The last days at South Molton we knew that storm Darragh was going to visit us. Looking at the met office it was giving us 75mph gusts of wind. Around 7pm one evening my phone sounded an alarm with a government message warning us of the storm. It was really loud and made both of us jump. Apparently even if your phone was on silent it would still go off.

The wind started to appear and the rain also. We went into south molton to see Nikki’s mum and passed a fallen tree in the park and a small tent up a tree, no sign of occupants. It was windy.

We had friends staying on site and had arranged to go down to the bar with them for a drink or two. At 2pm that afternoon the power went off. No problem we thought it would be back on in a minute. Nikki checked on line and yes the whole area was down like many places.

We started to walk down to the bar and were told that the bar was shut because of the power cut. No power, no bar, no food, life was looking grim all of a sudden. we went into our friends caravan where they were sitting in fleeces and with the gas cooker on for warmth. We needed a plan.

Liking my food, beer and warmth I made a decision. Back to our camper. Heating on gas, fridge on gas means cold beers. I always have cold beers in the fridge. Phone call to the kebab shop for a delivery of food. Sorted. Within the hour we were sitting in T-shirts with cold beers and a nice kebab. Life was good again. It was 36 hours before the power came back on. Luckily the gas lasted and everything went back on to electric.

Two days later we packed up and headed for Cirencester. It was a good journey and the roads were quiet, even the motorway. I had an idea in my head where I wanted to pitch up and luckily got one of the pitches. Nikki arrived about 15 minutes later.

While at Cirencester we were going to visit friends and family. The days out were planned. First visit was to go and see my sister and my mum which was about an hours drive away in Didcot. It had been a while since I had seen them.

Our route was altered a bit as the M4 at junction 15 was closed, this is where we wanted to get on so we had to quickly decide on another route which took us all through the country side and took us a extra 30 minutes. We got there in the end and was good to catch up with them and I promised not to leave it so long next time. We talked about how Didcot has changed with all the new houses going up everywhere and all the people that were not around anymore. Some of my school friends have passed away. We left in good time to get home before it was dark because I hate driving in the dark.

I went for a nice walk around the Bathurst estate which is right next to the campsite we’re on. It’s a huge big park and I looped around into the town briefly. Passing some new sculptures I had not seen before.

I don’t know what the connection is with a camel and Cirencester but he looked happy. The horse sculpture is up near the polo club so I get the connection there. They both looked very happy.

I threaded my way through the park and through the streets of Cirencester and covered 5 miles of walking which was enough for the day. The park is my favourite as it’s so big you sometimes don’t see anybody. I had a nice little spot to sit in the sun and reflect on life without any distractions. It was almost a shame to leave the bench in the sun.

Cirencester has a lot of markets at this time of year and Nikki wanted to go and have a look around so another walk through the Bathurst estate into town and a wander around. The market that day was not as we remembered it. The reason being we were thinking of a different market on a different day. We were hoping to find a stall we visited before which sold some lovely samosas. It was not there so we ended up getting a box of chips. They were very nice though.

About a ten minute walk from the campsite is a micro brewery which we have visited once or twice before while staying at this site. It’s in an old building and only open two days a week Friday and Saturday at this time of year and only from 3 pm until 8pm. No food only crisps and nuts. They only sell beer and wine and a local gin. Walked back past the pizza place which a has a fire pit outside and we were tempted to go in but Nikki had promised sausage sarnies when we got back so I was on a mission.

Another day another walk around the estate but going a different way this time via a small pond which looked nice in the sun. This time I think I saw about five people out with their dogs. So not too busy and plenty of room for everyone.

One early evening the sky was a really weird colour making everything look like it had a pink tinge to it. I like dusk and an added bonus here is that a friend has a seasonal pitch. He feeds the birds and his feeding station is like a vast array of different feeders. He also feeds a fox which comes around every evening, and is often seen in the day. Sometimes up to four foxes have been there in the evening.

I wanted to try and get a photo of the fox so went my friends caravan and sat outside about two metres from where the food bowls were. He feeds them dog food and scraps. I sat there camera ready and in the bushes was movement. There were two tonight. As they got more confident one came out and ate from the bowl. The pictures are not very good because they move to much but it was nice just to sit there so close and watch them. As I type this I can see the fox outside my friends caravan and it’s 9.30 am. He knows where he is fed.

Another visit was to my very good friend Tony and his wife Pauline. I have known Tony since I was a kid. We moved next door to him in about 1967 in Didcot. He is ten years older than me and had such a big influence on my life. He was a surfer/ skateboarder and drove a VW. He made me my first skateboard. A set of roller skate wheels and a shaped piece of wood. At this time no one knew about skateboarding really unless you were into surfing. In America skateboarding was a way to practice your surfing skills while away from the beach and on flat days when there was no surf.

So when I used to skateboard in Didcot I often got asked what was this thing I was riding. Tony went to America on holiday and bought me back some new wheels which made a better skateboard and again later a new deck which the new wheels went on. Into the seventies and skateboarding became a thing in England but by then I had been doing it for years and still do on the odd occasion when Nikki’s not looking.

Tony also got me into surfing and gave me a couple of his old boards and first took me surfing in 1974. I was hooked and had many a surf trip with him to Devon. And of course he got me into VW’s so my first car was a VW beetle bought in 1977. Tony took me out driving in it and after I passed my test I regularly drove to Devon for surf trips and eventually moved down there in my VW camper van. It was much easier than driving the 200 miles each way.

