Today Lynnie is taking a trip to Montacute House with her friend Margaret and husband Tony, another day excused walking.
Author: Fred
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Tis Written All Quiet
The wind is blowing and the forecast is not good. Heavy showers are predicted and soon after waking it pours down. This is enough for Lynnie to suggest that I go walking with the boys whilst she catches up with things in the van.
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Lonely Boots
I like Taunton. My job moved there in 1992 and I lived in the town until 1995. At that time Lyn and the children were still back in Pitton and I would stay in Taunton during the week and return home at weekends. I spent a lot of time walking in the area and particularly liked the Brendon and Blackdown hills, but my favourite was always the Quantocks.
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Alpacas
Today is a moving day so just a short walk in the morning, then pack up for the off. We have been staying on Collacott Farm CL just outside of Fremington. We have been treated to a week of great views over the River Taw. May who runs the CL has lived on the farm all of her life and during one of our chats she told me that she has never tired of the view and sees little point in going on holiday when she lives in such a place.
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Ice Cream! She Screams
After yesterdays walking marathon Lynnie has requested a short, easy walk with a Hocking’s ice cream included. So far we have walked a fair bit of the Tarka Trail, without making a dent in the whole 180 miles. As the name suggests the trail follows the route taken by Tarka the Otter in Henry Williamson’s 1927 book of the same name. The novel is highly acclaimed but I have not read it, Lynnie has and tells me to add it to my reading list.
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The Long Walk
When I was a teenager someone lent me the book ‘The Long Walk’ written by Slawomir Rawicz. It tells the tale of a Polish Army lieutenant imprisoned by the Russians in a Siberian Gulag following the German-Soviet invasion of Poland. The book claims to be a true account of his escape with five others, although subsequently this has been challenged. They journeyed south for 6,500 miles including across the Gobi Dessert, Tibet and the Himalayas finally reaching British India in the winter of 1942. When I first read the book it was said to be a true account, but when I re-read it about six years ago doubts had been cast on its authenticity. Either way it is a cracking read and one of my favourite books.
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Westward Ho!
As a teenager Lynnie’s mum, Miki, moved from South Wales to Bideford. She met Lyn’s father Tim here and always talked fondly of her time in the area particularly of Westwood Ho!, this is the first time we have visited the area since Miki passed away last December.
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Greenhouse Envy
One of the things we have noticed since travelling is that we forget which day of the week it is. We decide that today must be Friday. I have also stopped wearing a watch, time does not matter anymore, the dogs tell us when to get up.
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Powers Off
A rainy morning in North Devon so I take the boys for their early morning walk, forty minutes walking the lanes as there are no footpaths close by, then it’s a leisurely breakfast and catch up on a few jobs.
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Surfs Up
There are a few minor challenges to our new lifestyle, obviously the space we occupy is significantly smaller than being at home. Whilst the facilities in the van are good there is a limit to the amount of hot water that you can get in the shower, so there is no hanging about and we both miss the luxury of just being able to stand in the shower knowing that it will not suddenly run cold.
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