Yesterday, a friend and I went exploring on the South Devon Railway Buckfast Abbey and back via beautiful Devon countryside. So, where does the owl come in? You’ll just have to scroll and see…
Somehow a man checking his smart-phone doesn’t really fit the image…
I love old newspapers, and especially ones that feature critical moments relating to subjects about which I am fascinated…
Then off to Buckfast Abbey.
Although the first abbey was built on this site in 1018, it was demolished and the site was purchased by Benedictine Monks in 1882, with the abbey, incorporating the existing Gothic house beside, being completed in 1938.
Yesterday morning I was up when the sparrows were still in their pajamas… Now, if you know me at all, you know I am not a morning person – so why the sudden urge to be up before dawn?
This was my phone as I walked out the front door of my apartment…… Prior to this I don’t think I even realised there were TWO four o’clocks in a day – I was only aware of the PM version…
The reason for my pre-dawn excursion was to go behind the scenes at the Brixham Fish Market followed by a cruise around the bay!
With a fleet of around 70 boats landing daily with their catch, and approximately 50 buyers for that catch, Brixham Fish Market is the highest grossing market in all of England.
Our tour guide was Brixham Trawler Agent’s Director, Barry Young.
In 2016, the total fish landed came to 10, 252 tonnes that equated to well over £30 million.
This bucket below is from the Chloe Olivia’s catch – you will see more of her later…
The lovely Christine Hodgetts who, with her equally lovely husband Dave, met me the day prior for a coffee.
As you can see peeking through the curtains, the sun is STILL not up!
I’m sure this is meant to be 505 marked into the jetty, but I thought it amusing that it looked like SOS…
…and here we have the Chloe Olivia…
No, they are not all about to jump off. We were looking for one of the seals that inhabits the bay… (I managed to catch him on camera a bit later…)
Live fish auction…
Dave and Barry…
…and now upstairs to Rockfish for a seafood breakfast!
Following the Fish Market tour, it was time to head down to the jetty for our cruise around TorBay with the wonderful funfishtrips.co.uk team under the direction of Captain John and first mate, Andy.
Aqueduct designed by one of my all-time-favourites, Brunell.
…and now off to another of my favourite sights in Torbay – the magnificent ‘Pilgrim’…
Built in 1895, the 74ft Pilgrim was once part of a fleet of over 2000 deep sea sailing trawlers that revolutionised the way fish were caught in Europe…
Our trusty Captain John…
…is it just me, or do these paddle-boards look like they are watching us……..
I was going to head home on the Brixham Express back over to Torquay, however when I discovered it was their break time…
Captain John, who had just left port, came back in to collect me since they were headed to Torquay!
Andy battening down the hatches for a bumpy ride back across the bay now that the inclement weather was rolling in…
…and safely back in Torquay after a magnificent morning!
Starting last Sunday with Goodwood, then on my actual birthday Gillian and her daughter Ellie took me out for brunch – it was soooooo lovely and delicious!
…then cruising on one of the last horse-drawn canal boat at Tiverton… followed by a boat trip over to Brixham… then a truly glorious evening at the Imperial Hotel with friends and family…
…this man below is named Paul and not only was he friends with John, Gillian and Michael, but Paul also played for me a Gershwin medley for my birthday! I felt ever so honoured and special…
What a truly lovely evening!
Then the next day, we went exploring to Port Isaac, where the television series “Doc Martin” is filmed…
All in all, the most magical birthday EVER!
Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate… I love you all so very, very much…
Well, today we (my friend Karen who has been visiting from Hastings) went exploring and decided to find the fishing village where the series is filmed on location.
The village is Port Isaac and is located in Cornwall – or as we say here, west-west Devon. 🙂
…and in case you are wondering, we were driving down these ridiculously skinny roads!
Since there was no where to park – unless you took a packed lunch and hiked forever back down the hill, we decided to say farewell to Port Isaac and go in search for somewhere lovely for lunch…
…and came to an intersection – not knowing which direction to head, we decided to follow “Shoot”…
…and eventually discovered to what “shoot” related…
…and then, in Rock, near Splatt (and no, I am not joking!) we found a wonderful place for lunch…
After lunch, it was time to head back and ensure Karen made it safely on to the train at Torquay…
A perfect morning to literally just walk across the street and board a boat, cruising over Torbay to Brixham…
…and back home in time for another movie, more wine, and then getting ready to go out to meet up with dear friends to celebrate my birthday at the Imperial…
Starting out from my home in Torquay, my friend Karen (who had come over from Hastings to help celebrate my birthday) and I headed north to Tiverton to check off yet another item on my bucket list – a journey on one of England’s last horse-drawn canal boats.
