Wild weather and more answers

First came the wind. Unbelievably strong gusts. Then came the torrential rain. And the unexpected by-product of this is that I have the day off. Small matter of bits of roof blowing about at work. And we are bracing ourselves for gales this afternoon, and I do not want to know how bad they will be if what we are currently having is just "wind". And possibly 4 inches of snow. It is all go here. Weather wild.

So I think I will answer the few outstanding questions you have asked me. Here goes......

Linda asks:

I am a HUGE fan of Rosamunde Pilcher. I have fallen in love with Cornwall as a consequence. Have you been there? Is it as lovely as it sounds?

Geoff was born in Cornwall, and spent most of his life in Plymouth, which is right on the border to Cornwall. When I met him, I spent a month in Plymouth, and after we were married, we spent a year there, and naturally, many many wonderful hours exploring Cornwall. It is absolutely beautiful. The South West is all lovely. The tiny Cornish villages, the beaches, the history, the walks..... it is even better than you can imagine. I love Polperro. My daughter spent a couple of summers at a summer mission in Cornwall on the beaches too, and it is the best, or maybe the only great surfing place to go too, so the young tend to flock down there in the summer.
Quite a few of the villages now ban cars in the summers, and you park in a carpark outside, and walk down to them. The roads through the villages can be incredibly narrow, and I do remember having to do 3 point turns just to get around some corners! They were built in a time before cars, and should stay untouched, so the walk is never a problem, and they do have shuttles for those unable to walk. The major roads in Cornwall are small. So anticipate long delays in the height of the season. Otherwise known as any hot day.
If you ever visit, make sure you go to the Eden Project. Giant biospheres filled with the most amazing vegetation. And the Lost Gardens of Heligan near Mevagissey. You will love it all!

Isabelle asks:


Will you tell me the story behind something you have displayed in your sitting room? and what's your earliest memory?

This is a hand carved wooden horse, which we got in Oberammergau in Germany in 1966, when we spent a few months travelling around Europe. I was 12 at the time. I absolutely love it. I also have a few small angels from then too, and another tiny horse. I remember so clearly standing looking in the shop windows and marvelling at the beauty of everything. I want to go back, and I hope they are still making things the same way. I love wood, and would love to learn how to carve things myself. Wherever I have lived, this little horse has come too.

I have quite a few wooden animals around the lounge, actually. I have a pair of guinea fowl, a pair of owls, some ducks..... Some are more "naive" than others, and they come from all over the place. One of the "ducks" is a hen from the States. I say duck, Mum says hen (she bought it so she is right, but it LOOKS like a duck!) The guinea fowl were a present from Glynis and Peter when they left Cape Town to live here in the UK, so they, and the owls are from SA, and so are the hippos which are in the lounge too. Small ones. Not lifesize! They all have different memories attached to them.

I could have shown you the most beautiful portrait of Mum , painted when she was 18, but I think I will save that for a later post. Or the gecko I bought in NZ. Or the WW1 shell cases made into vases by my great uncle. Lots of things.... but that little horse is so beautiful!

My earliest memory....... When I was born, my father was one of the construction engineers at a huge dam being built outside Cape Town, and we lived there until I was 2. I have a memory deep down inside me, of him holding me up to see the water over the side of the dam wall. I could not have been more than 2. But I remember being held, and looking over what must have been the highest thing I had ever been on at that time!

I have lots of memories of being about 4 onwards. Memories of my grandmother. Mudpies. Bee-stings. Floods in our road. Easter eggs. Sparkly Cinderella shoes for Christmas. The mouse in the birthday cake. Riding a tricycle around the kitchen table until the fridge fell on top of Mum. Gingerbeer blowing up. Neighbouring children. Old cars. Nursery school with my little brown case. Lots of memories! It is just yesterday that I am a bit iffy about.

And speaking of yesterday.... I actually forgot I was teaching a class, and only remembered half way through the lesson. It will be a long time before I live that one down. Thank heavens for wonderful teaching assistants! Maybe I need to do some advanced brain training.....