The Day the Jab came to Town

…..and it’s Monica with the AZ jab…..the try line beckons…..and she’s over! score score score

The plumber pushed through the kitchen.He was sighing and generally fed up. He was carrying a large bag of tools. He decided to make an announcement. “Mrs. that child has gone wild. I don’t know what you’re going to do about it, but it’s put me and the wife properly off having kids”.

The Grand Design in all her pristine glory…..but beneath the surface lurks a monster upgrade project. Still you’ve got to do something to keep out of mischeif.

Susan eyed him up. It was going to be one of those days. She had to be careful with the plumber. Her husband had bought a modernist style flat roofed house. To say that it was just short of a project for Grand Designs was no exaggeration. Peter had disappeared into a wild part of the Brazilian jungle. Dear Trish, his treasured Personal Assistant, sent out messages about how he was getting on. Nobody had heard from him for a week. Susan was in charge of the older daughter, her mother in law, and this small child. She was also the project manager. In a moment the Plumb Centre van would arrive with the latest consignment. “Is your husband wiring up this new fangled boiler by the weekend or what?” Susan passed the plumber a chocolate biscuit and a cup of tea “with two sugars Mrs.B.” Susan was delighted that her child was wild. Sue had nearly died of asthma while she was expecting her and the child had been in hospital for a week shortly after she was born with pyloric stenosis. “ Sue”, Dr. Hancock had said, “ Girls don’t usually get it.” and Sue had wondered why it was her girl that had. She was cross about this dear little creature being so ill. Now, Sue stood by the kitchen window and watched the child and her special rescue cat, chosen out of a selection in a cardboard box, play together. The cat followed his mistress with a protective air. If anything moved near her, he was there. They were going down to the wood at the bottom of the garden to catch squirrels to save mummy’s apple trees. The child coughed and ran all the way there. The child’s asthma had continued. Susan’s friend, the local headmaster, used to ring her when the child was “barking” during the winter” and she would have to go and get her in her ratty XR3i. The child would roll up and down the seat with great enjoyment. She would rattle screw boxes and put Daddy’s best tools in the right boxes. At home, her granny would invite her into her room for a special meeting together involving banned sweets in a large jar. The old and the young would have a really good time together before the elder sister arrived home.

…with the ever faithful Little Red XR3i, not to be confused with the matching “hers” black XR3i which frankly was a bit of a dog

As the years went on, the child loved everything about her life. It was all cats and artistic drawings and imaginative writing. All her work was about the big house with the flat roof and cuddles and outings. Her asthma never let go and eventually, she used nebulisers very occasionally, to help her breath. Her teachers weren’t quite sure what to do with her, but her mum and dad knew. Nobody remembered that her mother had been a teacher and her father was very bright at his engineering drawings. The child had all the supplies she needed and later, had begun to sell her paintings while she was a waitress at the local pub. The parents wanted this wheezy unusual child to go to university. The teachers didn’t advise it. Her art master and grandfather were, by good fortune, both from the same area of Wales. It was known that when her grandfather had been painting, he had been part of the Dylan Thomas set. The art teacher thought this through. He caught the parents at a parent evening and offered free extra art lessons. The lessons took place in a dilapidated Nissen hut in the school grounds. Josie helped him drag water in from time to time for his class lessons. Mr. Davis got her to Loughborough university. He considered her to be very worthwhile. Meanwhile, Peter and Susan got her maths tuition from the wife of a man they had both known at ICI. The daughter would trot around to their place and occasionally cough her way through some interesting lessons. On the side, she had a huge social life. She was really good at riding the floor polisher around the school and her father had to beg a local police man not to get too serious about his stolen helmet. Sick people are frequently full of fun and sometimes, us serious types forget that. The years passed with the daughter silver servicing her way through uni. This tiresome, restless child obtained two degrees at Loughborough and made one announcement at he end of it all It was that none of those people who thought she was too sickly to do anything could ever take her degrees away.

Now, the daughter has a boss and colleagues who have worked to get to know her. She has gone from not being able to answer any of the week end quiz programs, to being able to answer all the new ones on cheese, cars and art. All was going really well when Covid hit. The daughter started to distance herself from her colleagues. Of course, eventually, everybody had to go home. There was panic. The Daughter had a letter to say that she was shielded, as did her father. The family felt threatened and very shaken. Food shopping and everything became difficult. Everything had to be done online. Catherine from Blacks and many others were genuinely helpful. No one could be let near the daughter and her father. The Daughter’s Husband had to go to work. He was extremely cautious about entering the house after work. He still has a big wash down and clean procedure on arrival home. He had his 104 year old grandmother in mind. He arranged for the shopping that he did for her to be done by a carer. Meanwhile the mother was amused as she hadn’t had a letter and just for once, could take charge of parcels and all sorts of stuff with relish. She could speak to Hermes car number 73 through the window and see how things were going out there. Strangely, the daughter did not complain. It was fortunate that she and her husband were living with her parents. All four were so grateful that they were actually all in a bubble together. The daughter was given her mother’s study to work in. She did her best, but her Zooms were surrounded by all sorts of her mother’s junk. Explaining why her mother had several old fur coats hanging on the door caused much amusement. The daughter was now furloughed. She, now decided, that she was not fit enough. She concentrated on the exercise until she could walk 10 miles. The husband helped her find and set up a running machine. Eventually, she got back to work only to be locked down again. This was not good. She was, however, full time working from home. Peter installed a background blind for Zoom calls. She insisted on driving her mum and dad to their jabs and never once mentioned that her own health was not good. She was pleased for them. A new week had just begun. Her personal phone rang, which was odd. It was Dr Hart, inviting her to a jab. She was over the moon. She had several cups of coffee and almost cartwheeled around the house.

It’s that man again. The ever cheerful “Hermes Van No. 73”

The GREAT DAY arrived. She had been so excited, she could hardly sleep. She wasn’t going to die of bloody Covid! She was getting the jab! Her father was not going to be allowed to drive her to Okehampton. This was her day. She had a shower and dressed up. A day to celebrate was here.

She drove her treasured BMW into the small car park at the surgery and Dr.Wood gave her the jab. He admired her scarf. It was very colourful. She has always thought that Dr.Wood is beyond being wonderful. He has a full understanding of what it’s like to be ill. A huge number of Chagford were at the event. Tea was laid on. It was like a big town party. She knew everyone who was there and what had been wrong with them. This was a great 2 metre distanced party. There was so much shouting that no one could hear anybody else. The daughter heard so much news that she couldn’t absorb it all. The most interesting highlight was that many of those present had been rung by Dr. Wood. Many who had had cancer treatment and various other ailments felt better and unworthy of the jab. Somebody else should have the jab instead of them. Dr. Wood had had to be at his most persuasive to get them there, but they were all jolly pleased to have had it. They all thought that they might have died without it.

The newly reborn daughter returned home. She got straight home and rang her boss. She would like to return to work when it was possible and the BMW had had a big service ready for customer calls. Of course, it wouldn’t be yet, but he ought to know, just in case.

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE AT CHAGFORD HEALTH CENTRE. THEY HAVE BEEN AMAZING. NOT ONLY HAVE LOADS OF JABS HAPPENED,THEY HAVE MADE OUR WHOLE COMMUNITY FEEL SAFER AND WELL LOOKED AFTER

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

As I walked out one November morning

Inspired by the wonderful Laurie Lee

By the Photographers Assistant

And now for something a bit different. Inspired by Slow Radio, and slow TV like The Yorkshire Bus, here is Slow Blogging.

