Go west...

Activities in the workshop were suspended for a while over the weekend as SWIMBO and I spent a very pleasant weekend with some friends in Torquay. Shortly before Christmas, we had a new computer system installed at work (to cut a long story sideways, it's going in across the entire MOD) and one of the 'floorwalkers' came to stay with us for a few weeks when it was being put in so Carol subsequently invited us down to Torquay for the weekend.

We arrived at Carol and Chris's place around 830ish on Friday evening and after a brew got down to the serious business of catching up with all the gossip and after a couple or three bottles of very pleasant vino we retired at around midnight.Saturday was spent having a look at Chris's kitchen showroom and I was totally amazed by the demonstration of the induction hob...now that really is a very, very swish piece of kit (as well as being free and gratis if you spend over £3.5K on furniture) ...I wonder if there's an application for one in the 'shop?..probably not. I was also impressed by the very high standard of the kitchens on display coupled with the care and attention that clearly goes into making sure that the customer obtains exactly the specification of kitchen required.
We then had a walk round Babacombe ( stopping off for a brew and chips on the sea front) in typically English summer weather of grey sky and light 'mizzle' that seems to soak every inch, but as we were togged out in our Gortex coats, it didn't make much impression...still, it would have been more pleasant to see sunshine at the seaside!
Chris took us all out for a run out to Dartmoor on Sunday as the weather had cheered up somewhat and was much sunnier. After stopping at Haytor, we drove through Widdecombe-in-the-Moor and stopped off for a Devon cream tea (what else can you have in Devon?..except I didn't have any cream) at a rather nice 'oldy-worldy T shoppe' situated just by the rather impressive church in the centre of the village.

The innocuous looking concrete slope is one of many along the south coast of England that were used as embarkation ramps for the troops on 'D' day. This one was used by American GI's and is called 'Vanishing Point' which is what the lights spell out in Morse Code. The troops stepped into the landing craft on the ramp and many vanished, never to return...although the vast majority of listless holiday makers innocently sucking on their ice creams had no idea of the significance of the lights at their feet.

All told, a very pleasant weekend away...but I'm sure we didn't get through that much vino!