Rain All Day.

The weather man was right this morning when he said that summer was over. The only variation in today's weather has been heavy rain or light rain. I've been more focused today and have alternated between cooking and tidying/decorating.

Romas has had a tasty curry cooking all day which we are about to eat for our supper. And that's all there is to say about today.


So here are a few more Lundy pictures.

Down at the Battery.

One of the 2 seals that came to hear us whistle at the North Lighthouse.

The landing jetty which was only built in 2000. When we went out in the Jessica Hettie (on the right hand side), we had to climb down a rusty old ladder at the end of the jetty.

Autumn Harvest.

We've have some brilliant sunshine today but just as I would get myself organised to go out the sky would go dark and down would come the rain. It's one of those days when I found it very difficult to get motivated. It is such a temptation to have a lie-in and then mooch around only doing a little basic tidying up. I'm still in holiday mode from Lundy and also we don't start school till next week. We did managed to take a car load of rubbish from the recent decorating stint, down to the dump and called in at Tescos on the way back. I also made a start on the bookshelves in the sitting room which needed washing before I paint the inside and then put the books back hopefully having culled out a few more. The garden got a little attention as I pulled weeds in the evening sun. Romas has been finishing some of the jobs I find so difficult to do and today he trimmed the hedge which involves a lot of awkward stretching. He then climbed up and picked apples from the top of the trees. Normally the apples get blown off before they have a chance to ripen but we had an early spring so they are looking good so far. He has also been making apple leather (sweetened apple puree dried to make a chewy fruit snack), as the warming oven seems to ideal for this job. This way even the windfalls won't go to waste. Currently we are enjoying tomatoes and cucumbers grown in the conservatory and sugar snap peas, potatoes and french beans from the garden.

More Lundy pictures.
The sea lies 400ft below this rock stack which is covered with a fantastical garden of lichens and other small plants.

Early morning sun on the west coast.

Sunset.

Lundy, Part 2

Each morning, whatever the weather, I would stride out to the Old Lighthouse and climb the 147 steps to the top. On Wednesday morning I was climbing the stone stairs which for the first part are an open spiral clinging to the edge of the open lighthouse, thinking evocative thoughts of Barad'ur, when I began to hear noises. I hadn't seen anyone at the top of the lighthouse before I went in and it was all rather strange. When I finally climbed the steep and narrow steps that take you to the top I saw that a bird had flown in and was trapped at the apex of the roof. Then the bird flew down, bumped into the window and kept jumping up at the glass. I was able to catch the bird by throwing my coat over it and then I had to take it down where it flew away unharmed. (I'm still not sure what kind of bird it was, it was speckled like a thrush only smaller but bigger than a meadow pipet.) Then I went back up the lighthouse to take in the view so that was twice as many steps that day. Later on we went on a rockpool ramble with Sophie one of the wardens. Surpisingly there were only a couple of children but about 10 adults. We found lots of different kinds of crabs, some of which nipped, fish, shrimps, prawns and saw but failed to catch a little lobster. We also found a sea urchin, brittle star fish and a colony of sea squirts. This was all down in Devil's Kitchen by the jetty and there were a couple of seals arguing over a rock and some more in the water watching us.


Even when the weather wasn't so good it was worth battling the wind to see the strange rock formations on the west coast which overlook the Atlantic Ocean.

All the grassy slopes are home to many rabbits who can be seen out at any time of day. The puffins (when in residence) and the Manx shearwaters use empty burrows to nest in.

The track up from the jetty in Landing bay is the only place that vehicles can get to sea level. We would sit in our cottage watching the day visitors trudging up from the Oldenburg and then later making their way back down for the trip back to the mainland.

This is Rat Island by the jetty, on the far side is Devil's Kitchen where we explored the rock pools and then later had another adventure.

The weather was always changing, the only thing you could count on was the wind though the direction varied from day to day.

On one of my walks I came back through the heathland part of the island where the heather and the low growing gorse made a glowing patchwork quilt of colour. At times when we walked through the flowering heather we would really be able to smell the sweet scent of the heather, which not surprisingly smelt like heather honey. On Thursday we went for a guided walk around the south end of Lundy with Nicola, another warden. Only 1 other couple turned up but that was great as we were able to ask lots of questions and find out a great deal about the wildlife, shipwrecks and history of Lundy.

