Monday
Went to the doc in the morning for blood pressure and kidney function checkup. Blood pressure was a bit up as per and I was threatened with a return visit but meh. When we went in to town I used it a an excuse to get a new posh bluetooth BP machine. Unfortunately that seems to be saying my BP is slightly higher than I thought it was but meh. Also in town we bought noo shooz for Saml. C was telling Minnie that we would go to Game, Apple and John Lewis. Sam asked what game we were going to play in the apple tree forest…
Tuesday
This morning Jim and I had an art session with Maureen Mace. It was fun and interesting - first half was going through all the painting techniques one can use and the second half was creating a picture. First half was better than the second but it was worth doing. Sam was in holiday club and the girls went to see Beauty and the Beast so Jim and I had lunch at Pizza Express. Was really nice - I find Jim good, easy company these days, and we just chatted about not a lot. We then met up with C and Minnie and went to Kelsey Kerridge. It closed at 4, obvs, it being the school holidays <sigh>
Weds
Jim and Min went swimming as Sue bailed on the arrangement they’d had to go to Ickworth, so it all worked out in the end. Worked from home in the morning and then took Jim home on the way to a haircut.
Saturday
Travel to Cnorwall. A great adventure. Taxi to Cambridge, train to KX (during which Amy declared that the man sitting next to her had stolen her iPhone ear pods and the whole world was just like so against her but it turned out he’d just picked them up by mistake) then Circle Line to Paddington and the 1200 to Penzance, first class dontchaknow - it was cheap at the time of booking for the way down. GWR first was great, with free nuts, apples and soft drinks no less, and the kids were very good if a bit noisy at times. Even Samuel - he was really not complainy at all the whole 5 hour journey. This is positive news for possible long haul next year. Got to PZ and found AP and UA waiting to greet us off the train - a really nice surprise. Hire car is a VW Sharan and fine if flipping expensive. Coming by train has been great but probably costs ~1000 more than driving.
F&C for dinner.
Sunday
I felt called to Germoe church with AP and UA for Palm Sunday, but no other takers from the household. I was very crabby in the morning after being woken 3 times by Sam in the night, but went anyway. I was very glad that I did. Although it is a small country church with no more than 40 people there, I was struck by how good these places are, and the people who attend. UA and AP’s attitude is one of service and duty - noblesse oblige in a very humble way. The theology is secondary (though of course at the root of it all) but the simple communion of tradition is very precious. I was grumpy in the morning because I have become very worldly and attentive to my own needs, but he attendance of all those people, aged as they were, inspired me to look beyond that, and I believe God called me to that service to take me out of my navel-gazing and to command me to bring unquestioning love and duty and grace to my family. I have prayed to be called to church for a while and this was the unexpected answer. It is easy to despair that these churches will be empty soon, and the tradition of processing to Germoe’s Seat to get palm crosses, which has probably gone on in some form for 1000 years at least, will be gone, but in the meantime, the Gospel of Christ and the message of Holy Week seem vital. God grant that I may be given the privilege of bearing witness and in some tiny way keeping the flame of Christ’s message alive in the world.
Crabbing at low tide with Jim, Min and Sam, pasties for lunch. Went to Gar-Tul in the afternoon and met up with VV and Martha. Children played very happily in the sun, Jim failed to make his new £1.99 boomerang come back. Went to the Tower. All right with the world. We had creamy chicken pasta for tea and Samuel slept through the night.
Monday
We arranged to go over to Ali’s holiday house near Perrnuthnoe, and it is very nice indeed. Has a games room packed with Sam-friendly stuff, table tennis and a hot tub. A bit out of the way, but lovely. Was great to catch up with everyone, and we managed to leave the kids behind for a little while to go down to the sea just the two of us. Felt like a couple again very briefly and it was good. Gave me some hope that we may come out of our post-Samuel tension yet. Home to The Anson, pizza for tea and watched the first half or so of Avatar with Jim. Samuel did not sleep through the night, but Caroline got up to him and only had to do it once.
