Ron, Sam and I set off for Devon around 10am on another dreary day! Jean and Chris were clearing out his mother's house in Bideford (she had died recently) and we went down to help with the heavy stuff, as well as to have a few days break visiting Devon and Cornwall. We had an uneventful journey through some of the most beautiful countryside, with wonderful "patchwork" fields and soft greenery.
We reached Bideford mid-afternoon where we received a very warm welcome. Joan, Chris's mum, had a thing for badgers and there were lots of badger-type ornaments, mugs, pictures etc. in the house as well as some really nice furniture, albeit 70s style which was to be given to a charity shop. Apparently six badgers used to visit the garden in the evenings until a neighbour, who didn't like them, blocked their access.
Bideford is a lovely town, where Ron's parents lived in their retirement - Charles Kingsley wrote The Water Babies there, and called it the Little White Town. His father was a Vicar in the area and the family lived there for a while. Although Ron had stayed in Bideford in 1980, with Di and Julie when his father was terminally ill, I had never been there so it was good to finally see all the places I'd heard about.
As we didn't have internet access whilst we were in Devon, the journal is now being updated.
