Mad friends!

Our bed and breakfast accommodation has been full this week with a bunch a very lovely and completely mad guests who all met one another over the years through the Girl Guides. From the moment they arrived, it was like welcoming a group of our old friends into our home. Kate did a fantastic job of organising different walks over the moor each day and they all had a wonderful time. As they wrote in our visitor book ‘What a triumph! Crutches discarded, brilliant weather and stunning scenery’. We were very sad to see them go but all said they would love to return.

Helen made a welcome return visit this week as well and Derek took her out on Paddy for an evening ride while he rode Bally. I played tennis and was well and truly thrashed – no change there then!

Helen joined us for a lovely walk yesterday evening up through Robbers Bridge and along Weir Water where the dogs had a swim and managed to cool off. There were beautiful, vivid dragon flies zooming up and down and loads of little trout jumping. We drove home via Cloutsham to see the herds of red deer and Exmoor ponies on the slopes of Dunkery Beacon. Through the binoculars we watched a young deer calf galloping up and down on the skyline and managed to spot another calf by its mum. It was a lovely end to a beautiful day.

Mid summer on the moor

Derek had to go across Exmoor and down to Dulverton earlier this week. As it was so hot, he took the dogs with him and went via Withypool to take them for a walk and a swim in the river. On top of Winsford Hill he saw a blanket of cotton grass dancing in the breeze. While he was taking the photos he came across some beautiful wild orchids.

It has been a very family focused week. On Monday we went down to Julies to have lunch with the family before Gerald and Freda fly back to New Zealand – a very happy day but a little sad at the end when we had to go. Yesterday Derek popped down to Exmouth to see his mum, then onto to our friend Ron and to watch the football and finally into Exeter to see Lucy. Ray and Mary called in (brother and sister in law) and we have just heard that they have just had their second grand daughter in 6 weeks!

Our bed and breakfast accommodation has been full all this week with a group of great friends who have all met through Girl Guides over the years. Out walking every day by 9.00 they have had a great week enjoying the weather and Exmoor at its best. Back home for tea (or something stronger) and then out for a meal each night in a local pub. Helen returned again this week for another riding and walking break. She also had a couple of evening rides with Derek and ended up cleaning his tack (first time this year)! Oh and we also had some unexpected guests but they only wanted to make use of the lawn!

Pictures from the past

I can’t believe how fast time is going at the moment as we have been so busy with our bed and breakfast guests. The weather has been beautiful and everyone has had a wonderful week of exploring and walking.

All the farmers are now busy making hay while the weather is so hot and sunny. There isn’t a lot of grass about for the horses at the moment so Derek popped down to Huntscott to get a bit of hay to top them up. He also bought a big bag of freshly dug new potatoes and broad beans which Paul grows on his farm. He found Paul busy turning the sweet smelling field of grass which will be ready to bale this afternoon. The Devon Ruby Red cattle looked lovely grazing in the sunshine with Dunkery Beacon behind them. It is a picture that could have been seen 50 years ago (mainly because that’s the age of Pauls tractor)! Relaxing in the hay, Tia kept a close eye on her masters tractor driving skills - wise girl.

Last night the entire house was full of Ironmen (exclusion of Derek). Bringing family, friends and supporters, they were competing in the Exmoor Ironman triathlon – the hardest half triathlon in the country. It started at 7 this morning at Wimbleball Reservoir – firstly a swim, then running and finally cycling across the moor. Unfortunately once again Derek was unable to compete due to the work commitments of getting up at 4.30 to get breakfasts for everyone - as he said not all the Ironmen on Exmoor were competing this morning!

I had a brilliant week last week. All our B&B guests had stayed before so it was a houseful of friends. Breakfast time was non stop chatter of guests (Derek was in his element) swopping places to walk and visit, what they had done the day before, good places to eat, etc etc. In fact I was thinking of asking if they would like to stay on for lunch!

