Shaggy to Smart in a Couple of Hours!

Hamish was due to see his Aunty Helen last week for grooming but as it was half-term he had to wait an extra week and so was just a tad shaggy this morning ...

He gets so excited when he knows where he's going and while he's with Helen we go for a mooch around the shops in Camborne. I popped into the mobile phone shop where I'd ordered a new screen as I'd cracked mine somehow and I left it to be repaired while we shopped. Unfortunately the chap had got stuck with a customer and so when I returned he still hadn't managed to do it. We decided to pick Hamish up and take him for a walk somewhere as we now had an hour to kill. Helen suggested the Great Flat Lode and so we drove over and found a parking spot.

It was quite muddy at the entrance so I found an alternative way through and there on the ground were four 20p coins and a fifty-pence piece! I like a nice surprise and with nobody around to claim them they were soon in my pocket! We had a nice stroll to the bridge over the railway ...

and then made our way back passing some ponies tucking into hay ...

The gorse was in bloom and looking very spring-like ...

and I even found a crocus hiding in the grass ...

Hamish enjoyed his walk ...

When we got back to the entrance I took a few shots of the old engine house ...



and then it was time to go and collect my phone. It's now looking like brand new again thank goodness. Once home Hamish was back in his favourite position on the back of the sofa but this time looking much smarter ...

Polperro and Looe for Paul's Birthday

After Paul's birthday lunch yesterday we were asked if we'd like to join them for a day out-and-about re-visiting old holiday haunts of Paul's around Polperro and Looe. So at ten o'clock they came down to pick us up and although it was a bit cold it was thankfully dry. We made our way to Polperro (with a minor detour when Paul missed the exit to the A38!) and we parked up in the huge car park which was surprisingly not very busy. This should have given us a clue but we put four hours on the ticket so we could have a good mooch about, coffee in a little cafe somewhere and maybe a bit of shopping in the little craft shops. Oh no - Polperro was dead. Virtually nothing was open. Okay so it's February and not half-term week now but we were expecting a little bit of life in the place. We walked down to the harbour ...

and saw the fishermen ...

and nearly got splashed by the waves ...

It was too cold to hang about so we made our way back past the fish cold storage units with this lovely decoration on the outside ...

past this wonderful sweet shop ...

Nelsons Restaurant ...

Almost back to the car and we spotted this big water-wheel called Crumplehorn Mill ...



Just inside the car park were the horse buses waiting for the season to begin ...

We now decided to try our luck at Looe and so drove over there to park up. This looked much better - there were quite a few cars this time! After walking over the bridge we went along the harbour wall passing this seagull having a quiet 5 minutes rest on a boat ...

through the town where little side alleys disappear and the church is visible at the end ...

and down to the sea which wasn't looking too friendly ...

On our way back into town we passed the Museum which unfortunately was closed ...

and then lunch was mentioned. Where else to eat in Looe but a fish and chip restaurant where the fish couldn't be much fresher! Paul tucked into his ...

and we managed to get ours at OAP price by flashing our bus passes! It was delicious ...

After lunch we wandered back to the boats along the harbour wall and Jo had her photo taken by a yacht with particular significance for today as it was the anniversary of her father's passing ...

I of course photographed the yacht moored in the middle ...

and the bridge ...

I seem to have a thing about bridges as there are some really beautiful ones that we've seen on our travels. We now walked back over the bridge and into fresh territory for us. We'd driven down this side of the harbour a few times but had never walked along it before. Jo and Paul had stayed in a hotel up on the hill many years ago and so they knew what was at the end of our walk. He's called Nelson ...



The end of the path ...

Turning back we could look over to where we'd been earlier ...

and then I spotted this in the wall by the road ...


I just loved the spelling from 1689! It was now a short step across the road and back to the car which was overlooking the boating lake. In the distance I could see a small train approaching Looe Station ...

We ended the day by stopping at Trago Mills for a quick look round and then it was home to see what our respective Westies had been up to in our absence!

Paul's Birthday Meal

It's Paul's birthday tomorrow and so we all went out for a carvery lunch at the Inn for all Seasons today.

We've never been there before and so didn't know what to expect. The food was scrummy and the company was excellent! Mike was tucking into his pud with gusto ...

Happy Birthday Paul x

RV Repairs

On one of our holidays in 2008 Mike had a slight accident when driving the RV from a parking place in a shoppers car park. We were parked next to a trolley bay and when he pulled out left he forgot the bay was there and caught the rubber strip along the side. Getting it repaired has been on a to-do list ever since and finally it is done. We'd tried to buy the rubber when we went to the Explorer Group HQ on our trip last autumn but they didn't have a spares department. The advice we got was to find a local place that dealt with them and order it through them. Luckily for us Coachcraft and Leisure at Scorrier are on their list and were able to order it for us. On Tuesday this week Mike left the RV with them and then he collected it the next day. This morning we went over to the storage site for me to see the work and they've done a really good job. You have to take my word for the mess it was in before as Mike forgot to take the camera with him for a before photo! Now it has new rubber and the dents in the casing have been straightened out ...


They managed to cut in a new piece of the edging at the back which had also got damaged ...

Our RV now has Jo and Paul's caravan parked up next to it and we're all looking forward to some warmer weather when we can go away for a weekend ...

The Heights of Portreath

It was a lovely morning and Mike had a letter he wanted to hand deliver to a house on Green Lane so we decided to take Hamish for a walk and scale the heights of Portreath. We began by walking up Battery Hill where we found some new building works since the last time we'd been this way ...

It will be interesting to see what they turn out like but they'll certainly have a great view ...

On up to the top with a quick look down at the beach ...

and then it was up the public footpath getting higher every minute ...


It was a long way down to the car park ...

We even looked down on Tregea Hill ...

The tide was in the harbour and it was just glorious ...

We've watched this house being built and underneath the steps in the bowels of the house is a swimming pool ...

I looked over a wall and there in full bloom were some Cornish daffodils. Such lovely flowers they always make me smile ...

After delivering the letter we turned around and made our way back down the hillside. The sea was fantastic in the winter sunshine and there were a couple of surfers braving the cold water ...


Once back down to the car park I couldn't resist this photo ...

There are certain members of my family who are quite keen to buy The Retreat as it's on the market!