August in Parkham

August temperatures in Parkham did not hit the peaks of July but we still enjoyed some excellent weather with the occasional shower.
Once again we met up with a number of our local friends for meals, coffee etc and caught up with the news of the village.

There were still a few outstanding jobs to complete at The Granary.  With the damp weather that this part of Devon experiences the painted handrail alongside the steps to the front door seems to require a coat of paint every year as does the wooden decking.  In fact after rubbing down and treating the wooden decking every year we have now decided to replace it with a plastic composite which will just require an occasional hosing down, and even better it is made from recycled materials.
In the small garden the lavender which was all grown from cuttings appears to be taking over and will need thinning out properly next year.  Flowering has finished (several weeks ahead of the Midlands) and all the plants have now been dead-headed.

We had family visitors staying with us for three nights.  It was their first visit and it gave us the opportunity to show them some of our favourite spots.  Having visitors makes even us newcomers  see places that we have begun to take for granted in a new light and to appreciate them all the more.  This must be even more so the case for long-term Parkham residents.  Indeed we are often surprised to find that many of our local friends rarely visit some of these very special places on their door-step.  However I am sure the same applies to us back in the Midlands.
We had not visited Clovelly for several years and entering after the 'gates had closed'  meant that the village was quiet and peaceful as we enjoyed a drink outside the Red Lion.

As we are now National Trust members we decided to make use of the free parking at Sandymouth.  On a beautiful sunny morning with the tide out we had a fantastic walk along the wide expanse of sand and then climbed up the cliff path to take some photos.  The visit was topped by an excellent coffee in the beach side cafe.  We shall return, frequently!

Having visitors gave us more opportunities to enjoy local hostelries and coffee shops.  We had an excellent meal at The Bell and enjoyed the spectacular views from the outside terrace at The Pier House in Westward Ho!  A visit to Johns in Instow was also a must after a lovely walk along the beach and Tarka Trail.