Summer outlook is good

It's a British preoccupation, it's a conversation opener, it's a constant source of discussion. Yes, it's the weather. As if to prove my own point avid blog fans will remember me talking about it in April, twice in fact! You may remember me deriding the so called drought after a week of sunshine in March, almost four months ago. On the day the drought is officially over (yes really), believe it or not, we have not had a week without rain since March! The hares are not only mad, they're hopping!

March hare by Beverly Madley

Now the hosepipe ban is lifted nationwide we are free to water our gardens, yeah right! Still, maybe this heralds the start of summer and I sincerely hope so. The effect on the South West region has been a reduction in visitor numbers which has been compounded by the bleak economy.


However, I remain ever optimistic that the sun will get its hat on and by the end of August the talk of floods will be a distant memory. In fairness, most visitors that I have spoken to are quite stoical and are enjoying the beautiful Devon countryside regardless of the weather. A lady came into the gallery last week from Nevada in the United States with a tan that would make Dale Winton look anaemic and found the climate quite refreshing after being used to day after day of baking sunshine back at home. Thanks for rubbing it in!


With the school summer holidays almost upon us we can look forward to wall-to-wall sunshine and thousands of visitors enjoying the balmy conditions. And to make things even better West Gallery's Summer Exhibition starts on 16th July through to 27th August with many of the artists drawing inspiration from the beautiful Devon scenery and the dramatic skies that the weather provides us with. Definitely worth a look.

Wellies by Rob Walker

Whether it be wellies or flip-flops one thing I can forecast is that we will have something to brighten your day at West Gallery, the outlook is good for the rest of the summer. Right, I'm off to water my plants, because I can!