The First Four
Seasons
(From my
Window on the Fields)
Summer
Our
'big adventure' in Whimple all began on July 25th 2002, a cloudy,
muggy day, but pleasantly warm. The removal van had beaten us in the race from
Berkshire to Devon, but speed already seemed less important as we traded in the
hustle and bustle of the Home Counties for the relaxed West Country pace of
life! The view of open fields from our house, the smell of freshly ploughed
earth, and the sound of … nothing! The peace is what hit us at first - we were
used to an endless background noise. We felt like we were on holiday in our
favourite Dordogne village in the back of beyond. No sooner had we arrived than
we were warmly welcomed by our new neighbours.
Despite
the inevitable box-emptying, we also had to re-paint the whole house; but 'Hey,
what's the rush?!' Especially in the heat, which reached its peak of 86f on 29th
July, we thought a Spanish pace was more appropriate. As we settled in, one of
the first village events to catch our eye was the Village Produce Association
show in the Victory Hall in early August. What a quaint site - quite removed
from Bracknell's Sainsburys! A glorious few weeks of weather beckoned us to a
number of Devon's best beaches - the children were sure we were on one long
holiday, and Sandy Bay lived up to its name!
Then
term started. Our two children settled into the Village School, making friends
quickly. The first experience of the famous (or is it infamous?!) Whimpletons
was for the Murder Mystery at the Cricket Club late in September, but
unfortunately South West Trains let me down - and my delayed train meant that I
missed the murder!
A
spectacular Indian summer stretched through September, aiding the harvests
being gathered in. Out of thanks, the village church was packed to the brim on
September 29th for the Harvest Celebration. Lunch in the Victory
Hall was followed by an afternoon at Bicton Park. Summer’s final fling was
early in October - the 5th to be precise - and we spent it basking
in the sun by Jacob's Ladder, asking ourselves was life in Devon always as good
as this…
Autumn
The
transition to Autumn came quickly - after having had hardly a drop of rain in
two months, October and November provided a lot more than their fair share! In
fact a severe gale overnight on October 26th swept the rest of the
golden leaves from the trees outside my window, and for the first time since
our arrival, the full vista unfolded - all the way from Rull Farm to Holways Farm! During the very wet Autumn the brook also flooded the
pathway, though fortunately not our house. (The Whimple Weather Watcher (a.k.a.
Ken Burrows) reliably noted that October to December were the wettest 3
consecutive months in 32 years!) The dull days meant that more time was spent
indoors catching up on the redecorating, frequenting the Exeter shops, and
taking the kids swimming at the International Swimming School - a truly unique
institution! In fact on a few occasions it felt as if we were swimming around
Whimple itself, especially the day we drove to a West Country Food Fair at
Killerton Park. The 2.16 inches of rain that fell on 13th October
truly inundated many of the lanes! The golden fields of September were now a
muddy Devon red.
Half
term attractions included Crealy and the Met Office building site! The former
was the usual fun, noisy, exciting, stressful family day out! While the latter
was certainly out of the ordinary – we all had to don hard hats and high
visibility jackets to clamber around the shell of the new building at Sowton.
I
have had to live a split existence: 3 days a week in Berkshire and 4 days in
Devon. This is due to my job with the Met Office not moving until a year after
our house move! At least I can work from home most Mondays and Fridays - and
watch the seasons from my study window…
Winter
The
first cold snap arrived on Dec 7th, and then the fields outside my
window whitened with a little snow on the 10th – a rare sight for
the West Country apparently. However, true to the fickle English weather and
Devon’s grass-growing heritage, later in the month it became much milder and I
had to get out the lawnmower!
Before
we'd had the snow, Christmas was upon us! The Advent Carols by Candlelight on
Dec 1st ushered in a special time for us: our first Christmas in
Devon. I 'tenored' in the choir, alongside a merry, but small group of
enthusiasts! (Quality rather than quantity?) Please come along to swell this
year's numbers. Only a week later was another age-old rite - the Christingle
service - which the children loved, though the parents seemed more concerned to
discourage pyromania! And yet even more was on offer the following week at
'Service with a Smile' - Christmas fun and games, with over 50 kids having a
riot! For families, this monthly experience is not to be missed.
