Faces, my favourite subject

It's been a great week for faces.....
My favourite subject...

The 2 girls at the top of the page asked me to take some pictures of heads and shoulders, which are not the ones shown here, for their website. But when I got home and saw the results onscreen of Holly (left) I had to see what she would look like in black and white. Her dramatic mane of cascading curls look great in greyscale, and Susie's picture pleases me enormously.
Do click it to see it larger than shown here.
The composition is great. She sits just off centre with the framed pictures on the right of the picture adding to the story. Her gaze is fully aligned to the camera and she is engaged with what is going on. The smile is 100% natural, her hands are not posed, just placed. The folds of her sweater add a relaxed note and her legs at the hem just finish the shot off nicely. In colour it is mellow snuff and grey colours with her hair golden. Black and white makes her stand out from the background and I love her air of stillness.

These 2 pictures are of Matt the landlord at the Sandy Park Inn. He will be performing at Chagstock later on in the year and he needed some fresh publicity shots. To make him relaxed I asked him to play to me, and got the bonus of him singing a sweet song that he had written for his baby son Gulliver.
Chagstock will be on in July. See
http://www.chagstock.info/chagstock-festival-line-up.htm for more.

The child picture at the top of this blog is the totally scrumptious Nancy. Who is already 2.
How dare she grow up so quickly. I will be an old crone in no time at this rate.

I shall be babysitting her over this weekend whilst Rob helps Ben (adorable son in law) to lay slabs on the new patio to be.
Can't wait !!

Budget to Luxury self catering. I love my job.

You really couldn't get more 2 more different self catering places than 2 that I have visited during the last week.
Last Thursday I went to meet the Stacey family not far from Tavistock. They had asked me to come and take some new photos for them and offer advice on their website, so Jane my office wondergirl and I set off with camera bags at the ready.
On a working farm, this is just what a young family on a tight budget will be delighted to find.
It has a double, a twin on the living room level, and a small single room under the eaves at the top of very steep flight of stairs. All very Swallows and Amazons. The conversion is over 10 years old now, so it's a pink bathroom suite and some of the furnishings are a bit dated, but hey, if you have 2 or 3 youngsters to house then this will be just the ticket. There's an old tyre suspended from a tree outside, Mick the grandfather farmer is a real family man, the sort of chap who will have time to tell an inquisitive 10 year old all about the wonders of how lambs are born. Dartmoor Gliding Society have their base just up the road, so on Wednesdays and at weekends there is the thrill of quiet gliders overhead as they come in to land - brilliant spectator sport. Tavistock has a good sports centre and you can hop on a bus into Plymouth and see the National Marine Aquarium. What could be better fun than that ?

At the other end of the scale is Post Box Cottage a couple of miles out of Chagford. All shiny and new, a contemporary make-over in an old granite cottage that sleeps just 2. Top class fittings throughout. A bathroom to die for, the thickest of carpets in the large chic sitting room.
Both of the these self caters are on my website. Take a look.... http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/accommodation/self_catering.html

Devon Guild, white prams and faggots !

Would that I were loaded with dosh, then yesterday when I took pal June along to see the Paper Work exhibition which is currently showing at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen down at Bovey Tracy, then I would just have picked this gorgeous vase up off the shelf and said 'Yes, I'll have that thank you' Made by Amanda Popham. I took lots of pictures at the Guild and have added a few to my website http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/ on a seperate page http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/information/devon_guild_bovey_tracey.html

Sorry to have neglected the blog recently, but I have been busily adding Google maps to a great many pages on my site so that visitors will have an idea of what is available in given locations. Click onto http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/accommodation/towns_chagford_map.html to see what I have been up to. It is tiring work but rewarding.
More people are joining the site and I plan to expand it with hundreds of up to the minute pictures as the season develops.
Rob is off in Norfolk helping Elizabeth with her soon to be new home. He's hanging new doors and sorting out cooker points (yes 2) painting and decorating, and on his way home he is collecting over 60 trees to bring back to a local tree nursery. Oh and he took a white pram with him on the journey up, as one of our pals had sold it on e-bay to a woman in Lincolnshire.
Funny story that. I think she must have been very new to e-bay and very keen to buy the pram because she bid over £200 for the pram and told her husband all about the bargain when he got home that night.... and he asked 'Where is it coming from ?'
'Oh, I don't know' says she. And it was only when he drew her attention to the postage details did they realise it said for collection only. Good job Rob was able to take it most of it's way there.

Just time to tell you that I uploaded my latest food review yesterday. Click http://www.dartmooraccommodation.co.uk/food/food_reviews_2010.html to follow the link.Talking of which it's well past lunchtime.
Cheers Chicks x