Enjoy a walk through the Dartmoor lanes with us during a quiet autumn day in Covid-19 Lockdown 2

For those of you who wish to follow this walk on an OS map: follow this link https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmaps/route/6775456/gidleigh-and-wonson

Exercise for Three

Having whooshed the dirt away and found no immediate work in the garden we decided on an autumn treat. We shut the house up, put an apple in our pockets and set off for Gidleigh. We walked the lane from our house. This was the lane that Ursula always insisted on being an original country lane with its pretty weeds and old fashioned ways. At the corner of the lane there is a lovely wooden seat on which people occasionally sit. The seat is maintained by Mike, who has lovingly preserved and looked after it all these years. Sometimes, Peter and I have been so excited about a visitor that we sit on the seat so that the visitor doesn’t miss the turning. Around the corner and past the house that Liz Goodchild used to live in. She rented a cottage out and we used to know some of the people who lived in this delightful cottage. A couple from this cottage used to walk past our house and we got to know them. The couple imported beautiful, fluffy wedding dresses and they kept them in the barn. They would take their two children for a walk and come in to see us. We used to give them a hot drink and some biscuits. Marcus, our rescue spaniel made a disgraceful fuss of the children. At first timid of this huge animal, the children were soon in league with him. They were a fun team. There would be no biscuits left!. Eventually. The barn was so cold that winter could not be endured, so we received the sad news that they would be emigrating to the U.S.A. to join some fellow Christians, who were building a community. Our house went very quiet now there were no more children. Marcus sulked for months and held us entirely responsible for the loss of his friends. We were just sad. The biscuit tin stayed full.

Opposite Liz’s old house we met Lionel and Sally just wandering out into their garden. We were so pleased to see them. The four of us used to meet up now and then, but know we were all under a heavy Covid cosh. We loved walking past their house. It was so beautifully built by Mike, who was their neighbour too. It fits so exactly into its surroundings.They were going to take themselves off to Scorell up the road. It was just such a lovely day.

We continue on our way and meet George Lyon Smith’s daughter exercising the most beautiful grey horse. What a lovely country sight.

Next we start to pass Duncan’s beautiful fields with views that would take anyone’s breath away. Here is the naked Moor with its high green hills, beautiful trees and sky. It can be shrouded in mist, covered in rain and snow. Its mood is unpredictable and you will need to walk that way with care and if you want to walk it properly, particularly in winter, you will need equipment. We came here from the gentle West Sussex Downs. This was a different case from those rolling hills. When we came here we were lucky enough to join one of Tom’s tours, where we learnt all about survival as well as beauty on the Moor. We remember well one day, when we were all feeling a bit cocky about our ability. Tom stood in what looked like a safe area. He took his walking pole, held it above the ground, and let it go. It was swallowed whole by the ground. Love the Moor was the message, but never stop respecting it!

Onwards, down to the river and a spot near the Woodland Trust Blackaton Copse. We had happy memories of Josie and Wes’ wedding, where Josie resplendent in her wedding dress, and now being wed, took the muddy path right down to the river. The Wedding Photographer could not believe that the whole wedding party were happy to almost bathe in mud while they had their pictures taken. The wedding frock was later restored by being washed in a product produced, as if from a conjurer’s hat, by Colin at Bowdens. It cost less than £4 to clean it! From the river, we go on towards Gidleigh Village Hall, which must have one of the most beautiful views in the country. You could stand here for a very long time, identify major landmarks or be entirely swept away by this view. Try it. It really will knock your socks off.

 

 

Around the corner, past the now empty little trinket and supply box, shut due to Covid. A sad sight indeed. Here, by his rather stylish bungalow, we meet with Dick, who is on business bent. Not for him, the idleness of a walk. Dick is bent on pleasing his wife, Janie. Here is Janie’s art studio, which is in need of a new path. On the Moor this is no simple task. There is sorting granite pieces and all sorts to be done. Dick sighs and lights a cigarette. Leaning on an implement of destruction, he is only too willing to have a chat. He sweeps a hand across his brow and tells us that all is well with Gidleigh.

Dick lives next door to the church and we shall visit this old friend. Inside the church, we remember Josie’s wedding and how, when she had been home from University, Anthony Geering, our previous vicar, had shown her something that you would never spot without being told. The beautiful medieval rood screen had had a very clever repair. Perfectly replacing a broken piece, there was an old fashioned wooden cotton reel, so beautiful mimicking the original colours and shape, you really had to know it was there. If you visit, see if you can see it. Outside the church and around the corner, there is an empty part of the graveyard, which was once the site of great bravery. Mr. Hardy, who lives in the castle beside the church had hatched an idea. He went to his tool shed and got out various tools of destruction. He carried them all towards a tree that he felt was past its sell by date, and examined it. This was not going to be a trivial exercise. He felt that the tree should be removed root and all to prepare for possible burials. This was a heavy task for a venerable more elderly member of the congregation. Meanwhile, recovering from a recent, serious operation, Peter was taking the air on a longish walk. He had walked to Gidleigh church, in need of a rest and was sitting on a bench when he heard the noises of an agonised destruction taking place around the corner. Somewhat alarmed, he investigated, and found Mr.Hardy bravely chopping at the tree. Peter was hard pressed, but, having had a large number of trees down throughout his life decided something had to be done. He stepped for ward and seized the axe. He found it comfortable to hold so he took a swing at the tree and the tree broke. One more swing brought the tree down. Mr. Hardy continued to do all that he could. By lunch time the tree was down. The two men heartily shook hands and sat down. Peter knew that he was now well and Mr. Hardy was enormously pleased.

Today, Mr. Hardy’s garden is being tidied and there is a neat little bonfire at the side of the road as we round the corner.

 

The two continued walking along enjoying the silence of the countryside when several cars swept along the road. Clearly, some wood had fallen nearby and local people had been clearing it all up. You can’t waste this sort of find out here, where independent living is a must.

We pass the gate which leads to the walk to the old hermitage. This is a hazardous diversion, particularly, in wet weather when the river is not to be trusted. You could have quite a nasty accident if you go this way. At the very least, You could get tremendously wet!

The horses on the right hand side of the road are just about as pretty and adorable as they come. They are proud and haughty, but they will let you say a nice hello if you play your cards right. What a beautiful sight!

Now, we see beautiful chocolate box pretty houses. Most of these houses are lovingly maintained and treasured, but it is only on a walk like this you will really see them. You have to know that they are there. We pass a moorland bridge, so unusually formed, but attractive to see, covered in ivy, it is a scene from a film.

 

 

So we go on until we reach the street that leads to the Wonson’s pub, sadly shut up by Covid. Here, beside us, is the phone box with the defibrillator in, a reminder of our human state.

 

Further on we pass Providence Chapel, where we and many others sadly attended John and Winnie Kingsland’s funerals.

On the opposite side of the road, there is a most tempting jar of marmalade for sale, but we have plenty at home. Now, we start for home, down the hills, and past more houses and sheep. Near home we pass Mr. Davies turnips, ready to feed his animals. How neatly, they are planted. At the bottom of the hill, we are home, so it’s past he chapel and back to Mike’s bench. At home there is tea and cake. Perfect. Absolute perfection. Put your feet up, light the fire and ask those who want to abolish your log burner, just how exactly, those who Iive off the grid are going to keep themselves from freezing!

 

 

 

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

A very Happy Christmas and a splendid New Year to all our readers, in case we don’t get back to you before then

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

Tailpiece

 

Once upon a time in the West

By the Photographers Assistant

Murchington Jubilee photo part 2 (Hayes and Mosses)

The removal van had made a long journey from Sussex. The couple had spent the night sleeping on camping beds in their new home. The cat had spent the night in its basket looking very annoyed. This was yet another new patch for it to adjust to. Jim demanded more breakfast and feeling quite ancient today, settled himself down for an uncomfortable time. By the time the removal van left, he had resigned himself to his fate and he had no desire to leave the new home. He was bored and fast asleep and he missed the young cats, both of whom had been killed in a new traffic system outside their old village home. The grown children were at some other institution and he missed their cuddles. Dark days indeed, but not for the adults, who were delighting in moving furniture about and, above all else, looking forward to the restoration of a large garden.

This move had come about as Peter had managed to avoid moving to Switzerland with some of his colleagues. After decades as one of the country’s leading engineers, he had spent an evening doing his sums and decided to retire. He had actually spent some money and bought a new car in which to go and find somewhere he could live in a peaceful environment. Both he and his wife knew exactly where they would like to go. They had contacted Phil Fowler, driven down and Phil had put them in his Land Rover and shown them two beautiful houses. The two took the details to the Ring of Bells pub, where they bought a round of drinks and had a chat with some locals. The locals were adamant that this little hamlet was the place. You could not wish for anywhere better! This was the confirmation of a dream. In 1972, two young couples had a walking holiday together in this lovely countryside. One of the couples had spent until 2001, trying to get here. At last, a dream was fulfilled. They would never get on an aeroplane again. Enough was enough!

