Surviving Devon

[Dawn]

It's that time again. Time to visit the inlaws. They live in Devon just on the border with Cornwall. We love that part of the country. Sadly budget, or lack of it, meant that we could not afford a proper holiday this year so it was stay with the inlaws or stay at home.

Deep breath... :lol:

We left on Saturday morning not in any real rush - we had all day to get there. It's about 220 miles door to door, normally takes around 5 hours with a couple of stops.

Twenty minutes after leaving home we round the bend and in front of me is one of my favourite views in the whole world - Arundel laid out in front of me. Cathedral on the left, castle on the right, everything else in between. It really is a lovely place and I wholly recommend Arundel for a visit. And I also recommend the Black Rabbit by the river Arun for lunch - ask any local, it's famous in the area. Anyway this is Arundel castle taken through the windscreen of a car travelling downhill at approx 30 mph. :D

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Willow travels well in the car. Usually just lays down and goes to sleep. Now and again though she'll take interest in what's going on outside her window. Note the new pink leather collar. :D

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It starts raining at some point but we're used to that this summer. Just after Southampton we stop at the motorway services and it is packed. Never seen it this busy but then we've never done this trip during the summer break. Comfort stops done and Costa coffee acquired and we're back on the road. I'm driving this stretch. Last time I did this it poured with rain and I had to do a huge detour through Bournemouth and Poole to avoid a serious accident in the New Forest. This time it just poured with rain. BBC Solent rules the radio airwaves. They played Neil Sedaka - Laughter in the Rain and I was in hysterics and no one else got it. :rolleyes008:

We stopped again to let the boy and the dog have a wee and then, with Adrian driving again, we rejoined the traffic jam into Devon. Caravans should not be allowed on the roads at weekends. And probably weekdays too. Actually Tuesdays should be designated caravan days and that would be the only day they should be allowed on public roads. :mad:

Whizzed past Exeter services even though it was our last chance of decent coffee for nearly a week and carried on through the rain - yes it's still raining - and finally pulled into the outlaws driveway about 7 hours after we set off.

Willow said hello to Hayley, their little rescue dog and they were off like old friends. We were fed the customary bread, cold meat and cakes with no vegetable type matter for dinner. Steven was put to bed and then we all gathered in the living room for the outlaws to stare at brainless tv in silence while Adrian and myself started on the huge pile of reading matter we had bought with us to get us through these evenings of banality.

[piglet]

I love the picture of Willow, she really looks as though she's totally focused on whatever she's looking at. I think television should be banned when company arrives. Ok you may talk on the phone but if you haven't seen someone for a while, it's good to sit and catch up on everything. Good luck for the rest of the holiday :p015:

[Isafari]

Great start Dawn. Arundel castle is stunning! Sooooooooo looking forward to reading about your little adventures :p015:

[disneymom]

I love reading your trip reports dawn

[*Bambi-Belle*]

Awwwww! look at Willow, sooo cute.

Cool photos Dawn.

[Tink]

I love the photo of Arundel. :yes:

What? You didnt' bring a ready supply of veggies with you? :D

[Slowhand]

You are being too kind to caravans Dawn...letting them loose on the roads for a whole day?...even if it is on Tuesdays! :lol:

[Claire]

Good start so far! Will be watching out for any signs of veg!

[Wendy]

The caravans are a pain Dawn. The weather has been horrible, which way did you come down :unsure: M3, A303 and A30.

[Tink]

Why are they such a bother? We have oodles of them here and they don't seem to be much of an issue while driving. :unsure:

[Dawn]

The caravans are a pain Dawn. The weather has been horrible, which way did you come down :unsure: M3, A303 and A30.

None of those. :lol:

M27, A31, A35, A30, M5, not necessarily in that order.

Tink our roads are much smaller than yours remember? Get stuck behind a caravan on a single lane road and you're stuffed. :rolleyes008:

[Tink]

Not all our roads are superhighways! LOL! There are far more two lane roads than not. :yes: Do they drive particularly slowly in relationship to other vehicles on the road?

RVs or trailers being towed?

