Friday - Sunday 24th -26th April

Sunday 26th

Today was a less active day although I did pick up a golf club for the first time since we began all this awfulness.

                                                                                                                                                                         Sam, who was the lady pro at Pavenham, had been challenged to raise some money for charity with the 2.6 challenge. She chose to chip 6 balls into a bucket (containing water) from a distance of 2.6 meters!

She got all but one, and that one touched the edge !

I don't have any grass to use but thought I could improvise with a bit of old carpet... so I set it up...

The first 6 I got one in... the second six... another one the third time another one. Then, instead of guessing I thought I'd measure the distance properly... put the video on and took another go...

...and I got two!

I've done it to raise money for our ladies charity which this year is cancer research... and I've challenged the other ladies to have a go!

 We had a lovely family zoom today, everyone is on good form.

This azalea has just begun to flower and is absolutely gorgeous.

 Saturday

I set off for my morning walk about 8o'clock and had the place to myself again. It was very still.

I climbed up to the top again - no swallows today.

 Instead of heading straight back I walked down the primrose filled track to Porth Ledden

It was so still and warm that the air filled with the scent of the primroses...

 and down at the bottom by the old quay it was the seaweed that took over.

There were several seals bobbing in the gentle waves - it was quiet, still and glorious.

I sat there quite awhile enjoying the tranquillity before heading back home.

Not sure when I finished this but I enjoyed it a lot...will find someone to pass it on to!

Friday 24th

I posted Bridgie's parcel today, the sunset jigsaw, and included a couple of little surprises for her... it will be interesting to see how long it takes. Our post office here and the main one in Penzance are apparently the only ones open down here - so I feel even more fortunate to be here!

The path up from the shops is very pretty at the moment.

and Keith sent this glorious picture of wisteria that he spotted near his flat - it's one of my favourite plants.

The house in front is looking much tidier now - the last week or so there has been a digger and dumper truck etc sorting out their garden - it's looking very nice now. My fingers are crossed that they don't put a big fence in... 

Thursday 23rd April

Thursday

The warmest and most summer-like day of the year, no wind, just more blue sky and sunshine!

Today I decided not to have a long walk. Having hung up the washing (one piece at a time from the machine to give me exercise 😂 ) I whipped up some bleachy water and scrubbed the white chairs... they were green with garden growth so it took a while!

It was a very warm day and the sun was strong enough to burn.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         The bird table jigsaw is coming along - I was surprised by how difficult it was to do the thatch part and even the birds, so the green takes a lot of focus! It's good!  

Thursday's at 8pm we all come out of our doors to clap for the NHS and support workers of all types and tonight the sun was looking spectacular.

If you look closely you can just see the chimney on top of Cape Cornwall in the pathway that the sun has drawn.

It was beautiful.

At last our government has decided that trace, test and isolate is a good idea...although they have the gall to say that now, because we're 'flattening the curve', it's the right time to do it - why wasn't it 'right' from the beginning when there was no curve?

Putting it into practice and speaking truth about any difficulties met will now be key but I am hoping it is well delivered and successful.

I feel conflicted when clapping for the carers...I  do want to show how much I value them and their work and courage every day, so I clap loudly... but I am infuriated too especially when I see members of government speaking about how much they value the NHS... when they have underfunded the NHS for years and who voted against pay rises for them in the past! Give them decent pay if you value them and give them the equipment that they need!

And tell the truth!

However, soap box put away, ... the first steps have been taken with test, trace, isolate, more than a month late but a beginning, fingers crossed. 

Wednesday 22nd April

Wednesday 22nd April

Another sunny day dawned... boots on plus coat and hat to start with but it was warm enough by the end.

I sometimes take my backpack with some water and maybe the proper camera or binoculars but sometimes I just slip a small bottle of water into my pocket - today was one of those days.

I decided it was another Cot Valley day but to avoid the quite long narrow section of path that is my most frequent route, I headed across the play ground and football pitch and walked down the road instead.

There is a point (after the llamas/ostriches) where a side road heads off to the right, at  Carallack.  (Following this little side road takes you to some houses perched high above the valley where it becomes a footpath wending its way to Carn Gloose.)  Just a little way along this road you can climb a steep stile on your left which it takes you across a sloping meadow then straight down into the valley by the very steep path that I came up the other day.

Now the copse of small trees is full of bluebells! 

It is beautiful.

However, this path is so steep in places that it is not good for the knees! 

I will not repeat the route in that direction - I'd rather come up it!

Eventually back to the road on the valley floor where a couple, possibly visitors, took a path off to the left so I carried on on the road and clambered over the rocks to find a comfy perch! 

I sat a while - only the sound of the sea and the occasional birdsong.

These rocks are superb.

I scrambled up the small cliff to the south to have a view of Land's End, the tide was quite low and you can see it wasn't quite a clear day yet.

The lichen covered rock is wonderful with the colours of the sea.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      As I turned to head back home there was the distinctive cry of a chough, it pecked away at the earth hunting grubs near to me and then flew off to continue its hunt further away. I usually see choughs every time I am walking, usually in groups. The most I've counted at one time was 14 when I was playing golf!                                                                                                                     I wanted to avoid the narrow section of path again on the way home so I headed up past the Youth hostel and a little way up that road before turning left on to a footpath which goes back across the valley past the beautiful house where Francie's friend had a pottery(?)  and across  two extensive cow's fields to Bosavern where the community farm is - then it's just the walk back up over the Carn to home. I'm not keen to walk across fields with cows in but fortunately they were all sat up in a top field and I skirted across the side of the valley out of sight!

