Reminiscing

Tuesday 

9 July 

Day 9

88 to go

Snowdrop cottage, sits at 113 West Street in Hartland. Dad chose this place for us all to stay in, as his Grandparents lived in a 2 room, 1 up, 1 down cottage at 112. As it turns out, that was bulldozed some time ago and 113 has been built in its place. Staying here is quite significant. 

I slept really well, Paul did too, but was wide awake at 5am. I managed to keep sleeping, but began hearing voices downstairs, so joined them just after 7am. 

We sat around the kitchen table eating breakfast, chatting and organising the start of our day. First up was a walk around Hartland. Dad was pointing out buildings and homes of significance from his childhood and that family members lived in. Sometimes we followed the road, other times it was through the scratchy brambles. We went past Hartland PS where Dad went to school until 7 years old and then returned for high school.

Once back at the cottage, we decided on the rest of the day. Gathered our things and then Dad drove us on to Instow. We checked out the receding tide before heading to Sharon and John’s. They weren’t home,  but there were plenty of workers there putting in the driveway to their new home. 

With that done, we drove on to Barnstaple, to see Aunty Ruth. We had a wonderful time enjoying tea, cake and a chat. It is a shame I only get to do this every 10 years or so. The last time was in 2012. We were also able to video call Brad, so he could join the conversation. 

At 1.30pm, we said goodbye and drove into the town, for a wander around the busy streets and then off to the Weatherspoons for lunch. We attempted to find Ben’s restaurant, but didn’t have any luck. 

We drove on to Tescos for some needed groceries and then made our way to Bideford for an Hockings ice cream and a quick wander. We then returned to the cottage for a quiet evening in.  After dinner, Paul and I went for a walk around the town, checking out the local cemetery. I found Laura Jeffrey who was my Great Grandmother. There were plenty of others to look at as well, but I was unsure who was a relative, we continued our walk for a short while, before returning home, ready for a good night’s rest.