[ukwdwnut]

great start dawn, love the photos

tink this is a caravan, not sure if there is a speed limit to tow these ie 50mph

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[Dawn]

Ok we're woken a the crack of 7am by Willow. Me and Steven sleep in one room and Adrian and Willow in another. Mother in law tried to force the 4 course breakfast on us but we settled for some toast. Mutterings of breakfast being the most important meal of the day were ignored - doesn't make it the biggest meal. :lol:

Eventually everyone was ready to take the dogs for their morning walk. Steven led the way. He insisted on wearing his hi-vis vest so the cars could see him. What cars?

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This is part of the path we walk along each morning with the doggles. Can you see the sun trying to break through? :D

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After the walk Willow was so tired that she needed a rest - don't tell mother in law though.

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Now we needed to pick up some picnic supplies and stuff so Steven and Willow stayed with the outlaws and me and Adrian drove off to Okehampton where they have civilised things like cash machines. It's Sunday so most places are closed but we had a nice wander about in peace and found a nice place called Simmons Park. I dragged Adrian in for a look. He wasn't impressed.

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I found a phallic shaped piece of stone with a very scary piercing.

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The park had a little river running through it.

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And look - it's me. :wave:

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Started to spit with rain so we headed back into town. Spotted this on the way.

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We found a little cafe and went in intending to get a sandwich or something and ended up both ordering the roast chicken. OMG it was huge. And look top left - all those vegetables. :lol:

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I could hardly move after eating that lot but had to keep moving in case I fell asleep. Walked around the town a bit more and then went and got the food bits we needed. Stopped in the pet shop to get a few toys for the doggles and then drove back to the outlaws taking a scenic route. Adrian was taking random turns! He doesn't do that. I'm the random turner. Adrian has to know exactly where he is. Obviously in a rush to get back then. :rofl:

Steven was playing in the garden when we got back. The rain had stopped. :D Watched a bit of the olympics but then everyone came into the room and we had to put banal tv on again. Just had a snack to eat and put Steven to bed. Spent the evening texting various people pleading to be rescued but no one came to my aid. You all know who you are. :dozey:

[Ursula]

he he... this is going to be good..... love the doggle car seatbelt thing, and the castle is gorgeous.

[Dizneyblonde]

Texts?

What texts?

[mainecoon lover]

Great trip reports. Willow is so cute and Steven is growing away.

[Dawn]

Texts?

What texts?

Hmph! :dozey:

Monday and we're off out today. :D Outlaws started off by feeding Steven sugar laden cereal for breakfast and then wondering why he ran round the walls like a maniac. Normal sized breakfast consumed by us and the dog given a short walk. A caffeine top up and then we are off and getting into the car. While we are waiting for Steven I spot these monstrosities in the inlaws garage.

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We load the car and strap the boy and the dog in and we are off to Bude for the day. Who cares what the weather is like. We are escaping. *cue Dina Carroll song but you all have no idea what I'm talking about now so I'll shut up. * :oops:

Anyway we park up at the beach where dogs are allowed all year round. They have to be on a lead but at least they are allowed. And we have an extending lead. They let children on the beach too.

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Much running about and Steven soons decides it's warm enough to take his jacket off.

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Dog is having fun too.

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And then Mummy kicks her shoes off and joins the boy and the dog in the surf.

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Steven is now pretty much soaked and decides it's now time to get his beach wear on. :lol: If anyone is interested we buy his UV clothing from Lion In The Sun.

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Mummy and Willow have a run around on the beach.

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We play on the beach for over an hour and had a great time. Who needs sun to have fun on the beach anyway. :lol: It's lunchtime and we're all hungry so we walk back to the car and get Steven changed into dry clothes and then I take him into the Lifeboat shop nearby for a small lifeboat toy and the ladies in the shop feed Willow rich tea biscuits. :eek:

We have a car picnic for lunch. That means we bought a picnic with us (including salad veggies) but sat in the car to eat it because by now it's raining quite hard. But car picnics are cool because you can sit and make pointed remarks about the people wandering around the car park. It was mostly surfer types today because the waves were quite big. Thing about those wetsuits is that they make you look nice and slim. We had a good laugh watching some of the bodies that came out of those wetsuits while they were changing. :rofl:

Anyway car picnic over and the raining has almost stopped so we walked up to the town for the ice cream we had promised Steven.

