Cornwall in August = Rain

When I think of Cornwall, I think of .... rain, the early morning grey mizzly kind and the lashing down kind.  This year, we had the added 'delight' of wind from the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha. 

It cheered up a bit eventually but the weather certainly kept us indoors more than we would have liked for our summer holiday! 

We still managed to see all those things (other than rain!) which are evocative of the county.

 Lane ways,  buildings at angles and white washed walls.

The beautiful beaches. This one is Porthminster at St Ives. Don't be fooled by that blue sky; it was still bloomin' chilly!

Hedgerows filled with flowers.  The hydrangeas were coming to an end but the crocosmia were everywhere.  It reminds me of home as my Cornish nana brought some up one year and we had it planted all around the bay window.  

One of the excursions we managed was a walk at Cardinham Woods which, of course, had to be rewarded with some delicious cake from Woods Cafe and a play with the equally delicious Bailey the cat.

Mayfield Lavender

Each year I take my little girl to Banstead to run through the lavender field.  This year, instead of following a delighted small child, not much higher than the bushes, with chubby limbs and grabbing hands, I was behind a striding, tall, lean nearly-seven year old.  I confess I felt a bit sad but also very proud of our gorgeous, funny, thoughtful daughter.  Teddy still came with us and had her paws rubbed in the flowers to make her smell (very much!) sweeter.  Will she join us next time though....?

 

Another striking difference this year was the number of signs, they had popped up everywhere.  

 

Tractor rides are another new feature (along with refundable parking charges).  The photos I take each year, at least the ones without my daughter in them, tend to look rather the same (!) so at least this year's batch have been slightly invigorated with some higher up shots from the back of the tractor!

Roses at Wisley

We popped in to Wisley about an hour before it closed for the weekend.  It was perfect as we could park almost right by the front door, there were only a few visitors around, we had the play area to ourselves and, more importantly, we got to smell the roses before they withered for the year!

I took photos of the ones that had the most delicious perfume but, with the clock ticking, there was no time to take note of their names!

  
Some of them were past their prime but were still beautiful.
 

The scattered petals were collected for a batch of homemade perfume.  

I really liked the design of the benches in the Rose Garden and, once I'd dried my tears from reading the memorial messages, took loads of photos of those too.

Shabden Farm on Open Farm Sunday

As part of the Open Farm Sunday event, we paid a visit to Shabden Farm to watch the sheep being sheared by the appropriately tattooed farmer!

In no time at all, the whole coat was off.

If I remember rightly, that should fetch £2.50 (up about a pound up on last year's prices) and will probably end up as carpet as British wool is too coarse for clothing fabric.

The sheepdogs that had been waiting, quivering, alongside the sheep pen, gave a demonstration of their job.  These are very much working dogs, with a killer's glint to their eyes! 

I watched the shorn sheep waiting on the other side of the fence, moving in tandem with the rest of their flock as they were being rounded up.

 And chose the beef option for my lunch.............

Tsuru Sushi

My new favourite place for sushi.  Absolutely delicious, particularly when washed down with a glass of cold Asahi beer.  

Camper Van!

During one of our Cornish holidays, my little girl and I competed to see who would be the first to spot and yell "camper van" as we drove around the winding coastal roads.  Three years on we still do it, although it also now includes pink cars and pink houses!

Last weekend, we visited the VolksWorld Show expecting to see too many camper vans to count.  We went in just a couple of hours before it finished so it was beginning to slow down but there was still plenty to keep us occupied.  

I was interested in all the colour and the personalisation of the interiors and dashboards, whereas my little girl was more concerned with getting an icecream with sprinkles, having a go on the bouncy castle, watching the skateboarders and nagging for a koinobori, a carp-shaped windsock! 

We spend quite a lot of time in the car each week and there aren't many journeys where we don't yell "camper van" at least once.  

It's no wonder these jolly-looking vehicles are still so popular and earn such devotion from their owners.  What adventures those old ones must have had, what tales they could tell!  If I had one, I would take it to Cornwall .... and beyond!

Line of Duty

from BBC website

Well, answering only 'yes' or 'no', is Lindsay Denton guilty?!  

The final episode of Line of Duty is on tonight and I cannot wait.  Normally, I tape everything and watch it at my leisure but tonight, for the first time in a very long time, I am going to watch this one as it happens.  Like I said, I cannot wait!

UPDATE:  oh Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay.....

Snowdrops and Sausages

I think we may have added another specimen to our annual flower visits.  As well as the lavender field and beautiful bluebells, I am sure we will be including the snowdrops at Welford Park in our schedule. 

I have never seen anything like it.  The clumps of white snowdrops amongst the brown crunchy fallen leaves of the beech trees really did look like a carpet of snow.  Just beautiful. Although the effect was a bit lost on one woman who I overheard asking what was the point, as it was just loads of the same thing!

As well as snowdrops, the Park is known for its sausages! We have just had some for breakfast and they were absolutely delicious.  I wish I'd bought more. 

He Was A Beautiful Butterfly

Thanks to Eric Carle, there can't be a child in the land who isn't familiar with the life cycle of the butterfly.  Our British butterflies are beautiful but quite modest, unlike the whoppers that are floating around the hot house at Wisley at the moment.  

This has become an annual event for us and I don't think I will ever get tired of it.  Queuing for ages to get in is tiring though but this year a booking system has been introduced.  Book now if you want to go during half term!