Easing into Autumn

Hi there everyone 😀

I have one more final post to come from our week in Bude but thought I’d get this post in first, whilst it still feels current. 

There has been a serious shift into Autumn over here … in more ways than one. There has still been plenty of sunshine but the temperatures have definitely taken a big dip …

The shorts and cut offs have been packed away and the cosy fleeces and long trousers have been brought back into play. So far we have managed to avoid putting the heating on but I don’t think it will be long … though I must confess we have had a bit of a test run … just to check it’s all working as it should 😜

We came back from Bude with a big bag of cooking apples from Mark and Sarah’s tree … and it’s safe to say there are plenty more where these came from …

So far we’ve had crumbles and apple cake and there is a strudel on the cards next …

In the garden things aren’t looking too bad and the ‘tree man’ is booked in for some serious tree and conifer pruning ready for Winter.

The quince is heavy with fruit … the most laden it’s been for years. We shall make some quince jelly but, as our friends that always used to have a huge bagful have moved away, I think a lot will go to waste. I will try a Facebook post for local friends to see if I can shift any … but they aren’t an easy fruit to deal with …

The rowan is laden with berries too, which look beautiful but are pretty annoying. The birds only eat them as a very last resort and generally not until January. By then the majority have dropped and been trodden into the grass …

Whilst there has been plenty of cutting back it is good to see there is still a fair bit of colour in the garden …

We are trying to get a few more garden jobs done before the weather gets more wintry and Martin is in the process of painting a new front gate. The old one is dropping to bits and now held together with tie wraps … and is looking very tatty.

We are trying to ensure we give the new one as long as possible life as we can and it’s had three coats of wood preserver and two coats of paint on both sides so far. Just one more top coat and then we can start on the posts and hopefully get it hung before too long.

We have managed to repaint the front canopy and brackets and that is looking very smart …

In much more relaxing news we managed a day out with Jackie and Phil, which involved a garden centre visit, a bit of a garden and an Autumn afternoon tea …

And, as you can see, the boots have come out of hibernation.

Autumn is always busy for us … this year especially … as mum is due to have a replacement hip operation very soon. Hopefully all will go well and she will be up and about and back to normal soon. 

We are then hoping for a sneaky week or two back at the lodge as it feels like ages since we last visited. 

*****************************************

A Week in Bude #4 :: A proper Beach Day ⛱️☀️⛱️

Hi there everyone 😀

Day four of our week in Bude really was all about the beach … a proper seaside day from start to finish.

The weather was absolutely perfect for it, so we packed up all the essentials … picnic, chairs, beach towels, sun cream … all the usual paraphernalia.

We all met up at the Crooklets Beach Cafe …

… before setting ourselves up in a good spot for the day …

The usual beach activities were undertaken … chilling out in the beach chairs, a bit of a paddle and a few beach games for the more energetic …

We had our picnic lunch on the beach …

It was one of those wonderfully lazy days where the hours slipped by without really noticing, and before we knew it the tide was on its way back in and it was time to pack up and head back to Mark and Sarah’s where we finished the day with a garden BBQ ⛱️☀️⛱️☀️

It’s not very often that Martin and I spend much time actually sitting on the beach and it really was the loveliest of days 💜

********************************************

Next up … Exploring Port Isaac for our last full day 😀

*********************************************

A Week in Bude #3 :: Boscastle & The Beach

Hi there everyone 😀

For the third day of our break in Bude we headed just a little further afield … with a drive to Boscastle. Our day started with our first visit to the farm shop for breakfast, which went down a treat.

It was then the usual wander along the Main Street mooching in and out of the small and quirky shops …

… before heading down towards the harbour …

… and the Harbour Light …

We opted for the less strenuous route today and crossed the bridge to the other side of the river and carried on heading for the harbour … 

We sat for a while in the sunshine just taking in the view back upstream towards the village …

… before clambering across the rocks and finding another spot in the sunshine with a great view of ‘Queen Victoria’s Head’ …

We then retraced our steps for a quick pit stop at ‘The Welly’ …

Boscastle is a really lovely spot, and somewhere we always try and fit in when we are staying down that way. After we finished our wander we made our way back to Bude for a relaxing afternoon by the sea.

The sunshine was still on our side, so it was the perfect chance for a bit of a paddle for Bobby and I …

… whilst Martin had a closer look at some of the rock pools …

🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚🐚

Next up … a full-on beach day, with plenty of sun, sea and sand. 🏖️

⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️⛱️

A Week in Bude #2 :: Beaches, The Breakwater & The Pepperpot

Hi there everyone 😀

We spent the second full day of our week in Bude with a really good wander on the coast.

It was an absolutely glorious day. We started off at Crooklets Beach, where we parked mum up on a bench on the prom before heading onto the sand …

… and down to the sea where a paddle was in order for Sarah and I …

From there we headed left … across Middle and Summerleaze beaches …

… towards the breakwater and Barrel Rock …

The tide wasn’t out quite far enough to cross the river to the breakwater without getting wet feet …

… but we all decided it was worth it …

We spent a fair while just mooching about, taking in the views and enjoying the sunshine …

It really is the most beautiful spot and a real favourite. 

Sarah, Mark and I were all surprised when Martin said he’d never been up to the Pepperpot and he quite fancied a look. Whilst I’ve been up before I hadn’t been since it had been resited … as it was becoming precariously close to the edge of the cliffs, which were unstable.

We made our way along the breakwater and up the cliff path and in no time at all we were there …

The views in all directions were spectacular … back across the breakwater …

… across the beach …

… into town … and across to the sea pool …

We could even see the roof of Mark’s house from up there.

We made our way back along the coast path …

… and past ‘The Pink House’ … to the sea lock and the canal …

We then headed back down onto Summerleaze beach and made our way back … around the sea pool …

… and back to the Crooklets Beach Cafe … where we met back up with mum for some light refreshments to finish off our walk …

Refreshed … we decided to head to Widemouth Bay for a walk out to the point … another favourite spot …

… though the ectoplasm looking spiders’ webs were more than a little bit strange …

Our last stop for the day was to see how David, Alison and Bobby were settling in at the caravan … as they’d arrived earlier in the day …

We all finished the day just around the corner, with a visit to The Old Wainhouse Inn for tea. 

**********************************************

Next up … a trip to Boscastle and an afternoon on the beach. 🌊☀️

**********************************************