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Had a look around the shops and Adrian found a second-hand bookshop so me, Steven and Willow had to loiter outside while he browsed. Eventually I sent Steven in and told him to find Daddy and tell him that Mummy had said he has 2 minutes to get out or Steven would start pushing over the book stacks. :evil:

We walked round the to far side of the beach and walked along toward the breakwater at the end.

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I caught one of the few surfers to actually get upright for more than a nanosecond.

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We walked all the way to the end of the breakwater. Very blustery out there but some great views.

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Steven examines the slate cliffs above the beach.

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After being blustered about a bit here we walked back along the canal that flows into the sea just here. Went into the tourist information office and got tons of leaflets for places to visit and then went back to the car. Bude is cool. We spent 5 hours there and had a lovely time. Didn't matter about the lack of sun, we had a great day. Even better because we could take Willow with us.

Stopped for petrol on the way home and I discovered that this is what a day in Bude does to you. :lol:

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I directed Adrian down a couple of wrong turnings on the way home, much to my amusement. He then ordered me to not say anything else which was really funny when he asked me what turning we needed and I just said, "mmmmmmm mmmmm mm mmmmmm" :rofl:

Back at camp inlaw we had a bit of a rest and then I made a pasta bake for dinner. Pasta, cooked chicken, brocolli, red pepper, mushrooms, jar of passata, cheese, slam it in the oven for 30 minutes. That fed everyone and then I put Steven in the bath to get the rest of Bude beach off of him. With the boy safely in bed it was time to endure Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders, and then because it's Monday back over to the second episode of Corrie. I went to read in bed so have no idea what they watched after that but Adrian said some of his brain cells made a run for it to get away from the tv. :rofl:

[Hex]

Had a look around the shops and Adrian found a second-hand bookshop so me, Steven and Willow had to loiter outside while he browsed. Eventually I sent Steven in and told him to find Daddy and tell him that Mummy had said he has 2 minutes to get out or Steven would start pushing over the book stacks. :evil:

Steven was the one who walked out of that bookshop with 3 books! :lol:

[Britchick]

i shall ignore the caravan comments:star-wars-smiley-02

[Tink]

I LOVE Adrian's expression in the park photo! :yes: Whatsa' matter with a good old browse in a book store? :unsure: I'd have been in there for days! :lol: It was holiday after all!

One of the benefits of beach day without too much sun, is no sunburn, and fewer people! I love the shots of the sea. Reminds me quite a bit of the unspoiled areas of Maine. :yes:

I'm still not convinced that big handsome boy is wee baby Steven. :unsure:

[uscwest]

I take it that you are not overly fond of trips to the in-laws Dawn? Great trip reports though. And Steven is getting so big.

[Wendy]

i shall ignore the caravan comments:star-wars-smiley-02


:lol: :lol: us 'ere locals finds 'em really annoying :wink: :lol:

[Dizneyblonde]

Caravans are a huge disadvantage of living in a popular tourist area.

Especially in our country lanes when they can't reverse!!

[Ursula]

Great pics... sighs... I need a holiday now....

[Tink]

Oh well, that makes quite a difference then. If they can't reverse how do they ever get out of some areas? :unsure:

I always thought having a travel trailer would be kinda' fun. :yes:

[Britchick]

:lol:i can assure teh residents of devon and cornwall that i will never take the caravan down there!!! I'll just annoy the residents of Norfolk instead:lol:

seriously though we are considerate, are usually moaning on a roads that people are going too slow, and pull off the road if we are causing a nuisance.

[Dizneyblonde]

Then you are welcome to come to Devon and Cornwall!!! :lol:

[Tink]

Ahem! YOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!

Next installment please!

[Dawn]

Yeah yeah yeah :lol:

[Dizneyblonde]

I got up early for the next installment...

[Dawn]

Wasted your time then. :laugh:

[Dawn]

Got to take dog out, then clean fish out, and promised Steven we'd go and see Clone Wars today. Probably this evening will get going again. :D

[Dizneyblonde]

I'll be out then with the girls watching Mama Mia.:(

The service around here just isn't good enough.;)

[Dawn]

You take Steven to the cinema and I'll finish the report. :D

[Dizneyblonde]

Great stuff i'm on my way!!!

