{"id":544,"date":"2019-04-03T11:46:49","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T10:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/?p=544"},"modified":"2019-04-03T11:46:49","modified_gmt":"2019-04-03T10:46:49","slug":"its-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/2019\/04\/03\/its-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s Spring!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hurrah &#8211; spring has finally arrived. <\/p>\n<p>The 1st April was officially the first day of the season and a good confirmation is the fact that all of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernladyferry.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>boats running from Torquay to Brixham<\/strong><\/a> etc are now operating.<\/p>\n<p>The nearby Princess Gardens are looking fantastic at present with all the beautiful tulips, and the fountain is looking wonderful with the glistening sun reflecting against the gold paintwork.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay-2.jpg\" alt=\"Torquay&#039;s Princess Gardens in Spring\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay-2-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay.jpg\" alt=\"Torquay&#039;s Princess Gardens in Spring 2019\" width=\"700\" height=\"816\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/princess-gardens-torquay-257x300.jpg 257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We are expecting the Big Wheel to arrive on the huge low-loaders from Hyde Park any day soon, and it should be running for Easter week.  And it&#8217;s great to report that all of the local restaurants are very much open now.<\/p>\n<h2>You Can Find Us Now<\/h2>\n<p>Helen and I have  &#8211; at last, some might say &#8211; taken heed of customer comments and completely taken out the front hedge in front of the Somerville sign. You&#8217;ll be able to find us now! And not only were they obscuring the sign, they were blocking some of the lovely view from our breakfast room.  <\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ve haven&#8217;t just left a bare patch &#8211; we&#8217;ve replanted with some attractive smaller shrubs. We hope you like our efforts &#8211; and the before and after photos, below, show what we&#8217;ve done. <\/p>\n<p>(Well, when we say &#8220;Helen and I&#8221; took out the hedging &#8230; in fact we had man with a tree stumper in to do the serious graft. Some of the old roots were deep and very very thick!)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-before.jpg\" alt=\"The Somerville front garden\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-550\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-before.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-before-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-after.jpg\" alt=\"The Somerville front garden remodelled\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-after.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Somerville-sign-after-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>At The Zoo<\/h2>\n<p>Helen and I were recently invited to a tourism conference at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paigntonzoo.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Paignton Zoo<\/strong><\/a>. Afterwards, we were invited to wander around the zoo and see the array of big cats, orangutans, gorillas and what-have-you, and we were favourably impressed. The lemurs, especially, were captivating:  you could get very close to them as they were essentially in a very large netted area, and the enthusiastic keepers help you interact with them. The cost of entry is \u00a318 and you can expect to be there a good three hours at least.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-1.jpg\" alt=\"Lions at Paignton Zoo\" width=\"700\" height=\"525\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-1.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-1-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-2.jpg\" alt=\"Lemurs at Paignton Zoo\" width=\"700\" height=\"933\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-2.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/paignton-zoo-2-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Coming To Stay &#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>On the availability front, we still have a few rooms left for the Easter weekend, and there are just two rooms left for the Torbay Airshow 2019.  <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Torbay-2019-airshow.png\" alt=\"Torbay 2019 airshow\" width=\"700\" height=\"258\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Torbay-2019-airshow.png 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Torbay-2019-airshow-300x111.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Red Arrows have been confirmed as flying both on the Saturday and Sunday 1-2nd June, and the Bay is a very good arena.  As always, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>do book soon<\/strong><\/a> to ensure you get a room!<\/p>\n<h2>&#8230; And Recovering Well<\/h2>\n<p>Lastly, as a bit of a pick me up after a heavy night, we have a new marmalade that you might want to try at breakfast. They tell me its all the rage at the moment &#8230; <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/g-and-t-marmalade.jpg\" alt=\"Gin and Tonic Marmalade!\" width=\"700\" height=\"847\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/g-and-t-marmalade.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/g-and-t-marmalade-248x300.jpg 248w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We look forward to seeing you.<\/p>\n<p>Peter and Helen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hurrah &#8211; spring has finally arrived. The 1st April was officially the first day of the season and a good confirmation is the fact that all of the boats running from Torquay to Brixham etc are now operating. The nearby Princess Gardens are looking fantastic&hellip; <a class=\"read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/2019\/04\/03\/its-spring\/\">   [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-544","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorised","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail","9":"override"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":556,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544\/revisions\/556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.somervilletorquay.co.uk\/somerville-journal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}