…these archways were once used to burn lime…
…but first, before our cruise, a scrumptious lunch in the cafe…
This is Ruby – the first female horse to have pulled the boat…
Tom, our guide and deckhand…
It was an absolutely glorious day, despite the rain… followed by wine, home-delivered Chinese food and a movie when we finally returned home.
There are a handful of experiences one has that are so wonderful, there are simply not enough superlatives to describe them – the Goodwood Revival was such an experience!
This was one of the best days I have ever had – ever!
So, what is the Goodwood Revival? Read below…
When I left Torquay, this was the view from my door – a perfect start to the day!
…and each time I drive this route, the incredible gift of being able to pass so close to Stonehenge is never lost on me. Visiting the monument had been on my Bucket List since I was a child and now, in addition to having visited it up close, I drive past it once a month or so… Amazing.
…and speaking of Bucket Lists, I have checked off several things on mine over the past two weekends so need to go back and note them as such on my list.
After checking in to a hotel the night before, for the Goodwood Revival, I treated myself for my birthday (it is this week) to the full VIP treatment – starting with bypassing the crowds and public car parks and having private parking at the Goodwood Hotel.
…and I met up with one of my dearest friends who came over from Hastings for the event to help me celebrate my birthday – Karen and I started the day by meeting for breakfast at 7:30am…
Then it is off to the event… courtesy of being chauffeured in a vintage car! (the first of many this day)
This Mercedes (below) was our first form of transport. The vehicle was purchased new by this man’s parents.
…and we were deposited at one of the entrance gates… where a man came up to us and thought I was someone famous but he couldn’t remember her name…
…before changing to a different type of chauffeur… See the buggies below? That was to be our next form of transport!
What was interesting and quite lovely, was that Karen and I agreed, we already felt as though we had experienced a whole day’s worth of fun and adventure, and we had barely made it through the gates at that point! …and the day only continued to get better!
…and here (below) is our chauffeur – and he was wonderful! Not only chauffeuring us around the grounds, but also running errands… We felt like royalty.
…and we were perched on the back…
By this stage of the day, my cheeks were sore from smiling soooooooo brightly!!!
There was sooooooo much to see and do, we have already decided that next year we are doing the entire weekend, not just one day – and VIP all the way, of course!
Up, up and away!
Our first destination? Past all the vintage aircraft for our helicopter ride!
This was the departures lounge…
…and our next form of transport – Willy’s Jeeps from the lounge to the helipad area…
The entire team at Elite Helicopters were wonderful – as was everyone we encountered!
Some go-go juice for our chopper…
…and we are up!!!
This was the onsite camping…
What a fabulous experience!!! This was my first helicopter flight (another check off the Bucket List) and I loved every minute of it! I want one! 🙂
…and our chauffeur was there to collect us when we landed…
I love private access!
Ref photo below, remember, we are shooting from the back of the vehicle – they are now closing the gates behind us after we have gone through…
We had ever so many people turning around to look at us, chatting with us, laughing with us… We felt like local celebrities!
Our buggy chauffeur dropped us back to change vehicles yet again – heading back to the Goodwood Hotel for a special VIP chef’s lunch… This, below, was our next mode of transport…
You know you’re in England when you see a sign that says…
Oh, and here is a shot of some of my accessories I was wearing on the day, complete with flared skirt and tailored jacket with frill to match umbrella…
…and then back to the event via a new limousine.
…and then it was off to the track to watch the racing!
It was SO exciting!
…the noise was incredible – and nothing like modern racing… I loved it – and the smell of racing fuel!
It was so sad – this car and another one had been going back and forth with first place for ages – but then his car caught on fire…
…and as the rain was about to set in, we decided to call it a day…
This collection (below) looked like a handful of M&Ms…
…and our final chauffeur in a vehicle that was unknown to me – a Jowett (British made during the 1920s and 30s)…
Then in to my final mode of transport – my glorious convertible I just bought a couple of weeks ago. His name is Prince and I love him!
