The weather finally came good for Mothering Sunday and I went down to Devon on Thursday to stay with my mum, June.
Mr Mutton didn't come as he is Marathon training in earnest for London in April, and had a big race to photograph for his club.
He will probably also admit that he finds the endless "yapping" of mother and daughter a bit much to cope with. So I enjoyed quality time with Mum in the usual whirl of visits to garden centres, tea rooms and restaurants. On Friday we went to Otter garden centre, where I bought three hollyhocks, and Saltram House.
On Saturday we went to Quay 33 for lunch, a charming bistro on Plymouth's historic Barbican. This was after I met up with an old school friend I hadn't seen since we were 17, Sue Symons.
Mum has lived in the same house in Plymouth since 1964. I grew up there. I still have a soft spot for Plymouth, particularly for the Hoe and Barbican where I spent happy years as a teenager. But Plymouth has been both saved and ruined by students. The university has expanded considerably and most of the city centre seems to be student accommodation and blocks of university facilities which are not always in keeping with the architecture.
This plaque, at the Mayflower Steps, commemorates the sailing from Plymouth of the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620. The pilgrims believed that they were true Christians, determined to "purify" the Christian church and return to a scripture-based service. These "Puritans" were not satisfied with the reforms introduced after the separation of the English church from the Catholic Holy See in Rome.
Nevertheless, the Puritans were seen both as seditious and heretical for their beliefs. The King's agents persecuted them. They set sail from Plymouth with 102 passengers on board, about half of them Puritans. After a stormy 66-day crossing they dropped anchor off Cape Cod (near today's Provincetown, Massachusetts), on November 11, 1620.
From there they explored the coast for five weeks, until they found a favourable place where they decided to establish "Plimoth plantation", one of the first English settlements in North America.
Mum is 84 and still loves fashion and buying clothes, particularly scarves. She loves bright colours and has an aversion to "old lady beige."
On Sunday we drove over to Torquay for the annual trip to the Corbyn Head Hotel's Mother's Day lunch. We've been going for the last 12 or so years. A pianist tinkles the ivories while the assorted family diners enjoy a four course lunch, with all mums receiving flowers at the end.
Mum wore an ivory jumper with blingy scarf and her new raspberry jacket from Marks and Spencer. She buys a lot there from the Per Una range (the Classic range is "too old lady"). She's always made a feature of her glasses.
I wore my burgundy Ted Baker top and cursed the fact the weather had changed because I had left my cream jacket at home. I'd brought the tripod with me intending to take some "posed" shots but unfortunately forgot the device that connects the camera to it, so I had to make do with the point and shoot camera. It turns out Mum is an impatient model. She'll give me a couple of shots but she won't try lots of different poses. I think you'll agree she's a natural.
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