It’s wonderful to note that guests are booking in to come and see both the ‘Dippers’ flying about and hunting on the River Teign with their distinct gizz and bob as they watch and wait for their next meal to float/swim/crawl past ……………..and others who’ve planned a variety of  walks along the river bank to see the marvel of Daffs, a short stemmed local variety with a charm of their own.

Spring Daffs on the

Edge of Dunsford’s famous stepping Stones across the River Teign

Ian’s favourite Fergie T20 Tractor used for Cider Pressing and other essential jobs around the place!!!

Bed and  Breakfast Dartmoor – Orchard Barn hosts a Birthday Cider Gathering for family and friends

50 GALLONS OF ORCHARD BARN’S 2009 SCRUMPY CIDER

First Cider Gathering 2010 – Combined with a Birthday for

“Le Patron de Orchard Barn B&B”

Bruce and Birthday Boy enjoy a pint of Scrumpy and a grin as ever!

Cake cutting – celebrating Orchard Barn’s 2009 Cider Barrel

Pete Redbourne  makes it VERY clear that Clive’s nicked his piece of Birthday Cake!!!                                Clive…………..”Bothered”…………..!!?

There I was digging for England (said Matt Hood) or was I fishing for the Corps anyway I caught a Billy Bass……………….

This big it was………..and do they call me Pedro the Fisherman?

Pah…………..do they fugh!!!

I just love it here – the Peace, the river, the Valley and all it brings.

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

Happy or what – look almost no hands!!

Lesley, buoyed up by her experience in Holland hired an English Narrow Boat to put Pugwash through his paces as Skipper and also to take Josh (13) her eldest son and a chum of his called Rob on a 4 day school exeat from St David’s School Llandudno.

We started at Ellesmere Marina and picked up a delightful standard and conventional 18m 4 berth Narrow Boat and toured to Llangollen on the canal built in the late 18oo’s and crossed the famous Llangollen Aqueduct build by Thomas Telford in 1878′ish with its 300ft+ free fall drop on on one side to the River Dee below….awesome!!

Once again we had a fantastic time – the weather was kind again and the G&T’s were just spot on….crew were great and Josh and Robs whilst not catching much on the fishing front nonetheless had a fun time throughout.

As you can see above Pugwash and Bosun’s Mate have matching big grins…..which just says it all in my book…….and we’re now further exploring the UK Narrow Boat spectrum with greater interim interest whilst children are still at school in order to maximise time afloat during school holidays and exeats…..France can therefore wait a while happily……as an old RM maxim decrees “Time spent in reconnaissance is time rarely wasted”!!

Bosun’s Mate Lesley Anderson on Idefix in Gorencham Harbour in Holland!!

Lesley and I flew Bristol – Antwerp and took a wonderfully efficient train journey through part of southern Holland to a busy commercial waterway on the River Mass where we took part in a gathering of some 15 mostly English owned Dutch Barges which had converged for the Dutch Barge Association Visitors Weekend. It’s been a ‘Pipe Dream’ of mine to tour the French Canals on just such a boat and this was an early stage recce to see whether we’d both enjoy life aboard in a confined area.

Well we had a ball…..not only did we thoroughly enjoy the entire W/E and confirm between us that the notion of spending time together on the water gently pottering in the slow lane of life aboard as both positive and would love to…..we also had the worlds smallest cabin to spend the 2 nights on board our host B&B vessel called Idefix to dispel the “confined area” myth with good humour and many a giggle between us!!

Lesley thoroughly enjoyed herself and was instantly at home afloat…..good weather and plenty of chilled white wine helped of course……but we were superbly well looked after and chugged up the river and crawled all over the other vessels over the course of the W/E guaging what size we might like to set our down stream sights on. 

There was a Jazz Festival that W/E in the main square and we arrived in the sunshine and immediately settled down to having fun with a glass or two…..together with a sprig of Daphne whose fragrance bought out the best in both of us!!

There being no mirrors in our cabin enabled us both to spruce up as best we could for the Main Event, namely a Do’s -n-Dont’s Seminar on Buying a Dutch Barge…..luckily we were just looking ‘cos there was so much information to handle all at once, and we were enjoying ourselves so much that much of it needs another visit a little further downstream in our research.

Conclusion – we both loved the concept……we both now share the Dream and will further the recce over the next few years ahead……yippee!!!