In June we had to return to the UK to complete the purchase of our house in Ivybridge, Devon. It is a former mission hall in the old part of the town and looks quite spectacular inside and out. We took the opportunity of the empty house to sand and varnish floors and to paint walls. Then we furnished it and set about renting it out as self catering holiday accommodation. Lorna organised most of it and got it all together in a busy 8 weeks in mid summer, I am grateful and very impressed with the hard work that it took. Having an empty house didn’t sit well with our morals and the house took its first holiday guests on 1st August, it is called Blachford Hall check it out. One morning we found a local resident trapped on the terrace, he helpfully rolled into a ball to be carried to safety.

It was great to be in Devon for mid summer and luckily we got invited out on some sailing trips. Mostly local sailing to Cawsand bay to swim in the sea but Lawrence went on the Eddystone pursuit race with Andy and Sally Brown. The challenge became to keep the boat moving as the wind died away to nothing. Still, the company and food were great so it was a great day out.