Sid Setter. Gardener, carer, repairman, local historian, friend

Returning to the new home, Jim, somewhat reluctantly, started to join in with the family. Josie returned for a holiday and he helped her settle into the big bedroom, overlooking a beautiful garden and a field. Peter, never one to turn down an offer, undertook a short engineering consultancy job. The travel only involving the U.K. Susan didn’t know where to start. Should she start in the house, or the garden? The garden had always come first. What a mess! It had been a beautiful garden, but it had been grazed by a horse. Here, in the shed there was evidence of previous gardening from some years ago and most of it was useful. There were old bean sticks, substantial balls of string and the odd implement. It was a treasure trove. The garden revealed old crops. There was a tree that would be full of cooking apples in the autumn. Treasure upon treasure. There were old fashioned raspberries that would survive a Dartmoor winter. Yes, a job could be done here. Meanwhile, unused to seeing Sue in action, Peter noticed that over a number of weeks that she had not been thriving. She seemed to be very tired and weak. His mother had died and she missed her. This was something he had not spotted. Sue struggled without his mother’s help. She had always had a couple of underlying illnesses, but they seemed to be taking over. This was a chance to find the local surgery. What a lovely change that was. Everyone was so welcoming and it was nothing like so crowded as their old one. Excellent! By some great good fortune, all the doctors seemed really useful and Sue was put on Dr. Sarah Wollaston’s list. Before long she was being sorted with two consultants and the right medicine. Meanwhile, Sue had decided on some exercise, which had been missing with the Foot and Mouth outbreak. Both Ursula and Michael, her new neighbours encouraged her to visit Richard Padley’s garden, a part of the original farming estate on which they all lived. Walking up the lane to the garden was simply beautiful. It could be muddy, but who cared when you could see that view down to the Teign and she thought the shrubs were better than a tour around Wisley. There was a really wild bit with all sorts of trees. It was quite hard climbing the hill up to the garden if she approached from the river. This was how she met Sid, the only gardener in this huge garden. Sid began to take an interest in this weak looking creature, and began not to be able to bare seeing her struggle, especially with breathing after the hill. He began to have little chats with her. She seemed deeply interested in the garden and he spoke to Richard, the retired FAO statistician, who could no longer manage to walk into the garden. It was agreed that she should be allowed to walk through the house garden and above all into the old walled fruit and vegetable garden. This was a real prize. Anyone who has seen a real Victorian walled garden, would simply stand and wonder. This became a real go to place for a treat. Sid was a wonder. From time to time he even managed to grow some broad beans for Richard. When we had Marcus, our rescue dog, we had some real adventures. Marcus was very protective of the garden and was at his peak, when a badger was on the veg patch. Fortunately, he was accompanied by Peter, who managed to rescue him from the fight. It would be impossible to praise Sid enough. He worked so hard and knew which parts of the garden would look so wonderful wild. As Richard got older, he worked miracles to keep him in his home. Richard was amazing. We will always remember the day that Richard’s cat appeared in our garden. It was dying and Peter was holding it. Richard was in tears and said that it had caught Aids. It was just very sad. Now, Richard had lost his beautiful wife and his cat.

We loved our new home and fellow hamlet dwellers. Sue would visit Ursula while she was having breakfast. Ursula, who had been a West End Actress, loved a visit and they would discuss Ursula’s garden. It was much admired and what really tickled Sue was that most of the substantial shrubs in the garden had been bought from the Daily Telegraph and not a posh nursery. Ursula had a lovely strawberry patch, which would amuse her neighbours because it was so well looked after and it was protected from the birds with many double cream pots. She was a good example of nutrition for any elderly person, having a large glass of wine and a really good piece of cheese for supper!

From 1959 Morris Traveller to 1978 VW Passat Estate……some people mark the height of their children in the porch. John Kingsland marked his cars, a rural petrolhead!

Ursula had a trip out every Wednesday with some other elderly neighbours. She would dress up and wait by the gate. John and Winnie Kingsland and Charles would appear in John’s latest car (the 1978 VW Passat) and off they would all go to the Little Town. When they got to there, Winnie and Ursula would take off on some mission or other, but the two men would stand outside Bowdens, ready to communicate with any other old mate, who happened to be passing. They would all return home for another week. Ursula always had a more higher flown attitude. After all, when we had arrived, she had a big green car (Audi 90) and was the best driver in the whole hamlet. Seeing her in reverse gear was a real lesson to us all!

There used to be lots of partying in the hamlet. Virginia and David always held an election party at which nobody ever heard the results for the noise of gossip and general uproar. David and Jenny held some wonderful parties, at which loads of local news was downloaded. Their children were almost equal to our children, except that our Lucy was so elderly that she had moved away by now. For a while, their Richard and our Josie, students both, had to get up at some unearthly hour and drive together to help the Department of the Environment. It was exhausting for them both. In the end, Josie was head hunted by a “dragon” type of employer and released from the early hours. We are all so proud for Jenny and David as Richard went on to become a doctor. Both students did well. Thank goodness! Anyway, parties in the hamlet used to be great fun. Peter had his 60th here and you couldn’t get in the door for sweat, food and laughter. We could be said to have settled in!

Winnie Kingsland. Born and lived in Murchington her whole life. Our heroine

Winnie and John are so missed. They were simply lovely people. They knew everything about the hamlet and were always there for anyone. When John was ill, we remember him walking the back field with long strides and great strength trailing a plume of St Bruno smoke behind him. When Sue was involved in an arts event, he helped one of her actors by teaching him to speak in real Devon language. It was a treat for us all to hear him.

We simply respected Charlie, who had a farm across the road. He turned out in a three piece suit in his 90s to supervise his relatives digging and planting his garden. He had a presence that demanded great respect. We were sad when he died.

Olive and Mike have lived here for a very long time. Mike came and helped Peter with some skilled pointing on the house. He is a man who works hard. He built the beautiful house in which Lionel and Sally now live. It is just a good solid, yet, lovely building and exhibits Mike’s skill exemplarily.

It is all change in the hamlet now. Barbara, a dear neighbour is about to move out. She and her husband David were kind to us when we moved in. Sadly, David died a while ago now and Barbara is moving on. Nick, who has been here a little while and was a great friend to Wes and Josie, is moving on. Goodness knows who else will sell for it appears, quite frankly, to be a good time for it. All we can hope is that some good country loving people will move in and be able to live the wonderful life that we have all led. Let’s be optimistic!

Murchington Jubilee photo Part 1

 

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

We’re all going on an Autumn Holiday

No more worries for a week or two

(Sorry Cliff)

By the Photographers Assistant

The friendly and helpful farmer looking after Llancillo Church

This month we are off on a break and you are invited to go with us. Heaven knows, there is enough gloom, so let’s have a cheer up.

We knew that it was autumn when Wes set off to help close the little town’s swimming pool. There was a strange feeling around the house, as if this was some sort of closure, and so it proved to be. Soon, he would start closing his customers pools and he would begin to have a little more time to think of other projects. While the Photographer and his Assistant surveyed the garden and decided to plant some late spinach under a cloche, Josie and Wes decided on what they could do to help out indoors. Wes was happy that his bridge across the stream was now well settled in. He and Josie began to think of a long list of jobs which would update the house. The family had been in the house for a long time now and some of the initial work on it was showing its age. Wes, at first, looked to a couple of his greatest strengths. While the elderly were pottering in the garden, he examined a now aged shower room. This must be first. Tiling and plumbing were among his great strengths. The Photographer and the Assistant were in Josie’s car before they knew where they were. There was much grumbling at leaving the garden for the day. Tiles and a new sink were selected before they could refuse and so, the next project was selected. There was never a dull moment in this house!

It was Sunday and the Photographer and Assistant were packing. A holiday was in the offing. Josie was getting a lovely lamb dinner with all the trimmings. We won’t describe the roast potatoes. It would just be cruel, especially if you are hungry!

