Featured Photos April 07, 2024 – Barcelona part 2
A few more photos from our recent trip to Barcelona.
I hope you enjoy them.
We stayed near the Arc de Triomf, and the area around it and nearby park were both busy from dawn until dusk (and beyond). As you can see, the park was flat as a pancake, so we went for a few runs in the warm evenings – a treat compared to the hills of Devon.
Featured Photos March 30, 2024 – Barcelona
A change of scene is often very welcome, and you couldn’t get much more of a contrast between our quiet, tiny village and the restless hubbub of Barcelona.
It was warm, the people were friendly, the food was good, the architecture was stunning, and there was always, always, something going on.
Below are a few photos. I may post another batch soon, but I’m being very selective. I won’t bore you with the scores of photos I took.
I hope you enjoy these glimpses of Barcelona.
The Sagrada Familia – Gaudi’s great work
Featured Photos March 10, 2024 – Lustleigh
The small Devon village of Lustleigh wasn’t the model for Embervale in the Devonshire Mysteries, but it conveys an idea of the kind of place I had in mind.
Thatched cottages, a friendly-looking pub, a small shop, a church and all surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Dan and Alan would love it here – especially the pub.
I hope you enjoy these few photos.
Featured Photos February 28, 2024 – Parke
Spring is in the air.
Near the town of Bovey Tracey, Parke is the slightly confusing name of a house and estate.
Once privately owned, the house and estate belong to the National Trust, and the house is home to the headquarters of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.
The grounds have plenty of paths for walking, cycling and, of course, running. We’ve visited it many times, and there’s always something different to see.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Featured Photos February 13, 2024 – Bovey Tracey
The nearby town of Bovey Tracey is often mentioned in the Devonshire Mysteries, so I thought I’d share a few photos to give you an idea of its leafy environs.
Generally shortened to one word, Bovey, and pronounced ‘Buvvy’, the town is an old one and still small, but it is an official town, complete with a mayor. I sometimes mention real-life issues in the books, and you’ll find Alan chuntering about the building of new houses. Bovey is a case in point. Quite a few of the surrounding fields are being turned into housing developments, and it’s not hard to see why. People want to live in a small town on the edge of Dartmoor, and the old houses weren’t built for those demands. Towns need an influx of young people and families to thrive, but if there’s no infrastructure for those people, there will be issues, e.g. with schools, doctors, transport links and so on. And if people jump in their cars and drive to an out-of-town supermarket for their needs, then there’s a chance that they won’t contribute much to the town.
That said, it’s a nice town and there have been lots of improvements. A new library and community hub was built, and an old pub that was almost falling down has been restored and converted into an arts centre that will one day include a small cinema and cafe. I’m looking forward to that.
I offer all this as background information to the books rather than as social commentary, and I hope you enjoy these few photos.
The old mill is a rather fine building, and it now houses a craft centre, gallery and cafe. The items for sale are made by local craftspeople, and it’s interesting to see the furniture, ceramics and so on. There’s a lot of skill on show, and these handmade items are things of beauty. The V-shape stonework in the foreground is the edge of the bridge I was standing on – it’s a sort of refuge in the centre of the bridge where you can escape from the passing traffic, which is just as well as there’s no pavement on that side.
Featured Photos February 9, 2024 – A Run in the Sun
I often run up to the nearby reservoirs of Tottiford, Kennick and Trenchford because I can step out the front door and just start, running from one lane to the next.
It’s pretty much uphill all the way, but it’s good for the legs, and I’m rewarded by lovely views when I get there.
Also, it’s mainly downhill on the return journey, so there’s that.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Featured Photos January 23, 2024 – A Seaside Town
I entered a half marathon in Dawlish recently. It was mainly a trail run and a hard slog over rutted, muddy paths. The first half was a long, long climb but it did deliver some lovely views.
Almost at the finish! read more…
Featured Photos January 15, 2024 – Light and Dark by the Sea
The nearby seaside town of Teignmouth is handy for a walk by the sea. I took a few photos as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
Wintry Walks – Featured Photos for January, 2024
We’ve had some lovely dry days recently, and a wintry walk makes a nice change after the Christmas festivities.
Pictured below is the Trenchford reservoir, a favourite walk with lots of the locals around here.
Finally Festive – Featured Photos for December, 2023
I’m behind with my Christmas preparations, as usual, but I finally got my mincemeat made for the pies. No real recipe this year – I just used whatever dried fruit and spices I had. The white pieces are toasted cashews. I don’t use suet and never have – I don’t see why anyone would add fat to a sweet preserve. There are chopped dates, nice big raisins, the zest and juice from a couple of oranges and a lemon, cinnamon, soft brown sugar and candied ginger. I didn’t have port, but there was a bottle of whisky lying around so I used that and added a glug of red wine, which I figure amounts to the same thing. Boil it up, simmer and place in a sterilised jar. There should’ve been mixed spice or at least nutmeg, but it still tasted good, so I don’t think anyone will notice.
A trip to Winchester. the city was very attractive with its Christmas decorations. Above are a small contingent of a brass band playing festive songs by the tree. It took me back to my childhood, watching Kirkbymoorside Brass Band playing Silent Night, one of my mum’s favourites, in the glow of a streetlight.
I wish I had photos of the lights at night, but it was bitterly cold so I wasn’t hanging around to take pictures. Sorry about that.
Cool Runnings – Featured Photos for November, 2023
This was after the Park Run in Winchester. Minus 2 degrees Celsius, so my hands were in my pockets with good reason. Still, I followed a pacer (a volunteer who sticks to a certain pace) and managed to keep up with him, covering the 5K in under 24 minutes. This was a personal best for me, so I had the warm glow from a sense of achievement.
A sprinkling of snow, a rarity in Devon where wet and mild is the rule. This is the view from my writing room, out over the allotments and to the hills beyond, though the hills are partly lost in the mist.
Not gorillas in the mist but cows. I took this photo while I was out on a run, enjoying the solitude of the Devon lanes. I wasn’t so keen on the drizzle that came later, but it was still good to be out and about.
Islands and Mist – Featured Photos for October, 2023
Some more photos from the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales.
We took a boat trip around the islands off the coast, including Skomer, a haven for birds in the breeding season. The birds had mainly flown elsewhere for winter, but the islands were beautiful and we saw seals on the beaches with their pups, and some swam near the boat.
I hope you like the pictures.
The jetty disappearing into the water didn’t inspire confidence, and when the boat arrived, the chap in charge didn’t like the mist. He went to ponder the situation over a coffee, while the gaggle of potential passengers cooled our heels on the beach. Miraculously, the mist cleared, and we set off.
