It was with the greatest of paternal pride that I attended Kate’s Graduation Ceremony at Kingston University in London recently.

I shared the celebration with Kate and her boyfriend and family and felt an enormous pleasure in her excitement and joy………….you can see the ‘I’m so happy’ smile………..it was quite excellent and no mean achievement to be one of a hand-full in several hundred fellow graduates to attain ‘with Distinction’.

Hugs from boyfriend Alex.

One very successful Graduate and another hug from one hell of a proud Dad…………!!      Well done Kate – BZ

Self-Catering at Orchard Barn, Dunsford, Dartmoor, Devon, UK

After successfully letting Orchard Barn on a self-catering basis a number of times last year including a week before Christmas and the New Year, Lesley and I have decided to promote the scheme more often this  year.

Basically the whole house, attached Cider Barn and main gardens will be available for let on a self-catering basis over selected days/weeks when we plan to be either away elsewhere in the caravan or on holiday abroad.

The house will be fully furnished and equipped as any normal home, sleeping 6 (rising to 8 with inflatables for children as required) with all 4 Bedrooms fully made up with fresh flowers throughout…………a handy comlimentary ‘Welcome Pack’  in the fridge, access and use of washing machine,  phone, computer, broadband wifi, iPod, Sterio system, Freeserve HD TV and CD/Video……………..BarBQ in the Summer, logs aplenty in the winter, use of the garden furniture, sofas in the Cider Barn and everything you would normally expect in a comfortable family home will remain in situ for your usage.

Prices will vary and start at £500 rising to £1200 for the Christmas week……for further details do contact Ian and Lesley on 01647-252620 or by e-mail on ilfcorner@tiscali.co

Self-Catering 2010 availability dates are:

• (A) Sat 6 – Sat 13 Mar 2010 – (7 Nights)
• (B) Mon 5 – Sun 11 Apr 2010 – (5 Nights incl Bank Holiday Mon)
• (C) Fri 6 – Tue 10 Aug 2010 – (3 Night Long Weekend)
• (D) Sat 21 Aug – Wed 1st Sep  2010 – (10 Nights)
• (E) Sat 18 – Sat 25 Sept 2010 – (7 Nights)
• (F) Sat 23 – Sat 30 Oct 2010 – (7 Nights – School half term)
• (G) Wed 22 Dec – Tue 28 Dec 2010 – (7 Nights over Christmas)

Prices for 2010 Self Catering holidays are:

• (A) – £600
• (B) – £600
• (C) – £500
• (D) – £1000
• (E) – £800
• (F) – £800
• (G) – £1200

A £200 deposit cheque will secure your booking and full payment will be sought 2 weeks prior to your stay. On arrival the deposit cheque then becomes the damage and breakage cheque and will be retained (uncashed) at the start of your holiday and returned in full (or part thereof) on completion.

We”ve never had a  problem to date and  our  guests have been thoughtful and careful of Orchard Barn………….however it’s worth gently pointing out that Guests are expected to be respectful of  our home and leave it as they find it – clean and tidy throughout.

If you’d like to have a fantastic holiday in the Teign Valley and stay at this wonderful riverside property then do please get in touch. There are loads of other photos to see what’s what on the main web site – open up the Galleries button at the top of the home page and explore the first option called  ’Around Orchard Barn B&B’.

Cheers,

Ian and Lesley

ilfcorner@tiscali.co.uk

01647-252620

The winter snow came to Dartmoor with such beauty, and with no school………… over several days …………3 MHS boys so enjoy the revels of snowball fights and toboganing and igloo making that it’s hard to believe that much of the country came to a grinding halt for the best part of a week recently.

Sizing snow-ballers by height…………..GO!!

Charlie, Henry, Jamie and Ian

Henry with missile at Orchard Barn…………….where’s Jamie hiding?

Ah……………………found him!! With one down my neck I’ll get even that’s for sure………….watch this one chaps!!!

Stand easy………!!!

Sailing round the garden’s great fun!!

Someone let the plug out and the Oggin disappeared..!!

After several months research and a delay in inspecting one selected on the internet just after Christmas due to the weather, Lesley and I have now found the perfect toy for the Exe and Beach Cottage……………..she’s called Sapphire …………..a 1974 Drascombe Lugger with dun red sails and fine lines as you can see above.

Roll on some sunshine and then we can launch and moor her off  Lympstone Village and then potter off to several wonderful pubs including that famous watering hole over the other side of the estuary called The Turf Locks……………..where many a pint have mentally already been ordered at the bar and skuppered on the waters edge

Lesley and I spent New Year at Beach Cottage in Lympstone Village…………..it was such fun joining in the wonderful tradition of Fancy Dress in every pub!!

