Right. Let's see...
Link to the photos (again).
18/04/07
The realisation that I was finally on holiday hit as the coach reached Millennium Square (by which time Kood's playlist had reached Nightwish's
Phantom of the Opera - perfect timing!) Brilliant blue cloudless sky, hardly anyone on the coach and my favourite music - what more could one ask? Even the Avonmouth Bridge didn't seem as frightening as usual.
I even managed to photograph Glastonbury Tor as we drove across the Somerset Levels - I usually can't find it, as I always think it's a lot closer to the motorway than it really is. (Actually, I think this pic looks better than the ones on the slideshow!)
Arrived at Exeter with over an hour to wait for the 56 bus, which takes the scenic route to Exmouth - but it was hot, and my rucksack was heavy, and I wanted to see the sea, so caught the 57 instead (a few stops, but more direct). It's quite fun being high enough to see over hedges and bridges: a short way upstream of the Bridge Inn (amazing pub, not a right angle or completely level floor in the place when I was last there) is a pretty little weir across the river. And what was a pick-your-own strawberry farm now has a big market mall with all sorts of local farm and organic produce (Wendy tells me. Sorry, I've forgotten the name! Do they have a website?)
Got into Exmouth about 4.30 pm, and strode off to find my temporary abode - the
Breken Guest House, all of a minute and a half's walk from the seafront. It's clean and fairly comfortable, the en suite great, the price very good (£26 per night) and the food is filling and tasty (full English breakfast: choice of cereal if you like it, which I don't particularly, orange juice, a three-cup pot of nice coffee, a plate of sausage, bacon, beans, fried tomato and egg to your personal preference - mine being with the yolk broken and the whole thing fried both sides, as I can't
abide runny egg - and two rounds of toast with marmalade). The hosts are pleasant and helpful, though Carlo's Italian (I think) accent is so strong it takes a while to get used to. My room was on the top (third) floor, up four flights of stairs, so I got a fair bit of exercise without even leaving the house! (And the lock was new, and stuck twice, necessitating a bit of WD40 action from Carlo...)
I dumped everything, found the local Somerfield for biscuits and diet coke for the room, then dropped into Capell's fish and chip shop for a quick dinner (not as good as our local chippie in Sandy Park rd, I'm afraid) - and
then went down to walk along the front as far as the Octagon and just
sit for an hour. Or two. I lost track of time. Hence those sunset photos...
Sheer bliss. Cool sea breeze cleared the sinuses and the mind, and at that time of evening there were very few people around. It was with considerable reluctance I returned to the Breken.
I slept very soundly that night.
19/04/07
Ken woke me with an alarm phone call - and it was then I discovered I'd not packed my phone recharger... Although actually that turned out well, as no-one could call me without my OK, as I had to leave the phone off most of the time (and it's cheaper to ring the home landline from the mobile than vice-versa anyway.) Had an 8.15 breakfast then headed off to Maer Rocks.
It was wonderful, walking barefoot along a deserted beach (too early for the holiday makers) paddling in very cold water at the sea's edge. At the Rocks I settled down on the sand to sketch and read (and take photos, of course). Didn't get much sketching done (it's offputting having people trying to look over your shoulder) but I
did finish
Vampire Hunter D volume 1...
It's a lot better than the anime, and explains the background to the story, which I never knew. My only problem with it was the sheer purpleness of the translation, which really was completely over the top in places, though I don't know if that was because the Japanese was like it or if that is the translator's style... Not that it matters, I'm intrigued enough to want to read at least a few more of the novels (apparently there are 17 in total, though I don't think they've all been translated yet!) Most enjoyable despite the 'urple - so much so I lost track of time and burned rather badly on my face, but more particularly on my lower legs. [sigh] And of course I didn't have any sun cream with me, never bother with the stuff.
Still, as synchronicity would have it, I
had packed a tiny free sample of Olay's Definity anti-aging cream, which soothed my face, stopped the burning and peeling (my face is now a rather healthy looking pale golden-brown), and is also SPF 15, thus preventing any further problems with being out in the sun. Didn't help my poor legs though, which are
still an angry red, although they don't hurt any more.
