Dartmoor morning blows crisp after the rain

Finally, a respite from the storms and the never-ending rain.  All of Dartmoor resembles a massive bog over which we squelch and squerch to feel released from the cabin-fever of oppressive weather.  Sunshine.  It's the simple things in life that we really need.

Dartmoor near Horndon Down, Tavistock

Autumn in the Lew Valley

Whilst I write this looking out at angry horizontal rain and shrubs that hold their limbs up in surrender to the wind, I remember not two days ago when our lovely Lew valley looked like this:

Lew Valley Pasture and Autumn Trees

Perhaps such gentle pastoral scenes are now gone for a while.

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The autumn colours this years have been excellent despite the awful weather that has prevailed.

I want the rain to stop.  Anyone else?

Bude on a Big Wave Day

I was working near Bude today and noticed the size of the swell even from the road some distance away.  It was, as they say, "awesome!".

I managed to squeeze half an hour looking at the waves at the end of the day.  They were absolutely beautiful, big, clean and slightly scary.

Bude waves

Waves near Bude Breakwater

Bude Big Waves

Tavistock's Rainbow

Friday morning on November 9th in Tavistock saw an extraordinary sight.  The storm clouds parted for a while to let in some sharp sunlight created a set of fabulous rainbows.  People stopped in their tracks and admired them.  There were two distinct arches with the main one repeating at least twice immediately below it.

These were from my iPhone, but capture something of the moment:

Tavistock's Rainbow

Rainbow over Tavistock

Bonfire Night, Coryton

Remember, remember the 5th of November.

Thanks to the O'Neills for a great bonfire party.

Bonfire Night and Guy, near Tavistock

Commemorating the failed plot of Guy Fawkes in 1605 to blow up Parliament, bonfire night came about because King James introduced an act that forced people to celebrate the plot's failure by having bonfires on November 5th.  The whole plot was about religion; the protestants suppressing the catholics.  Religion seems to be somewhat prevalent in the root cause of so many conflicts, methinks.

Strangely, it also ties in with Samhain, a Gaelic festival at the end of the harvest season that goes back at least to the 10th Century, when bonfires were lit.  These festivals were seen as when a 'door' to the otherworld was opened so that the souls of the dead could travel across and be celebrated.  All Soul's Day, All Saint's Day, Hallowmas, All Hallow's Eve, Halloween, the Day of the Dead.... the renaming of ideas and festivals is particularly evident at this time of year.

Still, I love a good bonfire and firework display.

Padstow, Cornwall

Sunny Padstow, cool ride on a speed boat, posh fish & chips and colourful boats...

Padstow boats