Packed week in Devon

Two weeks of annual leave for me meant a week in Devon with six guests and a packed itinerary involving catching up with all my favourite people. Barry Parsons is moving away sadly, so we had what will probably be the last catch up while he is still living in his house in Devon. I love Barry to bits and his partner Tom, and I pledged to keep in touch and I will visit him in his new place, assuming it all goes through, in the Lake District somewhere. I hit it off with Barry when I was manning our Association office during the 2017 election, and we realised we both sang and immediately arranged a concert in Sheepwash together! We’ve chewed each other’s ears off moaning about our woes, politics (he was a councillor) and celebrated our successes (he was very proud of me when I held my first Association Zoom meeting this week with Nadhim Zahawi, the vaccine minister). Barry is a really good friend and I will miss him a lot. Thank goodness for video calls!!

Saw lots of other people, including my lovely neighbour Linda who was back from Portugal, finally. We had a right old gossip and a catch-up! She’s going to be on slug duty for me to help protect the hostas with Richard Jackson’s plant food, which I’ve left a good supply of. 🙂 Assuming her house doesn’t sell too quickly. I will have a new next door neighbour in Sheepwash when “Luke’s Cottage” sells!

I cooked some lovely meals, as usual! I managed on my own quite well, I thought. I was doing over 12,000 steps per day however, and that’s without going for a walk (no dog, Daisy is with brother in Kent, don’t forget) or doing gardening! Forgot to take my charger so Fitbit ran out of charge before the end of the week, so I probably did more than that. I need to, I have my health scan coming up next week, the annual one with Nuffield. Eek!

The weather was nice on quite a few of the days, which meant alfresco dining on one of the lunchtimes for my retreat guests! I was very happy for them! It was a great week and they are all wonderful people and talented writers. It always inspires me to finish my book, but I told them I’m not talking about doing it anymore because I just need to get it done and everyone is sick of me saying I’m going to! (But I will, one day!) #FrenchOrDutch

Snippets

Vlog – Baa, Baa ‘back, sheep!’  

Look what happened when I went to visit my lovely friend Alix in Belstone. The local sheep had been chewing their way around the village and did this! Go here to see it on my latest video blog (vlog), on my Facebook page. No wonder everyone has to keep their gates closed! Search around on my social media for more videos from my week in Devon.

Building site

Remember when I used to post pictures from a really busy Hatherleigh Market? Look back on my social media to 2017. Every Tuesday I would go and it was heaving with stalls and people with lots of places to park. Well, now it’s a building site. There is one sad little hut with some of my favourite suppliers still in there. Whether I’m getting plants from Madewell or jam from Pauline, and fresh local eggs, cheese from the little cheese shop and bread from the bread man… it makes such a difference to have this local touch. I really hope they find somewhere for them all to go but Hatherleigh market as we all knew it is no more. Very sad. Sheena, one of my best besties, came with me and we had a delightful lunch in the café down the main high street though, as the George was closed because their boiler was broken! It was lovely to have a catch up with one of my best friends as we talked grandbabies, trials and tribulations!

‘Holsworthy-Sheila’

Don’t you just love it! Dear friend Sheila (Holsworthy-Sheila!) is pictured here in the main square of her hometown, as we walked around the town before we grabbed a cup of tea in the new posh Totty‘s café. Thing is, she had to have a sit down as she kept saying hello to so many people – by name – it never ceases to amaze me! She’ll always know someone, who knows someone, who knows the person we’re talking to! It was always the same when she used to come into our tea room at my place, half an hour away from her home! The beauty of having local roots. Lovely to see her again as usual. Holsworthy is another town where the market is disappearing before your very eyes. Used to be busy on a Wednesday but now just the few stalls in the background. Lots of cafés though, so that’s nice!

Watch

Didn’t have time to watch anything! One thing I will be watching from Sunday 13th though is the new news channel GB News, run by Andrew Neil. Cannot wait! Also eyed up some films – would love to see Cruella with the two famous Emmas, the Anthony Hopkins movie called The Father, and one or two others. Must get back into the habit of going to the cinema though!! You?

