This weekend was time for Anne to get her hair cut so on Friday we headed off on a 515 mile round trip to the Midlands - not sure why, but Cornwall it seems, does not have any suitable hairdressers - hey ho! It was just an overnight stop but meant we were able to catch up with our family too.




Our first stop was Stourport on Severn to see my father in law Raff and his wife Mo. A very welcome cup of tea was made for us by their grandaughters Tiffany and Paris. And we had fairy cakes too!

Raff and Mo with Tiffany and Paris.

Our next stop was just a long the river at Bewdley. We were getting a bit peckish and the chippie was open

What shall we have.................. Fish and chips, pie and chips, sausage and chips?

I could take orders for my spanish friends but think it might be cold by the time I get there!

It all looked good but we settled on good old cod and chips with lots of salt and vinegar.

We sat down by the river in the warm sunshine to eat them.
Why does fish and chips always taste better out of the paper?

Then we set off for Cleobury Mortimer to see David and Tanya, Anne's

son and daughter in law
-and Penny the lurcher.

A couple hours and a couple of beers later we were off on our travels again.

Next stop, some more beer and a bed for the night was with Anne's sister Helen and her partner David. They live out in the sticks near Ombersley which is about 7 miles from Worcester where I lived and worked before my move to Spain.

They have a real chocolate box cottage.

And a mill stone in the garden which we think was probably used for cider apples. The area around Worcester and Evesham has many fruit farms and orchards and along with Hereford was one of the biggest cider apple producers in the UK.



After a really good night's sleep and a long soak in the bath ( a real treat because we only have a shower at home) I was ready for another day.

Anne went off to get her hair cut and I to went to see Granny Ball who is 95 this year.

It was also good to see Maureen and Ray and Ben.



.......................................

After lunch we were heading south west once again but just had one more stop off before home.

I had toys to deliver - no Santa costume but my grandaughter wouldn't mind!

Gia Bella and her hat!

They say good looks run in the family - do you agree?

Gia and her daddy.

The toys went down a storm - thanks to Great Auntie Jean.

Another lovely warm sunny afternoon so we sat in the garden and.......................

...............ate blackcurrant jelly!

A super weekend - just a 200 mile journey home now.

The last couple of weeks have been monsoon season in Cornwall!

After weeks of virtually no rain the heavens finally opened and put a temporary halt on our outings- except for shopping for essentials like ..........beer!

We did get out between the showers to do a bit of rock pooling.

Is this one big enough for a crab sarnie .................maybe not!

Being confined to barracks meant all those diy jobs that had been stacking up could no longer be avoided.

Anne decided to do a bit of tiling......the top looked good, but created a plumbing nightmare under the basin.

Maybe I should just hit it with a hammer!

We awoke this morning to another grey day so decided just to do the shopping and then head for home but after a hour in the supermarket Anne fancied a coffee and suggested a short trip to Padstow. seemed like a good idea I thought so off we went.
I should have known better!

I enjoyed the pasty.

And the view from the cafe was good too.
We tried out the melon and chilli ice cream...........sounds awful but it really was delicious.
(note the grey skies)

.................but how did we end up on the coastal path again!

As we left Padstow Anne suggested a look at the sea and promised a beach we could drive right down to. I fall for that one time and time again.... I really should know better by now.

We drove a short distance to Trevone (Rick Stein lives here) and headed down to the beach carpark and it was right on the beach...great I thought. Then the attendant came over to us.........£3.50 please. I don't think- so we are not tourists and won't be ripped off!
We turned around and found a parking space just up the road.....free but did entail more of a walk than I had envisaged.

As you can see, in a very short space of time the clouds had gone and the sun was shining but the recent storms had left a really wild sea.

We looked like sumo wrestlers as the wind inflated our coats but the waves were amazing, it's a shame the pictures don't really capture the force and height of them very well.

That's it, I need a sit down.

This cliff was covered in nesting seagulls.

After our cliff top walk we went down onto the beach. a few brave souls were surfing- the lifeguard report said the water was 16 degrees.

I think the tides coming in..... it must be time to go!

New potato harvest.

Price of petrol is becoming a pain in the wallet !

The trusty old Luguna, passed it's MOT.

Friday saw us back on the road, this time the north coast !!

Nectens Glen, stream full of troat and a Staff bull terrier as a guide.

Tintagel and the legend of King Arthur and Merlin !

How blue and clear is the sea here ??

Trebarwith and the Fort William pub overlooking the sea !!

Port Isaacs.

Saturday, took us south to Falmouth and a bit of clothes shopping, as it was a grey start to the day.

Helford Passage on the river Helford. The Ferry Boat Inn
some 20 miles out of Falmouth.