Tag: Ashburton

#1381 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Lola1 Comment
Puppacino from Starbucks.

Our post Christmas life has been about rehabilitating Lola as our only dog. Left to her own devices she would sleep most of the day and happily nip out to the yard for comfort breaks. This lifestyle would not be good for her. We have discovered that she is energised by trips where other dogs and humans can give her contact and interest . We had not attempted countryside walks until yesterday when a bright and breezy Dartmoor attracted us.

Traffic calming on Dartmoor.

We walked along the river Dart at Dartmeet. Lola tolerated the isolation but was indifferent  to the history or beauty of the area until she was offered a half share of a warm sausage roll on our return to the car.

Road Bridge 18th Century with damaged Medieval bridge in the foreground.

She sniffed Lichen boulders but not with any great enthusiasm.

Our second walk of the day was more to her taste. Ashburton also took in history with one of the world’s oldest inns. Trading as an Inn since 1140

Nearly 900 years of dog messages expressed on its exterior walls. Lola loves to track and was nose to the pavement once she left this rich trove of Canine communication. She sniffed out a serendipitous collection outside a closed antique shop. Either intentionally or by accident this tiny collection of  objects has been rained on, pissed on and then caught in bright winter daylight.

Lola chose not to leave her own message but I was glad to have been dragged by her to see it. I just love the patina of the teapot against the terracotta, rust and vivid blue plant pot.

In some ways the picture of the day and for Lola, possibly the highlight. She is most definitely more urban than rural for the time being.

#1196 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn history, Serendipity1 Comment
St Andrews Ashburton.

Sunday morning and a gift of church bells, should you choose to watch the video above.

Today’s ponder was seeded in my head by the smallest of coincidences. Saturday found us on a back street walk at Ashburton, a market town on the edge of Dartmoor. We were pulled in the direction of the church by the bells ringing. On the way I caught sight of this blue plaque.

When we arrived in the churchyard we saw a small crowd of beautifully dressed wedding guests having a cheeky last minute smoke before going into the church.

Something Sir Walter, despite being entirely responsible, would never have seen during his stay in Ashburton. Smoking tobacco was only an upper class habit in England until the late 19th century and did not become commonly used by all of society until the end of the Industrial Revolution.

And with a delicious coincidence, there is a mural of Sir Walter actually pondering, overlooking the pub where he spent his last night of freedom. Before being locked up for twelve years in the Tower of London.

His ponders must have been far more consequential than mine ever are.

Not pissing off James 1st might have been a good thing to ponder. And after 12 years in jail and 3 years of freedom, not pissing off James 1st a second time would have been a prudent ponder in my humble opinion.

Pandemic Pondering #177

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Devon, Food ( but this is not a food blog), SerendipityLeave a comment

Today was a personal grooming kind of day. The eyebrows that scatter themselves around my supraorbital ridge need corralling into tidy brows every now and again. They also require dyeing to give my ageing face some defining features. It never ceases to amaze me that so much eyebrow is removed with waxing, plucking and threading and yet I leave the calm of the salon with freshly honed eyebrows that look thicker and more verdant than I walked in with.

https://instagram.com/petite_retreat?igshid=1iw6zetl6vird

Both of us @theoldmortuary were freshly and resplendently eyebrowed when we met some friends later at Rust and the Wolf in Ashburton.

Rust and the Wolf is the sort of place that once again makes me wish they there was some way to share a link that could take you to a smell.

The link below takes you to the website.

https://rustandthewolf.co.uk/

It is described as a lifestyle store and cafe, both of these functions are gloriously styled with idiosyncratic lighting, fixtures, merchandise and fittings.

There is an intoxicating smell of good food, coffee and old leather.

The old leather is the smell I wish I could link to. It instantly transported me back to a time when close proximity to leather clad musicians or art students was a thing. The vibe at Rust and the Wolf is more biker really but where a smell takes anyone back to is a personal thing.

How this wonderful place emerged in Ashburton, a town that feels genteel,is slightly puzzling. The coffee , food and the Lifestyle store is a heady mix of sensory pleasure that is a little rougher, in a good way than you might expect from a small market town.