Jan 21, 2026 | Featured Photos, Updates
One of the great things about Devon is that the coast is never far away. Mrs C, having been brought up in sea-less Gloucestershire, especially enjoys a trip to the seaside. I was born in Scarborough, no doubt to the accompanying chorus of seagulls, but even so, a trip to the beach was a special day out, and maybe those childhood memories stay with us: buckets and spades, the feeling of the sand trickling away beneath your wiggling toes as you paddle in the shallows, sitting back and listening to the shush and sigh of the waves.
It’s all good.
And when you live in a tourist destination, you get to see places when they’re quiet, which is a year-round bonus.
The seaside town of Teignmouth has become a regular haunt, and here are some photos from our recent trip. The weather may have been wintry, the waves a little wild, but we enjoyed our stroll by the sea just the same.
Story fodder – I see opportunities for stories everywhere. Abandoned buildings are a favourite; they fire the old grey matter.
Who built it? Why was it left to crumble?
Was it a hut for a hermit, a haunt for a ghost, the scene of a crime? Or did children play here and uncover a mysterious key or a coded message? Is it a portal to another time?
The sky’s the limit. What story would you set here?
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Jul 29, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
At the Community Hub in our village (a small shop set up one morning a week to sell a few essentials and provide coffee and cake to the locals) a neighbour told us that a nearby village were putting on Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.
A few of us immediately decided to go together. The performance was in Dunsford in the Teign Valley, and the handy name of their amateur dramatic society is, of course, DADS.
It was a fun evening, and the cast did an excellent job. By definition they’re all amateurs, so the audience wasn’t expecting a flawless performance, but the standard was very high. I always enjoy the wit and humour of Wilde’s work, especially all the clever turns of phrase, many of which have become part of our language. But I’d forgotten how densely wordy this play is. Learning the script must have been very challenging, and comic delivery and timing is, I think, one of the hardest things to do well. A tough play to put on anywhere, but in this small village hall, they did an amazing job.
I took a few photos of the village and I hope you enjoy them, Oh, and there’s a close-up photo of an allium beginning to bloom – I spotted it on a neighbour’s allotment and snapped it with my phone.
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Jul 24, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
I was fortunate enough to have been given a helicopter ride experience for my last birthday, but since my birthday is in October we waited a while to book it.
I’m happy to say we picked a perfect day to enjoy it. We took off from Dunkeswell near Honiton, and the skies were so clear we could see right across Devon to the coast.
Afterwards, we stopped at Exmouth for a walk along the coast before returning home.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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Jul 13, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
One of the joys of living in Devon is discovering the leafy lanes and byways, some of which barely seem to be used.
Despite having lived here for well over 25 years, we’re still finding places where we stop and say, “I can’t believe we’ve never been here before.”
Today’s photos are from the Wray Valley Trail, This trail was made on the route of the Victorian railway that ran from Newton Abbot to Moretonhampstead. We ran along it from Bovey Tracey, and instead of turning back at the village of Lustleigh as usual, we picked up the trail and explored. We found this lovely trail and vowed to come back another day and make it to the end.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. There are also photos of the village shop in Lustleigh, because it reminds me of the fictional shop in Embervale, and also the village church because a church features in the upcoming Devonshire Mystery.
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Jul 6, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
Or is this life imitating art imitating life?
In the Devonshire Mystery I’m working on, I wrote a scene just the other day in which Alan and a friend (no spoilers) visit a cafe on Dartmoor, the real life Ullacombe Farm. They find the place crowded, partly because a classic car club had chosen the place for their rally. Alan studies the cars on display, taking a fancy to an MG.
This was inspired by a real-life visit to the cafe many years ago, in which the same thing happened to me and my family. We enjoyed seeing the cars, but had to wait an age for our lunch because the place was practically bursting at the seams.
Our recent visit was a little different. There was a small rally of collectible cars, but it was on the nearby moor, and the cafe was actually very quiet. Still, it always strikes me as funny when I write something and then experience something like it immediately afterwards. There was even an MG, and a car like this is an important part of the new mystery.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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Jul 5, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
Mrs C and I went up onto Dartmoor for a stroll and a picnic. It was a fine day, and we stopped at Haytor Rocks. I’ve shared photos from here before, but the view varies with the seasons, and I always enjoy this spot. The light was perfect and we could see for miles, all the way to the sea on the horizon.
You may recognise the rocks from the cover of Accomplice to Murder. I believe it was also used for the cover of A Study in Stone, though it was pictured from further away and elements were added by the designer.
Many of these distinctive rocky outcrops have names in which Tor is a separate word, e.g. Hound Tor or Laughter Tor, but Haytor is one word.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.
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