My family are always teasing me about my dislike of the 20+ giant wind turbines that now dominate the country side here and I wasn't too thrilled to be able, on clear evenings, to see the turbines with the naked eye from our cottage. Worse than that there are plans, which will probably go ahead, for the Atlantic Array. This will be a vast number of giant wind turbines, covering an area the size of the Isle of Wight, which will be in the sea directly between Lundy and Wales. Apart from the visual impact there is the possible affect on sea birds and they will also create a great deal of underwater noise which may well affect the seals and the basking sharks. The immediate area around Lundy is a maritime reserve of the highest level with a no-take zone. This has allowed the sea-life to start to return to pre-fishing levels.

Friday morning the sun was blazing like a searchlight through the bedroom window so by 7.00 I was up and on my way to the lighthouse. From there I decided to stride out once more to the northern point of the island. I meandered in and out of all the little coves on the west coast where herds of the goats and soay sheep were enjoying the sun. From the northernmost point I took the direct track back down the centre of the island and arrived back for breafast at 9.30 having walked about 8 miles.

Later that day I had one of my most exciting and terrifying experiences of my life - the snorkel safari. There were about 10 of us snorkeling in Devil's Kitchen with 2 wardens. It was open to anyone and I was one of a few who hadn't snorkeled before. However I deliberately did not disclose the fact that I am a poor swimmer and have never swum out of my depth in the sea. Having first had a safety talk about the equipment and the seals who are likely to swim nearby and even nibble your flippers or mouth your legs - gulp! we went into the water in pairs. At first I was entranced with the shoals of fish and the sea weed forests, until I realised that the gullys were very deep which was a bit worrying. I then realised that I couldn't see my 'buddy' whom I rather hoped would be looking after me and I had a few scary moments getting the water out of my snorkel. At that point I did not wish to see any seals swimming close by and was truly thankful that the only one I saw was far below me. Eventually Peter reappeared, after swimming after the wrong person, and for the rest of the time I spent more time keeping up with him rather than enjoying the underwater scenery. We were in the water for nearly an hour and for the amount of fear I went through I feel very brave. I would like to do it again but first I intend to get my own snorkel and fins and practice in shallow water so that I can cope confidently with water in my snorkel, swim along faster and learn to 'sit' in the water with my head out so that I can sort out any problems without splashing about.
On Saturday we had to have our luggage ready for collection by 9.00 and be out of the cottage by 9.30 so I only had time to go up to the top of the lighthouse. There was a sea mist over the island and the lighthouse was totally invisible at 87 paces. This is the reason why the lighthouse was abandoned soon after its contruction and the northern and southern lighthouses built closer to sea level.

We boarded the Oldenburg at 11.30 in strong winds and had an uneventful journey back to Ilfracombe. We saw quite a few shearwaters skimming the waves but not dolphins. And that was the end of a wonderful week. Now we shall have to start saving up for or next holiday there.

On Monday I took Romas, Vicky and Alex to Lee Bay, a local beach which has more rock pools than sand though there is a sandy lagoon which is great for children. We clambered over the rocks investigating the rock pools, trying not to slip on all the seaweed. We then scrambled round to the next bay where the beach is made up of flat slate pebbles and lots of pinkish rose-quartz pebbles. Returning home we sat outside and ate the cheesecakes etc that the youngsters had brought back from our favourite cake shop in town. Then it was time to say goodbye to Alex who was returning to Telford and to make sure he hadn't catnapped Patch who was his favourite of our cats.

Lundy, First Part.

We are finally back from a wonderful week on Lundy. Not only did we have a great week but we were met by Vicky, Romas and their friend Alex and driven home to find that the sitting room, which we had left looking like a construction site with dust sheets, dust, plaster chippings and mess everywhere after Fred's smoothing out of the walls, was now fully repainted, the furniture put back and the main mess cleared up. A lot of things need washing down and I fully intend to get rid of as much stuff as possible but the place looks civilised and so much better with smooth white walls. They have also taken up the old stair carpet which was threadbare, painted the skirting boards and laid the new carpet pieces which I bought very cheaply in the remnant warehouse. Today we have taken them for a giant Sunday dinner at the Station Inn carvery as a thank-you.

Now for our trip.......

