Visit to Lyme Regis, Dorset

You may remember this movie which opened with a breathtaking shot of Meryl Streep on the Cobb wall in Lyme Regis. John Fowles novel The French Lieutenant's Woman became a movie in 1981. Prior to that, the Cobb was an important feature in Jane Austen's 1818 novel Persuasion. The Cobb is a harbour wall full of character and history - it stretches out into Lyme Bay on the Jurassic Coast of the county of Dorset on the South coast of England.

Lyme Regis is a pretty town and was well-sited for trade with France in the 16-18th centuries. The port declined in the 19th century because it was unable to handle the increase in ship sizes.


On a perfect sunny October day we enjoyed the harbor full of fishing and pleasure boats.................

...............viewing the somewhat quirky mix of architecture along the seafront..................................................

................................and watching local wildlife.

These huge gulls will steal your lunchtime crab sandwich right out of your hand!


The local cats perform free aerial circus acts ~ without safety nets!

And almost everyone you pass has a sweet dog such as this very well behaved beagle.

A day at the shore ~ a quaint seaside town steeped in history ~ I've put The French Lieutenant's Woman in my Netflix Queue ~ must view it again now I've actually walked The Cobb.

The Balcony

Sunrise over water takes one's breathe away. Colors change by the second. Chattering birds awake and fly from their roosting sites. Fishing boats are seen as specks on the horizon. A little van pulls up and morning papers are delivered to the hotel next door. The the early kitchen help arrives and that friendly clattering of breakfast dishes is heard from the hotel kitchen.

On several mornings I flew out of bed and rushed to the windows to watch this spectacular sunrise over the bay as the crescent awoke.

The sun lights the window frames and calls us to breakfast at the tiny balcony table. The elegant crescent starts a new day - the bustling hotel in the center section, private homes and holiday apartments anchoring each end.

Step inside the front door for a glimpse of our holiday home - the perfect apartment overlooking the steel blue Autumn sea. An exquisite chandelier illuminates the bedroom crown moldings. The dining area in front of one of three floor to ceiling windows complete with original wood interior shutters ~ the little balcony beyond.

The manicured gardens, tennis courts and pool above the beach looking toward Thatcher Rock.

At high tide the surf crashes against the sea wall. In Summer this beach is a favorite with swimmers as the water is so clean - and we actually met a woman who swam each morning while we were there, brrr!


This was our second stay at The Balcony Apartment. We hope to return again for more days of elegant living 'across the pond'.

Accouterments......just stuff!

Leonardo truly was an amazing person - he always seemed to get it right.

A trip abroad is a cathartic experience - it cleanses your mind of all that 'stuff ' which clutters daily life when in one's home. I lived in an apartment (more on that wonderful place soon) for eight days with some one's beautiful stuff. I survived with a basic wardrobe rolled into one suitcase. I really need to simplify and I'm starting right now!

The written word - clean, mostly short, forthright. I love words such as pegs - why did they need to become clothespins? This was my purchase at the kitchen shop because I couldn't carry the china teapots home. And do I need another teapot? No of course not.

Bag - a simple. short word - it can contain anything. This beauty found in England has a zip (yes the word over there is not zipper) on the side to take out a spud, no need to take the bag off it's hook.

My new loden colored, paisley patterned clogs with the soft, comfy insoles deserve a special simple cotton bag for travel. A Devon castle gift shop find..............and on sale to boot!

These clean, crisp neutrals seem the way to go toward simplification.

Dusk is falling and DH is in New York. This evening is mine alone. I'm off to my chair (wish this one was mine) to make lists on how to simplify yet remain sophisticated.

The sign is out - take notice if you arrive at my front door. Where do I start? The list may say ~ just a single white pumpkin next year ~ simple and sophisticated.

"Queen of the English Riviera"

Torquay in the county of Devon in Southwest England. This is my birthplace, my hometown......................the place people have asked how could I have left. Some people never leave home, some move across town, perhaps travel to a bigger city, others fly to another coast. I crossed a great ocean expecting to explore for a while and then return to this lovely place...........life throws curves, life changes. Perhaps one never can go home.

Torquay is built on seven hills making the view from Tor Bay especially scenic. The beaches are many and varied, sand, pebbles, rocky. In the pic below, the area by the steps lower left, was my childhood favorite and we headed there after school on early Summer evenings for a swim. The town is known for the flower filled public gardens along the seafront and wooden pier where Agatha Christie would roller skate. She is one of the town's famous people having grown up there. I am not famous by any means!

Across Tor Bay are the towns of Paignton and Brixham and beyond the bay the English Channel.

Like most English seaside towns, Torquay is a now a little worn around the edges and the tourist trade has suffered. People head to the Continent where the beaches of Spain are especially popular with guaranteed sunshine all Summer long.

The natural beauty of Devon is hard to beat though, and beyond the beaches is rolling countryside and moorland so very beautiful.............nothing beats a real 'cream tea' in a cottage garden on Dartmoor!

Cousins................together

Do you have a special cousin? Luckily I do and her name is Sue. In this fabulous photo (circa 1915) is our Grandmother with her children. Sue's Mother is second from the left and the eldest, mine is on the right. The boy on the left is my Mother's twin, and the two girls in Grandmother's arms are their twin sisters.