Monday morning and Josie was up and supervising the departure. After much humming and carry on, she succeeded in packing them off. She had a whole cleaning plan in her head and there were some friends to socially distance with. God only knew if her furlough would ever end. She so missed her job and colleagues . Keeping busy was for the best.

The two pottered off up the M5 and M4. They were going to the remote barn to stay at Sharon’s, where there would be perfect peace and time to relax after the rigours of summer and the lockdown etc.Sharon’s welcome was always warm and a bottle of wine and some welsh cakes arrived. Bags and food were unpacked. The Assistant had brought lots of cooking material with her. There were curry powders and poppadoms, garden vegetables, and loads of eggs. There was bacon for breakfasts and lots of bits and pieces. There were even some cooking apples from the garden.

The news on the Monday evening was not good. Here they were, on the Welsh border and it sounded as if some lock downs were on their way. Until now, they had assumed Wales was safe. The next morning, the two set off for Crickhowell with a long shopping list. Our own Bowdens has its strengths ie ordering paint etc., but Webbs has huge amounts of stuff that the farmers come to buy. The Assistant was after a certain type of saucepan set and a huge bail of garden twine. Photographer lusted over all the Stihl equipment any man could possibly want, but he knew that his loyalty was really with E Bowdens of Bovey Tracey. He reluctantly left with a few useful small items. Meanwhile, the Assistant was beetling over to the butchers, where an obscene amount of welsh cheese was purchased together with some strings of onions. The camping shop was as practical as ever. They even managed a cup of coffee at their favourite cafe. Poor Crickhowell.
What a wonderful example it was for Covid distancing. Everywhere was strictly distanced. Huge flower troughs had been planted in the road, so that people were helped into distancing on the pavements, and it was all so pretty. Every single person wore a mask inside and outside the shops. It seemed so unfair that it was so close to the area that had been locked down.

On the Wednesday, the Photographer managed to get The Assistant a slap up meal at the Felin Fach Griffin restaurant. This was the first time that he used the NHS tracing app on his phone. The two tucked into a smooth carrot soup, a mixed fish grill and a chocolate fondant to die for. The fondant’s taste was beyond description. You can imagine the quality chocolate mixed in with wonderful cream. Stunning!

The Black Hill from Offas Dyke

After this, the Welsh government began thinking about more lockdowns in Cardiff etc. When Liverpool was shutdown, 4 Welsh counties were locked down too. The Welsh Minister was asking people not to move about Wales any more than they had to. We decided to spend the rest of the holiday on our feet and what a glorious time we had! The weather was good and we walked for many miles. We took particular pleasure in climbing the Black Hill, otherwise known as The Cat’s back. What a climb! What a view! Bruce Chatwin’s book, “On the Black Hill”, about it came to mind and there were some broken down farmhouses, but the scenery was glorious. The Assistant’s grand mother had always told her of the glory of the Black mountains. You have to see them to know how true that was.

The Assistant reaches the trig point at the summit of the Black Hill

Our walking continued, and we always managed a lunch on a seat in a churchyard. The most difficult walk was to the church at Llancillo, a church under the protection of the Friends of Friendless Churches. It certainly was difficult to get to, situated in a remote corner of a farmer’s field. It was a wonderful example of church history with a Tudor Door way and a medieval preaching cross.

Llancillo Church. Supported by the Friends of Friendless Churches. Medieval Prayer Cross and Tudor door evident

It was visited often, and, in the same week, several people had been, including a visitor from China. There was a strict Covid notice, even this far away from the roads. Someone had been looking after the church. There were bits of cleaning equipment behind a screen and a beautiful white cloth adorned the altar. What a great save! So appreciated.

Freindless, possibly, but still loved enough for some kind person to clean and tidy

Our walk to Newton was taken from the barn.We set off with two pork pies and some fruit. The Photographer had his camera and had left the Assistant on the road, while he tried to capture a picture of a bull.

An actual Hereford Bull. Magnificent

In the distance, the Assistant could see a cyclist approaching. He was quite a way off and she was thinking about the photographer’s lenses when the bike stopped in front of her. A conversation ensued. He had pink trousers and an exceptionally bright jumper. It soon became apparent that he was about her age and that she might be being chatted up! The Photographer appeared when she had run out of conversation. The pink trousers decided that he would accompany them to the next junction, where he kept them talking for what seemed an age, until he decided that he needed a cigarette and would continue his journey. The two were very amused and beetled off to the glory of Newton, an agricultural settlement down a distant lane. Here, they found an undistinguished, but much loved church called John The Baptist, where there was a comfortable seat for lunch. It was not so glorious as some other churches, but it had hand gel at the churchyard gate and it was obviously a pillar of its community and much loved. Having lunched and connected many rural families in the churchyard, the two set off for a little longer, passing the farm machinery and homes, before turning around and walking home for supper.

St Margarets in Newton on a beautiful sunny day

Becoming ambitious, at the next opportunity, the two decided to walk to St Margaret’s church, which was further on. Here, was another glorious day. The two passed many houses and farms neatly arranged along the road. They were just becoming tired when they passed an argument in the road between a farmer and a householder, who wasn’t sure that the field next door to her house really needed to be so covered in lime dust. The two had St. Margaret’s in their sight. When they entered this glorious churchyard, they became very impressed with its size and its small wooden tower. It was sad, however, that despite its grand appearance, the church was firmly closed. We suspected that it was probably having difficulty with Covid, and security We did, however, find a lovely seat to have our lunch on. It became obvious that this was a seat that commemorated the memory of a lady called Anne and that opposite was a well maintained plot for her large family. All the women who had married into the family had their previous unmarried as well as their married names carved into their headstone. Another plot had also been maintained with the same practice. This seems to be common practice in the area.

We had walked ten miles on this day and had so enjoyed the glory of the fabulously well kept farm hedges and the beautiful sheep. It reminded us of the wonderful displays at the annual Royal Show, now defunct.

So the holiday ends and we shall be pleased to return to the ministrations of Wes and Josie. As many of you have asked, Josie has now been taken off furlough and is busy helping her customers on Zoom and the telephone and enjoying the company of her distanced colleagues. From now on, we’ll just have to look after ourselves. Oh dear! We’ll soon need another holiday!

 

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

A peaceful Autumn emerges from the storms

By The Photographer’s Assistant

 

Josie and The Assistant were making the most of the autumn. They didn’t feel too brilliant this evening and the men had a project on. Josie had a cold and the Assistant had had treatment for her troublesome leg. They didn’t feel like making a huge supper and were indulging themselves.
Josie had a large jumper and her comforting sheepskin slippers on. The Assistant had giant furry socks and warm tartan pyjamas. The television was showing the ultimate Country file programme. It was a Mary Berry special. The section on hand made cheese was of particular interest. The cheese looked wonderfully creamy, but not too creamy. It was covered in hay, which was wonderfully picturesque. Josie, still on furlough, was looking for a cheese making course, which she could attend. It was all very inspirational!

So Cosy

Sitting by the fire and watching relaxing television programmes is a real treat at the end of a well spent summer, mainly spent gardening until we were satisfied and exhausted. Josie had been working on her art, but, above all, she had been cooking produce from the garden for many a happy and exhausting hour. Now, with distancing sorted out at the gym, she could go out to Topsham and exercise. She could meet with her old bridesmaids in their new homes and enjoy a chat. She and Wes could walk greater distances and they had found a pub with good distancing, that they could walk to. Things were looking up.

The Photographer and The Assistant had been able to attend an appointment at the surgery and go to see the dentist. They had not found PPE frightening to look at. All they could see was their old doctor, trying to help them and a dentist, who was delighted to see them again. They did not feel in the least bit intimidated. The Assistant felt safe enough to arrange a hygienist appointment, which would be using different procedures from usual to protect from Covid.

Saturday was a delight with the annual trip to have our flu jabs. We all had different timed appointments and the route was made clear for entering and exiting the surgery. Lately, living right out in the countryside, we had felt a bit isolated, but now, we remembered and saw all the people we used to love seeing and talking to. There was Jo from church, and some near neighbours, and lots of familiar faces. It was so cheering. After, we had a couple of cups of coffee in the Three Crowns, out in glorious sunshine. We were able to do some shopping before the town became too busy. Josie was driving and the Photographer got in the car carrying two delicious bottles of wine. The Assistant had two huge pieces of salmon from Andy’s old place. A day of treats!

