Glowering skies over Dawlish

The holiday vibe really set in today, with a morning exploring the delights of Dawlish Warren, followed by tea and cake in the town and then a perambulation of the sea front and cliffs. Despite the sometimes alarmingly grey skies, the weather was generally mild with sunny intervals, making it feel more like August than October.

Although it was rather late in the season, there were still some flowers blooming on the dunes, including a fine display of Fragrant Evening-primrose on the dunes, a new plant for me. We also examined the seed-heads of Autumn Ladies-tresses, watched a herd of ponies defend itself against a worrisome terrier that had escaped from the beach and admired the new sea defences. In Dawlish there was a nesting black swan, not to mention several interesting plants growing on the sandstone cliffs.

We all needed a short rest after all our exertions, but were then treated to more rhubarb gin and an excellent lamb tagine. A really good day...