We left on Saturday afternoon on the Oldenburg from Ilfracombe harbour. Most of the bags were put in the big wooden boxes (campers' stuff was put in the cargo nets), but there was still a certain amount of squashing down of bags which were thrown in on top of each other so I was glad I had decided to put all bottles, jars and squeezable containers in a bag which we carried on by hand. The sea was moderate, with a couple of rain showers during the 2 hour journey so we togged up in our waterproofs and stood in the open near the bow thus avoiding any possibility of getting sea-sick.
As we pulled into Landing Bay there were a few boats moored there including this brig. Sadly when they left a few days later they went out with a motor and not under sail which would have been great to see. Once docked there was the long walk up the hill, sans luggage thank goodness as this gets driven up, and we settled ourselves into Little St John's, our home for the week.

Although it looks like a converted shed from the outside, inside LSJ is beautifully decorated with period furniture, is spotlessly clean and has a well appointed kitchen with top quality utensils and crockery. The shower room was clean but tiny and as there is a general water shortage we were fairly thrifty with our water usage. The bedroom had twin beds facing away from the window but it didn't take long to move things around so that we had a double bed with views over the bay. Indeed the views were just the best you could hope for. We could see down Millcombe Valley to the Landing Bay and we could watch the rabbits and birds on the hillside in front or look down to the bay to watch the sea birds and the boats. I had many happy moments sitting on the front doorstep or on a handy wooden bench with a cup of tea in my hand enjoying the views and the wildlife.

We had varied weather, sometimes sunny and at other times overcast or even showery but we were able to spend most of our days outside walking the many paths in this peaceful setting.

On Sunday we walked along the east coast as the winds were blowing from the west. We were sheltered and it was beautifully sunny. This side of the island is the only place you can find any trees at all and the cliffs are gentler and covered with bushes. It is here that you are more likely to see the wild Sika deer but we didn't see any this time.

There are a couple of magically beautiful quarries on this coast including the VC Quarry where there is a bronze plaque dedicated to a son of the last owner of the island. Further along we heard and saw a peregrine falcon youngster atop a stone crag screeching for food.

Everywhere we looked there were beautiful views and wildlife all about. The island is only 3 1/2 miles long and 1/2 mile wide so it is impossible to get lost but there is so much to see and do that even a week is not long enough. The special charm of the island is the peace and quiet, no roads, no cars (apart from the farm vehicles), no tv or radio ( we decided not to bring a radio), no Internet and little phone coverage. The tavern is open all day for shelter, food and company should you want it but phones and laptops are not allowed. We spent most of our evenings there, sometimes eating the excellent and reasonably priced food and always playing 1 or 2 games of Scrabble. Peter generally went up a bit earlier to bag a window seat and the better of the 2 Scrabble sets. (Next time we will bring our own set.) We usually chatted a little to other people but most people tended to stay in their own groups. The only downside to the tavern were what we now call 'the donkeys' due to their braying voices. These were generally climbers with upper class extremely loud voices who would regale each other, and indeed the whole place, with every detail of each handhold and belay of the day's climbs along with details of previous climbs and proposed future holidays. It got very annoying and I wish I could have overcome my British reserve to go over and ask them to moderate their voices. (There does seem to be a certain class of person who has no consideration for people around them and who often consider themselves better than everyone around.) For utter peace and quiet we would retire to our little cottage and read or watch the views. For the first few days I was engrossed in reading the log book in which previous visitors had written comments/diaries of their stays. Everyone loved the island, some were brief while other entries like my own, were full of detail. Some were very specialised with details of birds seen, climbs scaled or bell peals rung. The church has a unique set of 10 bells and is a popular destination for bell ringers. The staff told us that they did get fed up with continuous bell ringing from dawn till dusk for up to 3 weeks at a time so now any bell ringing has to stop at 6.00 or an hour before dusk, whichever is earlier.

On Monday we walked to The Battery, another first for Peter (last year his ankle was quite painful). The Battery is a stone building with 2 18lbs cannon which were fired out to sea every 10 minutes in times of fog. On one occasion they were fired continuously for 72 hours. Lundy lies at the entrance to the Bristol Channel and the sea around is littered with shipwrecks. Along with the buildings to house the equipment for the cannon there are also the ruins of 2 stone cottages and various outbuildings which housed the coastguards and their families. At one time there were 13 people living here at the bottom of this steep windswept cliff. The way down is by a solidly built set of steps protected by a low stone wall.

While lovely to visit on a summer's day with only moderate winds it would have been a harsh place to live in during the winter with sheer cliffs, force 10 winds and stormy seas battering at the walls.

