It’s not my intention to go into too much detail in this post, but at the back end of 2020 we had some very sad news concerning the health of my mother which didn’t promise the upcoming year as one to look forward to very much. Although the next 6 to 7 months were very rough, she eventually responded well to the treatment giving us more time together than we initially thought we would have (and still do). We didn’t know that at the time though and with my 40th birthday on the horizon a decision was made to spend a July weekend together at a cottage in South Devon. Invited would be my mum, her partner Stuart and my sister Sarah, who was also celebrating her 10 year anniversary to her husband Andy and their two children, Savannah and Sam.
Of course, things would become even more complicated and thanks to Covid, our plans to all be together were dashed. The Government decided that groups of two or more households exceeding 6 people would be illegal. With the numbers we had, that only left one option – that I would need to drop out from staying.
Naturally this was upsetting, but it meant the weekend could still go ahead almost as planned for most of us! As for me, fortunately the house booked was just outside of East Allington. A bit of a drive, but one I could reasonably make each day from Exeter and that’s just what I did.
On the first day we met at Bigbury-on-Sea. An utterly beautiful beach overlooking picturesque Burgh Island. Sadly the weather wasn’t with us and it was a cloudy day with the occasional shower. Nevertheless, it was a fun time and the children loved exploring the rock pools. At the end of the day I headed back to the cottage to grab some pics of the children feeding the alpaca and playing on the play equipment on the grounds of the holiday cottage.
On the following day we met at Hope Cove, meeting up with my Uncle too. From there we walked over the hilltop to South Milton Sands for some fries and coffee. This is one of my most favourite spots in Devon and although I didn’t snorkel this time, I did get the drone out for a short flight. It was a much brighter day too and I think all of us caught the sun a little.
To finish the day we drove to Torcross and The Start Bay Inn for a big plate of freshly caught fish and chips. They do the best I’ve ever had and this was no exception.
The following are a bunch of snaps taken on the main digital camera, the film camera and the drone that best tell the story of the weekend. This isn’t especially a blog post to show off images … it’s one personal to me … of precious time with family.
As I am currently loosing my mom, I can attest to the fact that having as much shared time with your loved ones is a blessing. Good on you for making the extra effort.
I think overall I feel very fortunate. It’s her 70th birthday in a week and two years ago I didn’t think we’d ever make it to this point. Yet here we are and I am ever so grateful. Thoughts with you and your Mum and all you are going through.