A Saturday Morning Trip to the Honey-Shop!

The Galmpton “Honour System” – Walking to the Honey-Shop on a Saturday Morning! (30.8.2025)

Having stayed in Galampton a number of times now – my parent’s house is full of various medical paraphernalia – we noticed a sign (one of many) outside a beautiful brick-work #(chocolate-box) cottage – advertising local honey. Although this sign is a permanent fixture, we were never quite sure if the honey is available all year round – and we did not want to bother the owners. I could just imagine a startled villager as their sedate and isolated cottage is over-ran by a loud South London family – and their two-dogs!

Galmpton Art Exhibition! (24.8.2025)

The local people are polite and inquisitive as the place is linked to Agatha Christie and during the Summer months they get hundreds of international visitors. The place is old, pretty and quaint. As this was the last day of the Exhibition – we thought we should go! The following videos allow you to experience our journey as if you are part of group! This a more conventional art exhibition – avoiding the modern variety – which tries to convince us that a White square on a white background constitutes “art”! Luckily, this type of of nonsense has not yet permeated it’s way to Galmpton!

Diane Wyles c. 1975 - of the Lakota Tribe!

Torquay: Strange Goings within the English Riviera! (24.5.2025)

Above is my esteemed mother – Diane Wyles – and you can see the “Asian” influence – in this instance she is distantly linked to the squaws of Lakota Sioux – who defeated Custer at the Little Big Horn (it’s a long story). The Lakota women cut holes in the dead Custer’s ears – so that in his next life he would “listen”. As I have said many times, my family is ethnically mixed and proud to be so. My mother today is in her late 70s and very much the victim of an uncaring and collapsing British State. Her body is ageing and fragile but her spirit is strong.

UK: Visiting Haytor – Dartmoor National Park! (17.4.2025

We were committed to traversing directly up before we fully appreciated the difference. Nevertheless, hundreds climb Haytor every week – with wild Dartmoor ponies wandering around the car-park area. These animals may – or may not – come over for a stroke, but visitors must be careful not to be bitten, head-butted, or kicked, etc. This does not happen very often – but wild animals should be respected. Another issues are yapping dogs (which must be kept on leads). As matters transpired, there was one or two calm and sedate ponies that wanted to be stroked and petted, etc. The general experience is important for children – particularly those from city areas – to re-connect with nature and experience the feeling that the immensity of nature – wide-open spaces – can generate! I last visited probably about 20-years ago with Gee – but our two children not yet born.

Inside the Castle!

Torbay: Berry Pomeroy Castle – Tudor Ruins! (2.4.2024)

During the 1500s, Elizabeth I was an absolute monarch (as was her father – King Henry VIII) – who preferred to live in and around the Nonsuch Park area – including Hampton Court Palace (which is no longer used by the royal family). However, there was once a “Nonsuch Palace” which does not exist today. After Elizabeth I died (1603 CE) – many of the castles she frequented were no long favoured by the royal family – leading to these buildings falling into neglect and ruin. This was the case with Nonsuch Palace which was so badly dilapidate that what was left of it had to be demolished in 1683 CE – for safety reasons – with the ruins being recycled into the constructon (or maintenance) of local buildings.

Busy Doing Nothing!

Greemway Gardens: Encountering the “Robin”! (29.12.2023)

Indeed, within the behaviour of these birds is the history of their interaction with humans and the surrounding the environment. Interestingly, there are photographs on display in the house that record the physical presence of family cats – but I suspect that as the house is so big and the grounds so extensive – these cats probably never ventured very far out of the house and into the gardens. Of course, Gee managed to find a cluster of bamboo shrubs probably planted by Agatha Christie – or at least one of her servants.

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