We have just arrived back from our holiday to Cornwall with some friends. Unfortunately, there was no internet access, well there was but it was slower than the good old fashioned dial up (remember that, where you could not use the phone at the same time), so I could only write the text to this blog and not upload the pictures. Therefore, over the next couple of weeks, I will let you know what we have been up to....
So today finds us in a very sunny Cornwall with some good friends. Apart from a spell of heavy rain on the way down, the seven hours of driving yesterday had passed very quickly and we arrived at the stunning cottage we are staying in, about two miles from Praa Sands, in the middle of the countryside. There was a beautiful sunset which boded well for our holiday. Today has not disappointed in terms of weather. I was up for a run at 6am and whilst it was chilly, the sun was shining. By the time I was back at the house two hours later, it was starting to warm up nicely.
Today we had decided to stay fairly local as it was the first day of the holiday and all being National Trust members, we headed to Godolphin. The house here is a holiday property and only open for a few days a year but that did not matter as there are gardens and an estate to explore. As it happened, we did not get out of the gardens. As we arrived we did not think there was a lot there, however, we were proven wrong.
First we headed into the medieval walled garden which was supposed to be a sea of tranquility. To be fair it might well have been, however, with two hyper active three year olds playing together in there, it was not to be. We had loads of fun, however, anyone wanting to relax in there would have been disappointed.
Chaaaarrrrrgggggeeee - at least the medieval spirit lives here!
Causing chaos
The walled garden was lovely and we spent a lot of time in there. It was nice to let the boys run wild without the need to worry about them disappearing into the distance. There was a modern art exhibition on which I'll be honest I did not get. I described it as a nursery when the children had gone home as it was piles of sand and lumps of clay. It reflects more on my lack of ability to see the art than the quality of the the art, but it was just not for me.
We headed back to the garden for a little bit more chaos causing.
Thou art made a daisy chain for ones' beloved
Through the rose bush
Spying on the children - only way to take pictures sometimes
Look what I found
Just when we thought the boys could not cause any more chaos, Gav decided to lie on the grass for a few minutes! Big mistake. Two little heads shot up, sniffing the air as they scented their prey. Faster than a striking cobra they pounced ...
Got you!
After rescuing a badly mauled Gav, we headed out into the grounds. There were lots of dandelion clocks around and the children took great glee in blowing them.
Took a few goes but we got there not to be held back then
All the children had fun blowing dandelion clocks
By this time the children were getting hangry so we headed to the picnic benches. Conveniently there was a little cafe near by. Two cream teas, with the largest scones you ever did see later, we were all satisfied. The area we found ourselves in was a wild flower meadow with paths cut through it to allow you to wander through the flowers. With the sun shining it was a beautiful area.
All paths were kept to - honestly
Contemplating where to run off to
How to get to the next stepping stone
Our trip to Godolphin finished with some races as both the boys love racing. However, I do not think it was the boys who enjoyed it the most!
Who are the bigger kids here?
It was now time to head back to the holiday cottage. As it was the first day and we had not done any proper shopping yet, we did what anyone in Cornwall would do, we ate the scones that the owner of the cottage had left out for us. Two cream teas in one day, well, when in Rome and all...
After we had eaten we decided to pop out for a little walk, to help the little guys burn some energy of, and us our scones. Lyns and I had come down here on holiday a few years ago so I suggested we head to Prussia Cove.
The road down to the parking is horrendous. Very narrow with high hedges on both sides. Luckily we only met a few cars on the way down and made it safely to the parking area. We headed down to the cove itself however, disaster, the tide was all the way in so no bubbles on the beach. Instead, we walked half a mile or so on the coast path to a headland. There were a few steep drops on the side of the path as well as on the headland. We got the bubbles out and had sitting down bubbles due to where we are. The little guys did not mind though as they had great fun letting the wind blow the bubbles.
Let the wind do the work
Much easier than blowing
After we had had our fill of bubbles it was back to the cottage and dinner all round. What a lovely first day it had been and if it was anything to go by, this week was going to be amazing.