Burnham-on-Sea Lighthouse

Staggered by the amount of traffic on the roads and the service stations were heaving, so I was pleased we were only stopping to eat our sandwiches.

As the weather was good we also stopped at Burnham-on-Sea for a walk along the beach and to see this strange lighthouse, built in 1832. It is supposed to have alternate red and black stripes, but as far as I could tell, without walking out to sea, it is now a black band.

Ensconced in our bijou apartment in Woolacombe on the north Devon coast and even at getting on for 8 pm there are still surfers, doing what surfers do.

JJ and I are both in shock after learning of the sudden death of one of our close friends. Vicky started feeling unwell a couple of months ago but it was only recently that she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and she died yesterday morning on her daughter’s 33rd birthday. She was full of life and there were never enough hours in the day. She ran, played competitive badminton, tennis and enjoyed hiking in the Pyrenees. She ran the Autism unit at Mark Rutherford Comprehensive in Bedford and it was named after her several years ago. She was just 65.