Catching up in Cornwall

Despite my concerns my son and daughter are having a lovely time in Cornwall. On Saturday morning they enjoyed a long walk along the coast path around Trevose Head towards Harlyn. She took this photo of Mother Ivey's Bay looking towards Merope Rocks, that view holds so many happy memories for me, I wish I was there with them. 

Later in the day they went to Padstow and despite the choppy sea they braved a boat trip around the offshore islands to see the puffins and other sea birds. A boat trip on the Jubilee Queen while on holiday has become a bit of a family tradition, but personally I prefer to keep my feet firmly planted on dry land even on the calmest day! I braved the trip once and I was lucky enough to see puffins, but the braver members of the family have seen dolphins, seals, puffins and many other sea birds.

They spent Sunday visiting their grandparents and then their aunt, uncle and cousins. They even visited Windy Ridge, one of my favourite restaurants. Apparently it has been given a facelift since I last visited, they enjoyed their meal very much; another reason for me to visit Cornwall again very soon! 

Dolphins!

Friday 4th June

Another beach day, it was hot and absolutely perfect on the beach. The sea was calm and clear (but still chilly) and Sam broke the habit of a lifetime and allowed me to take a photo of him!

If only we could have another week like this but sadly we will be heading home tomorrow. Robbie was plastered in sun block, he was so white that he looked like ghost but he still managed to get his arms burned and he claims that his ears have caught the sun too!

At tea time we went for a walk towards Harlyn along the coast path. The skylarks were singing high above and as we sat there on the bench looking across at Harlyn so many happy memories came flooding back, we have had some very happy times here. Later in the evening some time after 9pm something very special happened, there were dolphins swimming in the bay, lots of them and we all saw them. I have never seen anything like that before, I don't know how many there were, there were lots, I could hardly believe my eyes.

I love Mother Ivey's Bay, it holds so many happy memories and it is a beautiful place to be, I will be sad to leave tomorrow but hopefully we will be back again next year.

Bird Song

It is Laura's last day with us today, she has to go home tomorrow ready for exams on Monday so she got to choose what we did today. She wanted to go to Newquay again, so we got up early and set off in time to get there just after 9am so that we could pack as much as possible into the day. I didn't want to look at the shops again, so after buying a jigsaw I wandered down to the harbour to take some photos. I love listening to the herring gulls, for me it isn't really the sound of the seaside without the cries of the gulls. I have forgiven them for the little misdemeanour on Wednesday when one scored a direct hit on me. Having seen how much mess it made I can now understand why ostriches don't fly! fortunately I was wearing a raincoat so it was fairly easy to remove the evidence! Listen to gulls here Herring Gull

It was a bit dismal early in the day but it brightened into a beautiful afternoon. By 1pm we were back at the caravan and it was so nice that we took a walk along the coast path towards Harlyn, there is a wild spot where there are lots of skylarks. I love just standing there listening to them singing, they soar so high in the sky that it is hard to see them but their song is beautiful. When we got back we sat outside at the table with a cup of tea enjoying the sunshine. There was a male blackbird sitting on the next caravan, he seemed to have a huge personality and he was singing with such vigour that I couldn't help wondering what he was saying. Skylark Blackbird

This evening we began Laura's 17th birthday celebrations, her birthday is on Monday really, but as she has exams on that day she is stretching the celebration over several days.

If Only You Could Freeze Time 31.05.07

We decided to have a day in Padstow and we all split up to follow our own interests. Robbie made straight for his little bookshop and the girls headed off to buy presents and to look at clothes. Sam hadn’t completely given up on the possibility of buying a super soaker water gun – no way! He had lots of other things in mind too – all equally unsuitable but we had a good look around the shops anyway and he didn’t go home empty handed

Robbie has established a tradition of buying a tee shirt or top from Padstow each year. This time it was a white tee shirt, I don’t recall what was on it, but he seemed happy with it so that’s the main thing. We had a nice lunch in Padstow before heading back.

This evening we walked along the coast path towards Harlyn and the skylark field. It was warm and still and we were able to stand and listen to the skylarks as they soared high in the sky and sang as if they were bursting with enthusiasm for life. If only you could freeze time. As always I had my camera with me, I didn’t have a long enough lens to have a hope of capturing a picture of a skylark, but I did get a rather pleasing picture of a snail – they don’t move quite as fast. Robbie has learned a fair bit about wildlife since we have been together and he is even starting to recognise bird song now.

Along The Coast Path 28.05.07

It was a much better day today, still windy, but dry and pleasant so we were able to go down to the beach and then later on we went for a walk along the coast path to Harlyn. We know this part of Cornwall very well so we notice every little change; there is a field on the way to Harlyn that is the best place I know for hearing (and seeing) skylarks but this year it has been fenced off. It doesn’t spoil the walk as you can still walk along the coast path and you can still see and hear the skylarks, but it does spoil the look of the coastline.