Innovation on Dartmoor hill farm……now that’s something to note! Spring Barley being grown for silage

On one of our walks up the hill, past Mr. Davis’ fields, we saw the most wonderful crop of barley. We were invited to go in and see it. It swept around corners with a wonderful swirl of green
and we were able to feel the crop. Mr. Davis had been trying out some new farming ideas and they had really paid off. Occasionally, we meet him and his family in town. What a delightful family! The children are full of bubble and bounce and they love the farm animals. So encouraging for those of us who have been connected to farming and lived next to it for all our lives.

Meanwhile, we are all coping with the apple harvest, which has been a bumper one this year. We are all standing over pans and cooking away with mixed spice and just a little of Mick’s honey, or perhaps, a bit more and a spoonful all on it’s own, just to make sure that the latest batch is o.k.

John Painter has had his wild meadow harvested and made into round bales. What happy memories of wild wild flowers as the bales are stacked up. Happy memories of our spaniel Marcus who loved to go over Duncan Vincent’s back field here. He would walk among the drying grass having the best and most interesting sniff of the year. How we both loved that autumn walk. Meanwhile, John’s old lathe is happy settling in to the Photographer’s work shop, where it has it’s own corner. All of the Photographer’s engineering friends have had much advice to give and the machine hasn’t actually turned it’s restored wheel yet!

The newly planted trees in the garden have given us great pleasure this year. They have grown well and are looking strong. We enjoy walking around them in the evening as the sun goes down and all the birds have flown over to their roost.

Meanwhile, Wes and Josie have created an autumn to do list. The rot in the front door is to be replaced with fresh wood and Josie is freshening up the front door. When they have done this, the porch will have a new lease of life. Much to our relief, They are going to replace the old shower and Josie is ordering new tiles and has paint to match the work. This has all needed doing for some time. It will all be so cheery again. Hoorah.

2 Pieris enjoying an evening Aster…..Why do they look so lovely here and so threatening on a cabbage plant?

Butterfly’s are aplenty as they fly around the orchard and the stream burbles in the background as we sit on the bridge, which has now been replaced and regained its former beauty.

All in all, autumn has bounced in in a most charming manner, and we reflect on this, as we sit on our favourite seat in the churchyard in the little town. We can light a candle now and watch it flicker as we leave, this almost peaceful place in the little town.

We have managed to return to Blacks, which is so close by this quiet place and enjoy being spoilt by Chris and Catherine as we rest our old bones sitting next our dear friend Jim, who joins us for a cup of coffee.

Yes. Peaceful autumn has returned and with it much of the world we knew before the arrival of Coved to our shores. Let’s do our best to drive it out again.

San Francisco at 1045 in the morning under the wildfire haze

A sad and distressing footnote to the blog has been this picture, sent to us by dear Jenny in California. She is currently surrounded by smoke. Her current state just reminds us of how fortunate some of us have been. We all send you our good wishes dear Jenny. We think of you. The next candle is for you with a prayer that it will all go away.

Footnote:

3rd time lucky!! The bridge installed yet again. Let’s hope it stays this time

 

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

Part 2: I told you you so

By The Photographer’s Assistant

The weather event has occurred. Yesterday, for the first time in many months, we decided to walk to meet Jim the Artist. Previously we had met on Zoom and in the open air. Only last week we had been able to meet in our garden, have lunch and, at last Josie got to discuss art with a fellow artist. It bucked her up no end! A walk across the field was in the shade amidst the heat. As we walked through the stream, it was woefully low. The stepping stones were high in the trickle of water. On entering the town, Josie went to see a friend, having cuddled a few precious flowers for her on her way. The Photographer and the Assistant grabbed a bun and met Jim. They went on to the churchyard, a place of quiet and welcome as they sat in the graveyard. It began to rain a little and they sheltered under a tree. They managed to sit until 3 o’clock when it began to come on to rain seriously. They found an empty room at the Three Crowns and ordered tea. It was a lovely cup of tea. The threesome chatted on about all sorts of nonsense as friends do. It was really raining hard now, but they continued chatting. The rain became very heavy. The Photographer attempted to get into the entrance way. It was hard to stand away from the rain, but he just about managed. He had the right camera with him. He was able to take this picture of the graveyard. It was now an altered place. You could have used it on a set for Wuthering Heights. The heavy rain was sheeting and it was so hard. He could see a red Wheely Bin in the middle of the road and wondered what it was doing there until it floated past. Cars were struggling in the depth of water. The Photographer continued to click away. Eventually, he just had to come back in.

Have you heard the one about a man who went into a pub and said there is this big red wheely bin floating down the road……….

From where we were sitting, we could see people queuing at the door, changing their mind and coming back in. The entrance was very wet. People were soaked and dripping. The threesome decided on another cup of tea. It was clear that they must stay here. They had to get hold of Josie who might be on the road going home. No answer on her mobile. The waiter arrived to say that the cellar was flooded. There would be no tea or coffee as the plugs were soaking. The room had become uncomfortably full and the three could not distance themselves from a woman, who had a persistent cough. The decision was made to leave. Jim left for home and the twosome decided to find Josie. The thought of poor Josie, without a coat and in a thin frock, having recently been shielded, was very frightening.

St Michael’s churchyard. This is not a Black & White, it really was this dark.

Josie was found with her friend, safe and dry, having enjoyed a lovely, relaxing afternoon sipping Prosecco in a beautiful garden. What a relief! Everyone enjoyed a nice sit down while the rain calmed as much as it was going to. Everywhere was either flooded or drowned in the rain. The pretty little town had turned from being a major tourist attraction to an ugly drowned rat. The threesome began walking. The rain was just lighter now and Wes was just too far from home to come and collect them, so they continued down MIll Hill. There were some jolly people in the Folklore Cafe as they passed, but it really was getting on a bit and there were suppers to get and lots to do at home.They were rather jolly. Jokes about the situation were made. They made way for a rescue truck to pass them. There was a stranded BMW at the side of the road. Thank goodness that they had not brought a Mini with them. Then they saw it. In the middle of the road there was a dip and a deep water barrier. The thought of getting that wet! Very fortunately there was the perfect vehicle approaching. It was a splendid 4×4, which was on its way home. The Photographer stopped it and he and Josie took the tail gate down and jumped in. The Assistant took a more dignified approach and sat inside. Thank you JP Construction.

Thank you to the local 4X4 driver from JP Construction who carried us through this lake

They came to the woods and made their soggy way along. When they reached the stepping stones to cross the stream. The stepping stones were gone and there was a heavy flow of water. Josie had sandals on so she just got wet. The Photographer managed to pull the Assistant across.

When we walked across here 3 hours ago there was set of massive stepping stones and virtually no water in the stream.

The three soaked companions made their way up the field with a cup of tea in mind. Before they had a cup of tea, they went to see if their new bridge, just built across their section of stream was alright. It had gone. The stream had risen many feet and had now subsided. The bridge, which was still intact had been carried until it met a heavy garden table, where it had wedged itself. It is very heavy, and we will need help to drag it out. It has been decided to think about its future position and anchorage over the autumn. Much thought will be put in. Meanwhile, two more bridges are missing, but there is a slate bridge, which we will be able to use.

Where’s my bridge gone?……It was there this morning!…..I spent 2 weeks on that project…….what’s happened?

Our neighbours are all in similar positions. There is damage to repair. Some of it will not be repairable. The change in the seasonal weather is here a little early this year. The Chagford Swimming Pool has 4 inches more water. This sort of thing happens on the Moor. We exchange these happenings for its beauty and remoteness.Yesterday, the geese, who come in the autumn, made an early arrival!

