Our last day in Torquay

The day started with a visit to nearby Kents Cavern. In sharp contrast to the underground tunnels of Exeter we saw on Tuesday, these entirely natural caves were extensive, huge, and extremely beautiful.

We visited the quirky little market-town of Totnes in the afternoon, but were too enthralled by the plethora of fascinating shops to take many photos.

Then it was back to the house the next day, stopping off on the way for a flying visit to Wellington in Somerset to see Grace's other two sisters. We had a great week with Christine and Mike, and now we have a handful of jobs to do before we return home to the boat. I can't wait!

Down to Somerset

Some weeks ago, Grace's eldest sister, Dorothy, underwent major heart surgery. It was very successful, and she was discharged from hospital within a few days, after which Grace's next eldest sister, Christine, stayed with her and looked after her. A week later, Grace and I drove down to Wellington to take over from Christine for a few days, stopping off at our house for a night on the way.

We were amazed and delighted to see how well Dorothy was recovering, and we enjoyed our stay with her. We returned last Sunday, again spending a night at the house on the way north. All of our driving had been badly affected by hold-ups on motorways, and it was nice to take a break! It's always good to spend time with the kids, too.

Back at Yelvertoft, we've had various jobs to do. We'd missed the Halloween event here, which had been a great success - as usual. I helped to dismantle the marquee on one of the two days the job took, but couldn't help on the second because of our extreme need for a major food-buying shopping trip.

On Wednesday we saw "Gone Girl" at the cinema, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

1. This film unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne reports that his beautiful wife, Amy, has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick's portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

The weather's been very changeable. We've had a couple of lovely, sunny days, but a fair bit of rain, too, and... the wind! It's rumoured that the owners of the marina are going to erect a wind turbine to generate electricity.

Grace is practising her canal art as I type, with a view to painting the roses and castles on Kantara when we have her repainted next year. I've done a lot of promoting of Said the Maiden, and got them airplays in eleven radio stations so far in the States. I have a long way to go still! In weather like this, it's good to settle down to doing things in the cosiness of the boat!

A weekend away

On Friday, we drove down to Wellington in Somerset, to celebrate with Grace's  family the 40th birthday of Kathryn, one of our nieces. We stayed in The White Hart Hotel in Wyveliscombe, just a few miles from Wellington, going to the party on Saturday afternoon, and taking in a couple of National Trust properties, one on Sunday, and the other on the way home today.

It came as something of a surprise to us that Kathryn was sharing her birthday celebration with her five year-old son, Jake, and three hours of the afternoon were filled with numerous small children and the attendant chaos. The magician/balloon modeller and the bouncy castle were a huge hit!

It was good to see a big chunk of Grace's family, and our three kids drove down to join us all, too. It was a good day.

Barrington Court is a beautiful old Tudor manor, once reduced to dereliction but fully restored in the 1920s by the Lyle family (of Tate & Lyle).

Hidcote Gardens were beautiful, despite the occasional rain and sleet showers. Unfortunately, all of the plants, trees and flowers are three to four weeks late because of the weather of the past months, but there was a lot to enjoy, and the visit made a welcome break in our journey home.

Back on Kantara again now, buffeted by high winds, but under a sunny, clear sky, we're contemplating the list of things to get done, and the cruising we hope to do in the months ahead.