No Snow in Parkham

Whilst the Midlands suffered heavy snow we were in Parkham where, other than some very cold, windy days and occasional hailstorms, the weather was fine for most of our stay.
It was good to see real progress being made on The Bell with the rebuilding of the cob walls started.  I had not appreciated that this could now be done with cob blocks rather than the traditional way,  the picture below (courtesy Mike Sanders) shows piles of blocks ready for use.

Things are now looking positive for a summer re-opening but there is still a long way to go.

We enjoyed our first Christmas event, a concert at St Mary's Church in Bideford organised by the Rotary Club.  Luckily Unfortunately we will not be in Devon and unable to participate in the Club's Boxing Day event.

A highlight of this stay in Parkham was a visit to the RHS Rosemoor Glow garden illuminations.  This gave us  completely new perspective on the gardens which we know so well.  Carefully positioned lighting illuminated the shape of some trees, the bark of others and some beautiful statuary.  Whilst the gardens were much busier than on our usual visits it was good to see so many families enjoying their beauty.

We also participated in Parkham's own Advent illuminations, 24 homes in the village agreed to light up their windows on each day of December, our window was lit up on the evening of the 8th and hopefully this will continue into the New Year (as long as the batteries last).

The day before we left was bright and sunny and we enjoyed a lovely beach walk.  We could just see a covering of snow on the peaks of Exmoor in the distance and wondered what kind of a journey we would have back to Stourbridge.

We need not have worried as the journey was very good and we saw very little snow until we got quite close to home.  It was something of a surprise to see out garden as a Winter Wonderland after our time in Devon.

Rebuilding Starts

For some November may not be the best month to choose to visit North Devon but we had a great time.
There was a positive atmosphere in the village as  work on the re-building of the pub began in earnest.
Photos taken by Mike and Rachel, the landlords bring back happy memories, shown below is the bar at the spot where we used to stand.

 I will  report more progress as the months go by.

We saw many friends and neighbours during our stay and I also visited the Bideford Rotary Club when I took the opportunity to admire the view from the old bridge in the town on a gloriously sunny day.

We took a trip to Hartland Quay to walk along the South West Coast Path towards the waterfall at Spekes Mill Mouth although we did not go quite that far.  It was some time since we had been that way and we had forgotten how spectacular the scenery is.

Our favourite local walk is from the Skern along the estuary and then the beach towards Westward Ho!.  Well worth the 20 minute car journey from the cottage for the views, the skies and the open expanse of beach.

We returned to the Midlands refreshed and looking forward to our next visit by when Christmas festivities will be starting in the village, including the Advent window displays.

Safe and Dry

We opened up the Granary with some trepidation on our recent visit but were pleased to see that there had been no further leaks. I had arranged for the local plumber to call the next day to replace the faulty connector and he arrived as promised and  replaced the connectors on both hot and cold kitchen taps as a precaution.

Having switched broadband provider at The Granary for a better deal my first task on arrival was to set up the new router. I had been informed by email that it had been  delivered a few days previously however, on arrival the router was nowhere to be found.  I searched in all the usual places used by the postman (including the dustbin) and checked with the neighbours, but none had taken the parcel in.   It was not until we went downstairs to the bathroom that the router was discovered pushed through the window which we had left slightly ajar  - the postman had clearly wanted to ensure that it didn't get damaged by rain.

The new router was soon connected and phone-line and broadband up and running so we had a connection to the outside world - we rarely have any mobile coverage at The Granary.

Thursdays in October are  Pie Night at the 'Inn Over the Road' and we there for the first one to enjoy a great choice of pies and mash and the chance to catch up with our friends from the village.  The re-building of The Bell has still not started but hopefully will very soon.

The weather was variable ranging from blue to grey skies and from calm to very windy as we just caught the tail-end of Hurricane Ophelia but we enjoyed some great walks on our favourite beaches .

The View from  Skern with the tide in on a Grey Day

A Similar View with the tide out and a Blue Sky

We decided to take a trip to Lynton and Lynmouth, about an hour's drive away, and enjoyed our first trip on the funicular railway between the two villages. This is the world's highest and steepest completely water-powered railway and well worth a visit  http://www.cliffrailwaylynton.co.uk/ .

