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| Pandora Inn, Restronguet Creek, Mylor Bridge, Falmouth! |
Trust all goes well in Falcon! I haven't sent any snaps to you, to date, as I thought you had said not to do so. However, your bossy, older sister said you now have broadband that allows more efficient downloading. Spumoni said she couldn't open this file on her Blackberry or Playbook so thought I'd try your address.
If your system can handle file size you can show these snaps to Clarisse and Picasso! Let me know if this works and I'll send some of peat farm operation when I have a moment. Life is not easy living in Luxury, Sheer Luxury! Time to feed Spud, Krissy'/Mark's cat whom Gayle and Derek inherited, much like we did with Maggie, Chloë's Devil Cat! Cora Lee is still sleeping! Fondestos to one and all. Cheers, Patrizzio
Pics: Chris and Mandy at dinner at the white Swan; shots of the interior of The Malt Scoop, their fabulous cottage, in Sherford, Devon, and village church just up the narrow, narrow lane! Yesterday, on the cliffs of Porthcurno, three miles from Land's End, most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England, where we went to see Wuthering Heights at the Minack Theatre theatre there later that evening.
Patriçio,
Clearly. you were born in the wrong era.
Hello Ragin'!
Thanks for wonderful snap! Much appreciated, especially since I'll be heading to Languedoc after month here in Cornwall. Have you given any thought as to whether you might join me there in September. Welcome any time. Let me know what you think and we'll plan accordingly.
Loads more to tell but thought that you might enjoy the more sedate, "guided" ride I took with Derek, on Saturday, to St Agnes.
Up at 7:30am, to fuel up on Gayle's hearty porridge while I worked on the Dreaded Diaries. As Derek had some banking business to attend to in Truro that morning, we didn't set off until just after 10:00am. Quite a few fluffy clouds overhead, interspersed with a some darker ones but only ever felt a few rain drops over course of entire outing. In fact, almost ideal weather for cycling.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/352565153#.Ufz4-2qzW0c.email
Shortest ride to date, (16mi/25.7495 km), but a truly wonderful route, out via Mithian. Some pretty challenging hills, particularly ones coming out of St Agnes, (bit steeper at start but thereafter about as long as the UBC Foreshore Hill), through rolling hills, along high, hedgerow lined, narrow country roads and often through beautiful, over-arching tree tunnels, cool respites from the fairy strong wind along the coast. Gorgeous vistas there, however, looking over the Bristol Channel/Celtic Sea and then the Atlantic to North America. Did a loop, on Beacon Drive, around the St Agnes Beacon, [It is,"considered the most prominent feature of the Heritage coastline. The National Trust landmark's name comes from the Cornish name 'Bryanick'. 'Beacon' is a word of Anglo-Saxon origin referring to the use of a hill summit for a warning signal fire. During the Napoleonic Wars a guard was stationed on the hill to look out for French ships and light a warning fire on seeing any."Furthermore, St Agnes Beacon "and the surrounding cliff tops are one of the last remnants of a huge tract of heathland which once spread across Cornwall."], then back into St Agnes to return via a Goonbell and Mount Hawke, passing the Brian Etherington Meat Company,(There is a Butchers Academy there as well as large, modern facilities for both wholesale and retail products.), in Wheal Rose, [Wheal - (a place-name element) mine or shaft (from Cornish language whel)], near the top of the hill at the other end of Blackwater. Derek suggested that it was the best place, in terms of quality and pricing to buy meat. Once into Blackwater itself, Derek turned into short driveway to Sydney House while I kept on down the road which runs through the village, (the old A30, main road then, to Penzance), to add a few more klicks to the odometre, turning off on a road which eventually leads to Chacewater. Only followed it as far as the A30 underpass and then retraced my steps home.
Had a quick shower and a bite to eat and then we piled into the Rover, (last model produced before company went into receivership in 2005), and we made for Falmouth, to have a quick overview of town. Lovely beaches there and we circled Pendennis Castle, (Cornish: Kastel Penndinas), one of "Henry VIII's Device Forts, or Henrician castle, in Cornwall. It was built in 1539 to guard the entrance to the River Fal on its west bank, near Falmouth. St Mawes Castle is its opposite number on the east bank and they were built to defend Carrick Roads from the French and Spanish threats of future attack." Stopped at a lookout on Pendennis Point and enjoyed the bays filled with colourful sailboats. Even noticed two or three sets of fins, (presumably belonging to swimmers from the dive school nearbye), in the cold, green, clear water, so clear one could see the underlying rocks to quite a depth.
Next out of Falmouth towards Devoran and after we parked, as close to the water as possible, walked down to the tiny beach, [Had brought along my Garmin, (Satellites, Dear Reader, Satellites!), as I wanted to track our walk:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/352665047#.Uf0jvgIFV88.email
Was annoyed that I had not done so when we took a much longer ramble along the coast near Penzance, the day before.], near Restronguet Creek where we ambled along a path lined with charming cottages, (mostly country getaways for Londoners), to the Pandora Inn, parts of which date from the 13th century, named after the ship that was sent to capture the mutineers of the Bounty. Hard to believe that it was severely damaged by fire in March 2011. However the building has been carefully restored and it re-opened for business almost exactly a year later. while waiting for Cora Lee to buy drinks for everyone, (lemonade for me but draft cider for CL, Carlsberg lager for G/D), I wandered through some of the downstairs rooms, marveling at the magnificent flagstone floors, low-beamed ceilings and a delightful scale-model of the Pandora. Outside we enjoyed the sunshine and people watched the holidayers on the crowded patio wharf which stretches out into the water. Gayle and Derek pointed out the letter box set into the wall next to the entrance. After the 2012 Olympics the Royal Mail painted more than 100 of its iconic, red post or letter boxes gold to celebrate every Team GB and ParalympicsGB gold medal won.