Not cleaning the fish tank though.

[Dawn]

:dozey:

[uscwest]

After being ferried over some of those narrow roads there in the UK by both Wendy's DH Chris and by Slowhand I don't know how you could even consider taking a caravan down them. They were SCARY. :shocked025:

[Dawn]

OK here we go again.

So it's Tuesday and we're up early again. Turned down the carb fest on offer for breakfast and had cereal and a banana. :D A lot of faffing around waiting for people to sort themselves out and eventually we're ready to take the dogs out for their morning walk. Passed a field and look - can you see the deer?

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After a while everyone peeled off and headed for home but Adrian and myself carried on for a bit with Willow. Nice to have a bit of peace.

Willow went for a paddle.

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But then she got out of her depth and had to be rescued. :lol:

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Eventually we could walk the dog no further so went back home where Steven was putting the inlaws to work with the Lego. We left strict instructions with him to make sure that they gave him a proper lunch and then Adrian and myself zipped off to Okehampton again for a look around the shops.

Spent quite a while there. Found a couple of used book shops and had a good browse. I love a bookshop as much as the next person but when you have a small boy and a dog with you it makes browsing tricky. Anyway there's one shop there that was awesome. Two floors totally stacked with old books. Everywhere you looked there were books. Adrian and myself were crawling round the top floor on our hands and knees to get to the books on the bottom shelf. We were in there so long I had to sit on the floor and have a rest as my back was aching so much. We bought 3 books each. :D

Now it was raining and time for lunch so we went back to the place with the giant roast dinners but just had a light lunch this time. I had a baked potato with cheese and beans. Then we went into the bakers next door and bought cake for dessert. Adrian ate his straight away but I was saving my piece of carrot cake until we got home. I carried it around the rest of the shops and put it carefully in the car while we nipped into Lidls for some of their awesome Swiss chocklit.

Then I held my piece of cake while Adrian drove home but we decided it was too early to get back and just sit in front of the TV so we took a few random turnings and ended up going through tiny villages with teeny weeny roads and all the while I'm holding my precious carrot cake.

Eventually we couldn't put it off much longer so we hit the road for home. We had to stop at the local farm shop to buy some proper sossidges for dinner and then we went to check on our boy and dog. They both appear to have survived unscathed but father in law was worn out through too much Lego-ing and had to go and have a lie down. :lol:

Steven assured us he had been given some salad items for lunch and I finally sit at the kitchen table with my special piece of cake that I completely omitted to take a photo of. :lol:

The dogs were walked again and then Adrian cooked sossidges, mashed potato, carrots and broccoli for dinner. The boy was put to bed and then you know the rest. It's soap operas and banal sensationalist documentaries.

I have to give up around 9pm. As we left our lunchtime cafe I had a vague feeling of a headache developing. By 9pm it was so painful that everytime I moved my head it throbbed like crazy. Of course knowing we would be staying in the middle of nowhere I had packed a full paediatric medical kit but no adult medicine. Anyway I went to bed and laid perfectly still and prayed it would be gone by tomorrow. We had special plans.

[Britchick]

oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh special plans!!! at the mother in law's??:shocked025:

[Tink]

Oh heavens. I'm sorry about the head! :hug1:

I was certain you were going to say Willow snagged your cake! :lol:

Did Willow not attempt to run the deer? :unsure:

My burning question of the day is why do you share a room with the boy and Adrian is sent off to solitary?

[Dawn]

It's either that or share a room with the dog. Willow is not allowed to sleep in the kitchen with Hayley in case they make too much noise or something. I'm pretty sure they would just sleep. But anyway it works for us.

[Claire]

Sore heads are miserable. Still want your dog........

[Dawn]

Wednesday and we're up at 7am. A semi-casual breakfast and by 8am we are ready to go. Willow is not coming with us today and is not happy about it, but she is promised a long walk and lots of cuddles so she lets us go on our way.

