Have You Seen A Horse With A Moustache?

As today was another gloriously sunny day we took the children for another walk, around Fernworthy Reservoir.  We crossed some little rivers:

Saw some mossy trees:

Found an ancient stone circle:

An old hut:

A hairy horse with a fabulous set of legs:

And his friend.  Who had a moustache!:

Just to prove I do exist, here I am with james: 

Making Me Happy Today

Spring is on its way.  The sun has been shining, the blossoms are on the tree in the school playground and there is a smell of freshly cut grass in the air. Bliss.

I've been excited that Brandi Carlile is back in the studio recording the next album, but I won't have to wait too long to hear some new music from the band as today I pre-ordered the live recording of their concerts at Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.  Brandi has the kind of voice that somehow sounds even better when you hear it live, I cannot wait to listen to the whole album and hear the familiar songs with new orchestral arrangements... roll on April 26th!

Megalithic Dartmoor

It cannot be denied; we're a family who love Dartmoor, so today we all took a hike:

Noah found a 'Funny rock to shelter under': 

After a steep climb we arrived at the top of Hookney Tor:

This is the view from Hookney Tor across the valley towards Hameldown (where we continued our hike).  In the centre you can see the circle of Grimspound:

Grimspound is a Bronze Age settlement (around 1300BC) which consists of twenty-four hut circles surrounded by a stone wall.  Here are the children in one of the remains of a roundhouse:

Here is James striking a manly pose at the south entrance of the settlement, with Hookney Tor in the background:

After a steep ascent to the top of Hameldown Tor, we found a trigonometry point and a cairn:

Close by were the remains of the ancient Hamel Down Cross.  In 1854 the Duke of Somerset had it inscribed with HC (Hamel Down Cross) and his initials DS. He used it as a boundary marker:

Did I mention I love where we live?  I truly do!

Fifteen Years

Happy anniversary Mr Miles, I've enjoyed looking at your cheeky face for the last fifteen years!

Shrove Tuesday

Dear Jay,
It's pancake day! We made our pancakes tonight and ate them with lemon juice and sugar. The children think I rock, I managed to toss every single one and none of them hit the ceiling or fell on the floor (as mum's often would). Rosie wants to know if you celebrate it even though you're in America. I hope you're not letting the side down!

Love Naomi xxx

Gigs Are Like Buses...

...you wait for ages then three come at once!  Last night James and I had another date, this time to see British band Kill It Kid in Exeter.  I've loved this band for a couple of years now and I was lucky to see them live supporting Brandi Carlile back in 2009.  (Don't you love it when a band you already like are supporting?)  Their sound could best be described as delta blues/Americana mixed with a whole lot of rock.  Chris Turpin's vocals are fabulous, so much volume and grit from such a young person, combined with the smooth voice of Steph Ward it is just a delightful experience to watch these guys.  We got to hear a few new songs last night, I can't wait for the new album.  Here's the first song I heard from Kill It Kid, give it a listen:

On a side note, this morning I just bought tickets to see Gregory Alan Isakov who I've loved for a couple of years but hasn't toured the UK in that time.  I'm so excited that he's going to be playing at a teeny tiny cafe in Torquay, the next town along from me... I don't have to go to London to see him... and it's in an imtimate venue!  Oh, the wait until June shall be toruture.

Monday's Smile Lines

Noah: 'Mummy, what work did you used to do before you did nothing?'

Slapton Sands

James had yesterday off so we took the children out for a long walk along Slapton Sands, we hadn't been there since the oldest children were little so it was great to visit again.  There is quite a history to the beach, it was used by the American forces to practice for the 1944 D-day landings in France.

Unfortunately over 900 American servicemen died during one rehearsal named 'Exercise Tiger'.  It was good to be able to talk to the children about the history of the area and the sacrifices that were made for us.  They loved seeing the Sherman Tank that was recovered from the bottom of the sea where it had rested for 40 years.  It now stands as a memorial to those that died.  We continued our walk along the beach and found some treasures:

At one end of the beach is the small village of Torcross.  It has beautiful thatched and slate roof cottages lining the seafront and the children decided that when we are rich we will buy one and live here:

I couldn't agree more, it was so beautiful, even on a dull day.  We climbed some steps up to the cliffs:

And back down:

We had our lunch in this gorgeous B&B cafe that overlooks the sea:

The interior was just as lovely, it was bright and decorated in a Cath Kidston style mixed with a little sea memorabilia:

The food was organic home cooked fare and I had the most tasty pasty accompanied by a salad that was like no salad I have ever eaten before.  It consisted of lettuce, red onion, sweetcorn, green pepper, pineapple, red grapes, oranges and tomatoes.  Delicious!  I want to go back to Slapton already.

Is Spring Coming?

It's half term this week and the children have been quite lucky with the weather.  Today was especially good, it was beautifully sunny and warm.  Ben had gone out on his BMX with a friend to attempt a drop into the big bowl (that's bike talk, I'm pretending I know what it means) so I took the rest of us out for a walk around the village... without coats!  We of course had to start at the village church:

And jump over the stream:

We passed the little archway that led into a secret garden:

And walked along the estuary to the marshes:

It was delicious to have the sun warm our faces!

A Change Will Do You Good

This shabby little sofa has graced us with its presence for years.  It was a hand-me-down (cheers Jay) that fit our living room perfectly.  It has endured our babies and toddlers and was looking in rather bad shape.  I tried to find another sofa the right size to replace it, but had no luck so I decided to spruce it up myself.  I bought some new foam for the base cushions and re-used the feather pillows for the back cushions, designed some new covers with red fabric and painted the wooden base white.  It looks so different, I like how adding some more colour has changed my living room.  Also, James thinks I'm awesome for doing it.  Win win I say!