On Monday afternoon we went on a small fishing boat for a trip around the island but the seas were so rough at both ends we could only go up to the North and South points before turning back along the east coast again. It was exciting in the rough water but it was only a small boat. It gave us a different view of the east coast and the boat's skipper told us about the wildlife and some of the wrecks. I was a little disappointed not to see any dolphins or basking sharks which were a possibility but no luck. It was already up on the notice board that the puffins and many of the sea birds had left the island so I didn't have to hang off cliffs looking for them.

As well as walking with Peter I took many walks by myself as I simply couldn't be confined indoors when there was such beautiful scenery. Every morning I climbed up to the top of the old light house for a view across the island.

On Tuesday it was more overcast and the wind was easterly. We walked the length of the island to the North Lighthouse (now fully automated), and from there we climbed down some steep steps to the tiny rock (in the centre of the picture) about 10ft by 20ft. This was where I had my seal encounter last year. This time there were fewer seals around but we managed to attract 2 seals who stayed watching us for a while. This used to be the alternate landing site when conditions were too rough in Landing Bay (the jetty and the road there are recent improvements). Boats would tie up to this rock and cargo would be winched up with a steel hawser. Very hazardous.

Peter's knee and ankle joints have improved so much since last year and he was able to walk down & up the 400 ft of steps without too much difficulty.

More of our Lundy adventures tomorrow.

Chickiepigs.

It felt like summer again today. Perfect weather for taking my class down to search for mini beasts. It was the usual selection, ants, worms, slugs, snails, flies, bees and ....... chickiepigs (the Devon name for wood lice). After a hot lunchtime I set up an afternoon of art activities and I sat with a group of children creating beautiful pen drawings based on the illustrations in The Hidden House by Martin Wadell, of swirling lines embellished with leaves, flowers and mini beasts. We hadn't brought our mini beasts back into the classroom but I had strewn a selection of leaves, flowers and blossom across the tables to provide inspiration. This was a very successful activity with some children becoming totally engrossed in adding lots of detail. (I had fun too drawing my own picture.) After school we were tantalised by the smell of a barbecue drifting across from the junior school who were having a fund raising event. I was too busy to go over as I am trying to get things ready for next term and do not intend to go into school during the holidays.

Speaking of holidays, I paid for our summer trip to Lundy so now I can start the pleasurable activity of planning for the holiday, which clothes (wet weather gear as well as sun block and swimming things), books (there is a good selection already there) and food (to supplement the excellent food available in the Marisco), to take. No tv, Internet or phones and the electricity goes off at midnight. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful place nearby, No long drive to the airport, only 15 mins to Ilfracombe. No long wait at the airport though there is a bit of hanging around on the quayside which only adds to the fun and then you are off for a hopefully bouncy trip first passing all our cliff walks seen from a new angle and then ever closer to Lundy. Perhaps this time we will get to see the famous puffins (Lundy means puffin in ancient Norse). I spent many unsuccessful hours hanging off cliffs in search of them last time. Meanwhile there is one more day until the Easter holiday and then another term to go. And plenty of work to do as always. This evening I cut down the last of the leylandii branches which hopefully will dry quickly so that I can burn them up and get rid of the two big piles of branches that are left. Everyday more flowers appear and now the magenta pom-poms of the rubus hedge glow like paper flowers.

We're Going On Holiday.

It's been such a good evening. First I came home from work to find this beautiful Mothers' Day card which had arrived in the post from Vytas. Then although it was wild and windy the morning rain had cleared and I was able to go for a bracing walk up the hill. It felt so good to be able to stand in this field enjoying the view and the roaring wind.

Reluctantly I returned back down the hill and there was still enough light for me to spend an hour cutting back about half of the remaining leylandii. Finally Peter came home with the news that he had been able to book the August week that I had been hoping for. I've already been on line and booked a week's holiday for us on Lundy though I won't feel secure until I've spoken to the booking office on the telephone and the holiday is all paid up. A whole week, what bliss.

Archive Pictures Of Lundy.

Some more pictures from my archives, today from our previous day visit to Lundy in 2006. Most of the buildings on the island are built from the local granite which gives the architecture a squared off Italiante feel.

Some of the barns have been converted to a shop selling souvenirs and food for those staying on the island. There is a scheme where you can volunteer to work on the island in return for accommodation in caravans. You still have to provide your own food so the Landmark Trust are getting a good deal as you have to work for 5 days out of 7. This can be outdoor work but could also be cleaning the rental properties or working in the kitchen of the Marisco.