Our chums Clive and Mary Ann dressed as a Lepricorn and Mexican Bandit respectively, Inx as Cilla and Rick and Jenny Hall as a Cool Surf Dude and Rudolph…………….we chose Lesley as a Leopard and I as a Lion/Leopard Trainer!! What fun we all had!!

Beach Cottage was very comfortable indeed and we just loved the relaxed and minimalist life without jobs and responsibilities which usually fill our busy lives.

Lympstone Village is an amazing community with so much to see and take part in………….we’ve been surprised by the number of walks and foot paths which bisect every part, the warmth of welcome from the locals, the great ales in all the pubs and the estuary life just opens up ones mind to so many aspects of  bird life, leisure pursuits and shear maritime beauty where the shimmering lights, tidal variation, sounds and views fill one with awe and pleasure…………together they just fill ones Soul.

Do look at www.beachcottagedevon.co.uk should you wish to have your own fun for a week this year starting in late March 2010.

Lesley, both her boys and her Mother Evelyn stayed at Orchard Barn Dartmoor over Christmastide and we all spent 4 happy days together enjoying much laughter, Mulled Wine, singing Carols and generally having fun.

Nobody over indulged (stand fast excessive consumption of Baileys by someone who’ll remain nameless!!!) – I got a brilliant squirrel- proof bird feeder from the Boys and a radio controlled helicopter from Lesley which will no doubt keep me amused for hours when it warms up a tad!!

We’ve all enjoyed the colder weather and ‘Holed Up’ with everything we needed for self sufficiency over the festive season……………The joy of Christmas certainly came to us all this year, our first of many together.

Cheers and Happy Christmas to one and all

James Duffy and his brother Dan stay at Orchard Barn over their second night en route cycling between Lands End and Rye in Sussex………….they arrived wet, tired and disheveled having crossed Dartmoor in appalling weather……….after a hot bath and several large glasses of wine they were sufficiently revived to walk up to the pub for supper.

They set off reluctantly the following day…………..and both boys needed a mental ‘Pick me up’ to get them going…………so I told them the dit about the Famous Cyclist from Dunsford who trained locally for Charity!!! I even showed them a picture………………………………!!!

Lesley took me off to Barcelona for a short mini break………….we loved it…………Tapas, Pinot, Gaudi, Rooftop Terrace Bar, Olympic Village, History of Catalonia and local culture, famous Cathedral, bus tours, Columbus, more Tapas, more Pinot………….walking up Las Ramblas pedestrian motorway…………….wow!!!

Weather was terrific…………..views were stunning………….Tapas were great and Pinot to die for!!

Sunset after a dip on the hotel rooftop terrace plunge pool………magic!!

G

Gaudi’s famous Gingerbread House………………..never heard of him before…………BUT I HAVE NOW!!!!

Fancy designing and building a Cathedral in 1913 and not finishing it ………… builders must be Brits!!

…….but then again it’s quite amasing and his input, influence and lasting footprint on the style and architecture in the City is awesome……………..and reminded me of Brunel’s efforts but all in one city rather than spread throughout the Nation.

We took several bus tours and here’s Columbus’s statue……….apparently he didn’t do the Catelonians any favours initially when discovering The Americas after heading West and not East thereby favouring Atlantic trade moving elsewhere other than Barcelona……………but they still built a wonderful column similar to Nelson’s all the same!!

Lesley having been there several times before was a fantastic Tour Guide………………..!! But she lost the book (well left it on a bar)……!!!

and had to do a spell of Guard Duty as a ‘consequence’…………!!

which was thirsty work standing in that hot hut for 24 hours she says!! What ever happened to stamina I say!!

…..take it all back……………she managed 2.5 pints down in one inside 25 seconds, not bad I say!! Barcelona……………in sum………..we’ll be back that’s for sure.

The infamous Bruce Prouse (alias Trucker to many of his old running and biking chums)  recently celebrated his 60th Birthday and retired in the same week

He had a magic Party with stacks of beer and great friends, ………………..oh and a Cabaret was organised by Blaster and a few other old Mates (Snotrag, Broken Man, Barney, Ivor, Stephen, Toby, Tony, to name but a few) and their son Tim was there too…………………………. and as an ideal opportunity arose during the course of the evening Bruce elected to teach him something really useful, namely “Good Judgement”  before he finally lost his touch in Retirement!!!

Lesley heard yesterday that completion on Beach Cottage has been set for Monday 5th Oct 9………………thrilled or what!!

Whose a Happy Bunny then !!!

Bad hair day………………but who cares when you’ve just bought the best holiday cottage in Devon!!