Post by Dave on Mar 13, 2011 18:44:22 GMT
Sunday 13th March 2011
One of the things I miss most in my life right now, are the wonderful and enjoyable Sunday afternoon walks I always did with Carol. Quality time spent in the company of a quality lady, who was always prepared to go along with anything I wanted to do. We sure got lost a number of times, ended up walking so much further than we had planned and got into a few right pickles a number of times as well as a few dangerous situations. But we always found our way back home and lived to tell the tale.
Walks of discovery, learning, adventure and just dam good fun and all for free, just the cost in petrol to get to the start of any chosen walk.
It seems so long ago the last walk we were able to do together and the next one seems so far away when and if it does ever happen. After working hard all week I hate staying in at weekends, I do have my football on Saturdays during the football season and I was going out on Sunday afternoons covering a few local woman football matches. But after my treatment and how I was made to feel at Stoke Gabriel recently, I feel half afraid to put myself in such a situation again in a hurry.
What a wonderful and beautiful day it has been in the Bay today, the sun shinning so brightly and just a very gentle breeze to prevent one getting to hot walking. It’s the sort if day that makes you feel good you are still alive and can breathe in air and have eyes that can see the effects the sun has on everything it touches.
Far too good a day to waste being sat in doors and so I decided to go out for a walk alone. I did not want to be too far a way from home, nor end up walking to far. Without my Mrs motivator beside me, if I had walked to far I might never have got back, so many times she has talked me and all most dragged me the last few miles back to our car. I knew it was not going to be so much fun alone, but I knew also I needed to go out and do it.
I decided to walk around Galmpton common, down to and through the village and out to the creek and back, surely little old Dave could manage to do that on his own. I parked right beside the common and so my Sunday afternoon walk began.
I have driven past the common millions of times before and find it very strange I have never once stepped foot on it. I wanted to see if the old goal posts were still there from the days the village football team once played all their home games on the common before moving just after the war to the ground they use now. Yes they were still there but the pitch markings have long since faded away.
Next was to check out the old windmill, sadly it has a wall in front of it and you can’t go inside it to take a good look at it, so I had to be content with just taking a picture from as close as I could get to it.
In the year of 1588, Sir John Gilbert of Greenway House, mustered 1,000 men on the common in order to prepare to repel a landing from the Spanish Armada; in 1688, villagers stood on the common watching the army of William of Orange, having landed at Brixham, march towards London.
At the bottom end of the common is the start of Slade Lane that leads down the village and comes out close to the Manor Inn. It’s narrow and has some wonderful houses along it that you would need a very large bank balance to buy.
Once at the bottom of Slade Lane you are on the main drag through the village, looking to your left you can see the Manor Inn that has fond memoires for me, well really for Mr Davybeat.
After a year of practice on his keyboards and trying to put a show togearther, he booked a party one October at the Blagdon Inn. It was for 50 family members and friends and it was done to see if Mr Davybeat really could do a show in public. Food had been paid for and provided for the 50 guests, well if the show did not go down to well, at least they would have all gone home will full bellies.
It was a great success and the Manor Inn was one of my customers when I was a self employed milkman and while collecting the milk money two days before Christmas Eve, I asked the landlord if he had any entertainment book for Christmas. No came back the reply and very soon I found myself offering him the services of Davybeat for free for a Christmas Eve special night.
So Mr Davybeat ended up doing his very first show in public and before the night was over was approached by some people from a con club who wanted to book him for a Saturday night. That was the very first paid gig he did and the next challenge was to get some venue to want to have him back and pay him again.
I turned right and headed through the village, the main road (lane) was closed due to road works, but pedestrians could still get through. There are now only two shops left in the village and they are both side by side. A general store and post office and a butchers. So many years ago now, my brother bought and ran the Copper Kettle tea rooms in the village, but it looks to me now it has gone and flats are now built where the tea rooms once stood.
Out of the village and I turned left down the lane that leads to Galmpton Creek. Just a short way along the lane I came to the old Lime Kiln that is in remarkable condition. It’s not a very long walk down to the creek and I have to be honest here, the creek itself is not anything to special that will blow your mind away.
But it’s a very quite and peaceful and I hardly saw anyone during the time I spent sitting and reflecting on my life sat on a stone wall there. Those I did see greeted me in the way you expect to be greeted down here in Devon whenever you are out on a walk or at such a location.
The Creek has been a boatbuilding centre for centuries - over 300 sailing trawlers were built during 150 years. In World War II wooden MTBs were built there, but now the area is dominated by pleasure craft.
I found some old steps that went into a field high above the creek and took them and struggled up the steep field to the top. I did not go any further as it looked to me I would be heading back toward Paignton and that would have ended up being a long walk back to my car. Also a very large bull like figure was in the next field I would have to walk through and he sort of made my mind up for me anyway to go on no further.
So it was back down to the creek and start heading back to the village and then on to the common to get to my car and drive home again. I did enjoy my walk and only wish I did not have to do it alone. But that is how it is right now and I’m not giving up hope, that one of these fine days, the love of my life and very best friend will once again be walking by my side.
