We have had a very busy time lately and this week we had a group of U3A walkers staying from Thornbury for 4 nights. I have to be honest and say that the sun doesn’t always shine on Exmoor (as Julie and Helen will testify) and on Tuesday afternoon it was a party of quite soggy walkers that arrived home. Luckily we have a large drying room and soon clothes were starting to steam quite nicely! After that, the weather stayed dry and they had some lovely walks.

We badly needed the rain. The moor is starting to green up again and the garden is looking lovely. We have a large buddleia which the butterflies love during the day and in the evening, their place is taken by moths. Derek took the dogs up to Codscends Moor (the south side of Dunkery Beacon) during the week and took a couple of lovelyshots of the area.

Jonathon came to stay again with his mum and dad and they were thrilled to see a herd of 10 stags over towards Lynmouth. On the way back from Porlock they had their own wildlife safari by seeing a fox, a badger, a stag and a vole!

Our bed and breakfast visitors come from far and wide – Germany, New Mexico, America, The Netherlands plus South Molton and Frome! Because Exmoor is such a beautiful area, some of our guests come from only a short distance for a break and to completely relax without having to drive miles.

Nature watch

It’s been a real nature watch on Exmoor lately. The other day we went over to Nutscale and saw a lovely little stoat in the road. A bit further on a Hen Harrier landed just next to the truck and on the walk we saw a young deer calf running along side its mum only about 20 yards away from us. The house martins under the eaves are popping their heads out and are ready to fly. The hot dry weather has pushed the heather on and there are beautiful bursts of purple all over the moor. The corn is also turning early this year and some already looks ripe for harvesting.

We went to Aldermans Barrow last night and in the Enclosure area there were 4 herds of deer. I stayed with the dogs and Derek managed to creep up close and take the photos above.

Although we have been very busy all week with our bed and breakfast guests we managed to pop down to Woodbury to Derek’s brother birthday party. We also saw the new Brown arrivals - 2 great nieces and 1 great nephew born into the family within 6 weeks of one another and they are all absolutely beautiful!

Very happy days

It’s been very busy in the village with 2 weddings this month. On Saturday Dominic and Mel the eldest daughter of our friends Paul (who featured heavily in last week’s blog) and Gillian got married. She looked absolutely stunning (and the bridegroom scrubbed quite well too)! It was very much a local affair with both Eddy and Roger providing their beloved classic cars as the transport and many of the villages turned out to watch - it was a lovely occasion. Later on we went to the evening reception held in a marquee at their home. Unfortunately we missed the highlight of the day – Paul’s speech as father of the bride. Apparently it had quite an agricultural theme and I think it is best left there!

Lucy our daughter came up from Exeter for the weekend with a friend and it was lovely to see her. They didn’t do very much but were content just to laze in the garden and play with the dogs who were so happy to see her.

We had a another return visit to our bed and breakfast home from Mike and Jane this weekend and they bought their friend Lyn with them. I packed up a lunch for them and they set off to Nutscale for the day. The weather was beautiful and in the evening they sat out in the gardens and had a picnic – very relaxing and they had a great time. It is clear that Lyn has also fallen in love with Exmoor and wants to come back soon.

Watersports at Wimbleball

July is a very busy month up here on Exmoor. This year Wimbleball Lake is hosting a huge Sporting and Countryside event from the 14th to the 18th July, to celebrate 10 years of the South West Lakes Trust and partners on Exmoor.

On offer will be a massive range of watersports and land-based activities for all to watch or try out, as well as a fun-packed Country Fair and an evening of live entertainment - all in the beautiful setting of Wimbleball Lake in the heart of Exmoor National Park.

I promised myself a go at kayaking last year but time was against me. I definitely want to try it out this time although if my balance is anything to go by, I shall probably spend more time under the boat! I have suggest to Derek that he doesn't have a go due to his very delicate stomach. When we were in Spain with Lucy a few years ago, he had to get off the pedalo as the motion was making him feel sea sick. The trouble is when he struck out to swim for the shore, the water didn't quite reach his knees!