The famous Dawlish black swan.

Highest tide of year, and this is one hour before high tide. Imagine what it will be like at high tide. All the beach huts have been put away, good job they were.

We got absolutely soaked but it was so worth it. The children are beginning to learn that the sea is beautiful all year around not just in the summer.

Mothers.

So much has happened recently in my life and I just long for a simple cuppa with my mum and chat about all that is happening. Nothing would please me more than to meet my mum along the sea front and treat her to a cream tea. I would have so much to share with her, not to mention my great grand-daughter and how much her great grandchildren have grown up. She would love the fact we were all living together. I think she would have secretly loved to have lived with us but our home was too small.

Emily was 8 months old when my mum passed away and Emily is convinced she can remember my mum and sitting on her lap. We often laugh at how like my mum she is, even down to loving cats, she will probably end up being one of these people that does cat rescue when she gets older.

October

October already and still not in coats. Today we have been to Brixham and it was sunny and warm.

I have started to take photos of the hillside that we overlook so that we can compare the view over all the seasons. Already some of the trees are bald and giving us a better view. We have been told there is a paddock behind the trees and we will see it and the horse once winter comes.

As we drove through Paignton home it was packed, you would think it was still August and it feels like it. Hope we are not going to have a bad winter this year.

Every day when I look out of the window the sea is different, so many colours. Today it has indigo in it. Some mornings it is difficult to see the sea as the sun shining on it blinds you.

I love the fact that when we go down to the sea front we get a 180 degs of sea views. The run into Brixham was so lovely passing through open country.

The beach huts on Preston have not been moved yet. One year they were moving them in early September because they were expecting high tides.

I cannot believe how different it is here compared to London. The whole pace of life is much slower, everyone seems to have more time and patience. The road we live in is so quiet, we never hear cars or traffic.  My daughter and I were saying today how quickly the week goes and also how quickly the day goes.  There has not been a day  when I have not been out since we arrived.

I love the view over the woods it is for ever changing, more and more trees are beginning to lose their leaves and some are already completely naked.  A few look like they might not lose their leaves at all.  I have even thought of getting a book out of the library to see what trees they are, there are so many different sorts.

Today the sea was choppy and it was very windy on the front. It's the first time I have seen the sea choppy ever. I love just driving down and spending some time sitting on the promenade in my car and looking at the sea and listening to it.  Every day is so different.

I know without a shadow of a doubt this is right for me, I just wish I had done it years ago. But no looking back, just looking forward to a new chapter and what it might hold for us all.

Dew on the webs, early morning.

October 2011 THE CHANGING SEASONS

How important family is. I could not have moved to Devon without them, there would not have been much point as I would have been continuely returning to London to see them.