We're off to Plymouth for the day. :D I'm driving because I have previous experience of driving around the Plymouth one way system. However I have no previous experience of driving across Dartmoor in the driving rain. Dare I say, it was a bit gairy. :eek: Single lane road (with caravans) sideways drizzle, and these roads are not straight. Had to stop briefly because a little voice in the back announced that they felt poorly and the last time he said that he followed it with a bout of profuse vomiting. I pull into a layby and Steven has a little walk up and down with Daddy and a drink of water and feels a bit better. Adrian gets in the back with Steven for the rest of the trip just in case.

Takes about an hour to get to Plymouth and we negotiate the city centre and pull into a car park at about 9.20am.

First stop - Starbucks. :D

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Had a little look around the shops after this. Found a keyring with buttons on that played phrases from Star Wars. Steven loved it, Adrian hated it, I bought it. :rofl: All the rest of the day we heard C3PO saying "we're doomed" every 2 minutes. :D

Went in the Disney store but it was full of HSM stuff and baby stuff so we stormed out in protest. Went into Woolworths instead where Steven found a cool Ben 10 toy to spend his own money on. It's still drizzling so we head into the covered market area and have a look around and of course Adrian's book radar homes in on a book stall. A quick perusal reveals there's nothing there to interest Steven or myself so we stand and wait while Adrian browses...and wait...and wait...and start to misbehave and eventually he pays for 2 books and stops us embarassing him. :D

The rain is beginning to let up so we walk down to the Hoe and look at the huge Naval memorial there. From there we walk around the coast road toward the Barbican area.

Plymouth Sound

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Can you see how windy it is?

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And Steven gets ready to see off the pesky Spanish armada. :lol:

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So here's one for the Americans. We walk down to the Barbican and this spot where Adrian and Steven are standing is known as the Mayflower Steps. It is at this exact point that the Pilgrims set sail for the colonies on the Mayflower. They said "we've had enough of this persecution, we're going to Disney World". :rofl:

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[Jazmine]

Fantastic pics Dawn, Steven and Willow are sooooo cute keep having fun
Jacqui :hug2:xxx

[Dawn]

Well we're at the Barbican because it's the home of the National Marine Aquarium and Steven loves looking at fishies. Thanks to a tip off by Teresa we have our 20% off voucher so we pay the nice man and go in.

A male, very pregnant seahorse.

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He would have stood there all afternoon if we'd let him.

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Spiny crab.

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Moray eel.

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And lots of Nemos who all decided to swim downwards the moment they saw my camera.

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We spent a good couple of hours in there and it is awesome. Definitely recommend it. We let the boy loose in the gift shop and he chose a book about sharks. :lol:

Back outside it's still raining - but hey, we're used to it by now - and we head into the Barbican area in search of food. Steven wants a pasty. And we find a pasty shop. Not a Cornish pasty because we're in Devon but pretty close.

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Next door to the pasty shop is a used book shop. Guess who gets left sitting with Steven while someone goes to browse. Eventually I have to send Steven in with threats again. Not least because Adrian has the backpack with our drinks in it. :eek:

We have a stroll from there back to the town to collect the car. Now it's time for our special plans. I navigate the Plymouth one way system and after a few minutes we're pulling up at the Torpoint ferry.

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A short wait and we drive on to the ferry. Steven's first boat trip. He's happy to stay in the car and he's a bit wary.

Something amazing happens as the ferry leaves the Devon shore. The sky turns blue and the sun comes out! :eek:

Short boat ride later and we're driving off on the Cornwall side of the river Tamar. I mutter to myself as I negotiate the landmarks to our destination - tattoo shop, Scumerfield, garage where petrol is 2p a litre dearer than over the river and the weird shop where you turn left.

Couple of minutes later and I'm pulling up - outside Teresa's house!!! :207:

I love going to Teresa's. It's one of those places were I feel instantly chilled and relaxed. Tried to persuade Adrian that he needed to watch 7 hours of WDW holiday footage but he wasn't really up for it. So we looked at some photos and watched a Sea World DVD. Then we got the "we're doomed" sound off of the keyring and on to our mobile phones so now there's no getting away from it. I was allowed to touch the special tea towels. :D Jack got some of his toys down for Steven to play with but Steven thought that Billy the cat was the best toy ever. Jack watched Ben10 with Steven and declared it "awesome." He's developing a nice sarcastic streak is that young man - I may take him on as my padawan. :rofl: Teresa and Adrian went out for fish and chips for everyone and then all too soon it was time to go. :( Hugs all round and we're back in the car where Steven announces "where was pudding?" :lol:

Back on the ferry. This time Steven is brave and gets out to have a look. You can see the scary Tamar bridge which isn't scary anymore.

