Glade tidings

Ah, the fleeting nature of pleasure, ponders Mr Gnome as he recalls his recent all-too-brief visit to Devonshire.

Back in the brou-ha-ha of the workaday world, he struggles to recall his wanderings along the coastal path.

This snap shows him pausing on the long descent, through woodland and meadows, to the secluded beach at Weston Mouth.

It was a perfect June evening: pristine sky, sea-dazzle and this year's rain-soaked greenness of grass and foliage. Birdsong. Breeze off the sea.

In short, a dose of pre-lapsarian bliss.

Now, at moments of stress or discouragement, Mr Gnome and the HB find themselves replaying their mind's eye video of this and other walks.

Instant solace.