Monday 28th May

‘Bampton Big Plant’ happened today.

During the afternoon Cove Nursery delivered the hanging baskets and plants for the tubs and boxes in the town.

In addition the nursery and the Fruit ‘n Veg shop were selling plants to the people of Bampton encouraging them to also get involved in producing a flower display that Bampton is famous for.

BBC Spotlight came down to film the event so look out soon for it appearing on the TV.

Lots of people, both adults and children came down to help and at one time the pavement outside the shop and our house was awash with baskets and plants. It looked like we had acquired a front garden.

Some plants were placed in the leet that runs alongside Brook St so get some water into them before planting.

My daily job for the next 3 to 4 months is to water the baskets and plants so I think I will need to design a device to build a small a dam in the leet so it is deep enough to draw water. This will be necessary as the South West water bills have been delivered this week and everyone is up in arms about the hike in prices.

Several customers came in and were complaining about their higher bills so I thought I would tweet this. Without including the SW water label I got a tweeted reply within minutes from SWW suggesting I check out their website to see the investment in improvements necessitating the increase in tariffs.

My computer is still at the hospital so I’m not blogging an all cylinders at the moment. I will try to add some photos of the planting when I can.

After work we raced off to Plymouth theatre to see Doctor in the House. It was a great laugh so try and catch it if you can. It’s only 75 minutes down the road from Bampton.

 

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Saturday 26th May

Saturday 26th May

The charity plant sale took place in the sunshine in Brook Street. It raised £310 for the Devon Air Ambulance.
I sold a bithday card today that had a handwritten price of 65p on it. I think it must have been on the card rack since we took over the shop more than 9 years ago.

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Friday 25th May

Ian, Olympic Torchbearer fame, came in today and said he had a tremendous day on Monday.

He said that the day flashed by, having started by meeting in Appledore (I think!) at 7:30am, the torchbearers were mini-bussed (is that a word?) to Great Torrington for his short walk/run.

He was interviewed by Radio Bristol and even got a mention on Radio 1 as they spoke about the chap who was enjoying his stint with the flame and was getting involved with the crowd, in fact, the reporter suggesting he was a danger to the public with his flame getting so close to them!

After the end of his stint his torch was decommissioned and he was then allowed to take it home (for a few hundred pounds) and I gather it’s not going on e-bay.

Hundrerds of people asked to have their photographs taken with Ian and the torch – he happily obliged

He was even give some cut glass bowls by Dartington Glass as a momento.

He arrived back in Bampton about 4:30pm.

He was taking the torch into the school later in the day.

His visit to the school was related to us later in the afternoon when a small boy came into the shop to buy some sweets.

I did have the laptop in the shop during the day and was watching the live streaming of the torch relay. I wish I had known this was available as I would have watched Ian earlier in the week.

You can watch it live on the bbc website under torch relay.

An elderley chap came striding across the road into the shop this morning, walked up to the counter with his telegraph vouchers in his hand and said “I would like to pay my paper bill please”.

I replied “Thank you but you might want to go into Costcutters to do that”.

He blamed his age.

 

 

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Thursday 24th May

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What a busy weekend it is going to be around Bampton this weekend.

The Post Office door and outside wall is plastered with posters on a wide range of events taking place over the next few weeks.

This weekend you can choose from:-

Exeter Philharmonic Choir at the Cathedral (Haydn’s Creation)…not my sort of thing

Open Gardens and Plant Sale in Wivvy

Cold Comfort Farm, a play, in Dulverton

Charity Plant Sale in Brook St, Bampton on Saturday

Film night, Saturday, in the Bampton Riverside Hall – Marilyn

Friday is the Morebath Flower Festival

At Bampton church on Sunday is the family service – Whit Sunday Pentecost

Not forgetting the Camel Racing at Brushford.

The conditions should be ideal for the camels and the local Arabs will all be arriving by limo.

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Wednesday 23rd May

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It was nice and warm this morning, even surpassing the magic 16 degrees very early in the day.

The magic number being the temperature when we allow the door to be left open to let in fresh air rather than chilly air.

The downside of an open door that I have noticed over the last couple of days is the noise from outside.

The worse noise was this morning when about 20 ladies congregated outside to catch a coach for day trip to Hestercombe gardens  http://hestercombe.com/ ending somewhere on the Somerset levels.  The longer they were outside the louder the noise became.

Some of them seemed a bit vague as to where they were going. No doubt they put their name down for the trips irrespective of the destination.

In the excitement of finding the computer working yesterday I forgot to mention the lady that came in asking how my other half was as she had not seen her for a while.

I said apart from the metatarsal and the shingles she was fine.

The lady said “Give Claire my regards, tell her it was the lady with a bun on her head”……my other half knew who it was straightaway.

Sometimes when we talk about customers and can’t remember their names we have to use the nicknames we give them…in a nice way of course!

Well done to Steve and Kathryn who got the correct answer to yesterday’s question.

Hovis was the answer.

Steve said the saying had been around for 125 years…he doesn’t look that old does he? 

He’s the one with the sunnies on. The other chap was the driver of the boat!!

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Tuesday 22nd May

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Quick quiz for you…no prize this time!

Which company (brand) has this statement on the side of its lorry?

Excuse the shadow of the streetlight on the lorry but it was sooo sunny today.

In fact it was so hot and sunny that my day at the County Ground at Taunton watching cricket has left me a bit red round the extremities, even though I had the factor 30 on!

Apologies for slimmed down blogging recently but my computer is on the blink.

It occasionally works then won’t load photo’s etc. but I will try and plod on to the best of its ability.

I have also been away for a couple of days watching my football team win at Wembley for the second time in 8 days.

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How many supporters can ever say that?

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Monday 21st May

Monday 21st May

Ian Buchanan of Bampton kissing his Olympic Torch as he carries it through Great Torrington

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