Back home for breakfast - porridge (with cinnamon and banana) and freshly ground coffee courtesy of Ben and Rosie from Dog and Rabbit Cafe. (The cafe is closed because of Cv19 but they had coffee beans that needed using so I am the happy recipient of a bag!)

Sudoku, phone calls, word games and the jigsaw kept me busy for the rest of the day, and I also emailed my MP about the S Korean approach to getting on top of this, using Phil and Tim's experience of day to day life in Korea. 

The way we have dealt with this... and continue to deal with it, is heartbreaking. If we don't put measures in place soon it only compounds the errors we've made... we need to test, contact trace, isolate with support then follow up, we have got to act now.

A positive note to end on, I have a fig tree in my garden and the new leaves are a vibrant green, especially with the sun shining through them.

Monday Tuesday 20 th and 21stApril

Monday 20th

 My  days have started to take a slightly different shape; partly because I am putting on an uncomfortable amount of weight and also because I feel very unfit.
So I have been heading out for longer walks first thing.
Today took me down the Cot Valley and up the far side and round to what I think of as Jeannie and Alastair's spot.

It was a glorious day and very still.

The pathways are full of flowers and the scents of spring and the sea was very clear today.

The path wends its way down to a spot where you used to be able to access the 'beach' but because of cliff falls is now closed... but I walked on around the corner of the cliff as far as here where there is a lovely view on towards Aire point in the distance and Sennen far beyond!

It was glorious and so warm I was just in a tee shirt.

There are bluebells just showing...

and the bleached granite rocks were fabulous.

It was hot work on the way back, the stream was a welcome sight and sound! 

I only saw a couple of people today - it was so good to be out!

Tuesday 21st

So today I woke to rain! But I decided I would walk anyway, so set off down the roads to Cape. 

Mark keeping the course in trim

Fortunately it was only a gentle rain and it made the colours stand out.

Instead of heading out round Cape I went down to Priest's Cove.

The sea didn't look very big but every now and then a lovely set of waves would come through making a deep booming sound as they crashed into the rocks. 

Again gannets were out and no people.

So for three days in a row I've walked about 4 miles... my left knee is complaining a bit but I definitely feel better for it.

My heart continues to break for the way in which the UK have handled this outbreak, when everyone is counted I dread to think what the death toll will be.

Stay safe everyone.

16th - 19th April

Thursday 16th April

I lose track of which day it is! Thursday began with the sun rising further round again, I do enjoy it when the sun shines in my  north-facing bedroom window and it's been doing that for a few weeks now and setting similarly. 

The mist rolled in later, although it didn't stay all day.

My walk up to the Carn was cheered by these...

 but the sky was dramatic.

Tigger and Percy the penguin are sitting in my windows ready for the children to spot - they go on bear hunts to encourage their daily walks!

Not that we've needed much encouragement as the weather has been really lovely for so long.

Friday 17th

I woke up early today so I could take a 70th birthday parcel to Lyn who lives on the other side of the Carn.

Of course it was raining!!! The first time in a month (!) but fortunately it stopped as I set off.   This was a present her best friend in Penzance wanted to give her, so to avoid any non-essential travel I bought the required items and delivered them!                                                                    "Deliveruthie"!

Apparently she was very happy!

Walking back up the Carn from the delivery side!

I then spent time up in the loft hunting out old pictures of the family, this was one of their favourites!

Saturday 18th was a mostly at home day (I know that's now the normal but you know what I mean - no long walk!)

I completed the jigsaw - it is beautiful. When you're closely hunting for pieces and matching the shapes you lose the striking nature of the overall picture...  it has been a difficult and really lovely one to do.

I do enjoy watching the old Agatha Christies on the tv and often curl up on the settee with one on

My walk out was only a quick one up to enjoy the primroses again...

It had been dull most of the day but occasionally there were pockets of sunshine.

View to Chapel Carn Brea

Sunday 19th

I decided it was time for another proper stretch of legs so I set off for Cape just before 8.30am. 

It was overcast with  brisk wind - I needed a hat at first but it wasn't cold.

I saw no-one as I walked down to the shops and on down the road to Cape.

As I walked down the steep road to Priest's cove I heard a whimbrel and a moment later it flew overhead, flying north. It proved to be a good day for birds!

Little egret - just left of middle

I walked out on to the headland an sat on the side of the cliff watching the sea. A little egret was on the rocks and gannets out to sea. 

Still absolutely no-one around.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      After a while I decided to head home - I had a little debate with myself and decided I should return via the top of Cape itself so clambered up the steep path - stopping to take a picture was a useful excuse to catch a breather!

I did need to catch my breath a couple of times... !

Standing on the top it was glorious - a bit breezy and I needed my hat, but suddenly I was watching about 6 swallows diving around the headland!

Swallow!

It was a real treat - I'd heard that swallows were back but hadn't spotted any - and had actually forgotten about them when suddenly they were there!

What a treat.

On the way back down it was getting brighter and warmer - and even more birds to see with wheatears!

By the time I got home it was just after 10 and time for a shower, coffee and breakfast.

It had been a lovely walk - the first people I saw were when I was on the way back just before I got to St Just itself... when there were several all heading out for walks.

 I was glad I had got mine in early - it had been so good.

I'd bought a turkey and ham pie from McFaddens yesterday (along with a couple of scotch eggs!) so I cooked that for my tea and gave half to Andrew next door.

The sunset was lovely.

Absolutely beautiful.