It was lovely leaving the Goodwood Estate, to still see a variety of classic vehicles, including this one (below) with Ohio plates…
…and if you would like to join me next year, here is the link to get notification when tickets go on sale…
All in all, this was truly an incredible experience!
It was honestly one of the very best days of my life…
…and a huge “thank you” to Karen for coming over to share it with me.
There are worse places to sit and work for the day than on the dock of an historic hotel, beside the River Thames…
Fluffy river companion… (I do miss having a fluffy companion – one of the drawbacks of this amazing lifestyle…)
Sitting here, working away – the river provided a constant source of vibrancy and variation…
I love that this fluffy has his own life preserver…
Now, all of a sudden, it is like I am back in America with river paddle-wheelers…
This one is a baby in comparison, but still very lovely…
It started to sprinkle, so I after working outside for several hours, I decided to relocate inside and have a late lunch… and what is priceless – literally – is that there are three groups of elderly people here (in their 80s and 90s) with what appears to be the next generation younger (in their 60s and 70s) – and listening to their various conversations about what they did when they were young… I feel SO blessed to be witness to such living history…
…and for some reason, the police boat decided to do several pirouettes in front of the hotel…?
No sooner did I pick up the keys to my beautiful apartment, I dropped my luggage, repacked, and was off across the country…
First stop after an overnight rest-break part-way, was collecting the car I just bought – a black Volvo C70 convertible, with black leather interior and wood trim – he’s just lovely and I have named him Prince after a beautiful black Shire horse I love. It was funny that while I was at the car yard, a couple was also there who lived only 10 minutes away from my place in Charleston, South Carolina, at the same time I lived there several years ago – and they also now spend six months of the year in England.
Then Prince and I headed down to Hampton Court and checked into a glorious suite complete with private balcony in an historic hotel, immediately across the road from the Palace.
Dating back in parts to 1665 and located on the Thames, The Mitre Hotel originally served as lodging for courtiers who could not be accommodated at Hampton Court Palace opposite.
…and the final destination for my journey…
The magnificent Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
My welcome kit for the Concours… I decided to go all out and purchased a full VIP package that gave me access to the Owners tents etc…
Across the road to the gates of Hampton Court Palace…
…and if you are not up on your history, Hampton Court Palace was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was at the time a favourite of King Henry VIII. In 1529, Wolsey fell from favour and Henry VIII seized the palace for himself.
From this angle, it looks like she is hitting him on the head with the jug!
What an incredible ceiling! (below)
Through these doors is heaven…………
With literally hundreds of millions of dollars worth of classic and historic vehicles on display, I felt so incredibly privileged and honoured to be there.
There were film crews from all over the world…
Relaxing for a while in the Owners’ Enclosure (one of the VIP perks) and enjoying a cup of tea, I met several owners and had some wonderful conversations – including what it takes to ship such a vehicle internationally.
This man (below) looks like he is praying… perhaps for one to be delivered for Christmas…
British fashion is unmissable…
…and even with such magnificence on display, this crew from Europe were still glued to their phones…
This lovely example below was awarded “Best In Show”…
Unfortunately, my body was in too much pain to stay for the entire day but I am still glad I went for the time I could. So, then it was back through the Palace and back to the hotel…
…and so now I am curled up resting and watching the Burghley Horse Trials on the enormous television in my suite.
PS: am now watching a program about auctions that deal with this level of vehicle, and for one car, the bids are going up by 1 million Euro per bid! The car was magnificent and eventually sold for $$18 million.
I am about to leave beloved England and was delighted that my wonderful friend, Gillian, offered to take me out meandering through South Devon for a few hours this morning…
We did not have a destination other than seafood for lunch! So, the following photos are from our lovely little journey…
…and this was our fabulous curl-up spot for a delicious lunch!
The Lighter Inn in Topsham. Here is a blurb from their website that gives you a little of its history:
“The Lighter Inn takes its name from the Lighter, a flat bottomed boat used at Topsham to unload larger ships that had to anchor in the middle of the channel. Until 1958, the quay by the Lighter Inn was still served by a railway siding, and the area not so developed for tourism.
A former landlady of the pub was mentioned in a police report as early as February 1832, as is displayed on our wall, “Mrs Perriam, of the Lighter public house, Topsham, was fined 1s for allowing tippling in her house, from which arose the row we stated in our last.””
No sooner did I pick up the keys to my beautiful apartment, I dropped my luggage, repacked, and was off across the country…
