Exeter

Two years ago (two years ago! I'm excelling myself at keeping this up to date!) I met my oldest friend Mary in Exeter when she was on a flying visit back to the UK from Dubai, checking out universities for her boys, Charlie and Harry.   In eighteen years, we'd seen each other twice - once when Andy and I visited Mary and Nigel in Dubai, and once when Mary came back to the UK to visit her Mum and Dad.   With dear friends, though, it really doesn't matter that you don't see each other that often, as social media and email have made the world so much smaller - and Mary and I were not lost for words when we met up!

I arranged with Amanda that she would have Finn for the weekend, and Andy was away, so I stayed at the caravan for a couple of days and drove down to Exeter to meet the Thomases.   It's only a ninety minute drive from the caravan so very quick and easy to get to, and warrants further exploration at some point in the future.

I'm ashamed to say that I haven't seen Mary since she and Nigel moved back to the UK - something I hope to remedy very soon.

Seeds and Stuff - July 2020

 

The garden has been beautiful this year without much work - which is just as well!   It's either too hot to work out there, or I'm exhausted from working in other people's gardens so mine gets neglected.   We just really need some rain.

Odds and Sods - July 2020

July was very busy creatively.  It's been too hot to get out and do anything and, of course, we're still living with covid 19 which means that the world has got so much smaller and everything that we do involves too much planning, that it hardly seems worth it.    I have finished knitting a jumper - which it's too hot to wear! - and a blouse which I really enjoyed.  I had lost confidence in dressmaking so it was reassuring to know that I could still do it.

I finally got down to the caravan for a few days and as Andy was working while I was there, I could go off and do my own thing, including a trip to Clevedon and along Shirley's cafe after a walk at Severn Beach.   It was my first time having a meal out since the middle of March, and I felt brave enough to go and get breakfast at Shirley's, although it is always strange when we have to register our contact details in case of local lockdowns.

I haven't done too many walks as it's just been so hot, but I did head over the marshes early one morning for a wander.

July was hardest of all for having to say goodbye to my best friend.   RIP Finn 2006 - 2020.   Gone but never forgotten.