Devon

We thought we'd died and gone to Heaven
The first time that we visited Devon!
We Londoners, used to concrete and fog
Saw folk in the countryside walking their dog
Down lanes, where there were not many cars
Uphill and downhill and ever so far.....

Those Devon lanes, I remember them still
Wild violets, primroses, bold daffodils
Each season bringing a better display
In later years, here's where my dog and I played

Those first tastes of Devon, so rugged and free
Brought us to live there, the Hall family
Lynton so hilly, with old fashioned shops
Antiques and book-stores and quaint restaurants
Lynmouth, harbour village down by the sea
Ice cream, and dog walks and clotted cream teas

Our local town, our own Barnstaple
Had everything needed to make our lives full
Our own pannier market, with veggies and fruit
With pasties and crafts and baskets so cute

Our very own theatre, of which we were proud
From Shakespeare and ballet, which brought out a crowd
To Blues Brothers, Mozart, Beethoven or jazz
And mind bending mysteries, it sure had pzazz!

All around Devon are lush deep green hills
And plenty of sea walks, and plenty of gulls
I'd walk on the beach, throwing sticks for my dog
And down leafy lanes in the mornings I'd jog

Some parts of the county are rugged and wild
What thoughts they inspired in me as a child
The heather, the rocks, and the cliffs, ocean's shimmer
Contrasting thatched cottages, streams where I'd linger

The hay stacks, the cider, the ploughmans, the smiles
Pub lunches with friends and our dogs - we'd walk miles
And sometimes a BBQ, cooked on the moor
Midst flowers and cows, with a cloth for a floor
Some cider, some wine, some pop or some juice
The dogs lie contented, not tied up, but loose
They'd watch as the burgers and sausages sizzled
They knew there'd be treats when our appetites fizzled

Dear Devon, my home of earlier times
I long to come back to you Devon, you're mine!