Day 30 - Honiton It`s raining !

The outstanding run of good weather (2 & a bit days) came to an abrupt end with dreary conditions prevailing limiting options to a choice of watching episodes of Neighbours and Home and Away (so popular over here) or a day of shopping in Exeter with Monika, her sisters Rita & Anita and mum Henny ..... not even a close contest !

Only 16 miles away Exeter is Devon`s vibrant hub. Its history of Roman walls, 15th C pubs and a beautiful cathedral & close is hidden amidst shops and cafes many built following extensive damage received during WW2.

Exeter, a university city, is also a city of some employment unlike rural Devon which over the years has been hit by the gradual collapse of industry & jobs resulting in high rates of local unemployment and in some cases generations of families that have never worked!

In this part of the world the difficulty is in not only getting a job but getting one that pays ! Austerity measures, high unemployment and an increase in service level work has meant min wage income earners (many) are barely earning $9 an hour - less than what a teenager would get for working at McDonald's back home !

The girls nevertheless did their bit to boost the flagging economy and we returned home in time to watch Man Utd with its players on 250,000 pounds a week take out the English Premiership for 2013 !!!