We are back!

Having been away from Parkham for over 6 months it is so good to be writing
this blog sitting in The Granary courtyard in glorious sunshine.

The COVID epidemic and our house move to Cheshire has meant that we have
spent little time in Devon in the last 18 months. However, in Mid-June there was
a very convenient break in the work we are having done on our Cheshire home
with building and decorating for the most part complete, and new flooring to be
laid at the end of the month.  We therefore grasped the opportunity to head off
down the M6 and M5.  

One of the biggest challenges was trying to remember what we had left in the
cottage in December last year and what we therefore needed to take down with
us.

We arrived to cooler and duller weather than in Cheshire however, this was ideal
for us as there was plenty of work to be done.  Our small rear courtyard garden
and gravel area out front were looking distinctIy neglected and a major tidying
managed to create 15 bags of garden waste for the recycling centre, with a few
more still to come. Although the cottage was occupied for a week at Easter by
our son and family they clearly were too busy enjoying the coast to tackle any
gardening!

The Granary courtyard looking a little unloved!

The cottage itself also smelt a little musty, which was not surprising, so we have
had windows wide open for several days to let the place breathe again.  
After a couple of days, the sun appeared and we were treated to some beautiful
Devon days which we were able to enjoy to the full with the majority of the tidying
up completed. Walking around the village lanes with high hedges and views of
the rolling hills made us appreciate why we love this part of the world so much.

A view from Parkham

We made our first visit to The Bell for over a year on Friday and were made very
welcome by our friends.  

On Sunday we went to St James again, our first visit for well over a year.  Whilst
the internal paintwork is now in need of urgent repair this did not distract from the
beauty of the garlands used to keep alternate pews closed for social distancing. 
The garlands were made from dried hydrangea heads saved from a wedding last year.
On Monday evening we also heard a single church bell being tolled 72 times to
recognise the lives lost in Grenville Tower, four years ago, and remembered here
in far away North Devon.

We did of course get to the coast on several occasions and walked on the beach
and coast paths.  For many years we have been visiting the North Devon coast
almost every month so this year has been very different with our first visit in June.It was good to be back and to breathe in the sea air again.

The coast at Greencliff

Whilst near the coast we visited the Pier House at Westward Ho! and enjoyed
coffee on the outside terrace watching the tide coming in.  It would have been
even better without the background music playing, which distracts from the sound
of the waves crashing on the rocks.

We also visited RHS Rosemoor, hoping to see a good display of roses. Whilst a
few were in flower, we were a week or two early for most but maybe will catch
them next time we are in the area. The gardens themselves were looking in
good condition and there were some wonderful displays of late spring flowers
including beautiful white foxgloves.

White Foxgloves at RHS Rosemoor

One of the main reasons for our visit was to catch up with friends, many of whom
we could only see fleetingly at a distance on our last visit in December.  We
spent several mornings and afternoons catching up with their news over a cup
of tea or coffee.

As I write this, we are beginning to prepare for our return to Cheshire. Some
cleaning of the cottage will be required before we leave and another trip to the butcher,
Honey’s to collect sausages for the freezer as requested by our children and
grandchildren.  We hope to return towards the end of July when summer
should have well and truly arrived.