Our Mothers were close, went away to boarding school together, learned dressmaking and worked together before they married. Sue was born nine months before me and this photo was taken in 1944 when our Mums walked us along the seafront in my home town, Torquay. Sue is obviously practicing toddling while I'm chubby and crying because I'm stuck in the pram - or perhaps just embarrassed by Mum's pillbox hat! Fast forward to two weeks ago......................now in our sixties (where did all those years go?) kissin' cousins became lickin' cousins. We giggled over this English version of Dairy Queen with a Cadbury's chocolate flake candy bar stuck in. Amazing what grown women will do at the seaside...............especially cousins.

We then stopped by the house in the center of Teignmouth where Sue grew up.......this was the door we passed through constantly when we were children. My Uncle's real estate business was located on the ground floor, and my dear Auntie's dressmaking workroom was upstairs - I loved watching her sew beautiful clothes. Both Sue and I became handy with a needle and thread thanks to our Mothers' sewing skills, and their patience instructing us in needle arts.

We had so much fun in this house during Summer holidays - the back looked out to a row of posh hotels where we watched the Italian waiters and the dish washers in the kitchens from our bedroom window! The beach and amusement pier were around the corner.
Sue has lived here all her adult life......the prettiest cottage which was once the carriage house to a large estate home.

The entrance gates open into a beautiful courtyard and an upper garden by the red stone wall and.................................................. ....................you can see how Sue and her DH Johan (the most delightful Dutch man) have made it such a beautiful place to relax.

Cousins.......coffee........a sunny October day in Devon..........perfect! Sue, I hope you read this and know how much I love you. I am so grateful to have had you all these years as my very special cousin.

Visiting a Childhood Place

A little history about Teignmouth, the Devon seaside town just 15 minutes from my hometown. The coast ride along the cliffs, overlooking the English Channel, was always exciting to a young girl put on a bus and sent to spend a few wonderful weeks each Summer with her only girl cousin, Sue. I had such fun there and enjoyed reliving the memories with her during this recent visit.

In the local guide, the simplicity of the natural beauty of the area is stated thus.........Who could fail to appreciate this place where so many contrasting aspects combine to please the eye.....warm rosy sandstone cliffs and verdant meadows.....gentle promenade and towering Ness (French 'nez').....river and sea in glorious union never still, ever lively.

Below is an aerial view of Teignmouth, the River Teign Estuary, and the tiny town of Shaldon across the river. The original pier was much longer, built in the 1860's. In its heyday of Victorian and Edwardian times, there were band concerts, magic lantern shows, steamer trips and dances. Unfortunately the seaward end including the ballroom was removed in the 1960's when it was found to be unsafe. Sue and I spent a lot of time on this pier as children/teenagers.

A small ferry has crossed the Teign ever since the 13th Century. The black and white design on the gunwales is a continuing tradition stretching back to Elizabeth I who bestowed royal patronage on West Teignmouth. The design emulates the galleons of that time.

We stayed here at the Bay Hotel in a seaview room for three nights to be close to where my cousin and her family live. This terrace of Victorian homes was constructed by the Earl of Devon in the 1860's. During World War II, three of the houses were bombed but the rebuilding matches the original style perfectly, thank goodness..

The rooms were beautiful, especially the ceilings, mirrors, and elegant lighting. At the hotel, American husband went all out and ordered 'the full English' each morning for breakfast - I told him that eating like that would never get him a role in 'The Full Monty' that's for sure!!

Next time I'll show you more about my cousin's seaside town..............and the wild things 'kissin' cousins' can get up to!

High Street Shopping

Look up, look up..........................the old buildings are beautiful against the blue sky, facades fit for the Queen.Down below at street level, the tiny shops are crammed to the doors........even out the doors on this fine day. If looking for everyday china and kitchenware, this minuscule shop had it all. Shelves and tables so crowded they almost groaned from the weight of the china. DH waited patiently on the pavement ~ I held my breathe as I moved gingerly through a narrow aisle, not wanting to be 'a bull in a china shop'.Perhaps 'a little tea pot short and stout' in the traditional English style is needed for your cottage. The Brits usually sip a wake up drink of tea rather than coffee. These basic, chunky china tea pots sit waiting a few scoops of loose 'English Breakfast' or a couple of tea bags. Don't forget, you need a tea cozy too!
Afternoon tea, served at 4 o'clock, requires a more elegant tea pot and delicate cups and saucers - these blue and white ones are pretty. Note the French inspired tin salt keeper, canisters and jugs - "copycats". I think they should still have the words in French!

No fancy Royal Doulton and Wedgewood bone china dinner services here ~ just solid cream and white everyday wares for the cottage or converted barn.

Super gravy boats............... and coffee mugs by the hundreds..................bring on my strong black cafe Americano, or a steaming creamy latte if that's your morning wake up drink of choice.
Across from the china shop was another quaint little place, a miniature hardware store, named Hooks & Handles. Loved the sweeping brooms standing at attention by the door, with true natural stiff bristles - need a new one for my deck but couldn't fathom how to fit it in my suitcase, sigh!
These charming shops are situated in a tiny area named 'The Triangle' in the seaside town of Teignmouth on the South Devon coast. It was here I spent my childhood Summer holidays with my cousin Sue...................more on that later.