A little piece of Devon

Last weekend I visited chocolate-box Devon. After setting off and reading the directions (in that order) I saw the words 'pass Stonehenge' amongst others. This got me a bit excited. But due to traffic being horrific we didn't stop and did 'pass Stonehenge' as directed.

A lot of tar later and we passed Exeter, heading towards the West Hams and Totnes. Our final destination was between Totnes and Dittisham, along the river Dart (and very near to where Agatha Christy used to live.)

From the moment we left the A3-something you start winding through the trees, along the river and down the increasingly smaller lanes. For an advanced warning sign of the width of the road ahead look at the hedgerows. The bigger and taller they are, the smaller the road will be.

But brake testing aside this is such a great area to come and get away from it all, to relax and enjoy the views, glass of wine in hand. And if you run out of vino you can always visit a nearby vineyard!

The area is also bustling with tourists mingling with locals, but not too many tourists - the roads tend to encourage only those who seek something 'off the beaten track' to visit. The area is fairly arty and we stayed with their daughter Jilly, a sculptor, who has a guest house with the most fabulous view of the River Dart - framed by the panes.

The view from my window early in the morning. Mist over the river and sun just rising.

The garden

Across the mud-flats the boats rock on their moorings

The Italian water taxi (rumour has it, it runs on Prosecco?)

Their kitchen has the most wonderful wooden sink, adorned by the blue lady

Even fallen trees look arty in Devon

Phyl and Bonham relaxing in the sun

Down by the water, under the trees... the perfect place for a braai

The view from the sunset-sofa

More view from the sunset-sofa (house down by the river)

The fish that swims from the ceiling, in front of the blue lady

A large, old, gnarled oak

The boats on the mud-flats, waiting for the tide

This barrow was filled with apples and pears. I spent a lot of time peeling these pears

Picturesque? The boathouse on the left, with dingy pulled on shore

Lucky

Comments

4 month sleep regression

I write to you from Hell… just kidding, I’m on the foot stool next to Bug’s bed. Not talking, not touching, just sitting while she lies with her head facing the other way. And every few minutes gives an attempt at a cry. But at least she’s in her bed! She’s completely refused all naps in her bed so far this week. So this is a major win! I’m talking champagne, the I proper stuff… or at least a really large glass of whatever is open in the fridge. Now bedtime is the stuff nightmares are made from! Bedtime used to be a pleasant routine, now it’s a panic-inducing labour. I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is through the roof, climbing from approximately 18:00, in anticipation of the dreaded sleep attempts! Last night was an early 22:00ish before she was down. The night before, midnight. And over the weekend, one night her refusals were so adamant that I got a sum total of zero hours sleep. By midnight it was clear the only way she’d sleep was in my arms. So Bug and I got the big ...

Marking milestones

When Bug was born, well a month or so after, I bought some cards to mark her milestones. Who knew that I should have bought them when I was preggo? So we missed a few photos… But now I find myself attempting to dressing her up for her milestones, only for her to accessorise them with accoutrements such as vomit! Then I jump around, cajoling her into smiling, while hopefully the camera is in focus and I actually press the snap button. Those photos are all well and good. But I want some real-life photos and babies aren’t renown for their on-cue performances! So how do you actually get that photo of her first tooth?!? That’s one of the current milestones we’re trying to mark. And she’s not particularly given to opening her mouth wide, unless it’s to cry loudly! I may not be parent of the year, but I’m not about to start taking photos of her mouth while she cries! So, it’ll just have to wait until she smiles for a prolonged period, while I conveniently have the camera to hand! C...

Teething troubles

You get a whole nights sleep, you have a night out with the NCT gals, not every nappy is a poo, you begin to “settle” into a routine… And then teething! It slobber-slaps you in the face and turns everything upside down! My super-salivating baby just wants to shove everything her mouth. She’s learnt to suck her thumb and I’m delighted, because she can’t throw it out her cot. But it’s completely thrown any semblance of a schedule out of sync! She’s not feeding properly and is waking up at night again. Her naps are all over the show. She’s clearly uncomfortable and that breaks my heart! And this is, apparently, just the beginning of the teething process!!! Send help / grandparents! We’ve got teething toys stashed throughout the house, including the freezer. So far the Matchstick Monkey Dinosaur has been a hit (just don’t try steaming the container, it will melt!) What are your top teething tips? Lucky x Ps. That’s my milk drunk Bug

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