SPRING WEEKEND IN DEVON

 I have just come back from a very satisfying weekend in Devon. It was so beautiful...  the wonderful countryside reminded me a bit of japan but much more mellow. I left on Thursday and hung out with my good friend Ollie in Bristol with late night chess games and the next morning we woke up early and shot down hill into town where I busked a little near the library where he works and then listened to Oli reading the GRUFFALLO and other stories to the kids! After that I hung out with Martin jamming a little in the sun and met some wild sleep deprived kids who were throwing umbrellas on College green and gave us a box of chocolates for helping them throw the umbrella until it was totally broken. Then i took an afternoon train to Totnes where i met Tom and Dad in the village market. It was so beautiful... i found a 55 pound clarinet in the market which i decided to buy as a spare london clarinet. The sun was shining all weekend and we cycled around 100 km over 3 days ... small rides from the station of Totnes (the ultimate hippy town) to our friends house in Ashburton on the edge of the moor and from there to the Embecombe community centre where we stayed in an old gypsy caravan and helped out with the festival on sunday. We were playing music and I played a lot of games with the kids and did my first proper round off somersault on the grass! it was very satisfying!!!!

  Then on sunday afternoon we cycled over the hills to where a tall castle stood with a view to the moors behind us and the ancient city of Exeter by the blue estery before us lying in the valley and a long long down hill at top speeds under huge oak trees speeding past giant roots of old trees all stretching out in the spring sunshine. We arrived in Exeter and then caught the train to London and my friend was sitting next to us so we stayed awake a bit longer ... i was tired enough to sleep straight away but i wanted to chat with her!

  then in london in the dark and i cycled over to my 82 year old hero's party where he was teaching party games! lots of wonderful people but i was late. It was strange cycling through london after 3 days of being in the country. When i live in london i look at all the houses and buildings like they were always there when i arrived back and cycled through the sunday evening streets I somehow felt the old trees and fields that had been there before and all the buildings seemed to be just made... not just made but i felt the sensation of seeing a new building in somewhere familiar where it had not been before. 

  The countryside, houses and weather were all totally fantastic and I feel full of life and energy.

  lots of love

 jimmy

 xxxx

this was the website for the place i went.. it was great...

http://www.embercombe.co.uk/