| After a long spell of rain, the weather has finally come good and blessed us with not only sunshine but a heatwave to boot..! It's time to head for those beautifully cool Exmoor combes, with the shade of their ancient oaks and the sparkle of the rushing river. Dipping one's feet, or possibly a lot more, in the still-icy water is the best refreshment during such warm weather. Back at the campsite things have been progressing very smoothly. We have really enjoyed welcoming campers back and it's lovely to see the fields busy again. Not a lot has changed in Porlock village; the shops have largely survived the past 18 months and are benefitting from people coming to visit again. All of nature can be seen in abundance, with the hedgerows absolutely bursting into life and singing with the sound of happy insects. Larger wildlife is also thriving, recent encounters with a handsome pricket (that's a young stag of course) and a swift-running fox show all is as it should be. Certain changes are welcome of course. The nearby village of Malmsmead had become a little neglected in recent years, but a large part of it has been taken over by the National Trust, along with the famous Doone Valley. This picturesque village (maybe hamlet is more accurate) now boasts a National Trust tea room which serves very decent cream teas - sampled for research purposes only obviously. Back here in the village, regular visitors will remember a shop called The Mandala, which used to serve pizza among other things. It has at last reopened under new ownership and now Ted's serves delicious pizza, ice cream, coffee and more and is well worth a visit too. Also our village clock, mounted on the church tower, had succumbed to the passing of time (how ironic!). A fantastic fundraising effort was made and we can happily report that the funds are now in place to repair this historic and much-valued local feature. Why not visit us and come to see all of this and much much more for yourself?! |     |
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