When spring arrives, my heart turns towards the West Country. As a child, every Easter we went to visit my Father’s parents, Grandma and Granddad Delve, who lived in Exeter. Dad was a Devon man, brought up in North Tawton and so these holidays always had a feeling of homecoming.
I remember the long drive down from Buckinghamshire- it was before the A303 and how Grandma always made a delicious fish pie for our first supper, in case our tummies were feeling delicate from all that traveling. My memories of my Grandparents are linked to the red earth of Devon, the joy of being by the seaside at Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton and most of all -Primroses- masses of Primroses! Spring comes early to Devon and everything always seemed to be greener and the deep lanes full of flowers.
So when planning my next little adventure, a month in the West Country was my first choice. I realised from the start that this is going to be a very different trip from my time in Wales last September. That was a grand voyage of discovery, a new venture and I was buoyed up with the excitement of doing something new. The weather was warm and sunny and everything was suffused with a golden glow of achievement.
This month is entirely due to the kindness and generosity of my friends and family. I am staying with people and at places that I already know. In many ways, this makes it extra special and I am so very grateful but I also feel a little guilty that none of this is due to my own hard work.
In the weeks before I left, life had been filled with a myriad of minor annoyances and worries. With all the trouble in the world, I felt ashamed to be feeling stressed and down-hearted, especially with a holiday ahead but I have learned you cannot alter your emotions and I just have to accept what I feel and try to act in a positive way.
I decided to take a leisurely route down to Pip and Andy’s. They live in Aveton Gifford, a lively and lovely village in the beautiful South Hams area of Devon. It will come as no surprise that I stopped for lunch and an afternoon on the beach at my beloved Budleigh Salterton. I enjoyed my first picnic, heard the sound of the waves on those beautiful pebbles, and started to feel excited at the thought of everything ahead.
