July 21st 2017 -

The weather forecast was a yellow warning for strong winds and heavy rain and sure enough that is what we had. The wind had managed to knock down a tree in a container and it had broken another pot. We set the tree upright but before we left it had fallen again! Today we took a trip back into Devon to A La Ronde. A La Ronde is an 18th century hexadecagonal (16 sided) house built on the instructions of cousins Jane and Mary Parminter when they had returned from a grand tour of Europe. The design meant that they could use each room as the sun moved around. Every inch of space is used with cupboards hidden inside walls and seats that flip down between doorways. We had coffee in the coffee shop and then did a tour of the house - I really liked it.

The shell gallery is no longer open to the public because of its fragility but you can see up from the staircase and there is also a virtual tour available.

The frieze in the drawing room is made entirely from feathers of birds culled on the estate. It is really beautiful. I loved this house and felt I could live there.

Jane Parminter left a very detailed will. She wanted the house to be kept intact and to be lived in by unmarried kinswomen. She wanted to perpetuate the independence of women. When she died the house was passed on to 2 female cousins who passed it on to their niece Stella Reichel who passed it on to her brother the Rev. Oswald Reichel. While Jane's wishes were not honoured it is due to the Rev. Reichel that the house was modernised and kept in good condition. When A La Ronde was put up for auction another independent woman bought it and opened it to the public.





The weather was too wet for doing the grounds so we came back home and did a bit of grocery shopping in Morrisons. Then we went to West Bay hoping to have a look at the view there. However, we were beaten back by the wind.

















The weather was too wet for doing the grounds so we came back home and did a bit of grocery shopping in Morrisons. Then we went to West Bay hoping to have a look at the view there. However, we were beaten back by the wind.