Odds and Sods September 2022

.......and the last shall be first. At least that's the case with my photos this month in my Odds and Sods. This photo was taken on an end of season visit to Totnes market yesterday, one of my favourite destinations for photography. Spotting this image was a poignant moment that sort of summed up the whole month. How many artefacts have the portrait of the late Queen on them we will never know, but as I spotted a cup with a portrait on it of her father King George VI, who was King more than 70 years ago, in the same market, on the same day, I suspect we'll be seeing items like this in street markets for decades to come, probably hundreds of years.

These three photos are just a taster of my next Totnes post, and being taken yesterday, they therefore just sneak into the September roundup.

It's been quite a busy month now that all the tourists have dwindled, as I have been out and about more, instead of sitting in traffic jams or looking for somewhere to park, which means quite a diverse collection of subjects.

I thought this shot resembled two giant pearls in the shell. As I say every time, about my Totnes Market shots, they are all as I find them, I don't rearrange anything.

From one pony to another. This one is on Dartmoor where we went to see The Granite Tramway in this post. I think this one is offering a particularly noble pose. The Dartmoor ponies live wild up on the moors.

This could be a "What am I?" quiz question. So what am I?

At the seaward end of the Granite Tramway, where it meets the old disused Stover Canal is a basin where the granite was transferred from carts to boats. When this site was explored in recent years the remains of a quayside crane were unearthed and this round and rusty object is the main pivot beam for the crane which enabled it to turn. Here is a reconstruction of what it would have looked like above ground, while the section above was the pivot base that was below ground.

My Stover Canal post is still to come, as I am running behind. (Since completed here)

What seems a long time ago now, during the break in a pub quiz, we won a charity auction prize which was a ride in a Bentley and lunch at a beach cafe. For various reasons, not the least of which was a very busy tourist season it was delayed until this month. It was a great day out along the scenic coast road and involved Fish'n'Chips. What could be nicer. The car was a fully restored 1955 Bentley.

During lockdown soon after we moved to this area I was exploring places where possible and took a series of photos in Brixham . At the time I saw the huge Brixham Fish Market, the largest in England, and thought it would be great to do some photos inside. By chance on my Facebook feed a month ago an ad popped up for a tour, including fishy breakfast afterwards in the adjoining restaurant. A full tour of the market, during the auction, and free access, literally hands on, of all the different types of fish. That post is yet to come, but again, here is a taster. The big snag was that we had to be there for 6.00am which meant getting up at 4.00 am which as far as I am concerned is the middle of the night, as you can see.

This is the inner harbour, not the one with the fishing boats. It does however have a replica of The Golden Hind, which you can board and get attacked by pirates. It's the ship that is all lit up in bright colours.

I think this was a Sea Bass, and the guide is proudly demonstrating how fresh it is at the auction. Really fresh fish goes stiff before going floppy. By the time they get to the fishmongers they have mostly lost this feature. (It isn't frozen as you might think)

Looking for smaller fry is our local Little Egret.

This month was the annual Vintage Bus Running Day. About thirty vintage buses running services to all the surrounding villages for free. Turn up, breathe in the blue diesel fumes and get on board any bus you like. We went on a helter skelter round trip to Thurlestone.

A day trip to Devon's north coast. Good quiz question, "Which is the only English County to have two coastlines?" Devon of course. This was taken at the Valley of the Rocks near Lynton. It is a valley full of rocks, which is more dramatic and beautiful than it sounds.

Here is one of the rocks at the edge of a vertiginous cliff path, with no room for error, or for those who are afraid of heights. It's a long way down.

There is a flea in the distance on top of the cliff, a human one, just to give some scale. Click on the image to see the full size.

We had a couple of trips to Torquay and this time we saw the damage on the pier from the recent fire. The Princess Pier had not long been restored so it was a real shame that a blazing inferno on a luxury yacht berthed nearby should have damaged it. Rumours are rife and police are investigating the incident and giving nothing away.

It was one of just 31 Princess Y85 superyachts in the world and sank after burning for around five hours with 8000 litres/1700 gallons of fuel on board. It burned through its moorings and drifted into the ill fated pier.

The Mary-Anne, a fishing vessel. She was built in Aberdeen in 1997 as Celtic Star.

She went to Ireland soon after being built before coming to Torquay around 10 years ago.

Now that the entire population of London have gone back home, it is safe to go to Salcombe again. Only, be aware of the tides when you park the car. This week was one of very highest tides of the year, but when we visited the tide was out.

This is the Sector Light guidance system for entry to the harbour. There is a narrow entrance between rocks which means caution.

In tight harbours, shallow passages and narrow ports, navigation lighting plays a crucial role in ensuring the safe transportation of vessels and cargo.

Sector Lights have fixed red, white and green beams of light that point out to sea. I will use non seafaring terms here. If you are approaching the harbour and you see red light you need to move right. If you see green light you need to move left. When you can see white light you are on a correct course to travel through the channel.

As we walked in to town we passed this monstrous construction. Land is at a huge premium and the real estate here is second only to London in cost. I am assuming this is going to be a number of very expensive apartments, or an extremely expensive single residence.

This Spaniel has worn out his four friends who are definitely not throwing the ball again.

This is the tide out. Only the orange lifeboat still has its feet in the water, ever ready to go out on a mission.

These are the slate cliffs at Strete Gate. A beautiful rock garden, silver pink in the sun.

Two trips to North Devon this month and this was our first one to the Dartington Glass factory and Bude.

Three shots from my Plymouth photo walk done earlier in the month.

This is a masterpiece of gate patching up, making a stunning collage.

Another Classic Car Show, this time at the free Buckfastleigh Station Steam Day. Not that these cars were steam driven, they were just an added bonus to the steam trains. If you find yourself to be a Classic Car widow, don't forget your Word Search. In this case a luxury Word Search.

This one is obviously a work in progress.

While in North Devon, more steam, this time the Launceston Steam Railway. A narrow gauge line in a beautiful secluded valley.

This is Bude which is just in Cornwall, where we stayed the night. We visited here during Covid too, my post describing Bude in more detail is here.

The Dolphin pub in Dartmouth, draws September 2022 to a close.