1/2 a tone (500kg) of steel and wood swept 25 yards (metres) downstream without a blink……..the power of water is just amazing

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

Part 1: Community

By The Photographer’s Assistant

This is the time when realisation grips the Moor. Autumn is imminent. One day, possibly as early as September, there will be some sort of huge weather happening, which will turn the season. We will go from hot to perishing cold and wet over night. You will wake up one morning and accept the obvious. You will try not to put the heating on and nestle in blankets to watch the telly. Any other activity at night will mean pressing that little button that will start winter energy consumption. It has to be said that the older you get, the more likely it is that you will drop off on the sofa under one of those warm National Trust blankets, and a small amount of snoring will certainly take place over the evening newspaper review. In short, it’s shut down time.
The little hamlet in which we live is full of activity in preparation.

Jane and John are busy getting their large garden ready for the shut down. They are organising our sewage collection and maintenance and they are having a damaged tree down as well as applying themselves to their university employment. We are very grateful for all that they do.
The Photographer is eyeing the drive, which will need pot hole filling during the heavy winter months. He and some of our neighbours are considering what to do about the recent reduction in broadband, which was caused by the hamlet being “upgraded” onto the “improved” fibre supply! Becky and Peter, our new neighbours, have been busy sorting out their water supply and are working hard on many tasks that need completion. They have been a wonderful addition to our community. They are very positive and interested in all that is going on. The Assistant has been stream clearing and vegetable processing. Josie has been shed painting and making huge quantities of soup. Everyone has been fixing up a wood supply for their fire. David, our other neighbour, has also been about with maintenance to do He undoubtedly has the best lawn. The badgers, who were such a worry, have removed themselves to the scruffy section of the Photographer’s patch, where there is plenty to eat. At least two houses have been sold in our little community. We shall be sad to see Nick going with his family and wish him and his family well in their new home. Andrew will be staying at Woodlands farm and will be joined by new neighbours. We are so pleased that he will be staying. He is our only connection with the hamlet’s deeper past. We all loved Winnie and John, his close relatives, and it will just be lovely to have him here still. Paul and Jane continue with their large garden, their hens and their dog. Plenty to be going on with! The Old Chapel continues to be a holiday home. The summer whoops of joy keep us all cheery. Virginia and David are our senior and much respected elders. They are always good for some advice and cheer. Virginia paints wonderful pictures and makes splendid pots. David is very up to date on everything and makes a lovely job of his garden. Their garden has a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. Mike Bond has started trimming his hedge and his neighbours, Lionel and Sally, have a very beautiful garden too. David and Jenny have been out and about and we love hearing their ducks in the garden.

Freshly harvested fruit and vegetables from the garden for the Assistant to process

All in all, we are kept busy with many items that are provided for in town. We supply our own water. There is no public water supply. Many of us have bore holes, which we maintain with the help of a local contractor. Half the village deals with its own sewage. There is no gas in the road.
There is no water hydrant in case of fire. Swimming often takes place in the River Teign, which is a feature of the village. Broadband is a real problem. The locally recommended company cannot supply any house that is out of sight of its mast. Since Covid, there are a number of villagers working from home. You will find them in the strangest of places linking up to their work as best they can. Josie has recently found a seat in the garden, an acre away from the house. She has a huge speed there as it connects with the Little Town’s supply. Occasionally, she can use the stable block and is working on setting this up for the winter, while maintaining the building as it is!

Construction by Wesley……over engineered design by The Photographer

The big job at the family home this year has been building a new bridge, which mimics the old one, in order to get the ride on mower across the leat. When Josie accidentally put her foot through the bridge it moved right up the “to do list”. The Photographer and Wes spent some time working out measurements, best materials etc. And last week the wood arrived. The two spent the whole weekend constructing the new bridge. It is amazing and really does help. Wes, in particular, went to work with a will and would not stop until the bridge was complete. All that work that he has done in the past on sheds and garden places for other people really came to the fore. In addition to his normal job, building and maintaining swimming pools, he has been helping to run the Little Town’s swimming pool to the extent that competitive swimmers, whose normal pool may not be open, have been coming to practice their swimming.

A bridge over completely untroubled water

Mick came over for supper with Josie and Wes. He is very wise about trees. He gave us some advice and brought his chain saw. The Photographer had been worried for some months about how to deal with the old apple tree, which had had a disease and had fallen in the spring. Mick made short work of it and we were grateful.

John brought his historic lathe over for the Photographer. He wanted someone to have it, who may be able to know how it was used. This was a great success and the Photographer will spend a happy winter in his workshop sorting it out and contemplating its use. Thank you John!

Indeed, everybody has been so helpful that we would like to send a gift to the community. Obviously, with social distancing, we cannot deliver these flowers individually, but would like to send you these sweet peas.

A basket of sweet peas for all our readers

Finally, we would like to thank Jenny, our San Francisco correspondent, for all her months of hard work. She has now given up her Pandemic Diary, which has been so informative over all these months.

And then…….and then…….something happened……See Part 2 published tomorrow………

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

Don’t mention the Virus, I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.

By The Photographer’s Assistant

The tractor rumbled up the rough flower covered drive. It was an old favourite. It was old fashioned with no pretense of modern technology. It had a trailer on the back with John’s logs on board. It managed to back down to the resting place and its trailer tailboard was unhinged and set aside. The faded orange tractor knew its job almost by heart. A lever was pulled and the winter supply was unloaded. It was a beautiful load. John knew exactly where it had come from and was pleased with it. He had delivered here faithfully for eighteen years. He had never let them down.

He had been recommended to the family on its arrival in April of 2002. John had come with Chloe and another local man. They had set to and cleared unwanted scrappy bits of wood, trees which had fallen and needed clearing. They had worked hard and made a difference to access to the overgrown garden, which was so covered that the boundaries could not be found. Today, John came onto the porch for a distanced cup of tea and a biscuit. He was preoccupied with his bees, which were giving him some trouble. One had escaped into a bedroom and was having a wonderful time up there. It had to be fought.

Time passes slowly in rural Devon. Still waiting for someone to pay for nearly 8 1/2 gallons of petrol

John was the start of a flow of lovely visitors. Vince came to service the boiler. More heat for the winter! We have known Vince for so long too. When we moved in, he replaced the water tank with a modern one and recently he replaced the boiler with a condensing one. He came out once to an emergency when water poured through he ceiling. He just came. He didn’t care about the time and the day. On this occasion, he spent the whole time distancing himself and making a thorough job of his service. We all worry about how long we will be able to use oil. Electricity is the only current alternative.

Jenny called with Dylan, her dog. He is a wonderful creature, entirely dedicated to his mistress. Jenny distanced herself at the back door. Dylan came in to inspect the premises, just in case. He is quite rightly suspicious of anywhere. He inspected the utility room, but he found it entirely uninteresting. They went on up to Duncan’s farm to take a walking route on the Moor.

“weed’ vases turned from applewood by John. The tiny holes allow the moisture in the green grass to be drawn into the wood allowing the grass to slowly dry

Sue and John, our friends from Hittisleigh came out to see how we all were. John had turned a piece of our apple wood into two tiny “weed” vases, which were beautiful and filled with the grasses from his field.

So, we went on. Around some time in June, Jo and Wes had a practice camp in the garden. They had booked some camp sites in Cornwall and were keen to be well organised. While they were booking sites, our friend from Angel Barn, on the Welsh borders was setting up a camp site in an adjoining field, so Jo and Wes set off, as serious campers, to give the site a trial. My word! They enjoyed themselves. They enjoyed the site very much, especially the excellent composting loo! They went to Crickhowell and managed to get the best ribs for a barbecue at a knock down price and had a grand evening by the light of the campfire. They were half asleep in the night when Wes thought they had been invaded by a burglar. It was a sheep with a cough. Aren’t we all familiar with that one!