The Station in Lynmouth

The View from the Funicular

There were many interesting shops in Lynton and we bought excellent pasties for lunch.  We then took the footpath towards the Valley of the Rocks which has some fantastic views over the coast.

On the windiest day of our stay we took the coast path from Westward Ho! towards Abbotsham as the blowing sand made beach walking difficult.  The path is relatively easy and it was good to walk in the sunshine despite the gusty wind with Pebbles travelling sideways at times.

A view from the Coast Path at Westward Ho!

We managed to catch up with most of our friends during our stay, including  a Curry Evening in The Granary with close friends.  We had  brought a supply of frozen 'Mr Dave's' curries from the Midlands which were enjoyed by all.

After turning off the stopcock 'just  to be sure', we set off home with heavy rain for almost the whole journey.   We were very pleased to arrive back in Stourbridge where we were welcomed  by our daughter's dog who had been dropped off that morning and is to be our guest for the next 3 days.

Perfect Timing!

Well, if there can be perfect timing for a burst pipe this was it.  Just as we were packing the car to leave The Granary today we heard water dripping in our bathroom which is downstairs, below the kitchen.  We found water was coming through the bathroom ceiling, presumably from the kitchen above so the first job was to turn off the water supply at the stop-cock.  We then emptied the kitchen cupboards to find the cause of the problem, a burst on the hot water supply to the kitchen sink.  I was able to isolate the problem so that, after some clearing up, the cottage can still be used by family and friends arriving tomorrow, albeit without hot water in the kitchen. We will then get the plumbing repair completed when we visit next month.

The remainder of our stay at The Granary had passed by uneventfully, but for a flat tyre one morning.  One daughter, son-in-law and dog joined us for much of our stay and we all enjoyed some pretty good weather for walking and exploring the area.

Westward Ho! and the coast path were looking particularly good in the sunshine  - one picture shows the derelict house which was bought last summer, although the developer has not yet revealed his plans for the building.

Once again it was good to catch up with our friends in the area.  We also enjoyed an excellent family meal one evening at 'The Hoops'  our nearest venue until The Bell reopens, hopefully next year.

It was also time to refresh all the planters in the garden with violas under-planted with daffodil and tulip bulbs so hopefully we will have a good display this autumn and next spring.

All in all an interesting trip and I think in future we will turn the stop-cock off each time we leave, just in case!

Finishing where we left off!

We were glad into be able to fit in a week at Parkham  before my mother's funeral, which was delayed because of family holiday commitments, and we were able to do some of things we had planned for our aborted week earlier in the month.

Whilst we arrived on a grey, drizzly afternoon the weather improved throughout the week and we took the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine by reading in the garden or just walking on the beach.
Our regular visit to Rosemoor found the roses very much coming to an end, all the soft fruit picked but with apple and pear trees heavy with fruit.

The Cup and Saucer vines which we had admired last year were in full flower and am pleased to say that the seeds we planted this spring have turned into healthy plants flowering in our own garden back in the Midlands.

We thought that some of our favourite places might be busy as this was the week before the Summer Bank Holiday but still found plenty of open spaces for beach walks with the dog.

Both of the photos were taken at the estuary end of Westward Ho! beach,  one on the Saturday afternoon of the Bank Holiday weekend, showing just how few people will take the extra  minutes to discover these unspoilt spots, not that I am complaining.


We were sorry to leave for the Midlands after lunch on Sunday in glorious sunshine.  There was some trepidation as we normally never travel on Bank Holiday weekends however, traffic was light and we were home in record time.  A week back in Devon had given us just the rest and relaxation we had been looking for.


We arrived back feeling well prepared for the funeral which went well and as my Mother would have wanted.

Just a short visit.

We arrived in Parkham in early August hoping for some good weather but whilst we did have some sunshine it was interspersed with rain showers and drizzle.

We still managed to enjoy walking at Skern and then returning to our favourite cafe, Susie's Tea Room in Appledore . Dogs are made very welcome here and are all given a biscuit!

From Skern with Appledore in the distance

The 'Inn Over the Road' was open on Friday evening and we were able to catch up with some of our friends from the village. Hopefully work on re-building the pub will start next month although the time-scale for completion is looking pretty long.

We had planned to spend a whole week in Parkham but sadly our visit was cut short when my mother was taken to hospital  - we returned to the Midlands in time to see her before she died later in the evening. We do however plan to visit again once funeral arrangements have all been put in place.

