Too Hot to Handle

Sunday 30th May
I woke up, made a drink, showered and then walked up to the shop to get the paper while Robbie was still dead to the world. I wonder what he did in Ireland to make him so tired?

It was a nice day, and we just enjoyed the freedom to do as we liked, we didn't go far, just a quick trip to Tesco to buy Shampoo for Laura, she had forgotten hers and couldn't cope with an inferior brand for a week!

I enjoyed the day, there is something relaxing and therapeutic about being by the sea, listening to the gentle lapping of waves mingled with bird song. There are loads of very vocal blackbirds and if you listen carefully you can hear the skylark singing as it soars high above. There was no hint of the drama that would unfold later that day. Sam and Laura had already eaten and we were going to have chicken and bacon pasta bake. Robbie put the oven on and as usual he was flitting around with a tea towel in his hand, unfortunately he put the tea towel on the hob and it caught fire because Sam has accidentally left one of the burners on low. There was no real harm done, just a cremated tea towel and a serious scare, but it caused a panic and Robbie is still sulking a whole day later!

Beach Days

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day so we spent most of the day on the beach, they all laughed at me because of my thick layer of sun block, but at least I didn't get burned. Laura caught more sun than she thought and she spent the evening hugging a cool block against her burned arms.
In the evening I went for a walk along the coast path, there were beautiful views and I heard several skylarks singing as they soared upwards into the sky. Here are some pictures taken on my walk.

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.