Lunch at the Duke of York at Iddesleigh. Ham egg and chips with a pint of Bays

Meanwhile, us elderly folks decided we should have a bit of a break, so we decided to explore Devon more. We spent a day between Holsworthy and Exbourne. We had become aware of how beautiful it was through a previous visit to Holsworthy’s Waitrose for a pick up. Why so far? Some of our neighbours recommended it. What a friendly supermarket! They had the pick up exactly right, so that you weren’t nervous of their distancing. What a fabulous ride through that countryside, some of which reminded us of Hampshire with its verdant green rolling fields. Josie spent ages just looking. What a view! She hoped that she and Wes would be coming back to enjoy a footpath walk. The “olds” set off through the most wonderful villages and greenery. Everywhere was so pretty that it was fit for a version of Cider With Rosie. What luck! A pub was open in Iddisleigh. The Duke of York was serving lunches on the green outside. There were lots of locals having a pint and we were virtually the only visitors. Ham and eggs with chips were a real treat! How delicious! What a change from our own cooking. The food was served by distancing, masked waitresses. They were so pleasant. We went on travelling through the villages. At one point, we photographed a memorial to a man killed at the battle of Balaclava, (The Charge of the Light Brigade). It was at the side of a main road and, was somehow both beautiful and touching. As, we travelled, we felt as though we were being wrapped up in a parcel of green with a big bow wrapped around it. Mick, who sends us delicious honey lives out amongst all this wonder. It is all amazingly pleasant. Incidentally, when Josie and the Assistant visited him, he too was being chased around his cottage by one of his bees. We are not even going to tell you where he lives. The set of Midsummer Murders has nothing on it. It is so perfect!

Memorial to a brother killed in the Charge of the Light Brigade

 

What to do the next day. It was quite simple. The Photographer had his phone out and read that the Castle Drogo grounds were open and there was the possibility of takeaway tea etc. We set off with some hope. Another wonderful day! We had a breakfast of a bacon bun and wonderful coffee. We eat it in our car because of the rain, which soon stopped. It was so wonderful to see our old friends in the cafe and the distancing was perfect. We walked to Drewsteignton, where we hoped for a pint, but, not for the first time, the pub was shut, so we took the short cut back across the fields and had an ice cream from the Castle Drogo cafe. We came home to more tea and the plan for more trips.

Spot the difference, Two consecutive visits to Drogo………with lockdown in between

The one thing that has struck us throughout our recent travels has been the resilience of our own Little Town. Nearly everything is open. We have even had a baby delivered without the need for a hospital visit. There are many shops, who sell coffee and a snack. Blacks even has a distanced table in the open air, where we had a roll and coffee at the start of our break.There is bread, grocery, fruit from Pam and all manner of delights. The four of us know from our travels, there is resilience and strength here, which we should all give thanks for. It makes all the difference to feel as normal as it is possible to feel amidst such speculation and sadly, some downright gloom, which we really don’t need.

If it is a lovely day, just drop what you’re doing if you can and get safely out. We are alive in the most wonderful and most blessed county that you could possibly imagine. Sorry, that was a bit preachy, but it really is true.

 

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

 

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

 

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

 

 

 

Let’s Stick Together (2020 Remix)

By The Photographer’s Assistant

 

I would like to start this blog with a Happy Birthday wish to dear June, who is an avid reader, who always has something to say about the blog. June is a typical reader. She lives alone in Marlborough and is a very interesting person. She loves meeting people and is a wizard at bridge. Her family is spread throughout the world and her IT skills are really impressive. They mean that she can talk to her family wherever they are. Far from feeling threatened by the dreaded bug, she has taken the whole thing as being an opportunity. On one day a week, she takes herself and her trusty shopping frame on a trip to Waitrose, where instead of fretting and worrying about how long
it is all going to take, she has a socially distanced chat with all sorts of people in the queue. She loves it!

Summer will return……A Skylark above Meldon

Here, on the Moor, in our small community, which is out on a limb, things are very busy. We are lucky enough to have space and beauty all around us. Walks are big walks. Bird spotting and deer watching are all on the menu together with the odd picnic. Our surroundings seem to have become more important to us. This time has brought us closer together. We enjoy our distanced chats and sometimes, we are able to help one another out with information, shopping and supplies. Plants are being exchanged in gardens. We are all able to enjoy our gardens and a great deal of activity.

Friday of last week is a real example of a day in our community. In our house, Josie brought her sleepy parents a cup of tea in her huge quilted dressing gown. We had tea in our respective beds. The previous evening croissants had been laid out to rise on a baking tray covered in silicone paper. Eventually, the Assistant launched herself out of bed and put the oven on. Home made marmalade was produced from the fridge and plates were placed out. The Photographer and Josie appeared in anticipation of the Friday treat. There are two armchairs in the hall, which are very saggy and comfortable. The whole family, including Josie have bad backs. Whoever has the least pain today will get a less comfortable chair from the kitchen. Coffee is made. Josie buys Cornish coffee, which is delicious. There is a debate about statues, which takes up the whole of the break with the sleepy Assistant playing the dormouse in the background. Eventually, coffee is finished and the dormouse is rudely awakened by her companions. The dormouse is fixed with the eyes of the two protagonists, who now that they are no longer on the shielded list ( Hooray!) have become almost insufferably cocky and demanding. Whilst shielded they were the most loving pair of suckers up that you could possibly meet. The weekend alcohol situation was now discussed. The wine rack was looking very empty. The dormouse was attacked on all sides. How could this situation have arisen? How many bottles would be needed? The dormouse had no idea. Her intake was usually quite restricted by these two because, quite rightly, being a dormouse had nothing on the way she could sleep through intellectual conversation. Money was exchanged, a list was agreed on and Josie took the opportunity to drive her car. She wanted to try out the repairs done by our neighbour on a wall that had taken a big hit by a vehicle some years before. The entrance was now beautifully repaired and the Assistant had been enjoying viewing it from the kitchen window.

Pam has re opened The Fruit Loop……..Hooray

As far as Josie was concerned, on her return, the dormouse hadn’t moved and was still not quite with it. Living with elderly parents could be testing. She was determined to be kind, which she was, but firm. The dormouse did not appear to have warmed up soup for lunch or thought about toast! Josie’s zoom quiz was at 3.30 and no later. The situation was tight. The dormouse stirred and made her way to the kitchen, where the Photographer took charge of the kettle. Josie had had a cracking time in the little town. Pam’s veg. Shop had opened for the first time since lock down during the week. It had been stripped, but Pam managed to come up with potatoes for roasting. Jaded Palates supplied some excellent wine. Josie had been trained as a senior member of staff in some really good restaurants during her student years. Her instinct on wines was first class. She could choose a bottle with a severe interest and a handy reference book written in her head. Next, she decided on an anti lock down treat. Three cinnamon buns were purchased from the sourdough bread shop. They were meant for Saturday breakfast, but were consumed the minute the kettle had boiled. The zoom quiz was cancelled so the three had a snooze after all their exertions. Josie could not rest as her parents’ “restful” music was so loud. She had promised the dormouse a roast dinner in the evening, so she went ahead with the preparations, listening to Hilary Mantel’s “Bring Out The Bodies” as she worked. The meal was a joyous one with lots of laughter and conversation. Wesley had arrived home from his work and enjoyed a beer. Today, as the working person, who left the family all day, he informed the family that its members must be careful when taking to the road. Drivers who haven’t driven for three months are really rusty!

Sara and Vincent of the Forge Cafe

To talk of our dear friends and contacts. One is taking a Zoom class in painting and her technique and use of colour have become very good indeed. Jim has a Zoom meeting with us every week. He has been enormous fun, one week appearing in his multi coloured Hawaiian shirt with a wonderful pair of shorts. He continues with his walks. His lunches are supplied by dear Vincent and Sara of the Forge Cafe, who provide excellent takeaway meals on five days a week. This is a real boon to the community. Incidentally, The Globe pub provides fantastic fish and chips for a treat takeaway on a Friday evening. Together with Catherine and Chris at Blacks Deli, there is no need to cook when you’re feeling a bit low. Jim’s conversation has been a real tonic to us. One of our friends who has a rare form of cancer, has made such good progress that his consultant has told him that he can continue on his walks and that he can visit his boat. What a tonic!! Jenny, our friend in the States, has been surrounded by riots in her building. So far, she is O.K. dear Jenny, who lives alone in her apartment, who has the occasional unofficial hug from her visiting sister, which actually keeps her blood pressure down. She bravely produces her Covid Diary once a week. She is careful about exercise since she was assaulted in the street.

