Back in Parkham!

After a gap of 5 months because of the lock down, we finally made our way down the M5 to Parkham  in the middle of July.

I haven't published my online blog for those five months as our North Devon Adventure had come to an abrupt halt but, I have sent regular updates to the editor of Parkham Pie so our friends in Parkham were aware of what we were up to.  

It was an almost surreal experience as we drove down the lanes into the village where the hedgerows were full of their summer colours and the blackberries beginning to ripen.  The last time we were here, winter was very much in control, although we had spotted just a few primroses beginning to appear in sheltered spots.  We had missed the whole of spring but at least we were able to get back to enjoy a few summer days with our village friends.

The first thing we noticed on our arrival were two beautiful plant containers in the courtyard, put there by neighbours to welcome us back.  It is these touches which makes Parkham such a very special place for us and we are so happy to be able to be a part of the village again after the recent break.

It was a very good feeling to be back in The Granary and we were pleased to find everything in good order.  There were no unpleasant surprises to be found in the fridge or bread bin, which we had half-expected.  On a previous visit, after a gap of several weeks, it had taken us some time to identify what was in fact a decomposing cucumber at the bottom of the fridge.  

We decided that we would enjoy a quiet time in Parkham on this occasion,  getting the cottage and garden back in order, seeing a few friends (at a distance) and enjoying some coastal walks,

The recent good weather had meant that the courtyard garden was taken over by lavender which had now finished flowering and needed cutting back and tidying up.  Flowering plants seemed to be around a month ahead of the Midlands where, as I write this in the middle of August, the lavender is still in flower.

Visits to friends relied on good weather so that we could socially-distance in their gardens and avoid the complications of going inside their homes.

We caught up with more friends when we visited The Bell on Friday evening where we all had our temperatures taken and kept  a good distance from each other in the marquee set up in the car park, alongside our cottage.

We enjoyed walks at Instow, stopping off at Johns for fresh croissants to take home and also at our favourite spot at Northam Burrows.

As we approached the shoreline we were amazed at the number of gulls and the noise they were making.  A local told us that whitebait had arrived close to shore and the gulls were enjoying a feast!

All in all an excellent return to Parkham, hopefully we will be back soon although our still pending house move to Cheshire may delay our next visit.

February Storms.

This was a stay in Devon for hunkering down indoors reading than walking the beaches and the coast-path.  We arrived at the tail-end of Storm Ciara and ready for the arrival of Storm Dennis.

We did get out to walk the dog every day and got drenched on several occasions however, there were a couple of opportunities when the sun shone and we made the most of them.

Coffee at Johns was well received after a bracing walk on the beach at Instow  and The Pier House served the  same purpose after a walk along the coast-path at Westward Ho! where there were some fantastic sea views of the rolling surf.

After a busy time in the Midlands dealing with the sale of our house and also looking for a new home in Cheshire we were happy to spend the remainder of our stay in the village relaxing with local friends.

Sunny Days in January

It was good to arrive back at The Granary and find that work on the bathroom had been  completed and  was a huge improvement. We currently do not have any other major work planned this year although next year we will be looking at new slates for the pitched roof and have already got plans in motion.
We enjoyed some lovely sunny but wintry days which are great for walking, as long as you keep moving.  The coastal views on days like this in the winter are always fantastic as you will see below.

We were determined to fit in a visit to Rosemoor on this trip where we hoped to see the snowdrops in flower.  We were perhaps slightly early but were rewarded with a few beautiful displays.

What we did notice this year, for the first time, was the fragrance from some of the winter flowering shrubs in the garden, in particular this Daphne bhuola 'Jacqueline Postill'.  We specifically made a note as it is certainly a plant to consider when we have moved house and have a new garden to plan and develop.

Apparently the highly fragrant flowers will be followed by black berries.

On the days when the weather was less pleasant there were lots of friends to catch up with and we also enjoyed a coffee at our favourite, Market Street Kitchen in Appledore where they always make  us and the dog extremely welcome.

As usual we met up with Parkham friends in The Bell   on several occasions, well at least those who had not adopted a 'Dry January'.  We hope to see other friends in the pub in 'Wet February' as one of them has described it.

Once back in the Midlands, there was good news on the house sale, we are now sold (subject to contract) so we will be making further trips to Cheshire to try to find a new home, in between our visits to Parkham.  Indeed, depending on the timing of the sale we could be spending longer in Parkham in a few months time!