The word is a very exciting place

From Exeter, we continued exploring Devon and Cornwall, heading down the south coast towards Paignton. We broke the journey up by popping in to visit the Donkey Sanctuary at Sidmouth. Entry is completely free, and you're free to wander around the site and see the donkeys. They are a great charity aimed at improving the lives of donkeys across the world, so make sure you leave a donation when you visit. No matter how small, all the money raised is going to a good cause. We also passed St Georges church, with this interesting and unusual bell tower, made from a similar stone to what most of Exeter is built of. We then headed further down the coast to Paignton Zoo, where James had been as a child, and had always wanted to re-visit. There's a nice selection of animals to see. It's not a huge zoo, but is nicely looked after and the animals are interesting, especially the goats who make James thier new best friend! Everywhere we go, we seem to make new friends!  Paignton zoo tick...

 Exeter is on of those places with a really fun vibe, especially in the city centre. So much of old Exeter is made of this charming reddish stone, and what I love about it, is they have managed to seamlessly integrate the old and new. Sadly a lot of historical buildings were damaged/destroyed in the slum clearances and then the second world war bombings and the subsequent rebuilding, but you find pockets of them dotted about. Like this one, where they've kept the ruins and added in little modern details to show you more of what the building would have looked like. We were headed towards the cathedral, as with most cities in the UK, Exeter has one that would have been the spiritual centre of the city. The cathedral is also notable for having the worlds longest medieval vaulted ceilings, and when you see it, it is a masterpiece, it seems to stretch on eternally. There's also some beautiful carved statues, an astronomical clock and a rather lovely picnic area outside where you can...

The summer was in full swing, and before I knew it, it was time for a week off from work. Me and James had planned a week away in Devon & Cornwall and to make the most of the good weather we were having. He was working in Exeter on the Friday while I was working a night shift to move the store around for sale launch. So I worked a night shift on the Thursday night, from 6pm overnight until 8am to get everything moved into place and then priced. Moving stuff is great, but pricing stuff is mind numbing and it just gets so boring so quickly. I finished work, had a couple of hours sleep at home before jumping on the train from Southampton to Exeter. I sort of dozed through most of the journey, but perked up at Crewkerne where I saw this fun little building at the end of the platform. Not sure what it was for, but it look interesting. Would make a perfect little tea shop! The train ride took about three hours in total, and I was glad to get off and stretch my legs. James picked me up fr...

Here's some of my highlights for May. The weather was as beautiful, and we drove up to Bath for a day out to take advantage of this. We'd both done the Roman Baths previously, so we ended up visiting the cathedral which I'd not done before, and having a wander and a nose though the city. The cathedral itself was nice, although slightly hazardous, parts were closed as they were having a big restoration effort, replacing the floors and repairing the ceiling, there was scaffolding everywhere and it was very noisy, so I didnt enjoy it as much as I probably would have done. I've decided I'm going to go back when all the work has finished, and then I'll be able to see it better. Never the less, there was a couple of nice bits to see, the beautiful and ornate fan vaulting in the ceiling which looks so light and airy, it could have been made from paper, and the main stained glass window at the end. I was there with James, and his parents and Aunt & Uncle came as wel...

 May finally brought some decent warm weather (Warm, but not too hot) which made it the perfect weather to do some more exploring. We had a lovely weekend planned, and we spent a weekend exploring and enjoying some of the places of interest a little way from us. We started with old Wardour Castle, a wonderful ruined castle in Wiltshire. Construction was started in the 1393, and it has a curious Hexagonal shape, which apparently was in Fashion in France during the time, although it is the only one in the UK. It was severely damaged during the English civil war during a siege, and has now become a Romantic ruin. New Wardour castle is perhaps misleading, its more of a country house, although it is large and beautifully built in a sort of classical design. It has been converted to residential apartments, so you're not able to visit it. It's a little way from the Old castle, which is run by English Heritage and open most days. Tickets start at £9.50, although there is a small discou...