Even if it's raining you'll be fascinated

Walk on Dartmoor right now and find millions
of treasures .....

You don't need to seek them out.
They are festooned over every surface.
Clinging on to bits of old wood felled on the forest floor. Sitting alongside a carpet of sphagnum moss or a blown up pile of old leaves, shapes and form all but disappeared.
All thriving in the drip drip drip of persistant light rain.
Layers of close fitting fungus like a bank of babies' ears.
Gentle and perfect.


And glistening in the wet grass ...
A few stray buff coloured Fairies' Bonnets.
Latin name Coprinus disseminatus.
Usually showing their heads in Spring, they are already here, eager to get going. Sometimes you come across great brigades of them making their way downhill in a clearing like mini sized extras on a Walt Disney film of the forest.
Dartmoor is stuffed full of such wonders.
Come and see

Click a photo - you can almost smell the undergrowth...

More entries for the auction this Saturday.

More entries for the auction in Chagford this coming weekend - John arrived with a couple of huge boxes, inside which were 113 collectible cars. Corgi classics etc.
You never know what will turn up at the sale. See you there. You'll spot me behind a bacon bap!
Chagford is well worth a visit anyway, as some of the shops have sales on now.
3 pubs and Whiddons Tea room are all great. The Three Crowns is still undergoing upgrading work. The New Forge is closed until Wednesday 25th, but over the road is the Courtyard with good veggie food and next to the post Office is Black's the village delicatessen stuffed with all manner of quiches, big fat olives. So, no need to be worried about food then ?

Chagford Auction in January, a chance for a bargain

If like me you enjoy a good auction, then get yourselves along to Chagford on Saturday 21st later this month for John Wood's regular 'Dartmoor Auctioneer' Auction. He holds them 4 or 5 times a year and I take the pictures for his website of some of the lots as they come in.
Two things that took my eye when he arrived with a bagful of jewellery this week were a large pendant with an iridescent blue stone set in silver.
I meant to ask John just what the stone is, when he came back to collect, but forgot. I think it might be Lapis Lazuli. And an amethyst and pearl ring is something else that Santa could leave in my stocking any year.
John does makes me laugh. Each auction he arrives a few weeks before with an array of goodies for me to picture, and always, he bemoans the fact that he hasn't got enough lots to offer, and then every time without fail for the last 4 years that I have been running his website, come the day of the auction he's saying that there are far too many lots and he doesn't know if he will get through them all. Sometimes late lots have to be held over for the next date.
There will no doubt be more items to show on his website as we get closer to the 21st.
He will arrive with something out of the ordinary under his arm asking me if I could add this to the website, plus one or two other interesting 'things' that happen to be in the back of his lorry.
All manner of stuff turns up. Last year he auctioned off a huge bottle of vintage champagne for charity. Fortunately for the auction onlookers, there are usually a couple of dozen chairs in the sale and the crowd has to rise as the chaps who point out the lots hold them aloft for all to see. Last time a wooden harpsicord made a good price and each time I spot some must-have thing to bid on that Rob puts his foot down about. I have been known to ask someone else in the hall to bid for me so that Rob doesn't get wound up, and then I get wound up at his side thinking that he might just cave in and make a last minute bid for the item if it's going for a low price.
So far that hasn't happened.
You have met Rob have you ?

Click here to see more jewellery on the auction website

Sunday Carvery at Whiddon Down - a treat.

What did I think of our Sunday Carvery lunch at the Post Inn, Whiddon Down just before Christmas?
Click my food review page to find out and see lots more photos.....

Perfect Honeymoon spot for garden lovers.

So glad I found time to go along and see one of
our sleeps two self catering lets.
Super quality. Read my full review

and see lots more photos.

home made Christmas cards for the last time maybe....