I managed to get to Pilates 3 times and play in 3 very good tennis matches (usual story of heart and head being so willing but the old body lets me down every time). On Saturday Derek dropped me off by Nutscale Reservoir and I walked home with the dogs across the moor, following Dickies path along the base of Dunkery to Webbers Post and then the carriage path back home. It was beautiful weather and we all had a great time. During the week, Derek had a lovely ride on the horses around the lanes and round the fields at Huntscott.

The icing on the cake was Sunday when my uncle Gerald and aunt Freda who are over from New Zealand came up for the day with my mum, sister Julie, brother in law Paul, Katie my niece and her partner Arron. These 2 designed and created this website and have a great business called ‘Slurpy Studios’ – check out their website to see what they do.

We had a wonderful time catching up and looking at photos and hearing lots of stories. We then went down to Wootton Courtenay Craft and Hobby show in the village hall. It was so busy and there was so much to see (and people to chat to). This village really has an amazing amount of talent from sculptures and painters to authors and silversmiths and model aeroplanes (and real ones) and train builders. We all came back for tea and cake and more chatting. All too soon it was time for them to go but we are hoping to get down to see them next week.

At the moment, time is just flying by and we seem to have something on everyday. We went to a farm sale during the week and I should think that everyone from Exmoor was there. There were over 2000 lots – from a combine (circa 1952) to buckets of nails, old school writing book, portable gas heaters (which looked as if they should have been condemned), tools, baler twine, wardrobes, wooden skis and everything in between. Although we didn’t see anything we wanted to bid for, the weather was fantastic, the characters amazing, the views incredible and we caught up with quite a few friends and acquaintances. So all and all it was a great morning out.

We then went to Dulverton to meet our very good friends Mike and Jackie who came to stay for a couple of nights this week. The weather stayed hot and sunny and they managed to get a couple of walks in including one up to Dunkery Beacon.

We have a red rose called Fragrant Cloud growing along the veranda. It’s absolutely beautiful this year and as everyone walks past they get a delicate whiff of the scent. The lupines are also quite spectacular as well this year – watering and spraying have paid off.

All the baby birds that were nesting in the veranda have all flown now. The poor parents have been so busy still feeding them, trying to make sure that their babies stay safe, teaching them to fly, feed and fend for themselves. Something’s are the same no matter what the species!

Talking of which, we picked Lucy up on Friday from Exeter and she came home for the weekend to go to a wedding, see the dogs and Derek’s new horse and to catch up with her old boss and her son (I would like to think she came back to see us as well but perhaps that would be pushing it)! But it was lovely to have her home again.

On Saturday we had friends from the village around for supper. They have just moved into a bungalow in the village and having loads of work down. The stories they tell remind us of the time we were doing up the Dunkery Beacon – I NEVER want to go there again!

Foxy tales

Well it’s been a hectic week again with lots of guests staying at our bed and breakfast accommodation. Some were new visitors who have now fallen in love with Exmoor promising to return again soon as they can. Other visitors have been several times before and have become firm friends. Sunshine was ordered and appeared for the week so everyone enjoyed Exmoor at its absolute best – beech trees, bluebells, blossom, fantastic wildlife, nesting swallows, wagtails and sparrows and that’s just in our garden!

We went out to eat at The Stags Head in Dunster with Julie and Helen and had a lovely evening – great food (although the conversation was a little ‘suspect’ at times)! Derek sent them on a new walk from Bury near Dulverton, up the river to Wimbleball Reservoir and then back over the top. Beautiful walk but as Julie pointed out – not quite such an easy walk for them as they were carrying a ton of photographic kit!

My sister Julie went to France for a few days and mum came to stay with us which was lovely – all the ironing was done, dinning room cleared each day, greenhouse tided, mending brought up to date, containers planted up etc etc. Not bad for a mum who was 86 today! Apart from all her help, it was great to have her company.

I took her for a ride around Exmoor yesterday and as we came down the lane from Luccombe there were 2 very small fox cubs playing in the road quite unperturbed by our car. They were so beautiful. A few days ago a fox was running in the field where Derek and I were walking and Derek made the noise of a rabbit. The fox stopped and then came straight towards us and then sat watching us for about 5 minutes before he ran off into the nearby woods.