Tony was like a step dad to me after my mum and dad split up and was always there and to this day is still a great friend. Although he is not very well at the moment we still manage to talk about the old days, after all we have known each other for nearly sixty years.

So that’s up to date. The good thing about visiting family and friends is the old photos come out and one photo my sister found out was of me and my first VW, with a surfboard on of course. Taken in 1977 outside my gran and granddads house in Wales, my dad’s parents. Where have all those years gone. Don’t laugh at my flares.

We left Winchester and headed for Devon. Our annual visit to what used to be home. Nice easy drive, A34, 303, M5, and the A361. The roads were surprisingly quiet which was nice. Not a journey to do on a Friday.

With the heating still not working it was time to get the motherboard out from the boiler and get it sent off. This was speeded up when we woke up and it was only four degrees and that was inside the camper. The motherboard is a printed circuit board with fifteen differant connections. I don’t like electrics at all. A three pin plug will confuse me with three wires.

But needs must so get prepared. Glasses, phone, torch, screwdriver, torx bit driver, yoga book and a big hammer on standby. Glasses because I can’t see anything without them doing stuff like that. Phone to take photos of all the wires so I remember where they all go when putting it all back together. Torch to see, it’s dark in that area. Screwdrivers to undo the three screws, one which was in the most awkward place. Yoga book to see how to bend in certain positions to get to the part. Big hammer in case it all got too much.

With a lot of swearing, a bad back and shoulder and a bump on the head I got the part out. Job done. Nikki packed it up and got it posted off and tracked. Checking the tracker the next day it had gone to the wrong sorting office but was being rerouted. In the meantime we ordered a small electric heater and picked it up so we had some warmth.

In contact with Alde heating and they confirmed they had got the part after its travels, the part was broken and under warranty so they would replace it and a new one was in the post. Yippeeee.

I fitted the new part and can confirm that it all went back together and is now working as it should. Not too many swear words were said, but am pleased I did the job myself.

So we’re down in Devon. We see Nikki’s mum while here. We get the camper serviced and mot and the same with the car, we see the dentist and visit friends. The site we stay on has a club house which is very good for food and beer but a bit too close, even though we are on a pitch the furthest point away from it. Again you have to support local business. So a few beers was had with some friends for me. Unfortunately Nikki came down with a bug so stayed at home. Camper in for mot and service for the day so we go out for the day. We decided on going to Woolacombe and having some lunch and looking at the sea.

The dentist was first after dropping the camper off for a check up and I had a tooth which was giving me a bit of pain now and then. Check ups done but I needed a big filling and had to come back the next day. Lucky me.

The place I chose for lunch was called the porthole on marine drive and was very good with a great view. Not many people about which was nice.

After lunch we had a stroll around Woolacombe and as we had time to spare we found a nice spot to park up and watch the sea crashing onto the beach. It is a wonderful spot woolacombe but gets so busy in the summer and expensive.

Time to head back to get the camper and the not so good news. I have had an engine management light on so asked them to investigate. The problem part is the throttle body which they ordered but that was faulty. They could get one the next day and fit it so the camper would be ready for lunchtime. That’s ok but we live in the camper so we had to book in a hotel for the night. Nikki loved that part especially as we had to go to the pub for food and drink to drown our sorrows.

After our meal and one or two drinks we walked back to the hotel the long way. Passing through the streets of the town and just seeing how it had changed. The old pannier market has been renovated and looked really nice at night. A lot of different shops and a lot had gone.

The next morning we went back to the garage only to be told they could not do the job because it looked like the bolts holding the part were going to snap. If that happened most of the front end would need to come off and that’s a couple of days work. We left it to think about. We have it back and it drives like normal but just has this annoying light on the dash. They are giving me a price and timescale. Decisions decisions.

We went back to the campsite and then I had to drive back to go to the dentist for my big filling and big bill.

Up early the next morning to take the car for mot and service. Nikki stayed at home while I left at 7am, dropped the car off and walked into Barnstaple along the Tarka trail which used to be the old railway line from Barnstaple to Braunton. As soon as I got on the Tarka trail a big smile came across my face. The sunrise was spectacular.

Facing east as I walked along and taking photos as quick as I could. These moments don’t last long. The tide on the river taw was high and still so the refections were also fantastic. Hope you like the photos.

After going and getting some breakfast I wandered back to the river Taw to eat my bacon and sausage roll and admire the scenery. There are some new flats the other side of the estuary and this morning they looked fantastic reflecting in the river. So in between bites of my roll more photos were taken. I could not put the roll down because the seagulls would have taken it and no one wants to see a grown man cry.

I continued to wander around along the river bank and through the town doing about seven miles of walking in total. I visited the Barnstaple museum which was really interesting. Then it was time to go and get the car, pay the bill and then drive up to the garage where the camper was done and pay them. All in all a very expensive couple of days. And there’s more to come.

Some facts about this trip. After leaving our site in the middle of September I have driven 931 miles to get to Devon and used £194 worth of fuel. It will be less miles on the way back up north because it’s more of a direct route. Nikki has done more miles because she keeps getting lost but luckily her car uses less fuel.

We are leaving here on Monday and heading for Cirencester. Another site we have been to many times and actually worked on six years ago. But for now we are ready for some bad weather coming in. Winds gusting up to 75 miles per hour have been mentioned and of course lots of rain. Good job the heatings on but the camper will be rocking. Life in a tin can. Sunday roast with friends on Sunday so looking forward to that.