Cornish Holidays

We are down in Cornwall, on a livery farm near St Dennis which is not far from St Austell. We are staying in a tiny shoe box of a cottage, which I think might have been made from an old hayloft or some such farm building. The original bit of it hs almighty walls and is about the right size ad shape for a hayloft. It’s in the carpark for the livery stables so we get to watch lots of horse owners coming and going. We can also see some of the horses in their stables. There is a gaggle of small JAck Russells and two or three cats - one of which is the hugest cat in the world and which, when I was talking to one of the Jack RUssells yesterday, came belting over at Super Speed so HE could talk to me - never mind the useless dog! It is the friendliest cat I have ever met! Nearly knocked me over in its enthusiasm and, when I went to the loo before we went out, he came over and bashed at the bathroom door to encourage me to HURRY UP and come out and pat him so more. His name is Cookie. He figures quite a lot in the guest book!

The cottage is probably about the size of one of those “mobile home” static caravans that you find in caravan parks dotted along the coast, except is is a different shape and you certainly couldn’t move it. Mind you, you can’t move the ‘mobile homes” either. Not entirey sure why they’re called “mobile”! It’s quite a nice little cottage, though tiny. The only downsides are the kitchen which is not all that well kitted out. I didn’t bring my coffee pot because very holiday kitchen I have ever been in has had one - not this one! There’s no colander. There’s no roasting dish apart from a disposable turkey roaster which I fear is not going to survive our visit! And it’s as dark as the Black Hole of Calcutta in there. When we investigated, the kitchen light had a 25 watt bulb in it (romantic lighting is all very well - but in a kitchen?!?!?!?!) and the light over the hob only had one bulb. We couldn’t put a replacement in because the remains of the previous bulb were still in there. We did find a 40 watt bulb for the main lamp and with the aid of the wind up torch from the car I managed to produce our Good Friday feast of salmon, seafood, new potatoes and a “salsa” of capsicum, carrot and pak choi. Or - I managed it once The Builder discovered that the hob knobs went up beyond the 1,2,3 that I could see to 4,5 and 6!! I thought that 3 was an unusual maximum heat for an electric hob! (The remaining numbers were shadowed from the dim light I had available!). The other downside is the non-availability of the Internet. But it was for this very eventuality that I bought my iPhone and it’s doing a sturdy job of keeping me connected to the ether!!

We have so far had fairly good weather. The sun is shining brightly as we speak! We’ve had one or two heavy showers (and when I say “heavy” - I mean HEAVY!) and the wind is cold, but otherwise it’s been beautiful. We’ve walked into St Dennis and found a Spar (think 7-11), a butcher and a pub. We’ve been into St Austell on Saturday in search of a proper supermarket - which we didn’t find, although there was every indication of the presence somewhere of an Asda. But it’s whereabouts remained shrouded from us. So we went to Truro where we found a beautiful cathedral (It’s Victorian and amazingly light and ethereal for a Victorian religious building). They were getting ready for Easter. The flower arrangers were filling the church with lilies. The organist was practising his Easter voluntary. We also found a small supermarket and a bakery - amongst all the usual high street shops. Oh - and a National Trust shop where we bought a wind up lantern to supplement the light from the wind up torch in the kitchen! We took ourselves to Mevagissey for lunch, stopping on the way to acquire local scallops for dinner. I had scallops for lunch as well! I know we would normally eat vegetarian food on Holy Saturday, but local, fresh fish and seafood seemed equally appropriate. We went for a windy walk along the harbour wall and came back via Fowey. It was a good day.

I can report to you that the River Fal is absolutely definitely and positively tidal! As we drove to Truro it looked like highly sculpted mud flats. When we came back, the boats which had been lying listlessly in the mud, were just starting to bob about. There are also LOTS of gardens for s to explore. Except that the forecast for the rest of the week is not really enticing for garden exploring. We are expecting sunshine today then rain or showers for the rest of the week.

I fear that we fell off the Lent alcohol wagon early :-( It seemed a bit harsh to make The Builder have a beer and wine free birthday on Thursday. And I cooked the salmon in white wine on Friday and it would have been wasteful not to have finished the bottle. But I think we might go back to alcohol free living once we go home - except for on Sundays. Sundays are always much enhanced by a glass or two of wine with the Sunday Roast.

I have been listening to the Easter Service from Oxford Cathedral on Radio 4. They’re singing the Alleluia Chorus to finish. Such a robustly celebratory way to move into the morning.

Easter Sunday breakfast - and then we’re off to Heligan to explore the Lost Gardens while the sunshine lasts