Out of the office, we've managed to dodge the drizzle and have had several wonderful days out lately, making the most of our beautiful location. Earlier this week, we joined a large group of friends for a day at Beer; some hardy souls enjoyed boat trips for mackerel fishing and regaled us all with tales of the one that got away!
The rest of the day passed in swimming in the sea, eating chips on the shingle beach, and watching the other sailors come and go with their catches. The Devon ice cream was another important mainstay that no afternoon should be without, and we even saw some sunshine to give us our excuse! The children had great fun exploring the rockpools and managed to find plenty of crabs, winkles and other curiosities.
We brought our mackerel catch home for a barbeque in the evening and augmented it with some fresh sardines from the renowned fish shop on the seafront at Beer. Everyone from 3 to 73 pronounced the day, and the meal, a great success!
We're planning another beach day with visiting friends from Hampshire next week, this time at Saunton Sands in north Devon. Slightly further afield, this 5 mile stretch of glorious sand is renowned for its surf. Daisy, newly 7 and with a brand new body board to try out, has already packed her wetsuit and is crossing off the days on the calendar!
Another firm favourite is Escot near Honiton, and we have season tickets which we'll definitely use several times this summer. Willow adores seeing the peacocks and watching the otter feeding times, and Daisy enjoys getting us all lost in the maze and trying to persuade the adults to brave the vertical drop-slide in the woods...
Back home, we've now fenced our garden so that Monty and Ted are less likely to explore too far afield. Our beach day this week was the first test of the fencing. When we returned to find them on the drive, wagging delightedly, our hearts sank - but it turns out the fencing is fine. They'd just discovered the old mounting block in the front yard which enabled them to scale the stone wall and make a bid for freedom! The trouble is, they couldn't then get back into the garden, so our next project is to somehow increase the height of the wall by the mounting block to ensure that they stay put!
We have lots more plans for the second half of the summer holidays and continue to welcome a steady stream of guests to Luggs Barn, all of whom are enjoying their family breaks and most of whom have had great weather too. Check back soon to read more about the holiday season and if you're planning an autumn or winter break, or looking ahead to next summer, please book early!