The sun was out so bright, but strangly the moon was out as well, picture taken on 30X zoom
The reamins of an old wooden boat
One of the things I miss most in my life right now, are the wonderful and enjoyable Sunday afternoon walks I always did with Carol. Quality time spent in the company of a quality lady, who was always prepared to go along with anything I wanted to do. We sure got lost a number of times, ended up walking so much further than we had planned and got into a few right pickles a number of times as well as a few dangerous situations. But we always found our way back home and lived to tell the tale.
Walks of discovery, learning, adventure and just dam good fun and all for free, just the cost in petrol to get to the start of any chosen walk.
It seems so long ago the last walk we were able to do together and the next one seems so far away when and if it does ever happen. After working hard all week I hate staying in at weekends, I do have my football on Saturdays during the football season and I was going out on Sunday afternoons covering a few local woman football matches. But after my treatment and how I was made to feel at Stoke Gabriel recently, I feel half afraid to put myself in such a situation again in a hurry.
What a wonderful and beautiful day it has been in the Bay today, the sun shinning so brightly and just a very gentle breeze to prevent one getting to hot walking. It’s the sort if day that makes you feel good you are still alive and can breathe in air and have eyes that can see the effects the sun has on everything it touches.
Far too good a day to waste being sat in doors and so I decided to go out for a walk alone. I did not want to be too far a way from home, nor end up walking to far. Without my Mrs motivator beside me, if I had walked to far I might never have got back, so many times she has talked me and all most dragged me the last few miles back to our car. I knew it was not going to be so much fun alone, but I knew also I needed to go out and do it.
I decided to walk around Galmpton common, down to and through the village and out to the creek and back, surely little old Dave could manage to do that on his own. I parked right beside the common and so my Sunday afternoon walk began.
I have driven past the common millions of times before and find it very strange I have never once stepped foot on it. I wanted to see if the old goal posts were still there from the days the village football team once played all their home games on the common before moving just after the war to the ground they use now. Yes they were still there but the pitch markings have long since faded away.
Next was to check out the old windmill, sadly it has a wall in front of it and you can’t go inside it to take a good look at it, so I had to be content with just taking a picture from as close as I could get to it.
In the year of 1588, Sir John Gilbert of Greenway House, mustered 1,000 men on the common in order to prepare to repel a landing from the Spanish Armada; in 1688, villagers stood on the common watching the army of William of Orange, having landed at Brixham, march towards London.
At the bottom end of the common is the start of Slade Lane that leads down the village and comes out close to the Manor Inn. It’s narrow and has some wonderful houses along it that you would need a very large bank balance to buy.
Once at the bottom of Slade Lane you are on the main drag through the village, looking to your left you can see the Manor Inn that has fond memoires for me, well really for Mr Davybeat.
After a year of practice on his keyboards and trying to put a show togearther, he booked a party one October at the Blagdon Inn. It was for 50 family members and friends and it was done to see if Mr Davybeat really could do a show in public. Food had been paid for and provided for the 50 guests, well if the show did not go down to well, at least they would have all gone home will full bellies.
It was a great success and the Manor Inn was one of my customers when I was a self employed milkman and while collecting the milk money two days before Christmas Eve, I asked the landlord if he had any entertainment book for Christmas. No came back the reply and very soon I found myself offering him the services of Davybeat for free for a Christmas Eve special night.
So Mr Davybeat ended up doing his very first show in public and before the night was over was approached by some people from a con club who wanted to book him for a Saturday night. That was the very first paid gig he did and the next challenge was to get some venue to want to have him back and pay him again.
I turned right and headed through the village, the main road (lane) was closed due to road works, but pedestrians could still get through. There are now only two shops left in the village and they are both side by side. A general store and post office and a butchers. So many years ago now, my brother bought and ran the Copper Kettle tea rooms in the village, but it looks to me now it has gone and flats are now built where the tea rooms once stood.
Out of the village and I turned left down the lane that leads to Galmpton Creek. Just a short way along the lane I came to the old Lime Kiln that is in remarkable condition. It’s not a very long walk down to the creek and I have to be honest here, the creek itself is not anything to special that will blow your mind away.
But it’s a very quite and peaceful and I hardly saw anyone during the time I spent sitting and reflecting on my life sat on a stone wall there. Those I did see greeted me in the way you expect to be greeted down here in Devon whenever you are out on a walk or at such a location.
The Creek has been a boatbuilding centre for centuries - over 300 sailing trawlers were built during 150 years. In World War II wooden MTBs were built there, but now the area is dominated by pleasure craft.
I found some old steps that went into a field high above the creek and took them and struggled up the steep field to the top. I did not go any further as it looked to me I would be heading back toward Paignton and that would have ended up being a long walk back to my car. Also a very large bull like figure was in the next field I would have to walk through and he sort of made my mind up for me anyway to go on no further.
So it was back down to the creek and start heading back to the village and then on to the common to get to my car and drive home again. I did enjoy my walk and only wish I did not have to do it alone. But that is how it is right now and I’m not giving up hope, that one of these fine days, the love of my life and very best friend will once again be walking by my side.
The sun was out so bright, but strangly the moon was out as well, picture taken on 30X zoom
The reamins of an old wooden boat