Sunshine and a Couple of Beer Festivals

We drove down to Parkham in early July after a busy family time as we celebrated our younger son's 30th birthday.  Not much had changed in the village and indeed work on rebuilding the pub will not start for a month or so as plans are finalised.  The planters in our little garden however were full of colour thanks to watering from neighbours in the dry weather.

Our project for this visit was to sand the wooden work surfaces in the kitchen using my trusty Black and Decker sander.  Sections were sanded individually and then three coats of oil were applied, each requiring 8-10 hours to dry.  The tricky bit was ensuring there was always at least one section that we could use and at the same time remembering how many coats of oil had been applied.  The final outcome is a big improvement over the previously stained and marked surfaces.

We had many sunny days and enjoyed some lovely coastal and beach walks. Welcombe Mouth is one of our favourite beaches and we enjoyed a walk along the lane (passing Kirsty Allsop's holiday home) through woodland to the coast path and then down to the beach.  On our return we headed for the Old Smithy where there was a Beer Festival and we were able to sit outside to enjoy our lunch with live music.  Unfortunately the weather was not so good for the Parkham Beer Festival the following weekend however large numbers attended in the Village Hall to enjoy the beer and the live bands.

We also enjoyed our usual walks along the coast path near Westward Ho! where the views are fantastic.

When walking at Skern we found a patch of Sea Holly which was just coming into flower.

Our trip would not have been complete without a visit to Rosemoor where the roses are now in full bloom, the scent was amazing.

We headed back up the motorway after a fortnight and we were quickly brought back to the realities of Midlands life with a phone-call that we should drive straight to my mother's care home as she had taken a turn for the worse -  luckily she has  improved a little since.

Mixed weather and a sad goodbye.

Our May/June trip to Parkham was at times sunny, warm, cold, dry, showery, and cloudy but, overall we only managed to get drenched on one occasion whilst walking Pebbles and were able to enjoy the scenery on walks including over favourite beach (Skern near Appledore) and a lovely coast and woodland walk from Brownsham to Mouth Mill.

We were pleased to see work on The Bell progressing with large skips of debris being removed on a regular basis and also to enjoy the facilities at the Inn Over the Road on several evenings.  It will be good to see re-constuction of The Bell commencing in the near future and even better when the pub re-opens.

We have placed a number of planters on the wall separating us from the pub 'car park' and filled them with some climbing plants and lavendars.  All the planters are attached to the trellis as Parkham can be a windy place and in the past we have returned to find planters blown off the wall onto the ground.  The valerian which self-seeds throughout the wall is very attractive to the humming bird hawk moth which I just about managed to capture on my phone camera although you need to see it in real life hovering by a flower to appreciate where the name comes from.

The front of the cottage has no garden so we purchased a large tub in the Midlands which fits nicely on the corner of the gravelled area.  Copious amounts of compost were required to fill it -  currently I have planted a large French Lavender and will see how this lasts over the summer. With plenty of water-retaining granules the compost is staying moist and it should survive periods without watering. (Sorry no photo!)

We managed another trip to Rosemoor where foxgloves were in flower, we were just a little bit early for the roses but hopefully will catch those next month.

Hil was preaching on three consecutive sundays at different churches in local villages.  I took this photo at one of them, Clovelly, it is a lovely plaque above the entrance to the graveyard and probably missed by many visitors.

Whilst in Parkham we celebrated my birthday with a meal with friends at The Granary and caught up with other friends for a drink and a chat.  We also attended the packed funeral of a local farmer/publican who was a real character, great company and had made us very welcome in the village. We both had a good chat with him last time we were in Parkham as he awaited surgery but sadly he died a few weeks ago  - we shall miss you George!

The Inn Over the Road!

A busy couple of weeks in Parkham with the highlight being the opening of 'The Inn Over the Road', the temporary bar in the village hall, whilst the renovations to The Bell continue.  A great job has been done by local tradesman to create a fully operative bar and this was well supported by villagers on the opening night.  The plan is to open 3 nights a week when there are no other bookings for the hall.

Hopefully work on the renovation will begin soon as the protection of the building has now been completed.