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Uneventful drive back and we are soon carrying in a still-sleeping Steven and putting him straight to bed. Willow suddenly realised her humans had come back and went absolutely mad.

We'd had a lovely day. Thank you to Teresa for opening your door to us. Will do it again soon.:D

Anyway we couldn't face bad TV and silence after a great day out so we went to bed.

[Tink]

Wow! Sounds like a wonderfully busy day. :yes: Must say it looked a chilly summer day though. :eek:

[Beccaberry]

*sigh* sounds like you guys are having a brilliant holiday so far ;-)

Am truly loving the photos.

[kazzaqld]

I LOVE seahorses, Dawn - that one looked cute!

If you ever get to Tasmania, check out Seahorse World - it was so fun!

http://www.seahorseworld.com.au/home.htm

They let Gareth get one wrapped around his finger!

[Tink]

Seahorses are quite a civilized little species. Males carry those little babies to birth. Gotta love that idea. :D :yes:

[Dawn]

Thursday.

We had some strange plans for today. When we'd arrived in Devon we saw all these signs for the Okehampton Agricultural Show on the 14th August. For a laugh I suggested we go. Well over the week it got serious that we were all going to go and trudge around a field looking at sheep and cows and tractors. Then we found out there was a dog show and we were definitely going. Then last night we found out that the ground was waterlogged and the show had been cancelled. Oh well. Willow would have walked away with cutest dog award easily. :(

So it's Thursday and funnily enough there's blazing sunshine. Great day for an agricultural show if the field wasn't under water. Never mind what shall we do. Adrian's parents have a huge selection of leaflets for attractions in the area but frustratingly most of them do not allow dogs. :mad:

Eventually we decided to go back to Bude and play on the beach again. Mother in law agreed. Huh? I discreetly asked Adrian and it appears they may have invited themselves along with us for the day. :eek:

OK we're ready to go. We wait 20 minutes for father in law to do whatever he was doing with the car and dogs are loaded and we're off. Park in same car park and quickly check out the bodies going into wetsuits. :haha:

Persuaded Steven that he should put his beach stuff on before he soaked his normal clothes and we were off over the beach. The tide was out so we had quite a trek to reach water but because the sea was way over there it meant it had left rock pools to play in. :207:

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[Dawn]

I should point out that it was very warm but I kept my jacket on because if I'd put it down on the sand a wet dog would have rolled on it. :rofl:

[Tink]

Nice! Nice! Looks like all are having a great time! :yes:

(Nice recovery on the jacket, Dawn). :D

[Ursula]

Cool! Loving the pics.

[Dawn]

We were in the rockpools for nearly 2 hours but then it was lunchtime and we were all starving. Walked back to the cars and got the boy changed and got most of the sand off of us and gave the dogs a drink. Then stood about for 20 minutes while father in law faffed around deciding which sock went on which foot.

Now we need to find somewhere to eat. With dogs. Apparently mother in law knew some places so we set off. It soon becomes apparent she's just wandering aimlessly. :mad:

We find a place by the canal with tables outside and me and Adrian make an executive decision and sit down. Adrian goes in to order the food and we sit outside in the sun and wait. Still a lovely day. I spot a bird by the side of the canal. Any ideas?

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We are enjoying a pleasant lunch and somehow me and Steven end up talking about the Olympics in China. Steven announces that China has the most people - his way of saying it's the most populous country on the planet. I tell him he's correct and that India is the next country and catching China fast. Then mother in law spouts that if Britain keeps letting illegal people in we'll be next. I froze. Adrian held his breath. Now I know people are entitled to their opinions but Steven is at an age where he listens and understands what statements like that mean. I was absolutely fuming. :mad: Luckily he didn't seem to hear what she had said. The woman escaped a :slap:

We finish dinner and get an ice cream from next door and then Steven says we have to walk out to the end of the breakwater again. Well it's still sunny and definitely not as windy as Monday so off we go. I want this house.

