Don't be fooled...

by the bright-looking scene here.
The weather has been pants. (The distant white water on the sea gives a bit of a clue) Lots of nasty, windy, wet, hailing, howling, chilly nonsense.
But there was a brief break in the nasty stuff and the sun came out for a few minutes today. We went to the garden centre for brunch to experience a bit of Richard and Rachel time and then came back to walk the dog.

I simply cannot do this view justice. The best way to see it is with your eyes. My photography isn't good enough nor is my camera (although it was very enthusiastic about getting some good close-ups on the brambles, bless it), and even the best wide-angled lens isn't as good as wide-angled eyesight.
My younger sister loves this place. She lives in Oxford these days but says when she gets to this spot she knows she is home. The place is called No Man's Land and is over the hill from Braunton looking down into Saunton where our Mum's grandparents used to be tenant farmers. The view to the left is even more impressive - down the coast to Clovelly and Hartland, but the sun was in my eyes and the poor little camera didn't like it either.

It's grey, freezing, and has hailed a few times since I took this shot. It's going to get worse too, apparently. I hope the cows are okay.

We took the dog for a walk when we got back - just before the weather got hideous again and I had a chat with some very cute muddy piglets. They were not impressed with my pig noise impression though.

I struggle a bit with the lead up to Christmas. These last days of school before the Christmas holidays remind me of the day I got the call to say Dad was coming home to die and I had to go to school concerts and write cards and wrap presents even though I wanted time to stand still.

I found my peace lily dead in the study this afternoon and was probably more upset than I should have been. I bought it in 1988 just before I met Richard. So we've been through a lot together.

It's in the kitchen sink right now being treated to sparkling mineral water. I desperately want to save it. I guess it's some sort of parallel...