Cove

Another noun-  a small, sheltered bay

I didn't want to leave Salcombe without exploring North Sands, a beach by a cove, that is dog-friendly, no matter the time of the year.

Mom?  Please don't make me walk in the rain.

Ah, rainy days.  I love, love rainy days.  The promise of discovery is too enticing.

It's a 15-20 minute descent via Cliff Road to North Sands.

Along the way, there was much, much to see...

Bruno, look!

Look!

Look.

The tide was alas too high, eclipsing the beach fully.

I am going to add a life-jacket to his wardrobe.  Bruno was quite willing to play amongst the rocks and little sandy bits, but I was unwilling to risk having him swept away by the wind and the sea.

Well Mom, what next?

Next.

For when Plan A needs to be abandoned, there's always, a Plan B, C, D.

Goodbye, 2014-2015.  

Hello, 2015-2016.

My 45th year.  

I'm gonna have to imagine you up.

Estuary

Estuary (noun)-

Where the river, meets the sea…

To get here, the nearest train station is Totnes, about a 3-hour train ride from London Paddington.  From Totnes Station, it's a 40-minute taxi drive through winding country roads, sans traffic. 

There is a sense of the land rising and plunging.  We pass farmland, woods, and then suddenly, catch the promise of water, glinting.

Salcombe is a picturesque village in South Devon, situated right on an estuary.  It reminds me very much of Balboa Island in Orange County, but with much steeper terrain, and a gentler sense of being.  Mayflower asked how I found this place.  Truth is, I located the hotel, first.

Salcombe Harbour Hotel & Spa, Cliff Road, Salcombe, Devon TQ8 8JH

Bruno is not allowed to eat inside the restaurant on site, but we are welcomed on the terrace.

Right beside the hotel, we find a lovely little park; 

a very useful facility when traveling with Mr Bruno.

Fore Street, the heart of town, is a mere 3-minute walk from our hotel.

  The street is marked by bunting, and flanked by just the right mix of cafes, pubs, galleries, and independent stores selling a good range of decorative goods, beach clothing, locally-made fudge and ice-cream.

At a local favourite, the Victoria Inn, Bruno is offered his own menu, biscuits, and a blanket to rest on.

For 1.50(pound), there is a ferry service that takes us across the harbour to East Portlemouth.

There we explore the beach at low tide,

 hike up a steep wooded path, 

and share a quick sandwich at the Venus Cafe.

Originally, I had hope to visit Avignon with Bruno.  But the catastrophe at Calais kept us away.  I'm glad we came here instead.  It's the sort of intimate, restful place with everything I like and need to do-

endlessly walking through stunning nature, 

meandering and admiring local architecture,

looking at art, decorative stuff...

And then there is, the water, the sea.

As each day concludes, I sit here, quite unable to speak.

In March, we offered my grandmother, as she had wished, to a different ocean, far across this sea.  I never wonder what have become of her ashes.  She has gone, she is gone.  But I know if I care to look long enough, somewhere in my heart, in the faces of my mother, my brother, my cousins and in their actions- my grandmother, persists.

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Post-Production

Maybe it's age.  And with age, experience.  At the beginning of my dance career, post-production was always a period of sadness and pure exhaustion.  You've poured your heart on stage, slogged through the weeks in rehearsal.  Then, an abrupt end.  Towards the last days however, I only felt the familiar exhaustion and a new calmness.  The sadness had left me.

Our first night in the Village, K said- You must be so exhausted and happy!

Not really,  I just feel calm.

Happy, of course, but more calm.

I've been homeless for the last 8 months and living with so much uncertainty and loss.  Now that I am finally home, I feel so sheltered, and calm.

I have the most incredible neighbour.

Many who see me back on him have commented on my being"very brave".

Truth is, I don't think I'm doing anything extraordinary.  I was very lucky to have met him, and found this sort of love.  If you love, you let go, and if you love, you get back on.

Sometimes love can be that  simple.  

After our morning ride, I untacked him, and then hung out with him for almost another hour.

I draped myself on him, and learnt, that when a horse is relaxed, as happy, and as calm, he just about purrs like a cat!

***

In ballet class the next morning, my teacher asked- Where's the double pirouette you just did on the other side?

I thought you weren't watching, was my cheeky retort.  But then on the long tube ride back, I thought- she's right.  Where's the double pirouette?  

The flat is completed, I've moved in, but surely, more can be done!

***

The best way to get to know the Village, is to walk around and give the locals a chance to become familiar with us.

The Mint Source, 23 Church Street

  I find cushions, a doormat, napkins, and a waste basket for the bathroom.  I introduce myself to Maggie, the owner.  We discuss the crossword puzzle she's working on.  She helps me carry everything back to my flat.

At the dry cleaners also along Church Street, I meet, Julia, a young woman multi-tasking as a mother, accountancy student, wife, and employee.  I tell her what Popo once said to me:

Don't give up.  Now is the time to work, so we must work.

I buy a flower pot at Two Sisters, 3 Church Road.

Everyone knows I'm terrible with plants.  But hey, new flat, new hood, new challenge- where is that double pirouette- my teacher's voice, in my head.

Dear Plant in New Pot, Please live through the summer.  Please.

The stores we frequent while living in W2 and SW7, thankfully have branches here in the village of SW19 as well.  Bruno loves, Pet Pavilion.

Pet Pavilion, 47 High Street

He knows to make a bee-line for the girls behind the counter, where they'll coo over him and feed him treats.

I stop at Matches, 36 High Street, and befriend Lucy and Sarah. 

I'm also introduced to Amelia, the in-house seamstress who works in the space above the Diane Von Furstenberg store.  The girls tell me Matches owns this and Max Mara along the same row as well.

Beside Matches, is the Matches sample store.  Everything is discounted further.  

The Balenciaga two sizes too big, is coming home with me.  Summie has graduation coming up; it would be nice to wear, celebratory print.

***

(Footnote)

The Double Pirouette:

The double pirouette resides in one's head.  You just have to make a committed decision to turn, not once, but twice.  Use minimal force, hold the body without fuss, press down into the earth to get on your toes as you whip your head around- One! Two!  Inhale, exhale, land with softness and pliancy.