Back to Devon (1)

 I'm very aware that I never finished describing our adventures in Devon. I'd got as far as Wednesday. Thursday it was my choice of where to go and we went to Greenway. The OH''s brother had been before but opted to go again so we had another day with him which was nice,.The eplace now belongs to the National Trust but it was purchased by Agatha Christie as a 'holiday home' for herself and her family. It's set in very lovely grounds and there is a boat house to explore as well ( this actually features in one of her books and was used when it was filmed for TV). Sadly the day we went it was lashing it down with rain and exploring grounds was right out; in fact I was rather surprised that they let anyone into the house as by the time you'd walked from the car park to the door ( which was quite a distance) everyone looked like the proverbial drowned rat. 

They did let us in though and it was lovely. As writers houses go I'd say I prefer Abbotsford but Greenway would be lovely to live in, although very much more grand than most of us would think of as a holiday home. That said, although it's quite big, it's very homely. You were allowed to take pictures, although I didn't take many because it was such a dreich day that I wasn't convinced they would come out all that well. I've got one somewhere of the living room, but I can't find it. That's what happens when you take pictures with your camera and your phone and they gret uploaded to your laptop at different times! But anyway, here's a couple of pics of where she worked.

The house was requisitioned by the military during WW2 and one of the officers billeted there took it upon himself to paint these murals high on the dining room walls, of some of the campaigns he'd participated in. Honestly, who does that? Is allowed to live in someone else's house and paints pictures on their walls? Christie either liked them or it was too much hassle to be rid. I took photos of these two because they represent two of the campaigns GCH, of Ph D fame, took part in - North Africa and Italy. 

After seeing the house, visiting the gift shop (which I have to say was lovely) and realising there was no chance whatsoever of getting anything to eat in the small on-site cafe we took the ferry over the River Dart to Dartmouth and found a very nice pub to have what turned into a late lunch/early dinner. 

It was a good day; I thoroughly enjoyed myself.