After
the usual round of visits to dubiously conspicuous Santas (Rev Geoff was that
you?!), a few more parties and Carol Services, Christmas had at last come -
Stockings to start, Church to freshen the palate, Turkey for main, Games for
dessert, washed down with Only Fools & Horses! New Year was hot on the
heels - sadly we missed Ed's reported festivities in the Thirsty Farmer and the
Square, but happily we were with Whimple friends having a great time - though
none of us did ever solve that Murder Mystery.
The
rest of winter seemed to bypass me. (I was abroad on business a lot.) I gather
the cold and unsettled January gave way to a dry and sunny February, though
still cool. (The coldest night was 11th/12th January,
when the temperature fell to a very frosty 21f, that is –6C in ‘new money’!)
The winter was temporarily broken by the Whimpletons at the end of February.
Although I was away again, my wife reliably informs me that the 'Robinson
Crusoe' Panto was truly a 'hoot'. The kids enjoyed it too, and fortunately the
more suspect humour went over their heads!
The
'Village Dream' ended dramatically for us on Sunday March 2nd. We
were in church that fateful morning when Wendy Wilkinson suddenly collapsed and
died. The stunned aftershock lasted for weeks, and even now we can hardly
comprehend it. Wendy was such a dear, dear person who had welcomed us so warmly
to Whimple. To the question, "Do you have friends here?" Wendy's last
words were, "Oh, I have lots of friends here". We'll never forget her
smile and her reassurance; though the 'dream' had ended, the reality for us was
that already we had lots of friends in Whimple…
During
the second week of March, Spring danced in just when our spirits really needed
it, and what a spring it was! The wonderful weather, with day after day of
clear blue Devon skies, stretched through until Easter. There had been hardly
any rain at all, and everyone seemed to be out and about. Frequent visits to
Otter Nurseries and plenty of backbreaking hours in the garden have given rise
to satisfying results. The garden had suffered neglect since we had moved, as
we had focussed first on making the house our home.
The
fine weather also encouraged us to go for days out exploring Devon’s glory.
Armed with a National Trust family membership card, we visited numerous
beautiful houses and gardens – often even warm enough for picnics. (The mercury
reached the mid-70s in Easter week!) And shod with sturdy walking shoes, we
clambered along breath-taking coastal paths between Seaton and Exmouth: around
Branscombe, Weston, and Sidmouth was favourite.
One
of Whimple’s ‘institutions’ took place as ever on ‘Palm Saturday’ in the
Woodhayes orchards – the Easter Egg Hunt. Although the kids seemed to have fun,
it did seem a bit of an unholy mad rush! By arriving late, we were at a
distinct disadvantage!
With
light evenings and dry days, the Whimple Tennis court became a regular
attraction. Coaching the children was a real challenge with all the dense
undergrowth round about. Balls were mysteriously swallowed up by the
‘Triffids’! The cricket season was also with us: mellow sounds of leather on
willow and cries of ‘Howzat?’ drifted through my window.
With
warmer weather and sunnier days, the fields’ crops were greening the landscape
vigorously, while cows appeared from their winter sheds to graze. The only
drawback of Spring was the gradual disappearance of my view: the trees’ foliage
being the culprit!
The
new Met Office buildings in the Exeter Business Park were also growing
vigorously and we were given another chance to go on-site. Since last Autumn,
much progress had been made, and the whole site was taking shape quite nicely.
I even got to see where I will be sitting in September!
As
our first year in Whimple draws to a close, we have been pleasantly surprised
by the warm welcome that the Met Office employees have received. We had feared
that we would be viewed as outsiders coming to rob Devon of its houses! But
that certainly hasn’t been the case, if our experience in Whimple is anything
to go by. Thank you Whimple!
Roll
on Village week…