Padstow Harbour

Padstow harbour was frozen over today due to the freezing temeratures. go to "sites i visit" to see the photgraph. So the sea froze over !!
The temperature coming home from shopping at 5.30pm was ~4degrees brrr baby it's cold outside! off for a nice hot chocolate now, hope you all keep warm tonight

Cornish news

South west water are considering a trial to see if water quality can be improved ay Roadford reservoir devon/cornwall border by introducing beavers. Apparently their dams trap silt and act as a natural filter and as the beavers work 24hrs a day it is a sustainable source of clean water. The down side to this beavers do great damage to trees one source said that tree canopies will be reduced but any fallen trees would encourage new saplings to grow, and will be a much better wildlife environment when we have beavers around.. A spokesman for south west water said" If we don't do this we face more investment in concrete and chemicals as well as energy to provide clean water over the next 30 to 50 years" Well this has got to be a better solution than any chemicals surely?
Beavers were hunted to extinction in england and wales during the 12th century and disappeared from the rest of the country over 4ooyrs later. They were hunted for their fur and throat glands, which were said to have medicinal properties. Thankfully that has stopped now! Each creature has a useful part to play in nature in my opinion.

Reflections of 2008

Taken from our house a view of town and church when the snow was falling

My word another year gone already.


Good things, bad things happy things and sad all happened in one year, probably all these things happened to all of you in one form or another, but here are some of mine.


March: i was finally told i could have my eyes operated on after so many years of being told they were not operable i can tell you it was the most amazing thing for me to be able to see things so well , just to see things that other people take for granted truly wonderful.


May: My holiday to new york i finally got there after a year in the waiting, it was great and well worth the wait


Bought our first digital camera!


June: My best friends daughter gave birth to a son, it is wonderful to see him grow he is so gorgeous such a happy little boy.


Had my other eye op done what a difference that made as i could never see to much from that eye hey i can now !!


Started my blog , still really enjoying it


September: Another holiday to turkey, it was great to get some sunshine.


October: Our youngest daughters 30th birthday, great fun was had by everyone at her party where we were all dressed as her or what reminded us of her.


Went for a long weekend to dorset, such a beautiful county most impressed.


Not all things were so good but i guess you have to have some bad things happen to make the good things even more special.


Most worrying thing has been mum who is still in hospital but how will she manage when she does finally come home, such a dilema for me. an ongoing thing for this year.


It has been wonderful seeing my grandaughters growing up they are all special and give me great pleasure.


And all my friends old and new who each in their way have made this year special


And thanks to all you bloggers out there for sharing so many thoughts and photographs


Lets hope 2008 is a happy and healthy one and may all our hopes and dreams come true

Merry christmas to all

This was taken a couple of years ago of our house when it finally snowed in cornwall which does not happen very often, thought it was quite pretty and christmasy
Wishing you all a very merry christmas wherever you are this year

Touching base

My have i had a lot on this week or so. Started off last tuesday with an evening drive up to kent, spent a nice few hours with daughter and son in law bed at midnight, had meeting with hospital on wednesday went ok but they do not want to force mum into anything she does not want to do saying they will assess her at home to see what she is capable of before deciding on anything, mum is so aprehensive about any change in her life, so we will just have to play it slowly at the moment, she will be in hospital for a good while yet i think. We took her down to the resaurant and her eyes lit up as she saw scampi and chips on the menu little things can make such a difference at the moment, spent time showing her the family tree we have been doing which seemed to take her mind off things, left mum at 3ish had to get ready for our concert in the evening, got to mums and just both had a good sleep it is mentally and physically demanding, in an almost selfish point of view i was pleased tony came along just to see what goes on when i am up in london it is exhausting day after day just travelling to and from is bad enough, but it was good for mum to see him as well.
Evening at the concert was wonderful, it was held in The Union Chapel islington, we were expecting not to have seats so it was a welcome relief to see there were some! Walked in to find it was literally a chapel, the stage was set under the pulpit in front of these wonderful stained glass windows, and the seats were the pews great! we managed to get there quite early so had seats three rows in perfect view. Had a nice cup of tea sitting in the pew very novel at a concert no alcohol was being served in the church, not a bad thing in my opinion! Great concert and we bought the cd to listen to on the way home in the car the next day. Uneventful thursday drove back home to cornwall, touched base until friday then i was off again!
Good food show in birmingham exhausting but well worth it, had so many free tit bits along the way scrummy sausages, cheeses, crab, curry pate you name it we tried it we were there from 10.30 until 5.45, got to our friends house and had a lovely homemade moussaka and fruit crumble and a bottle of bubbles perfect end to a perfect day. Sunday we shopped till we dropped again our friends son is getting married so the outfit was bought Nicky looked so elegant so it was a good shopping trip, i bought loads as well mainly xmas gifts . It was a lovely weekend really enjoyed the whole girlie thing thanks Kim and Nicky