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We walk out and as the tide is still out there are little private beaches at the end. :D

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Another view

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Me and Willow hiding.

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Love this one. :D

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And here I'm explaining to Steven about limpets.

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Our parking is getting near expiry so we head back up to proper land, walking past Bude castle on the way. Steven finds a mini castle.

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Then as we're walking back to the car I hold my breath again. There are two women coming the other way. Clearly a couple. I tense up and wait for father in law to comment. :mad: He hasn't seen them. I can relax again.

We drive back to their house, stopping for petrol and supplies on the way back. Willow is absolutely caked with sand, her white bits have turned orange. :rofl: Surprisingly she is allowed back in the house on our return.

Adrian makes dinner for us tonight. I've given up with their kitchen. There is not a single sharp knife or a cooking utensil that is less than 20 years old in that place. :eek:

After Steven has been de-beached and put to bed we sit in front of the TV again. Some time during a programme about this stupid woman who owns a hotel I lose the will to live and go to bed. I may have had tears of frustration by now. I may just have been tired.

[Tink]

Well, the outing portion of the day sounds lovely. :yes:

Steven is going to learn that there are different points of view in this world. He'll learn that he doesn't agree with all of them. He'll learn, as we all did that sometimes even if we love someone we don't (or can't) always agree with their thoughts, ideas, and feelings. It's a part of growing up.

You'll handle his questions when the times come (as I know they are right now) just fine. :yes:

[Ursula]

Ah yes... I have a father like that with his comments... it's a wonder I don't hit him over the head with a chair sometimes.

[Dawn]

I know he needs to know this stuff but 5 is too young to deal with bigotry. I just wish they'd think before blurting some of that stuff out.

[Dizneyblonde]

Fab report Dawn and it was so good to see you all.

Can't wait for the 'tattoo' visit ;)

[Dawn]

Steven still wants Billy the cat. He keeps saying "next time we go to grandma and grandads can we go to Teresa's again?"

:rofl:

[Dizneyblonde]

And of course you told him YES!

[Dawn]

I just typed out the whole of the trip home and hit the wrong button and lost it. :mad:

[Dawn]

Last day. Starts with dog walking. This is the view the inlaws have from their house.

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The hills in the distance are Dartmoor.

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Cow

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Dogs walked, car loaded, picnic packed and we are off and driving just after 10am. Quick stop at the farm shop for sossidges and we're definitely on our way. All the way to Exeter services where we stop for drinks and to eat some of our picnic.

Motorway services stations are a real microcosm of British culture. :lol:

1. Business person who charges everything so gets the most costly lunch available.
2. Holiday - get what you want but you only have £5 each.
3. Us - pack our own food but buy hot drinks.
4. In laws - pack own food and flask of coffee.
5. Car opposite us - sets up little stove in car park and cooks lunch. :rofl:

Shortly after the stop we grind to a halt on the A30. Radio tells us of serious accident ahead and nothing moving until it clears.

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People get out of cars. Picnics come out. We chat to neighbouring drivers. Kids are out on the verge. I take the dog for a walk. :lol: All very Blitz spirit. :D Have to make a shady bit for dog too.

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It's well over an hour before we move again and about 3 miles up the road we pass a wrecked motorbike and a pile of shredded leathers. Very sobering...

We need a restroom break now.

Then as we hit Dorset the traffic slows again. Radio tells us of an accident up ahead - a car has hit a motorbike!!! WHAT!!!??? Don't these people look?

Through that one and a long time later we hit rush hour at Chichester. We were held up a bit in the New Forest by the Friday afternoon caravan exodus. :mad:

As we near Arundel the radio tells us of another accident up ahead. :eek: As we reach the scene we see why. Giant spiders have escaped and are causing chaos!!!

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That's it really. We started with a photo of Arundel Castle so here's one through the back of the car to end.

