Three A*s - off to Uni!

Lydia's A level results rewarded her hard work with three A*s and a B, so it's off to the university of her choice - Norwich; just about as far away from Dartmouth as it is possible to be! It's a good job we have a van, as the amount she is taking with her would supply a small family with all they would need for 10 years! No, she isn't taking the piano. One last walk at her favourite spot - little Dartmouth

St Ives Camping

After a busy summer with all of us working we escaped, one wet and windy day to drive down to near where the land eds - at St Ives. We pitched in a campsite with glorious views over Porthmeor beach and out towards Godrevy and the North Cornish coast. We didn't have lazy beach days, but it was lovely to just unwind and wander the winding ways of this old town.

Decoy Country Park 2011

On Tuesday we took our annual Baptist Church trip to Decoy Country Park. As ever, the day started with rain but God was good and answered our prayers for the sun was shining from a blue sky as we arrived in Newton Abbot. I took the kids out on the lake on canoes, and we all enjoyed a BBQ at Bruce's and Eunice's home.

Creation Fest

A few days at Creation Fest, a Christian Music Festival and Bible week was enjoyed under a Cornish sun, albeit with a chilly wind. As well as some excellent music and great talks, we enjoyed an afternoon on cycling on the Camel Trail from Wadebridge to Padstow.

Cruising

Lynn and I took advantage of a few free days to have a first small cruise on Lucy M. We visited Brixham, Teignmouth and the upper reaches of the River Dart.

Working woman

Lydia is now between serials! A levels are completed and University is beckoning. So, she now is part of the sales staff at Sainsbury's where it is rumoured she can construct a mean Latte. On her days off she needs to relax, so this week we took a walk out to Little Dartmouth, a favourite haunt.

Sailing on Pinafore

Last week I traveled to Brighton to sign on as crew on the good ship Pumpkin. After being shown to my cave, I dug out my sailing togs and we duly set sail - westward ho! Great plans had been shrinking as the year went on, and plans for the Caribbean, then the Channel Isles had become as quest for west to Dartmouth and possibly beyond. A long first day; long due to lightness of wind and contrariness of same, gave us an excuse to spend a day in the splendid Chichester Marina. We escaped this haven for the delights of the Folly Inn before running under a strengthening wind for Southsea, when we were holed up for 3 days whilst gales and rain tried to do their worst. The week ended with a delightful sail back to Brighton, force 3-4 on the starboard quarter (sounds painful). Pinafore is up for sale as the Durdin clan want to move onto a larger vessel to accommodate their expanding family. Hero of the week: Sophia, of course!