We have had a very sociable time on this trip.  As well as visits to the new bar we have had  dinner with friends on a couple of occasions, met up for coffee with other friends and had a few drinks with friends in The Granary, courtesy of the 36 pints of Enville Ale I took with me.

The weather has been mainly dry although sometimes cold in the wind.  We still managed to find plenty of sunshine and enjoyed beach and cliff walks every day.  We took the opportunity to visit the beautiful grounds of Hartland Abbey for Bluebell Day and walked down to the coast from the Abbey, a lovely gentle walk. We also did the more strenuous walk from Northway down to Peppercombe and up again.

We also ventured a little further afield for a day out to to Mortehoe, which is not far from Woolacombe, it was a beautiful day and the views were spectacular as we walked around Morte Point.

One  evening we joined members of Bideford Rotary Club for a tour of SS Freshspring.  Built in 1946, SS Freshspring is recognised as being of national historical significance on the National Register of Historic vessels. She was the last of 14 Fresh Class water carriers and her duty was to replenish Naval ships with fresh water for use in boilers. She also acted as a fire tender when required.  The ship is being restored and preserved at Bideford Quay with plans to convert it to carry cruise passengers in comfortable well appointed cabins along with seafaring cadets or volunteers accommodated.

It was an interesting trip and a good opportunity to get to know members of the local Rotary Club.

We also continued with some decorating jobs at The Granary including preparing the walls in the kitchen for another coat of emulsion and yet again working on the decking outside. The Rescue Paint I used in August last year was not as effective as expected and had peeled off in several places, probably because it has been exposed to the wet Devon winter.  It has now been rubbed down and 2 further coats added  so will have to see how well it lasts this time!

We returned to Stourbridge and were able to enjoy our own bluebells at their peak although sadly the tree peony had almost finished blooming .

Signs of Recovery

Arriving back in Parkham will not be the same until The Bell is restored to it former glory rather than the burnt out shell we saw as drove up in March.  However, the mood of those involved is now much more positive and, as we left, the signs of recovery are appearing with the scaffolding being erected to protect the building and facilitate the repairs.  It was also good to hear that the grandfather clock, very much a feature of the pub, had been saved.

WIthout The Bell it is harder to maintain contact with our friends in the village but we still managed to see most in the 10 or so days that we were 'in residence'.  We are looking forward to a temporary bar being available in the village hall some time each week which will give us a chance to catch up with others on our next visit.

Some close friends moved this month from Parkham to Somerset and saturday morning was spent helping them to dismantle and load their substantial summer house into a van.  The summer house had been very well erected less than a year ago and was not prepared to go quietly!  There was some serious weight in the roof panels particuarly and I have to admit to being glad that I would not be on receiving end when the van arrived in Somerset.

Whilst daffodils and primroses are in bloom in the hedgerows, spring has not fully arrived and on some days there was a bitter cold wind to go along with the heavy rain.  We did however have some sunshine and made the most of it with walks on the beach.

Appledore from Instow

A few jobs were completed on The Granary including replacing an old rusted halogen floodlight with an LED fixture which now illuminates the whole garden.

Devastation in Parkham

As we began our recent sojourn in Parkham I started to make brief notes to help me in the writing of this blog however, these became pretty irrelevant after the devastating last few days of our stay.

For those of you who are not aware, our cottage is next door to the fantastic village pub, separated only by a short garden. Indeed, previous owners of The Granary even installed steps over our garden wall as a short-cut.

On Monday as we had breakfast we noticed a fire engine in the road and then saw smoke coming from the thatched roof of The Bell.  The situation developed swiftly over the next few hours and soon there were 13 fire engines and 80 firemen on the scene.  Thankfully the family who run the pub escaped along with their pets however, their home and business was quickly destroyed.  As we left Parkham two days later fire engines were still in attendance and thatch that had fallen into the building was still smouldering.

It has been very sad to see a procession of people walking up the road to stand and stare at what is left of the 700 year-old building that was The Bell.  The whole village is in a state of shock at the loss of the pub, the heart of village life but at the same time thankful that no-one was hurt and keen to provide all the support they can do to Rachel and Mike at this difficult time.

We have witnessed many acts of kindness and support from the village community and we ourselves were very grateful for the phone calls we received to check on our well-being as neighbours of The Bell.  Whilst re-construction will take many months we are sure that The Bell will be back and  we look forward to it re-gaining its rightful place in the village.