Family History, Musings, Travel

A Cuppa and a Natter in Devon

Suzanne

There are certain places we love to visit.
Places that, when revisited, have us smiling and happy to have returned.
They seem to feel “just right”.
The slice of paradise I am referring to is Devon.

You see, we know some lovely, warm-hearted characters that live there. With a few days between houses, we thought it would be an excellent time to catch up with a few of them and indulge in a spoon or two of that luscious clotted cream.

We flew from Geneva to Bristol using EasyJet. It is a budget airline, so don’t expect too much; you won’t be disappointed. We found nothing wrong with the service or flight, which was approximately an hour and a quarter. Upon landing, we encountered a welcoming gentleman at the immigration check-in. Yes, we have had an interesting assortment of people with differing attitudes when entering the UK. That story shall remain unwritten; we have learned much along the way.

Then, it was a short walk to the car rental office [Europcar]. We have used this company on numerous occasions. We have had no problems with the cars or the service we have received. Due to our booking being under “long-term hire” we have had discounts and an upgrade. We usually hire for more than a month.

Arriving in North Devon.

We found this link in 2005 [we came over in 2006] when we posted an old photograph in a local North Devon newspaper. Rosalie saw and exclaimed, “I know those faces”. With that comment, we spent many hours chatting about their shared history, creating new memories with regular visits.

Rosalie’s Uncle, as a child, remembers the squire’s great-grandfather’s return visit sometime before WW2. When they were to leave for their return voyage home on the other side of the world, it must have felt like an extraordinary thing to do and hard to comprehend for this young lad and the rest of the family members.

I referred to this young boy who is now 97 years old; he still lives independently, though not by choice, as his beloved wife Winnie passed away a few years ago.

He is affectionally known as Uncle Jimmy to many who know him.

We enjoyed listening to him tell us what new things he has been doing since we last saw him. One of those new things is trying out new exotic recipes with a friend down the road.

When not trying out new recipes, he can be found digging in his vegetable and flower garden on a sunny day. We also enjoy his intellect and sharp mind when discussing subjects or events from years gone by or current politics!

It reminds me of the saying, “Never give up believing that you can do it”.

Not far away from Uncle Jimmy is his sister, Nancy. At 93 years old, like her brother, she is fiercely independent, and with her sharp mind, we have had many thought-provoking conversations of gone-by times. Not forgoing her great sense of humour that had us in fits of laughter.

It has been a lovely few days, and the time went so fast visiting and chatting over a few cuppas’ with Rosalie and her family. It’s time to say goodbye and head to our next housesit in the South Hams, Devon.

 

 

Published by Suzanne

Travel and Life Musings from New Zealand and Beyond. . . . . . .

27 thoughts on “A Cuppa and a Natter in Devon”

  1. This all sounds lovely! Some of my friends moved to Devon and I am always so jealous when I visit. It is such a gorgeous area with beautiful coastal walks. 🙂

    I hope you’ll love East Devon too!

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  3. What an amazing experience to spend time with these wise and “crisp” siblings. Very fortunate to still be living independently at that age and having full lives with worldly visitors! 🙂

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  4. Nice post, great to catch up with family that you don’t get to see very often. We’re currently housesitting in Moretonhampstead in Devon and having a great couple of weeks. Hope yours is equally good.

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    1. Thanks Carol, it’s so lovely when we are reminded of good memories. Oh don’t mention the clotted cream, it goes so well with jam and scones!! So luscious 🙂

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  12. Thanks for a heartwarming read! Your acquaintances seem just lovely, and I think I would be happy spending a day chatting with them too. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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  15. Great write-up and love the photos – what an amazing pair for their age especially. I love speaking to elderly people with such history in their heads.

    Devon and the stunning walks there are gorgeous. 😉

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    1. Thanks Nilla, yes that was last year and we are looking forward to heading back in June to visit them all 🙂

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