Tuesday
We had the choice of walks in St Antony via St Mawes or Cadgwith. Chose the latter after polling the children, who did not want ages in the car. After going to the souvenir shop where I bought Sustaining Fudge and Sam bought a purple poodle soft toy which came with a pink handbag to carry it in (Caroline’s genes) we set off to Cadgwith. I have never been there, to my knowledge - It is just East of the Lizard and is, as the Telegraph said, straight out of Central Casting. A tiny village in a tiny cove, with thatched cottages and working fishing boats hauled up on to the beach. We walked from there to Church Cove, just short of the lifeboat station and the Lloyds signal post, under bluer skies than we could possibly have expected at this time of year. The walk is classic West Cornwall, like the Mousehole - Lamorna or Rinsey - Portleven ones. Spectacular cliffs, spring flowers, shimmering sea etc. At one point Caroline, Samuel and I spotted a green lizard by the track and we caught it - C said it took her back to being 11. Sam didn’t want to hold it, but poked at it slightly suspiciously. We came back over the fields via a herd of cows that Sam liked very much and had ice cream and a potter on the beach in Cadgwith, Jim and Minnie collecting serpentine specimens and Sam modifying a previous child’s castle in the precious bit of sand central to the otherwise pebbly beach. We walked about 3 1/2 miles and Sammy was only complainy at the end. It struck us how used to and positive about our walks the other three had become. Home for fish fingers, lager and moisturiser on the sunburn.
Wednesday
It turned out the Sammy had a splinter from yesterday’s walk so we booked surgery at Gar-Tul after breakfast. Went over there and hung out a bit, Jim boomeranging on the lawn and Samkin playing with the lego post-op. Looked in the Hollow, which has been trimmed and, for the first time I can remember, you can see the sea from it. Given a bit of investment and a proper fence it could be the most wonderful spot. Went home via the Horse & Jockey for lunch, thence to Treen for the pilgrimage to Logan Rock on a slightly cold and overcast day. Last we were there (2013 I think, when Sam was a nipper) it was summer and beautifully sunny. Sam was in the sling and slept on my chest while the older kids clambered over the rocks and spotted dolphins. This time C looked after the little one while the other 4 of us went over. There was a plaque on the rock wall pointing to the Logan Rock which I had never noticed before and it turned out that the big rocket-shaped pointy one I had thought was it for all these years was not and the one it pointed at in fact was. I didn’t really get this until we went down to the pub afterwards (looking for C, who had scrambled down to the beach with Sam - no phone signal up there) and I looked more closely at the sign. Doh indeed. Anyway, all this kids including Min got to the top. She was proud of herself and quite rightly, as she is not hugely physically confident and it’s not a trivial climb. It was nice spending some time with the older kids alone. Somehow a principal source of stress was not there. I don’t mean Sam. C has been withdrawing for some time now. This is not a blog for these matters, but an inflection point is surely coming, and I pray for strength and wisdom.
After meeting up again we went to Lariggan Crescent and met Willow, the Gills’ tiny cat. After Benek, she looks like a mini scale model cat. Had nice chats with VV. Good to see her more this time, and Martha really likes having our lot around, especially Jim and Minnie. Home for late tea and bed. Am cream crackered and hoping for another unbroken night like last night.
Thursday
After much lobbying the children (well, Minnie) persuaded us to go to Ships & Castles, the leisure pool in Falmouth. It was not too busy, and fun when they switched the wave machine on. Amy stayed at The Anson, and C came but didn’t come in the pool due to having a cold. Sam was very confident and really got into it - wading neck deep and kicking with a float. We then parked at the Arwenack car park near the docks - having read my Falmouth history recently it was interesting to see Arwenack manor and the Killigrew monument, the former of which was the original building in Falmouth, before anything else was there. Had lunch in a cool cafe called Fuel, bit of a potter then back to Amy in Porthleven. Before we left though, the boys and I walked up Swanpool street to Grove Hill Crescent and had a look at number 27. Great grandma Ettie would have been sad, I think, to see the state of the place. It was obviously in poor shape and the front garden was neglected. It was always immaculate when she was there, despite her age and travails. That was it for the day apart from trying unsuccessfully to get the wifi to work.
C and I talked this evening, and things are a little better.
Friday
C went to Helston with Sam and Min to get supplies for the journey tomorrow, Amy stayed at the house, and Jim and I (eventually) went round to Gartul, where Jenny, Stephen and Louisa Johns were in residence along with Louisa’s boyfriend James. The Hulls and VV & Martha were there as well, and we had an indoor picnic plus entertaining egg hunt in the garden. One egg remained unclaimed, and will probably be found by Uncle A at some point. He and AP were not there as they were in Fowey or Looe or somewhere seeing friends. They remain unchanged, but the house and garden betray their advancing age I think. As ever, I swore I would make enough money to buy the place but lets face it, I have limited time to make that happen, and limited ability/inclination.
Pizza from the deli in the evening then packing.