I picked up a triple pack of sandwiches (ham and cheese, prawn mayonnaise, chicken salad) and a banana for dinner - needed healthy after the day before! - and went to sit in a shelter to eat...
With a view like this, who needs table service?
I Robot was on TV that night, so I had that on in the background while I tried to ease the sunburn!
20/04/07
Went around the town in the morning - all sort of little gift and souvenir and second-hand shops. Picked up a few odds 'n' sods, checked out the
Olde Exmouth Gem Shop - which had a couple of copies of Ken's
Early Heaven Oracle for sale - and bought a small
Tortoises of Harmony figure for the lounge. Just 'cause we don't have one, and having written about it it seemed like a nice idea...
It was cooler on Thursday, with a cold westerly breeze off the sea, so I found myself a shelter looking over the beach - to avoid any more sunburn - and read the other book I'd taken with me, Justina Robson's
Keeping it Real. I'd read a review of it and it sounded great...
Alas, it was not. The initial premise - quantum bomb splits reality, creating separate but accessible 'worlds' in which earth's mythological creatures are real - sounded fascinating, but the book itself is
horribly derivative, a sort of cross-over of Robocop and Lord of the Rings with bits of other films and books thrown in. Worst of all Lila Black, the heroine, is a blatant Mary-Sue. [shudder] And Lutra? You'd really,
really hate her elves... Very disappointing. I'm now in two minds as to whether to bother reading the two others of her books I have or not...
Wendy arrived at about 5.30, and we wandered off to the
Bath House (used to be called the
Deer Leap before it changed hands) for an onion ring pole, gammon steak for her and chicken New Yorker for me, and toffee apple and chocolate sundae desserts. It was great! Wonderful to chat too - I'm just sorry the blasted headache dulled things a bit. It was a lovely evening in spite of that: thanks for coming down.
Venus was brilliant below a silver crescent moon when we left. I tried to photograph it but there was too much camera shake, couldn't get a decent shot.
21/04/07
Up early and caught the 9.50 am 56 bus to Exeter...
This is the one that goes all round the houses and takes an hour to drive the 10 miles between the two places. And it is
not, trust me, because the drivers take their time. In fact it was positively nerve-wracking, the driver flinging the vehicle wildly down country lanes only a few inches wider than the bus itself, slewing to a stop to let oncoming cars inch their way past at passing places... I have a new-found respect for country drivers...
This lovely little place on the outskirts of Lympstone was for sale! Medium-sized garden with a double garage and a wooden summer house: looked charming, but that thatch would be the devil to keep in good repair. ->
We drove through Lympstone village, Woodbury village, Woodbury Salterton village, and Aylesbeare,
where apparently this barn door is the village notice board. The bus drops briefly into Exeter airport before stopping at the bus station: I used to walk out to the airport when I was a teenager, to watch the planes. It's all motorway now, by the looks of it.
Arrived at the folks' about 11.15, and we went to the
Exeter Arms hotel for dinner - a very tasty carvery - then back to chat and watch DVDs until my coach at 6 pm, a lovely relaxing day. The trip back was great too, and the welcome home a treat! (Everyone except Raptor, who was
well pissed off that I'd gone away. She's come around now.)
Then, of course, I found out about blogger - but I've already dealt with that. On the plus side, I ran a Norton update and found that they've now removed that blasted file that kept failing to install, so I can now run the update without having to uncheck anything, which is good. However, the snails have been at my seedlings, damn them, and we really, really need rain. It's forecast for the next two or three days, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
It was only four days in total, two of them mostly spent travelling, but it felt like much longer. I had a fantastic time - just being somewhere else, and
by myself, was wonderful.
But it's nice to be back.
I'm starving at the moment - have my diabetes appointment at 9.50 tomorrow morning, oh joy - and have a few emails to deal with when I get back from the doctors', but otherwise I may still be able to take this week nice and easily. Which would be good, as what I thought was just hayfever seems to be turning into the cold my brother has.
Eh well. With a little luck it will either fizzle out or go as quickly as it came!
Later - I'm having an early night.
Labels: Exmouth, holiday, Justina Robson Keeping It Real
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Joules *Dances with Haddock* Taylor
pontificated this at 12:45 am
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