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Mostly we had a good time. The days out were awesome. The evenings were somewhat frustrating. Thanks to Teresa. :hug2: Thanks to Dr Chris for texting my olympic updates - inlaws don't do activity. I got through 4 books in 5 days.

:D

Now I'm off to my parents. Be back Saturday. :wave:

[Dizneyblonde]

Have a good time at your parents hun.

Another awesome trippie!!

Next time you visit you won't remember anything to write in a TR other than the visit to the tattoo shop!!!

[uscwest]

Wednesday and we're up at 7am. A semi-casual breakfast and by 8am we are ready to go. Willow is not coming with us today and is not happy about it, but she is promised a long walk and lots of cuddles so she lets us go on our way.

We're off to Plymouth for the day. :D I'm driving because I have previous experience of driving around the Plymouth one way system. However I have no previous experience of driving across Dartmoor in the driving rain. Dare I say, it was a bit gairy. :eek: Single lane road (with caravans) sideways drizzle, and these roads are not straight. Had to stop briefly because a little voice in the back announced that they felt poorly and the last time he said that he followed it with a bout of profuse vomiting. I pull into a layby and Steven has a little walk up and down with Daddy and a drink of water and feels a bit better. Adrian gets in the back with Steven for the rest of the trip just in case.

Takes about an hour to get to Plymouth and we negotiate the city centre and pull into a car park at about 9.20am.

First stop - Starbucks. :D



Had a little look around the shops after this. Found a keyring with buttons on that played phrases from Star Wars. Steven loved it, Adrian hated it, I bought it. :rofl: All the rest of the day we heard C3PO saying "we're doomed" every 2 minutes. :D

Went in the Disney store but it was full of HSM stuff and baby stuff so we stormed out in protest. Went into Woolworths instead where Steven found a cool Ben 10 toy to spend his own money on. It's still drizzling so we head into the covered market area and have a look around and of course Adrian's book radar homes in on a book stall. A quick perusal reveals there's nothing there to interest Steven or myself so we stand and wait while Adrian browses...and wait...and wait...and start to misbehave and eventually he pays for 2 books and stops us embarassing him. :D

The rain is beginning to let up so we walk down to the Hoe and look at the huge Naval memorial there. From there we walk around the coast road toward the Barbican area.

Plymouth Sound



Can you see how windy it is?



And Steven gets ready to see off the pesky Spanish armada. :lol:



So here's one for the Americans. We walk down to the Barbican and this spot where Adrian and Steven are standing is known as the Mayflower Steps. It is at this exact point that the Pilgrims set sail for the colonies on the Mayflower. They said "we've had enough of this persecution, we're going to Disney World". :rofl:

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Great set of trip reports Dawn. They brought back memories of our trip to Devon and Plymouth last summer. But we also learned something about these Mayflower Steps from a historian who was staying at our hotel. This is really NOT the place they departed from. The original steps are back from these aways and sit in front of a pub if I remember correctly. :p015:

[Dawn]

Need to check my work shifts but I'll try and get back to you before Christmas. :D

[Dawn]

Great set of trip reports Dawn. They brought back memories of our trip to Devon and Plymouth last summer. But we also learned something about these Mayflower Steps from a historian who was staying at our hotel. This is really NOT the place they departed from. The original steps are back from these aways and sit in front of a pub if I remember correctly. :p015:

Well we was close enough. :rofl:

[Tink]

Thanks for the trip report Dawn. :hug2: As always, lovely photos and an excellent read. :yes:

Do your inlaws only have one television then? Yes, that must be the case. :yes:

Well, problem solved! Give them one of the little 13" ones for Christmas. :yes: That way it can live in the guest room for when you next visit! :yes: :D

[Ursula]

Ok... need to ask... what was that spider thingy?

[SleepinCatz]

I love the pics!!! And I know what you mean about outlaws....Even Steve dreads going to see them lol. We don't stay long...a day if we can get away with it over night if we have too lol...However when we go to my Families...he loves it lol

[uscwest]

Well we was close enough. :rofl:
Yep, that's what we said too.

[Johnie]

What a great report! I love all of the pictures too.

I know what you mean about outlaws.....I don't care for mine either and She makes far too many nasty comments about stuff as well :(