Christmas Bath

Hamish went to see his Aunty Helen for grooming last week and this afternoon he had his Christmas bath …

Not one of his favourite pastimes!! However he loves to just curl up and get dry on the sofa afterwards …

Hamish is Diabetic

For a couple of weeks Hamish had been drinking excessive amounts of water and so on our return from holiday I took a urine sample in to the vet and it was tested.  The result as I expected was that he is diabetic.

He is now on a strict regime which means that I have to be up early every day to walk him, then feed him and then give him his morning insulin.  It’s like being back at work with no weekend lie-in!!  In the evening it’s all repeated as he’s on a twice daily dose.

He’s being really good although he’s missing his little treats that he used to get when we left him at home to go shopping.  He gives me a ‘look’ when I pick up his insulin pen but he stands still and lets me inject him.

Over the last few weeks he’s spent a couple of days at the vets for monitoring but they think it’s stressing him and he’s now just going to have blood taken for a fructosamine test and then he can come straight home.  He’s returned from his each of his day stays with a bandage round his leg and a look that says “Take pity on me please!”

Afternoon Stroll on the Beach

I took Hamish for a lovely walk on the beach this afternoon.  Not many people about apart from surfers enjoying the waves and I spotted some pebbles just itching to be built into a cairn …

High Tide!

It’s that night in the autumn when the tides are at their highest and the wind joined in to make it even more dramatic.

Unfortunately it was already dark so the photos are not that brilliant but they’ll give you a flavour of what we watched and how close the water came to our home …

Help from the AA then a Trip out in the RV

Yesterday was spent at Trago Mills where we found lots of bargains.  When we got back I tried to start the motorhome but found we had a completely flat battery!  At some stage the leisure battery had been switched over to the vehicle one and bingo – one flat battery.  Nobody had any jump leads so first thing this morning I rang the AA and a chap was soon out to help us …

With the engine running again we decided to take the motorhome out today to give it a good run.  We set off to Croyde and as we arrived it began to rain. So while the boys went for a walk on the beach with the dogs Mike and I had lunch.  It was a very difficult walk down to the sand so I left Mike in the rv and collecting Hamish from Jamie and Phill, I made my way down on my own. 

Back at the motorhome we moved on to Baggy Point where we had coffee and cake in the cafe …

There were hens running around and a lovely gypsy caravan ..

We then began the walk …

Later on in the evening we had a visitor on the campsite …

Day out with Friends

Jo and Paul were spending the week on a site near Newquay but they were driving up today to meet us at Atlantic Village.  We left the campsite and called in at Devon Caravan Recyclers which is a fantastic place full of everything you can possibly need for a caravan.  Once the caravan is broken up the shelves in the unit are filled with all manner of bits and pieces.  Needless to say we found loads of things for the boys.

We then drove over to meet Jo and Paul in a cafe before having a wander around the Village.  I never seem to find any bargains but Jo always comes away with bags of clothes!  We bought some sandwiches for lunch and drove to Northam Burrows at Westward Ho! where we parked to eat them.  It was then time to walk the dogs on the beach …

It wasn’t brilliant weather and we all needed a coffee to warm us up so we found a lovely cafe called the Rock Pool Cafe.  There was free wi-fi and great service from friendly staff.  It was now time to go our separate ways so after big hugs all round we left for Umberleigh and Jo and Paul made tracks for Cornwall.

A Day of Family History

My cousin John and his wife Christine live in Minehead and so we’d made arrangements for them to visit us at Umberleigh.  John’s father and my mother were brother and sister and we’re both very keen on family history. 

They arrived as the heavens opened and so we piled into their car and drove to Chittlehampton where we’d heard that the food was good in The Bell Inn.  After ordering, John got out his files and a photo of his parents wedding as there were faces in it that he didn’t recognise.  I managed to name a couple of people including the little bridesmaid but I wasn’t a great deal of help I’m afraid.  We noticed that most of the husbands were missing and then realised that it was 1940 and they were probably involved in the war. 

After lunch we returned to the motorhome and more photos were handed around and studied, laptops came out and we had a good old family natter!  It was a lovely day and I hope that it’s not too long before we can meet up again.

Repairs and the Satellite Dish is Working!

The boys have had a problem with their caravan loo and so this morning we went back to Ilfracombe to visit the caravan accessory shop in the hopes that they could buy the parts they needed to finally sort it out.  Jamie then spent most of the day working on the repairs until we heard that the loo was successfully flushing!

We’d bought a satellite system a couple of years ago and had only managed to make it work once.  Phill had requested that we took it with us so that they could have a go at setting it up and unbelievably they had a picture on their television within about 15 minutes of unpacking it!!! 

It looks as if we’ll have to take them camping with us every time we go so that they can set it up for us!!

Day Out in Ilfracombe and Woolacombe

The weather forecast told us that today was the last of the guaranteed dry days and so we decided to spend the day out and about.  It’s a long time since we’d been to Ilfracombe and so this was our first destination.  We parked and walked along to the Landmark Theatre and took a look at the surrounding area …

As we left the Theatre we spotted this triple jump mosaic which celebrates the achievements of Jonathan Edwards who had lived in Ilfracombe …

I loved the wording on the last photo – “If you don’t take off you never know where you will land”

We made our way up to town where I wanted to try and find the building where my Marshall ancestors were in business as hatters in the 1850/60’s.  Unfortunately only one side of the road was still standing and the side where my lot had been was now a wall with overhanging plants!

We walked through town and found a little cafe where we could sit outside for a coffee then it was back to the car and a move to the harbour end of town.  I went for a wander and took some photos …

After returning to the car we suddenly heard a helicopter flying very low and so we nipped out and down to the water to see what was happening.  We think it was just an exercise …

Leaving Ilfracombe behind we took the road to Woolacombe as we wanted to give the dogs a run on the beach.  All the car parks were mega expensive so we managed to find a spot at the end of a cul-de-sac where we sat and ate our packed lunches before going for our walk.  The first beach we came to had a very clear sign telling us where we were allowed …

It wasn’t very far to go and once over the bridge …

we were on the sandy beach …

There were a lot of people about as it was a Sunday but the photos make it look as if the beach was deserted!  We walked back to town, had a coffee and then it was back to the car and on the road for home.  As we neared the campsite we stopped to take photos of the valley which had been flooded yesterday.  Amazingly it was virtually back to normal today …

We had a lovely sky tonight and when I took Hamish for his walk he met the cows in the next field …

In the evening we were treated to a roast dinner in the caravan and it was scrumptious!!

The dogs were exhausted after all the exercise they’d had and just went fast asleep while we ate …