MONDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER - peace and tranquility

It turned out to be a beautiful evening a few days short of the end of August so we decided to spend a few hours in one of our favourite places. This at The Fal-Ruan estuary which are an expanse of tidal salt marsh and mudflats. We wandered along the single track road listening to the honking of Barnacle Geese who were coming down on the mudflats for the night. Barnacle Geese fly in a raggle taggle with no apparent formation where as Canada Geese fly in a tight and well formed V shape. We were delighted to see and hear both types of Geese which will forever remind me of the classic 1971 film "The Snow Goose." I had just got a new small digital camera and was keen to try it.



The Fal ruan estuary at high tide just as the light was beginning to fade.

A tiny fern growing on the stone work of the old
bridge.

Two sedate mute swans paddling against the tide coming up to the old wharf.

This cob and pen made their way up river with the background sound of the calls of Greenshank and Blacktailed Godwit. Just a chorus of natures spectacular music.

It was so quiet that we could hear the swans snorting as they paddled by. A quiet muffled sound which is only audible when there is perfect silence.
To anyone reading this from outside the UK - The reigning monarch (Queen

Elizabeth II) owns all the swans in Britain.

8.31 p.m. and almost dark. This was handheld I had forgotten to take a tripod and just couldn't peel myself away from this most wonderful place with nature at her most beautiful. To complete the evening a Barn owl flew over the marshes. We came home and couldn't bear to put the t.v. on so sat by the open window with hot drinks and the tawny owls began to hoot.

MONDAY 25TH AUGUST - Duckpool and beyond.

We live on the south coast of Cornwall which is extraordinarily beautiful but the north coast is wilder and much more rugged. We used to live on the coast where Devon and Cornwall meet so as S. and M. were home the decision was made that the good use of a dreary day was to go north. So we did!

Pasties were bought from a bakery in Bude and then we made for Duckpool a small cove very close to where we used to live. So here is Duckpool.

READ THE SIGN AND IT WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE TEMPERAMENT OF THIS COAST.

DUCKPOOL - so called because...............but today the ducks were absent.


Same place but turned through 180 degrees.



It looks good twice after all !!

Close up of the river.

Pasties eaten, stones thrown in the sea it was time to take the coast road north through Morwenstow, Welcombe and past Welcombe Mouth and along the cliffs where there was a hazy view of Lundy.
Then to Hartland Quay. This is a wild place and always amazingly impressive. All four of us just love it. You hopefully will see why.

The old street which is now incorporated into rooms for the pub.

The was a bank here which even printed its own notes. There is a lighthouse around the corner where the Bristol Channel meets The Atlantic Ocean and the colliding currents are ferocious.

Blackpool cliffs.

Astonishing geological features.

Now the end of the road.

In the 16th century Hartland Quay was a thriving port due to its remote position on the Devon coast this enabed it to service the hinterland of farms and rural occupations. In 1887 the quay was washed away by a fierce storm and then the railway was built to Bideford so all that is left today is the hotel/pub and of course the stupendously, breathtaking natural beauty of this piece of coast.

MONDAY 11TH AUGUST - 6 random things about me

Mountainear has tagged me so here are 6 varied and random things about me.



*1. I enjoy the smell of bacon grilling in preparation for the construction of a bacon buttie almost as much as its consumption unless I am ridiculously hungry.



*2. I wish I had a beautiful singing voice that would allow me to entertain audiences in enormous venues with the voice that everyone would delight in hearing. I have a voice where cats put their paws over their ears!



*3. I like to read widely and my next challenge will be the great Russian writers, Tolstoy,Dostoyevsky and so on but I will start with Boris Pasternak as a gentle introduction.



*4. I love to eat left overs cold from the fridge they always taste so delicious.



*5. With hindsight I wish I had gone into broadcasting, radio in particular or been a cartographer although my work as a primary teacher was rewarding and fulfilling.



*6. I have seen The Aurora Borealis from here in Cornwall one night when the conditions must have been freakish, the sky was a deep red with streaks of shooting light probably shooting stars. I have seen it from North west Scotland where it was green shimmering waves but all too transient. These two events were so thrilling I now would love to see it from the very far north, well Tromso in Norway. I have never been there so that would be wonderful.

THURSDAY 7TH AUGUST - RUNRIG & Edinburgh

This is my trip to Edinburgh. It was a fabulous few days. We have driven through this beautiful city many, many times but this is the first opportunity we have had to explore a little and enjoy a lot and discovered that Edinburgh deserves far more time than we had, so return soon we definitely will.
First we paid for a tour of The Scottish Parliament Building. This is a wonderful place we loved it.

As we left the building there was a pipe band just passing.

Then to the RUNRIG concert at Edinburgh castle,

this was the main reason for coming so far north.

Supprt act was Julie Fowlis - gaelic singer from North Uist. We know her music but this is the first time we have heard her live and she was lovely.

Then time for the boys!

RUNRIG played for a solid 2 hours and it was amazing.

The stage. The castle. The music. What fun we had.

TUESDAY 22ND JULY - Two excitements!

Last evening I went with P to his leaving evening. He is moving on after 12 years in his present job so there was a party for him and quite a few presentations and many, many thank yous too. It was so lovely to see how well he had done in this job and how many people will miss him as he moves on. I felt so very proud. Now that was one evening of excitement.

On Thursday we are going to Edinburgh for a few days. This is to go and see our favourite rock band who any regular readers will know is the fabulous Scottish band known as RUNRIG. All their concerts are fantastic but this one should be fantastic x 100 as it is live from Edinburgh Castle esplanade on SATURDAY 26TH in the evening. Now that is excitement number two.

MONDAY 14TH JULY - colour

For what seems like an eternity there has been a layer of thick cloud over Cornwall bringing drizzle, hard rain, sea mist and just a layer of gloomy grey murk. There has been a need for cheer so these nasturtiums have done the job with their bright cheery colours and smiling faces. It is impossible to feel gloomy with these vibrant, vivid colours just outside my window.

It is quite a show.

TUESDAY 1ST JULY - GOLOWAN FESTIVAL

THE GOLOWAN FESTIVAL (Gol-Jowan feast of St.John) is two weeks of fun and jollity every June which culminates in Mazey Day. Having never been we went on Saturday for Mazey Day. Penzance was full of the sound of live music at every corner, with people in fancy dress and fun things just happening everywhere.

The first music we encountered were The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists who were fast, racey and fun.

Then came the Procession. Here are a few of the participants. The Chinese drummers.

Stilt walkers - now this looks a challenge. Penzance is hilly and many streets are cobbled.

South American pan pipe players.

All the streets in the centre of Penzance were decorated like this and thronged with happy people.

The Golowan Band led the last procession of the day.

The serpent dance wends its way through the town from Market Jew Street right the way to the harbour and gets longer and longer as it processes along.

The end of the serpent dance at the harbour - take note of the gentleman wearing the black and yellow tartan Cornish Kilt


We were standing watching the gathering and I saw this bottle and paper placed in the little nook in the wall. I just wondered which weary reveller had put it here.

GOLOWAN FESTIVAL.
MAZEY DAY.
SO MUCH GOOD HUMOUR AND THE ATMOSPHERE WAS FANTASTIC.
WE WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR DEFINITELY.