Monday 21 May 2012

Fishing for Spider Crabs

I took Hamish for an early walk around the harbour this morning and the ‘Good Fortune’ had returned from a fishing trip.  The catch of spider crabs was being unloaded and weighed as I passed by …

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According to Shellfish Cornwall:

Not many people know about spider crabs, also known as the Cornish King Crab, with its eight spidery legs and two long pincer claws.  Almost unique to Cornwall, this reddish-brown beast is the Cornish answer to the Deadliest Catch!  They have a lovely sweet taste, worth the effort involved to find the best bits tucked away in the legs.
Spider crabs were once so numerous that at very low tides the harbour floor in Newlyn would turn reddish-brown, so dense were the piles of spider crabs resting there.  Cornwall’s hidden fishy secret, more than 300,000kg of spider crabs were caught in 2007 but at least 95% were exported to France and Spain.

Sunday 20 May 2012

MX-5 Spring Rally

After all the meetings and planning the day has finally arrived for the Spring Rally at Pendennis Castle.  Leaving Paul working hard at home on their new bathroom, Mike and I joined Jo on the drive to Falmouth early this morning.  As we’re no longer members of the Club and were in Jo’s Mini we had to park in the general car park and walk over to the entrance.  The gates were due to open at ten o’clock and when we arrived there was a long line of cars queuing to get in …

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There was a call on the radio to get the gates open as cars were backing up onto the road and then it all happened very quickly.  We are members of English Heritage and so used our passes to get in then we began to wander around looking at the cars.  We kept bumping into old friends which was great.  Everyone was so pleased to see us as we’d all been instrumental in the original decisions on venue.  Pendennis Castle is stunning and thankfully the weather was kind to us – it’s bleak if wet and no shade if hot. 

We climbed to the top of the Castle and looking down we could see all colours represented.  The cars were lined up on the grass and looked amazing …

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There were interesting adaptations to cars …

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These two cars are owned by siblings and there is always great rivalry in the competition for best car.  The white one won!

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Apart from MX-5’s there were other things happening to interest people.  Not every woman wants to look under bonnets all day! 

The event was officially opened by the Mayor of Falmouth …

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and old friends were working so I stopped for a chat …

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Activities in the craft tent …

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We were entertained by local singers …

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and a statue that winked at me when I waved at him!

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A unique little caravan and a dog collecting for the Lifeboats …

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and of course all the attractions in the Castle grounds …

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At the end of the day the rosettes had been handed out and for someone it was all just too much!

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When we got back to Jo’s car she had a visitor using her window as a  mirror!

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We’d had a lovely time and were so pleased that the day was successful.  Well done the Cornish Fives!

Friday 18 May 2012

Trip to St Ives

It’s the last day at the statics for Jo and the family and we were invited to join them for a trip down into St Ives.  We drove down to the town in Paul’s car but had to park up on the hillside as their usual car park was full.  It was a long walk down and nobody was looking forward to the trek back up later on!

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We had a wander around the shops and I got some new walking boots as my old ones have begun to leak.  Jo, Marg and I also bought ourselves a jigsaw – mine was of the Queen Mary setting sail.  I’m looking forward to doing it but have a feeling it’s going to be quite tricky.

We sat on a bench eating pasties for lunch and the birds were all watching us to see if they could pinch anything …

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We walked back past the Tate …

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and then we reached the steps back up to the car park.  All was going well but then I suddenly felt very strange and thought I was going to faint!  I took it very slowly, sat down at the top but was told I’d gone a horrible colour – thanks Jo!  I had a lovely cup of tea back at their static before driving home none the worse for my funny turn.

Thursday 17 May 2012

Trengwainton Gardens Re-Visited

Jo, Paul, Marg and Keith are staying in static caravans above St Ives for the week and we were invited to join them for a visit to Trengwainton Gardens.  The last time we went we were quite disappointed as there was very little colour but this time it was completely different. 

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There was a new swing and Jo couldn’t help herself!

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We continued up the main drive …

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until we reached the terrace where we’d had our picnic last time …

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More lovely flowers and greenery …

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During our last visit we read in the booklet that a magnolia tree had been planted in the year that Pam was born.  We tried to find it but without success – until today! 

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There were tadpoles in the pond – I promise they are there!!

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When we left the gardens we headed for the cafe for coffee and cake.  On the grass, for the children, was a rocking horse which was very tempting for Jo who is just a big kid …

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She hadn’t realised that she had an audience inside the cafe and they gave her a round of applause!