Strolled back to the car and then made our way to the A30, bypassing Redruth to stop in Scorrier where we visited the Etehrington Farm Shop, a great place to buy meat and all sorts of other things, from olive oil to vegetables, as we had planned to cook dinner for Gayle and Derek, on the morrow, when they would be busy packing!
Home to get the house ready as G/D were hosting a wine and cheese party for Derek's three sisters and their husbands, as well as Mark's parents, Gudrun and Steve, that evening. We'd met G/S a year or so ago, in Vancouver, when they'd been to see Krissy and Mark but they wanted us to meet the others. I vacuumed, (more in order to learn how to use the Dyson than because the carpet needed hoovering), while Cora Lee helped set the dining room table and dusted while Derek put together a fabulous array of food: cheese plates, cold meat platters, a huge dish of scallop, avocado, king shrimp and tri-coloured pasta, (smaller dish of gluten-free pasta for Cora Lee), along with grapes, olives, stuffed peppers and cherry tomatoes, crackers and dips, mustards and chutneys. For dessert Gayle had baked a wonderful gluten-free cake with pears that morning and then she made a large fruit salad when Derek was finished in the kitchen.
Everything was in place about 5:45pm so I had a quick rinse and then changed out of my vacuuming outfit to something acceptable to the Fashion Polizei. It was a gorgeous, sunny and not too, too windy so we decided to have drinks on the patio. Needed twelve chairs so Cora Lee and I carried out cushions and some breakfast nook seats and had most things arranged when Audrey, (oldest sister), and Brian, from Truro, arrived. Introduced ourselves and then Maureen, (youngest), and Bill, who live downstairs, (Sydney House was converted into a duplex after the to couples purchased it.), came up the garden path, followed by Margaret, (middle sister), and Barry, a retired tin miner. They live in Mount Hawke. Had everyone seated and settled with drinks when Gudrun and Steve, (They live in from Pool, not far from Redruth.), arrived. We sat around and chatted, enjoying the late afternoon sun, getting to know each other.
Close to 8:00pm dinner was announced and we made our way to the heaping table, settling around the sitting room to enjoy the more than delicious fare. Think most of the guests went back fro second helpings. I know I did. We continued to visit and everyone seemed to enjoy playing the silly game we've often played at the Islay, recount your earliest childhood memory. In fact, a number of people insisted on telling the assembled about more than one memory. Of particular interest, to me at least, was hearing about the memories from times during WW II, of Morrison and Anderson bomb shelters, of rationing and unexploded ordinance.
Close to 11:00pm I announced it was time for the guests to leave. While there were some complaints most really did want to go home anyway so although there were some half-hearted complaints we all parted on good terms, hoping to see more of each other over the course of our stay. While I ushered people out the door, rest of gang cleared table and loaded dishwasher. Gudrun and Steve were last to leave as they wanted to try to set a date for us to come for dinner this coming week. We chatted for a bit and then they said their goodbyes. Everyone was ready for bed by then so we bade one another goodnight and made for our beds. I didn't think I'd be able to keep my eyes open, once I'd brushed and flossed, but I did manage to read a few pages, having to do with a couple of secondary characters, basically chapters I'd read a few nights ago and which I was so sleepy, at the time, that I couldn't remember having read them in the first place! Of late, Cora Lee has continued to read after I have turned off my bedside lamp but this time she switched off her light as soon as I did. Perfect temperature for a sound sleep so I mumbled a barely audible "Good Night, Darling", and drifted off, blissfully.
To be continued...
Let me know about Languedoc. Fondestos from Cora Lee to you, Ragin'. Cheers, Il Conduttore!
PS: I have copied Derek on this so please send him a message and/or pop by the Islay Inn, (Malt cabinet is locked, so don't bother yourself about pillaging any maltage!), sometime and say hello. (They leave Cornwall early tomorrow morning, by bus to London, but don't arrive in Vancouver until Tuesday, 6th of August.) Gayle may well wish to go on one of your latte rides, (Stanley Park, Coal Harbour, Canada Place and the like), but Derek is a very strong rider so Iona, Steveston, Seymour Demo Forest, Cypress, Horseshoe Bay, Squamish, Whistler, Jasper and beyond is probably his preference but I'm sure he would appreciate other suggestions as well.
Pics: Looking towards Land's End; Gayle, Derek and Cora Lee in front of a typical still, "a kissing gate", on our coast walk, near Porthcurno; heather and yellow gorse flowers; buildings in distance are actually the Land's End complex, a mini-DisneyWorld type of attraction that holds no interest or attraction for us, although we may park nearbye, where parking is free, at some point during our month long stay, and walk to the natural Land's End, the most westerly point of Cornwall/England; different beach types and flowers along this wild, ruggedly beautiful coastline; Minack Theatre where we saw a production of Wuthering Heights; swan taking a drink of fresh water from a streamlet, Pandora Inn; interior of pub; gold painted letterbox; Farm Shop and butcher cutting our Sunday dinner!
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