has ended on a fabulous high - the town is buzzing today (Whit Sunday). Julie worked at the Deli and they were really busy. Pete on the other hand had time to sort out some personal bits and pieces and get his bike out of the garage, dust it down, pump up the tyres and cycle the new foot/cycle path to Marlborough. Cycling here can be hard, due to the significant hills, but the cycle path has offered a relatively flat (by comparison) route of about 4-5 miles return. Pete has started, but can he keep it up though?

This week we have found the time to get out even though Julie has worked and Pete's been working away for a few days. On Monday we were able to walk Rufus. On Friday we managed to get out in the late afternoon and had a couple of drinks and a bbq at the Winking Prawn on North Sands. Saturday we went for a walk down to Collaton and later rang Mark and Sue to see if they needed a lift back from the Deli. The weather on Friday was good, but Saturday was even better, so we ended up having a drink in the Victoria Inn. Sunday was another working day for Julie, but again we had a lovely evening sitting and eating out with friends Linda and Ken in their garden.

As we have said before we are settling into Salcombe life and the opportunity to use the evenings as leisure time is certainly coming to fruition. There is a community here we never had back in Dagenham and opportunity to get involved in so many things is on your door step, so much so that Julie has now started at the rowing club. She enjoyed her first stint on the water - calm warm evenings don't always happen though. Watch this space - Julie's rowing vs. Pete's cycling. Who will give up first...

Settling Into Devon Life

Gemma and Callum coming down for a few days was a real treat. It's really great to see them and show them the places that we are discovering now we are living here. We had a day out and found ourselves in Newquay (see picture) for a while. The wind was fierce, but overall the weather was good and the sun reasonably warm.

Having been here in Devon for a few months now things are starting to get into a bit of a pattern - no day is the same, but we are feeling more at home with a sort of routine to life; getting used to the local surroundings and starting to notice the changes in the environment. The wild flowers (and insects) , some rare, are in abundance. In the past it would have been the bluebells that would have been prolific and would have tempted us to the woods, but here we have the wild garlic, the wild hedgerows, meadow lawns and currently the daisies.

The rain has been significant this week although it doesn't seem to get in the way most of the time. It comes and goes, but plenty of gaps to allow you to get things done. This morning was the opposite. We went for a walk with Mark, Sue and Rufus to Snape's Point and it poured down, however, the rest of the day was fine.

The Bank Holiday next weekend is promised to be the start of the summer season. We'll soon see for ourselves what it's like to be living in a seaside area and see first-hand how the visitors might change the face of the town. As I said we are starting to get used to Salcombe and the South Hams and this will be another change that we will have to adapt to.

Family Project and Family Visit

Pete was back in Essex for most of the week and was at last able to see the completed kitchen project at Julie's mum and dad's home. Although the men of the family did the fitting of the major components the finishing makes all the difference. A really nice job by our friendly builder John has completed the kitchen and everybody is really happy with the finished article. Not bad - two weeks from start to finish.

We both had to work this week so not a lot of time to share the delights of Salcombe. Julie found herself being invited out to dinner a couple of times and Pete was able to do some catching up with friends in Essex.

At the weekend our daughter Gemma and her boyfriend Callum came down to see us for a short stay. We took them to Hope Cove on Sunday, as the weather was undecided and although overcast when we left home it brightened up over lunch.

Not really much else to say about our week, except that it was good for Pete to see family and friends in Essex and even better for Julie to see Gemma and Callum in Salcombe.

Devon - South & North

The week started out as an average week with variable weather. We both had to go to work and the opportunity to get out was limited.

When we moved to Devon we were always aware that we had family in the north. We had always planned at some time to visit and were surprised to receive a call whilst having dinner with friends Donna and Marcus in Dick & Will's on Saturday evening. The call topped the week for us with an impromptu dinner invitation and an opportunity to meet up with Pete's uncle Brian and some of his family.

Julie was doing a stint at the Deli on Sunday so we agreed to drive to South Molton for a late dinner at Chris and Cora's. It was great to see Brian and Jean and their other son Darryll and his wife Chloe, fresh from her London Marathon triumph of last weekend. Finishing is a triumph in my book and to raise £3000 is no mean feat either - well done Chloe.

The rest of the week was, as I said a bit average, with the weather nothing much to write home about. It did keep us in on a couple of evenings, as it looked extremely iffy, however, the clouds were quite dramatic and we had a couple of very good sunsets.

We again managed to walk Rufus a couple of times this week, albeit brief walks, and it is a real pleasure.

It's the May Day holiday tomorrow, so I expect we'll find something to do, but the grass needs to be cut and there are a few other bits Pete want to complete for work. The weather is supposed to be good so we should have a good day regardless.