Yesterday I took advantage of the sunshine and the relatively uncrowded streets to take some pictures of Barnstaple's side streets. It is quite an old town with bits dating back many hundreds of years. Originating by the river crossing it was first a sea port and then became the main market town for the region. Now it is a centre for commerce with some light industry but chiefly it is a hub for the tourism based on the seaside villages,the moors and the picturesque countryside.
Today despite the sunshine I was not in a good mood even after we negotiated the icy roads and went to church in Ilfracombe. I've had a nasty sinus headache lurking which resurfaced when the boys started complaining because I had tidied up paints and stuff of theirs that had been left lying about in the conservatory last summer even after I'd begged them to tidy it all up. I got so cross with their insistence that they have the right to leave their belongings scattered throughout the house that instead of really losing my temper I simply took myself (and the tv controller) up to our bedroom and had a tidy up of my own things and a bit of a rest. In a house full of adults I do not see it as my job to be responsible for all their meals especially when they are going to be so argumentative . I've had an evening snack of Christmas cake and Stilton and have provided them with instructions on making toad-in-the-hole. Earlier in the afternoon the boys did a good job of clearing up in the yard so that there will be more room for the cars as tomorrow more friends will be arriving.
