Birthday Surprise

To mark Pam's 70th, the girls organised a surprise weekend event in the Wye Valley. Having wound her up previously with conversations about aeroplane wing walking and hot air ballooning, we settled in to a comfortable home-from-home, overlooking the River Wye. A pattern of short walks and big meals supplemented by snacks and chocolates was established. On Sunday, David, Liz and Ken, Janet and Nick plus Catherine all appeared, much to Pam's surprise. After much laughter, abuse and reminiscing, the party dispersed with a hard-core staying on until Monday morning. A photo album is available here and the movie of the making of the weekend is also available. 

Sunny, Two Foot And Glassy

With a warm Saturday, light winds and a few little waves promised, we got up early to make the most of it. The morning session was glassy and fun, little sets of 2' plus gave plenty of scope for all. After lunch, bigger sets and more wind made it a little more challenging. Tim FT and Grandma turned up for the afternoon, Tim hiring a SUP. 3 hours AM and 3 hours PM left us pooped. Tim FT was most improved novice, Tim T took the prize for best all round surfer. Click for video. 

Cleeve Cliffs

Tim & Jerry swung about the Cleeve Hill crags on ropes on a pleasant afternoon. With views over the soon-to-be-busy racecourse, they tried out belaying from below, thereby avoiding the still slightly parky March winds which whistle around the top. As other climbers arrived, the opportunities to enjoy loose bits of sandstone on the head increased and the boys decided to save up for helmets! After giving their fingertips a good thrashing, they retired satisfied. Claire took lots of pictures at jaunty, interesting angles. Uploaded pictures here. 

Cranham Woods

J & H rolled through and hid out in the woods at Cranham on a sunny morning. H's confidence on the more technical bits grew and the ride gave a good workout in beautiful countryside, which was a bonus. Short video. 

Simpson Mansions

With estate improvements in full swing Chez Les Simpsons, we volunteered our secateurs for a weekend on site. Obviously, with the sun threatening to make an appearance Simo and Jerry had to break away to see how chilly the North Devon waters are (in comparison to Indonesia). With Shin-High waves and Saturday morning nicely taken care of, we dug up stuff and built outbuildings big time, earning a Sunday lunch feast. Plans to make a pie out of the wildlife in the bottom paddock will have to wait.