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Showing posts with label devon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devon. Show all posts

Sunday 24 February 2019

Devon

In my childhood and youth I grew up in South Devon, where my ancestors lived. I moved away for work, although I return most years. My brother still lives there.

Wednesday 5 December 2018

Mud

Exactly 6 years ago I visited my brother in Devon. The photo shows my boot after we got back from a walk!

"Come to sunny Devon where it rains 6 days out of 7".

Sunday 13 May 2018

Bowcombe Creek

We did a short walk here last week. It is in S.Devon, not far from Kingsbridge. Even with the tide out and the mud showing it is a beautiful area. As we walked, the tide started to come in.

Saturday 5 May 2018

A Grave Error?

The photo show my wife taking a picture last night. I have no idea what she had seen. This is Thurlestone, Devon.

Thursday 19 April 2018

South Hams

Until I went to university, I lived in the South Hams of Devon. This picture was taken 8 years ago, but it probably hasn't changed much in 1000 years. We know my ancestors owned a piece of land near here in 1428. I can trace the family tree right back to the mid-1500s with no breaks. Our family has probably been hereabouts for thousands of years.  BTW, Thurlestone (this place) means "rock with a hole" so Thurlestone Rock has been there a long time!

Sunday 4 March 2018

Best bus ride in England?

With the closure of the A379 along Slapton Line in Devon we lose one of the very best, if not the best, bus rides in England. I hope they repair it after the storm damage, but I have my doubts.

If you have a bus pass, this is free!

More about storm damage in South Devon

Where I come from in South Devon has been badly hit by recent severe weather and high tides. The road from Dartmouth to Torcross is badly damaged. It is quite likely the road along Slapton Ley will never be rebuilt.

See https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/gallery/damage-a379-torcross-1295121

Apparently the government will contribute £2.5M to get the A379 rebuilt.

Wednesday 6 December 2017

Ancestors

Many years ago, I moved from South Devon, where our family has lived for millennia. We can trace our family in this area to the 1400s. We were probably farmers and fishermen way back. The photo is where we came from.

Thursday 13 July 2017

Devon

Bolt Tail in the distance.

This groundsman's hut at Thurlestone Golf Club is being rebuilt. It was a corrugated shed. I expect the next time I see it, it will be completed!  The second view is a typical Devon scene with Burgh Island in the distance.

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Dad's seat

When my dad retired, he got a job with the National Trust running a job creation scheme maintaining the coast paths near where he lived. When he died (1987) they put up 2 seats in his honour. They are still well used today! On each there is a small plaque which I expect few read. Nonetheless, it is a fitting memorial for all his hard work. He loved this area in the South Hams of Devon and so do I.

Sunday 19 March 2017

Ancestors

My ancestors come from South Devon. Many still live near here. I have a continuous genealogy back to the mid-1500s and one of my ancestors owned a piece of land near here in 1428. It is good to think of them enjoying this all those years ago. The cycle of life goes on.

Saturday 10 December 2016

South Hams, Devon

Until I went to university I was brought up in the South Hams of Devon where my family have been for centuries (definitely) and probably for millennia. I expect we were Stone Age farmers on Dartmoor thousands of years ago and we fished these waters long, long ago, probably when the coastline was quite different. The picture shows Bolt Tail  in the far distance from Thurlestone.

Friday 9 December 2016

Family History

Many years ago I came from, and was brought up in the South Hams of South Devon. The picture shows where our family lived for hundreds of years. The earliest record I have is 1428, although I am sure we've ancestors in this part of the world going back thousands of years. Very humbling.

Sunday 15 May 2016

More Devon

A view of Burgh Island in the evening sunshine. We did a short stroll this evening from the cottage where we are staying which is very close to the coast.

Saturday 14 May 2016

Devon

So, I was going to do some radio operating from a bench on the coastal path, but instead we went for a walk along the coastal path in the glorious sunshine. In all I walked about 3.5km, which in my current state is quite good. Years ago this would have been trivial.  The first image is Thurlestone, Devon looking towards Burgh Island.

Earlier in the day we were in Salcombe where I was brought up.  These days it has become gentrified with locals priced out and local shops replaced with clothes shops for the well heeled.

Wednesday 16 March 2016

Summer bird migrants arriving

The wheatears have started arriving back in Devon and soon it will be martins and swallows. The long winter will soon be behind us.

See http://www.devonbirds.org/news/bird_news/devon_bird_sightings .

The image below is not on this site but at the link below. You may have to wait for it to load. The link to the image will be removed if a problem.
http://www.devonbirds.org/images/library/dbn/public/stoke_point_male_wheatear_10617_0.jpg.

Monday 10 August 2015

Distant distant memories

It is funny what lurks deep in the crevices of the mind.

This afternoon we visited some old friends, who live quite near us, for afternoon tea. On their hearth was a brass object of globular shape. Seeing it, I remembered an old bell owned by Jack White and his wife who lived in Slapton, Devon. They had an outside toilet.

I swear I had not thought of that little bell in nearly 60 years but in my mind it was crystal clear. This very very distant memory was there waiting to be triggered. The Whites were a lovely couple. I remember us playing the card game "Newmarket" at their table. One wonders what other memories are buried which will one day surface again.

Saturday 4 April 2015

Returning swallows

The Devon Wildlife website is now reporting the return of lots of swallows. This is good news. Spring returns!

Monday 22 December 2014

Hope Cove webcam, Devon

See http://www.camsecure.co.uk/SalcombeHopeCove.html .

It is a while, because of my illness, since I have been to Devon, so I enjoy looking at the various webcams from there. The one above is at Hope Cove, where our family used to live centuries ago. The weather looks cold and windy down there today.  It is windy here today as well.