Play.Eat.Laugh.Sleep..Pickwell: Beach Chic

Tuesday 2 August 2011

Beach Chic

Beach life is fairly fascinating. I love people watching, but also tent and wind break spotting (i don't surf, unlike my husband and children!). Even though every family or group is different, we all seem to have the same things in the same design.

I have been on the look-out for different kinds of designs and some semblance of individuality.

These were Liza's favourites. A cow and a...blue spotty animal??

I love this one for a big group. Easily spotted if you are looking to meet up with friends.

Purple flowers..

or stripes...

This has a 'Cath Kidston' vibe to it and has to be my favourite tent find of the day...however...

nothing can compare to a beach-hut! (we do all look normal in real life, i'm not sure what happened on this occasion)

We celebrated Becky's birthday (Becky lived with us at Pickwell for the winter) recently by hiring out a beach-hut on Saunton beach. Just as well as it poured with rain.

The darkness and the rain just made the beach-hut even more cosy. Jo and Trev had made a gorgeous lemon meringue sponge birthday cake. (that doesn't sound right, may need to check that. It was definately lemony though)

When i met up with Tracey by the car ready to go, we had our usual bags packed with our usual evening beach items (lanterns, blankets, hot water bottles, flask of tea, cadburys cream eggs etc) but Tracey was also holding a picnic basket. On enquiring as to what was inside, she replied "oh its just the baby rabbits, i thought we could all sit with one on our knee". In my search for individuality I think the beach-hut filled with cake, rabbits and hood wearing devonites definately qualifies.

As a result of my findings I am also taking a leaf out of my friend Sarah's book and making my own wind-break. Here I am enjoying the help of a few friends to help me to do it! I always get these high-falutin' ideas and then always seem to get it wrong. Cakes and sewing are just a general disaster. Nevermind. as long as I get it done by the end of the summer that'll do nicely x

1 comment:

Anonymous2 August 2011 at 15:11
there appears to be a human crab at the end, who is that crab!
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Our Story

Many people have asked what the story is, how did the Bakers and Elliotts come to be at Pickwell?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Tracey and Susannah became friends at 6th form college. Steve and Tracey lived in the same village in Sussex. Steve's dad was the vicar and Tracey's dad was Steve's scout leader. Even more wierd, Susannah's dad (also a church minister) and Steve's dad were friends, but Steve and Sus never met.

One summer Tracey took Susannah along to a youth summer camp. Steve was one of the leaders (read : heightened attraction) and a little later Steve and Sus got together. During their 6 on/off years they met Richard, a blue eyed boy from Guildford.

At a club night run by Steve, somehow through the dark and crowded room, Tracey and Richard bumped into eachother (if you have seen the shapes they pull on the dancefloor you would know how easily this happened)..

In the year 2000 they all got married. Tracey and Susannah were eachother's bridesmaids. They have remained firm friends ever since.

When Steve and Susannah came across Pickwell Manor, they knew they couldn't manage such a project on their own. They asked the Elliotts if they would give up their house, their jobs and their community to come and live and work with them and own the project together. They knew there weren't many people they could ask to do such a thing knowing they would still love each other by the end. So they all left everything in Sussex and came to Devon.

They moved on the same day in August 2008. It has been a crazy, wonderful, scary, emotional and beautiful experience so far. All of them would say they feel very ALIVE!

Since they moved they have run 51 successful and wonderful weddings (with more to come), many, many holidays, built or totally refurbished 6 apartments from scratch, updated carpets, painted white throughout, put in quite a few kitchens and bathrooms (including 2 baths on concrete plinths), changed much of the furniture, converted a laundry and have started to convert the chapel. Every year they also have a bonfire gathering in October, an Easter Eggstravaganza fundraising event, and anything else that is not-for-profit that they can fit in. Tracey has completed a dissertation and gone back to nursing for 2 days a week, Steve has started up a new company in London, Richard has mastered a lot of the running of the house as well as training as a coach, specialising in stress management, Sus has taken on the interiors and Tracey and Susannah have learnt weddings in at the deep end! All with 4 young Pickwellians by their sides.

"Our passion is for making life count. Our values lie in
friendship, celebration, valuing others, and social justice. We see Pickwell as a reflection of these things but also a place for rest, recouperation, laughter and conversation. We want to support charities and social enterprises to fufil their dreams and make a difference."

"We love Devon, we love the community here, we love seeing our children grow with nature and discovering the great outdoors. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about our life here, it is amazing".