David and Jo's Adventures: Devon and Cornwall

Arrived at Chapelthorne in Spreyton to a loving meal and to spend a week with Susan and Peter doing jobs before they fly to South Africa. Susan gave me a riding lesson in her riding school on her magnificent Theo. She said I had good posture and did well.

The getting off wasn’t very ladylike!

One of our first jobs was blowing the autumn leaves 🍁

The dogs have a great life here but do get very muddy. This is Bertie 💕

Started a walk from Fingle Bridge up one side of the Teign and back again.

Little did we know we had chosen a day when there was a 10km run on and 600 runners were coming in the opposite direction.

Lucy a friend of Susan’s came with us and she was off to Western Australia the next day.

After the walk we had a delicious roast at The Tom Cobley in Spreyton.

Still the best we have had in the whole of England and Wales.

We spent a while sorting out some of Susan and Peter’s STUFF! Some to the lock up some to the charity shop and some to the tip.

Susan was pleased to be getting more organised.

At the tip.

We went to visit Steve the local builder on one of his latest projects to borrow his chainsaw. David had plenty of questions for him about the build.

David cleaned the windows inside and out of the riding school.

Stacking up the wood shed with old logs to make room for the new.

Jo and Bertie love going on the gator too.

We cut down 4 trees and cut them up into logs.

Horses new bedding day. With a little bit of help from my friend.

Susan grooming Tristan.

While Susan was lunging the horses in the school David trimmed the stretched rubber mats from the stables.

One evening they treated us to one of the best meals we have ever had.

Pre dinner dinner drinks.

Jo’s entree (they call it a starter here) Chantilly mushroom gnocchi.

Jo’s main venison with Foie Gras

A delicious peach dessert.

The restaurant is an old cottage/Inn. The couple live there and the husband is the chef. They are in the Michelin Guide. Great food/ambiance and company.

Off to Cornwall today for the weekend and called in to a couple of coastal villages that we had walked through on the South West Coast Path in 2015. This is Mevagissey.

We stopped off at Marks and Spencer’s in Truro do do some Christmas shopping.

Arrived in Penryn to stay with Auntie Pat and were very pleased to see her home and looking better than when she was in Hospital. Debbie picked me up and we did a bit of shopping.

We then spent the day playing with the new 8 puppies.

Jo was in her element 💕

David and Gary went pheasant shooting for the day with Fern the grandmother of the puppies.

It was great to see the well trained dogs working.

Catch of the day plus some pigeons. A bit early in the season so not many about.

Gary looking the part and David trying to look the part.

When the boys returned Gary prepared four pigeon breasts in chilly and garlic.

There must have been something wrong with the gun David had as he couldn’t hit anything! (Thank goodness) you have to be very fit as a lot of strenuous walking involved.

They had plenty of cups of tea/slo gin/port and slow cooked venison rolls. Great banter that David really had to closely listen to with their thick Cornish accents. We can understand why Gary enjoys it so much.

While the boys were out shooting Debbie and Jo put on silly hats/drank gin and sorted out some of the dining room. Debbie is a bit of a hoarder 😂

Delicious pigeon.

All around to Pats for a Chinese takeaway.

Yes it’s Sunday again! Off to Trelowarren Arms in Budock Water.

This roast certainly gives The Tom Cobley a run for its money.

Amy Deb and Jo

Back at Chapelthorne Susan and Peter left for S.A and gave us a jobs list which we asked for. It’s too wet to paint the house at the moment so will do that another time.

David started a patio outside the potting shed.

2 horses arrived (Mizzle and Lady) to be looked after for a week while their owners went to Tenerife.

Alison has arrived together with all the healthy snacks. This has made David very happy.

Cooked a nice meal and started a new puzzle that kept Jo and Ali up into the wee hours each night.

Bertie and Elsa 💕

Linda and Ian came up to visit us for the day. It was a very wet one so we enjoyed lunch and introduced them to Mexican Train -think they are hooked. They enjoyed watching Ali lunge the horses in the school and Ian even helped us with the puzzle.

David getting a bit irritated about all the different recycling rules everywhere we go!

Ali trying to look glamorous while watching David paint the inside of the garage.

Jo and Ali went food shopping and Jo went through a pot hole 🕳 on the side of a narrow lane. It was too dangerous to change the shredded tyre so had to direct the traffic while waiting for a tow truck.

The pot hole 🕳

In the tow truck. Cost us £107 in total but we are hoping to get it back from Devon Council. The next day the hole had been filled in!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🎄

Bertie and Lucy enjoying the wood fire.

Val and Malcolm drove up from Christchurch for the weekend for a bit of r&r after Val’s operation.

Jo cooked beef stroganoff with roast potatoes and cauliflower cheese.

Jo cleaning the chandelier with plenty of jokes about the Only Fools and Horses episode !

Had a walk with the dogs to Fingle Bridge.

Lunch in the pub.

Pooper scouting 💩

Val looks so well after her op. Let’s hope her results are good.

At Mill End Hotel which Peter and Susan used to own.

Jo cooked an Indian meal that night.

Theo. Val and Malcolm packed up to head back home after a great weekend. They loved the property and all the animals. Val has since called to inform us she is cancer free and needs no further treatment. What a relief and such great news.

Ali David and I at The Tom Cobley YES! It’s Sunday again!

David kept the 3 Christmas crackers for us for Christmas Day at Loch Ness with our Jess.

Very chilly at night.

And in the mornings look at this frost.

David started the big job of painting the panels in the school. It was very cold in there.

Look at this ice on the water butt!

Zoom to see David painting and see how big this riding school is.

Jo high pressure hosed 4 cars and everything that didn’t move!

Elsa’s turn for a bath 💕

Ali cleaning the tack while watching a 6 part Uk tv series called Gold Digger -it was very good.

David getting on with the patio.

The stable driveway getting pressure washed. Elsa will fetch anything that you throw for her.

Leaf mulching.

David and Ali got a haircut tonight.

Off to Exeter for the evening in our Christmas jumpers to meet Adam -Linda and Ian’s son.

Adam in his lovely bachelor pad cooking us a veggie curry.

At the Exeter Christmas markets.

A baby in a manger? What’s that got to do with Christmas!

Back at Chapelthorne Sue and Peter have returned from their trip and couldn’t wait to go to their lock up to get the decorations. Jo helped Peter put the tree up.

At The Three Crowns in Chagford Sue and Peter treated us to lunch. It was very festive.

Jo finished decorating the tree and with so many lights left over decided to put them up outside all along the front of the house and even gave the horses in the stable a Christmas tree 🎄. The pictures didn’t do them justice.

A great walk from Mill End Hotel to Fingle Bridge and back again with Susan and the dogs.

Lots of berries on the holly mean snow on Christmas Day-yes please!

Ham egg and chips at the pub -our favourite

Sunday morning in between cooking a roast beef dinner Jo cut Susan’s hair and we both packed up our room. What a great time agin we have had here. A new jobs list has started for when we return.