If you usually get a home made Christmas card from me, don't be too sure of one this year.
We are both suffering with coughs and colds and everything that requires effort or thought is taking roughly three times as long as usual to carry out.
I've been making my own cards for over 20 years now, and for at least 19 of those I have bleated out "Never again" and "Why do I bother?" "No-one appreciates them do they?" and this year what with the sniffs and the blinking gold pen running out on day two, I'm a prime candidate for that Grumpy Old Women show on the telly.
But then the postman brings a dear little home made card from our youngest nephew full of glue and glitter that we know is largely put together by his Mummy, someone sends a card saying "looking forward to this year's card" and my elderly neighbour asks "have you got the cards made yet ?" and I set off with firm resolve.
You will see from the row above that there is a special in the line-up because Nancy told me that she wanted a snowman with a red hat on her card, so there he is the little beauty, with his arms made of dead lavender stems.
Everyone else, this is what you'll be getting, just as soon as I manage to purchase a new gold pen.
If I can't find one in Chagford tonight on the late night shopping night, then it might have to wait until we make it into Exeter in the New Year.
In the meantime.... season's best all round.
Jill
"What do you mean the Christmas tree lights don't work ? Rob you can build rallye cars. Surely a few little skimpy bulbs can't defeat you ?"
"No thanks, I don't want to ******* well try it myself !"

booking your holiday online - don't !!

Take a look at this.
This is what shows at the head of a home page of a good hotel in Plymouth.
The hotel is prepared to offer you a completely FREE STAY if they book you in and you could have paid less if booking by other means.
I'm delighted to see this. And it backs up what I have been saying all along.
IF YOU SEE A STARTLING OFFER ON ONE OF THE LAST MINUTE/lLATE DEAL/TRIP OR SIMILAR WEBSITES.....Then jot the price down and give the hotel a quick ring to make the booking with the hotel and not through a third party.
WHY ?
Because the poor old hotel has enough overheads without having to pay commission on your holiday to a booking company who may look friendly and bright.
But what the customer sometimes forgets is that all last minute, advisor, late room websites are effectively travel agents who make the hotel or bed and breakfast provider a charge for each and every booking placed.
Unlike my website which simply gives you an unhindered link to the hotel etc.
I was recently advised by a hotel staff member that I should become an affiliate for one of these late room type websites and make myself some money by sharing commission from any visitors I send to them.
That is not my way at all.
Much rather I make the accommodation providers who come onto my website a sensible charge to advertise with me and let the holidaymaker get in touch directly with the overnight bed provider.
Nowadays, the Internet surfer is a lot more web savvy and he/she can read a lot more from the accommodation provider's website than from any standardised list of hotels and B&B's on show in these huge global websites.
I urge you to always visit the actual hotel website rather than plunge in and make an impulse booking, and if you like what you see, then drop the hotel/b&b an e-mail request saying something along the lines of "I have just seen on the ******** late/lastminute/trip website that you are offering a room on Friday for 2 with breakfast at just £25 (or what is on offer) Can I book that with you by credit card if I telephone you direct ?"
Chances are, that just like the hotel shown at the top of this post, they will be MORE than happy to book you in.
Because the less money they have to fork out in commission, the more they can spend on the things that make an impact on the quality of your holiday - staffing etc.
Now you might come back to me and say, hang on a minute. You charge the hotels to be on your website ...... yes I do, and the proof is in the pudding. Every year they renew their listing, because they get a good return for their money by using my website.
They don't have to advertise with me. BUT when the vast majority of visitors unthinkingly make bookings through the familiar bookings websites without realising the financial implications, then the hotel owner is forced to use them as a means to stay in the game.
I would advise any hotel or bed and breakfast provider, like our friend above, to claim loudly on their websites, that they would prefer to take bookings directly.
It's as bad as paying an extra £1.60 for the privilege of booking 2 £21 tickets at the theatre recently. For a play that lasted just 1 hour and 20 minutes ... when I .... and then..
No, don't get me started .... you know how I can rant !
Time for bed.
G'night folks