Chris and Catherine of Black’s Deli last Christmas

We know that some of you are wondering about John, our dear friend, who volunteers in Hereford Cathedral. He is still able to get a supply of Jacobs cream crackers and has been using his time at home to greatly improve his IT system. No doubt, he will be needed at the Cathedral soon. Our retired priest friend ,Noel continues to miss the Monday breakfast club, though he has been getting about socially distance visiting and generally taking an interest in people as usual. A very busy retired priest!

My brother, it seems, has had a lucky escape. He has been isolated for some time with his wife in the Malvern Hills. It was not Covid that nearly killed him. It was his car. He had, in fact, had a conversation with his neighbour who owned the same model. Neither of them felt safe in their cars and decided not to drive them any more until they could get help. Eventually, a garage was contacted and a man came out to see my brother’s car. He was quite surprised. He declared the car to be unsafe! The car was taken away on a transporter. It was repaired, given an MOT and returned. My brother is a terrific walker and longs to get to the Brecon Beacons. We miss visiting Sharon and her family in Angel Barn, but all of this is on hold.

We must be optimistic and not let the situation get us down. Of course, there are days when things are not as they should be, but then, I think of poor Jenny and of my niece and nephew. My niece lives in Derby and has two very small children and I must say that she is making a cracking job of looking after those children. She must be so tired! My nephew lives in a confined space in London with his girlfriend and far from being furloughed, they are both working from this small space on nine days out of ten. There is often a cheery joke or situation written by Tim Sutcliffe on the Hub and I sent one of these to my niece, whose husband is an engineer. The more they looked at the joke the more that they laughed. Well done Tim. Cheer like this, it seems, can reach the other end of the country.

On the other hand, we have not been enjoying or understanding the motives of those, who in their misery, write the most insensitive and negative stuff. It doesn’t help anybody. Go out and kick a ball about or swear to yourself. Don’t spread such misery around the beautiful Moor. After all, you are still alive and well!

Hoping you enjoy the Photographers pictures this month. I am lucky enough to have a stream of his photos, past and present. What a joy it is to see places we have been, the children at various stages of their lives, and family events, relatives, who are long gone and all sorts of lovely stuff.

HAVE A GOOD MONTH AHEAD. WE HOPE FOR THE WEATHER IN WHICH WE CAN ALL ENJOY THE MOOR. PACK YOUR SANDWICHES AND GET OUT THERE. SOCIAL DISTANCE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR EXCEPT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF VIEWS!

Words by Sue

Pictures by Peter

If in doubt……..make Pesto

 

Visit our Facebook Page at Dartmoor Diary Facebook Page and The Photographer is abandoning Artfinder,  ( Peter Bennett on Artfinder ) so contact him directly on Peter Bennett Photos email

 

The Photographer’s snapshots for this blog can be seen on     Dartmoor Diary Flickr Album or all his snapshots on  Flickr (follow link)           The serious stuff is currently only available directly from The Photographer except for a few left on his  Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford     

 

 

 

It might as well rain until September (Thank you Carole)

By The Photographer’s Assistant

 

Standing in Bowdens, buying fleece to cover vulnerable plants, thinking of the damp in the potting shed and its effect on what few potatoes we had managed to dig this year, it was no good kidding ourselves. In the cool of the utility room, early mature apples were lying on trays waiting to be eaten or used in crumbles. The heating was on and the rain was pouring down. Sadly, we had to admit, it was autumn, but, later in the week, it could be bright and hopeful. No! We know really!

The autumn geese are flying

 

Thinking about it, the Daughter had been right. Even the first day of September had heralded autumn. On the first day of September she had rung to say that her work phone could barely handle the number of enquiries from her clients. She had paused for a moment to see the geese fly over from the neighbouring R.S.P.B. Reserve. They were on their way to their winter quarters. She was able to drive home with very little interruption. When she arrived home, she was able to park in her usual winter spot.
In the little town, things were getting back to normal. Instead of walking into the little town to avoid the traffic, the Photographer and the Assistant were able to take the car for their shopping. Blacks and the Forge were shut for the exhausted owners to take a well deserved break. It was quiet and calm. Each evening, as the Daughter drove home there was a stream of traffic coming out of Cornwall. Eleven million people come to Devon and Cornwall on holiday since the school holidays became mandatory. We all do our best, but there are problems with this increase in traffic and people. At stages, the M5 and A30 cannot cope. We never expect the Daughter home early from Exeter on a Friday. We are nerve racked by traffic reports and grateful for her safe return. On one Friday she came past a line of stationary traffic trying to leave Cornwall. The line was so long that many drivers got out of their cars and were standing taking the air! Finally, there was a huge accident that tore the central reservation out so that the road was in disruption for two days and the lanes gridlocked for a 20 mile radius. Visitors are so welcome, but there is a lack of thought and a high cost to making them all come in a six to eight week slot. As a former teacher of older exam sitting pupils, even I think there is an insanity to all of this. How’s about staggering the holidays by region?

We have ways of stopping you parking……………

Anyway, enough of that! We will give praise to Castle Drogo, who unstintingly gave the gift of happiness to huge numbers of visitors. Nothing is too much trouble for this National Trust institution. So as not to add to the peak of the day, we have been taking an early breakfast there and a delicious breakfast and cup of coffee it is too. There are usually no cars in the car park when we arrive. By the end of our stay, the car park is filling up rapidly. The staff, meanwhile, have being making a welcoming scene for their guests, many of whom have travelled many miles to be here. If it is sunny, the sunshade umbrellas are up. There is a fresh pot of flowers on every table, all freshly watered and just lovely. There is water for the dogs and a play area for the toddlers. The toilets are spotless and the volunteers ever cheerful.

What a difference an hour makes. Part 1 0930

 

What a difference an hour makes. Part 2 1030

The Castle has been covered for some time in a shrouding, so that urgent work could be carried out. We have all been dying to see it again. Unshrouded, it is a local land mark. It is a beacon to guide yourself by and we have all missed it so much! Now, we just happened to be there, on the day that the scaffolding was carried away. We were so pleased!

Farewell to the scaffolding. Welcome back Castle Drogo

 

Better make sure that load is tied down and secure

 

In the first week of September, the hedge trimmer came out. A bonfire was lit and all of the waste in our top garden was burnt up. When the ashes are cold, they will go on the fruit garden to help nourish next year’s fruit.

While we watched the fire, we thought of a local farm camp site, where the owners were asked why farmers couldn’t delay harvest until the visitors had gone home. The tractors had been in their way! This is a true story!

There were two more signs of autumn. The goldfish owners returned and the fish went happily home. The owners left us a lovely bowl, which sits where the goldfish bowl was. A happy reminder. The garden has not got so very much variety left in it. Runner beans, spinach and winter green vegetables are mostly what there is plenty of. Lovely soft fruits have gone. There aren’t even any plums left to eat! Sadly, we found the beautiful rabbit, which we had so loved seeing all summer, dead behind the log store. Perhaps, a cat had got him at last.

There is, however, lots to look forward to. The Photographer has just lit the first fire in the fireplace where only recently the chimney sweep had stood. We shall have our usual winter ramblings to look forward to. We shall visit old friends before the snows come and so enjoy their company. The Assistant shall have a visit to her Grandmother’s land and do all that lovely Welsh shopping. Anyone for a Butty Bach? There will be winter casseroles, a Christmas cake and pudding too. The seed catalogues will be examined in detail and there is a plan for a deep bed in the vegetable plot. The two hundred trees so carefully planted by the Photographer will continue to bring such joy. Remember the Assistants study. Even she can’t get into it! The visitor’s room needs sorting out. God bless those who find winter dull. There are the walks to Drogo etc etc

You will be wondering about something that is usually mentioned. This morning we met up with Jim, the Artist for breakfast outside Blacks. He was definitely, dressed in winter clothing!! So all you gentlemen out there, get out of those shorts and dress up warm! Winter even might be here. Jim is rarely wrong!

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The Photographer’s snapshots can be seen on Flickr (follow link) or the serious stuff is on Artfinder (follow link) or on his new Saatchi Art shop

Any similarity between characters in this blog and real people, products or events is entirely co-incidental

Any similarity between “The Little Town” and Chagford is entirely deliberate, Click on this link to find out more. Visit Chagford