Down in Devon

The invitation was to a Greek mid-summers evening party, situated in the middle of lush countryside somewhere between Exeter and the SW coast. Forests of huge trees, very high banked narrow country lanes and quaint little hamlets of thatched cob cottages make loosing your way easy - even our sat. nav. found the terrain confusing.

The wife of our friend is a Greek Cypriot - there were Greek chefs cooking typical varieties of Greek specialities out on their terrace, and as the evening progressed, the stars came out, the music commenced, and the Greek dancing began.

We stayed on a farm situated close to the party where we had our own small self contained outbuilding which had once been the boot and saddle room.

However, it was not completely self contained as every morning a delicious hot English breakfast was kindly delivered. It arrived in a large wicker basket filled with their own delicious farm produce together with freshly baked bread.

The farm dog 'Flo' was a delight, she really wanted us to stay throwing sticks and stones for her all day long, but it was not to be. A lovely sunny day had us making our way down to the coast, here we found a grassy sand dune where we could sit and gaze out to sea and watch the waves roll in. 
Suddenly we spotted a small girl busily exploring her surroundings. We watched as she wriggled her toes down into the sand and saw the puddles of sea water appear around her feet as if by magic. Her curiosity was palpable and a pleasure for us to watch her totally unobserved. The innocence and curiosity of early childhood is very special but so brief.

At the Seaside
When I was down beside the sea
A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore.

My holes were empty like a cup.
In every hole the sea came up,
Till it could come no more.
Robert Louis Stevenson