Here's the welcoming door of the Marisco with Linas (in his long-haired days) striding towards me. The Marisco is open all day and has the facilities of a pub , minus electronic music etc, and a place to sit, read, play games or just socialise. Only one drawback - no soft seating at all, I'll bring my own cushion next time.

Not too bad a day at school today with my student doing a fair bit of the teaching. However I did get an email from our Head teacher at 3.38 asking for information on 9 children to be returned to her by Monday! I sat in school until 6.00 getting that form done.

A Wildlife Day.

It's been a day of some sun mixed with very heavy showers. During one of the sunny spells I had a good go at the hanging baskets, all the recent heavy rain had prevented me from daily dead heading of the surfinias and the flowers had also had a good battering as well. When I finished my hands were sticky so I turned the tap on to wash my hands. I looked down to see something fluttering in the plug hole. My first thought was that it was a leaf that had dropped from my arm, then it was 'Euch' as I thought a small brown frog was in the sink. Only then did I realise that it was a tiny bat which had somehow fallen into the sink and down the plug hole. I carefully scooped it onto a tea towel and took it outside to see what the situation was.
At this point I was pretty sure that it was dead, I mean it doesn't look good does it? The sun went in at this point and it started to get cold again so I put the bat in a container in the spare room. After an hour there were some signs of life but when I put the bat in my hand it felt pretty cold. Bat and box were put in the warm airing cupboard and after another hour or so there was a definite improvement.

The sun had made a reappearance and it was hot outside so out went bat, camera and myself to bask in the heat.

After a little crawling around and a few yawns to boost the oxygen,

the little pipistrelle bat spread its wings and flew off. Hooray! A happy ending.

Having posted many pictures of Lundy I thought I would finish with a few more of the wildlife. These small birds, linnets? would sing loudly from a bush only a few feet away.

There were a couples of ponies and foals in a field near us but this small herd roamed free over the rest of the island.

Soay sheep, one of many types of animals introduced by a previous owner of Lundy.

I think the wild goats were a much earlier introduction. There was one cream coloured ram with a magnificent spread of horns at least 3ft across that I saw several times.

And that's the end of Lundy folks, at least until we go there again.

Day 4 Part 1

The final day of our stay came around all too quickly. The sun had hidden itself behind grey clouds and it looked as though rain would be coming our way. We had to have our bags ready for pick up by 9.30 (it was nice not having to carry them to and from the boat) and we needed to be out of Stoneycroft by 10.00. We made sure everything was tidy before setting off for our final day's walks.Peter and I walked out to the west coast and then south towards the castle.
We came across a small pond/reservoir which had been created when granite was quarried for the buildings. Rain is the only source of fresh water on Lundy and although we had no restrictions on personal use you are asked not to do any laundry. I would think that the immaculate bedding, towels etc are sent to the mainland to a laundry service.
Once we had walked back up to the tavern I left Peter happily ensconced there while I set off to explore the east coast for the first time.

Initially I was thinking that it wasn't so different to our North Devon coast, low trees, bracken, views of the sea etc.

The brown areas that can be seen on the hillside are where the rhododendrons (a foreign invader) is gradually being killed and removed as it was taking over from the native vegetation.

But then I came to the old granite quarries cut into the hill and the wide path that was a railway track used for transporting the granite. Down below is one of the few accessible beaches so of course I had to go down to investigate.

The final part of the way down is a set of wooden steps with a sturdy handrail but just before them is the 'abseil' section where there is a strong rope to aid the climb down about 8ft of rock. In truth you don't really need it on the way down which is perfectly negotiable if you sit on your bottom and scramble down but it was useful on the way back up.

Quarry beach is entirely made up of rounded granite pebbles up to 2ft across. I watched a seal swimming past hunting for fish and spent some time cautiously searching for the perfect small stone to take home as a souvenir. As I balanced on the 'pebbles' I was very aware that it would not be a good idea to slip and twist my ankle. There was probably no phone signal so even if I had been carrying my phone there would be no way of letting anyone know and how could anyone be carried back up the cliff?

If I had had more time I too would probably have added to the collection of 'stone installations' on the beach. Instead I pocketed my stone and climbed about 200ft back up to the path. I then took a breather sitting on a stone at the edge of the path with my legs dangling over the drop. It will be interesting to see if my lack of fear of heights continues in other settings........

Today was the last day of term and although I will be spending tomorrow in school moving stuff from one classroom to another for me at last the summer has begun. And we have been having torrential rain for the past few days!