Paignton Surprise

It was a military operation for mum and Liv to travel (first class) to Paignton, for me to hide behind the stairs at the station so that Liv couldn't see me, and then me getting on the train at Exeter St Davids to Paignton. But we did it, and oh she was so shocked to see me :) Caitlin wasn't as surprised but I keep forgetting she is only 2. In the evening we went to see Sammy the sea horse, after watching bingo. I can't explain how boring watching bingo is.

The next day we got up early, well in a caravan with cardboard between each room, when one of you is up, you are all up and I had the kettle next to my head. I knew of my families love of tea but I didn't realise it started at 6am :) Mum didn't believe we could all be out the door in 1.5 hours but we proved her wrong and headed to the train station. Four of us in the car, with Liv and Nanny Jenny on the free bus. We boarded the steam train and I was a kid in a sweet shop. I do love steam trains, the smell, the way they move so slowly, the carriages. Maybe I should have been a train driver. The train follows the coast around to Kingswear.

We boarded the passenger ferry for a windy trip across to Dartmouth where we walked around the shop and had a hot chocolate. I then discovered the age range of visitors as a large group of elderly women paid £17 in coppers from their purses. How did they carry it around? Back on the ferry, and back on the train to Paignton. After yet another cup of tea, it was off to the clubhouse for bingo (we didn't win) and Sammy the sea horse. Is it bad that I'm starting to know the songs? By this time, all of the adults were flagging but the kids were in the softplay, as wide awake as they were in the morning.

The next day we had a lazy morning (with multiple cups of tea), and then it was off to swimming. I learned that you actually have to wear a wet suit to take children swimming, it's so cold bobbing up and down! Back at the caravan and another cup of tea but then it was time to leave. A gorgeous weekend, with my gorgeous family, in gorgeous weather. Perfect (well apart from the fact that my gorgeous fiance was in Paris :( )

Surprise at Shaldon

Strangely we never went to the beach over the summer, we seem to prefer to go when it's blowing a gale in the autumn and winter. Spoilt for choices living in the South West, this time we thought we would try Shaldon, acccessed over the mighty bridge between Teignmouth and Shaldon. Shaldon is rather surprising how quaint it is. Each of the cottages are completely different, the roads are too small for cars, garden gates have signs for a BMX photo competition, a bird talk that cost 50p. There was a real sense of community even though we didn't meet anyone. We must be used to costa prices too because the tea shop with coffee costing £1.50 and a bowl of chips and cheese for £1.75, well we had to read it twice.

Lazy way to enjoy the forest

Our red tree in the park is getting more and more vibrant so we decided that it would be a perfect time to go and see the autumn colours. However, we forgot that Haldon forest is predominantly pine so doesn't change colours. The brown bracken was a different colour though :) We've had issues at Haldon before in going 'off piste' so this time we decided to stick to the proper route and did a full circle. The peaceful walk however was interupted by high vis jacketted people on a sedgeway, one of those motorised scooters that make people look like they should be in 'back to the future'...not a forest in Devon!