Blooper 

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Podcast 

Carrying on with the beauty theme for June, Will sat down with Dr Esho for a chat. Next week, he’s catching up with Bareminerals‘ Daniel Smythe and Hayley Wicks. You can listen to them all here.

Book of the week

Trisha Ashley’s ‘Garden of Forgotten Wishes’ has been keeping me amused, it is very charming and you learn a lot about plants! Easy listening, gentle storyline, some interesting characters. Not particularly fond of the wrong intonation inflicted on the listener by the narrator though. But well written, recommended! I was going to mention ‘The Bench’, but I decided against it… 🙂 I do like to recommend well-written books on here! What are you reading at the moment?

QVC top deals for the next seven days

Friday (today) – go here to see and buy what’s left of the SBC four-piece Acids collection, What a great offer!

Saturday – it’s here at last! the Gatineau Age Benefit Regenerating Skincare five-piece collection, with the brand-new serum launch. They know a thing or two about serums this company, so the new one has been eagerly anticipated. Here is my take on it.

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And the best way to buy it is whilst it is a Today’s Special Value.

Sunday – it’s a lighting one with a set of eight Bell & Howell eight lumen swivel solar disc lights. Michael Perry has several shows too, as it is a big gardening morning! Yay.

Big Deals are available on air for usually a week, they may be longer online if stocks last. New ones every Sunday night!

Moda in Pelle Periar wedge sandals
Hollywood Browzer four-piece dermaplaning kit
Carole Hochman Tropical Cheetah luxe jersey kaftan
Tili PRO LED Anti-Ageing Hot & Cold Facial Toning device
Silk’n USB rechargeable Pedi Vacuum callus remover with addidtional heads
Percy & Reed Give Me Strength Hair and Scalp Regime
Stylsmile Ultimate Whitening Kit
FlavorStone Diamond 24cm deep square pan with lid and accessories

Go here to see and shop them all

And here are the new Big Deals launching on Sunday 13th at midnight:
Attitudes by Renee two-piece Como jersey solid print dress set
Ultrasun three-piece Tinted Glow collection
VibroSlim Radial Plus 3D fitness vibration plate
Lock & Lock 16-piece 170ml – 2.1l food storage containers

Now back to the Today’s Special Values for the rest of the week:

Monday – we have the Denim & Co. jersey wide leg trousers with an elasticated waistband in petite and regular.

Tuesday – Yankee Candle return with the six-piece fragrance collection, ready for summer.

Wednesday – going on sale early in the week, Davina returns with a Total Body Training System – getting you fit for your summer break. 🙂

Thursday – Garmin bring us the DriveSmart 50 Cyclops Safety Cam.

Friday – also going on sale early, the Bareminerals four-piece collection, at a very good price! Features Original Mineral Foundation, a Smoothing Face Brush, new Original Liquid Concealer and Gen Nude Patent Lip Lacquer.

Friday 9pm – the Shark corded stick vacuum cleaner is here once more with Anti Hair Wrap and Flexology technology. All about the “ology!”

And going on sale mid-week, another fabulous Liz Earle TSV, the Power of Botanicals Firm and Smooth Superskin collection at a really, really low price! Looking forward to seeing this, as I won’t be back ’til the day after, having had a weekend full of fabulous family.

Next week –  I’ve got annual leave this weekend and I am not back until Monday 20th! I will be with my granddaughter Blake again this weekend! Probably will be watching for some bargains though, when she’s asleep. 🙂 Then the Nuffield health scan next week, as well as a catch up with my lovely Devon friend Jennie, who will be in… London! Well, that’s the plan anyway!

By the way, over the last few weeks, I have been replying to any comments you want to leave below, especially people who can get on the internet but they don’t do social media. So, comment away!

Best wishes,

Debs

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