Quick update

Busy for the last few weeks, time has just flown past.
Mum is still in hospital seems to be a little more settled, i have to go up this week to see the head consultant to hear about her progress and to see about the after care programme, we are still trying to get mum to agree to get a warden controlled flat but without to much success at the moment, she thinks it will be to much of an upheaval so we are working on that one!
Had a great week with our daughter and two of her friends they were such good company they really brought the house to life, such a lovely couple a pleasure to have them.
Had a lovely few days away in dorset with our daughter weather was cold but dry did lots of walking, eating and drinking perfect! Went fossil hunting but the only two fossils that our daughter found were Tony and myself HA HA!
The week before we had friends down for a few days which was really nice it was great because we got to be tourists and showed them around down in the lizard peninsular, padstow and a walk on the coastal path at lundy hole.
As i said i am up to london tuesday and wednesday, we also have a concert booked to see members of the Jayhawks really looking forward to that, then back thursday until friday when i am off to the good food show in birmingham with friends going to see gordon ramsay at the show theatre, we may even get to meet him as my friends nephew works for him fingers crossed! can't wait to try all those freebie tasters and of course the wine tasting , i will come back a stone heavier, hoping to get some foodie christmas presents as well.

Arms or elbows

I am now back from my extended trip to london, what a trip! not the most pleasant i've had it must be said.
Started off really well with our daughters 30th birthday party that was a great night, we stayed outside all evening it was that warm, served homemade chilli and jacket potatoes from the bbq the bubbles flowed until 2.30am i think! will get some piccies soon.
Next stop was daughter and grandchildren it was so lovely to see the little ones big cuddles all round. Grace was so lovely she said "i have had an exciting day today" Me " why is that then did you do lovely things at playschool" Grace " no it was because you fat cat nanny came to stay and i love you" how sweet was that? I had two little girls follow me around for the whole of the few days i was there we played shops , mummy's and daddies hide and seek, would not have missed it for anything. The two elder girls had their nanny time when the little ones were in bed.
Next stop mums, she had not said a word the whole time i had rung her, but i arrived to find her in a right state, the house was in a mess which is not like mum at all, she had stopped the home help for two weeks unbeknown to anyone and not going to her day centre, cutting a long story short she just could not deal with things, she is now in hospital for a while the doctors were really quick at getting things done thank goodness, so she can now get the help she needs, and she finally said that it was time for her to maybe get into sheltered housing . So i had to stay on in london until mum was settled. All emotions shot through me at that time seeing her so vulnerable and alone i felt so guilty that she could not say anything to anybody she must have been desperate at times, but at least we can do something about it now.
Eldest granddaughter had an upset as well but thats for another time maybe, so she is going through a tough time at the moment.
Just like to thank my daughters and friends who were there for me when i was going through a tough time, you certainly know who you can rely on in a crisis at times like this thanks guys xx
Sorry for the bleak post but needed to get it down and out!