Marcia Clayton

My November 2024 Newsletter

My November 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and welcome to my November Newsletter.   Given that it was Halloween a day or two ago, I thought I would include this photo that I took in our village the other day. This is a sight I am familiar with, and I thought it might amuse some of you....

My October 2024 Newsletter

My October 2024 Newsletter

Hello and welcome to my October 2024 Newsletter. Well, it was nice to have a few days of glorious sunshine in September, but I think the weather has broken up for now. Although I love spring, summer, and autumn with their longer days and warm weather, there is also...

The Barnstaple Fair

The Barnstaple Fair

The History of the Fair Barnstaple Fair is one of the oldest in the country and is believed to date back as far as 930 (at least according to the board displayed at the fair - see below). Originally, the fair was held for trading purposes and, in the eighteenth...

My September 2024 Newsletter

My September 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and welcome to my September Newsletter.  I’m writing this on a pleasant afternoon in late August after spending an enjoyable morning with some friends. Although the sun is nice and warm today, I have to say there was an autumnal nip in the air when we...

A Visit to Lundy Island

A Visit to Lundy Island

Lundy Island is an isolated granite outcrop of rock that lies some twelve miles or so off the North Devon coast, with nothing between it and America. The island is three miles long and just over half a mile wide, and it welcomes over 20,000 tourists each year who sail...

My August 2024 Newsletter

My August 2024 Newsletter

As I’m writing this, the sun is shining, and it’s a lovely day – at long last! Let’s hope we get fine weather until well into the autumn. I’ve just come in from deadheading the flowers in my garden – a daily task at this time of year, but it’s all looking good, and...

My July 2024 Newsletter

My July 2024 Newsletter

Hello and welcome to my July 2024 Newsletter. I was looking back on my newsletter for July 2023, and I commented that now we are past the longest day, the nights are pulling in, and the weather seems more like October than July – and it seems this year is going much...

My June 2024 Newsletter

My June 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and welcome to my June Newsletter.  I've recently returned from a lovely holiday in Kefalonia, and now I'm trying to catch up with everything. We had a great time, but it's always nice to come home and sleep in your own bed. We've been lucky...

A Visit to Beautiful Clovelly

A Visit to Beautiful Clovelly

We didn’t have many trips out when I was a child, as my dad was a farmer, and he had little time off. However, I particularly remember him taking me and my mum to Clovelly on my thirteenth birthday, and I immediately fell in love with this picturesque little village,...

My May 2024 Newsletter

My May 2024 Newsletter

Hello, and welcome to my May Newsletter.   Well, after so much rain, I've finally been able to get out and weed my garden, and now it's looking nice and tidy. My potatoes, broad beans, and peas are all up, and the sweet peas are already climbing up...

My Review of “And the Ground Trembled” by Celia Martin

My Review of “And the Ground Trembled” by Celia Martin

Celia Martin is a former Social Studies teacher. Her love of history dates back to her earliest memories when she sat enthralled as her grandparents recounted tales of their past. As a child, she delighted in the make-believe games she played with her siblings and...

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