Cornwall, UK

Another lovely day in Cornwall, overcast and rainy but lovely to wake up with the beach outside and I slept with my window open it was so warm and to smell the clean sea air and hear the waves was so fabulous.

Last night after I wrote the blog I headed to dinner which was very nice and then stayed down stairs with Elaine and Burt who are at my table and all the other visitors for some local entertainment. They had a Newquay brass band come and play Christmas carols for us and it was so nice and then they played bingo but Elaine, Burt and I just watched them and answered the questions on the Christmas Quiz the MC had passed around. And after bingo they went through all the answers and although we came in third and didn't win a prize we were still happy were got 18 out of 24.  And then the MC did a sing-a-long at which point I headed up to bed to read and relax. I was so tired from hiking around in the healthy sea air. Here is a picture of Burt and Elaine playing the bells that the brass band had handed out.

Today was an included tour to Flambarts which is an indoor park which has as it's main feature a Victorian Village. I wasn't sure what to expect from reading the write up "Victorian Village

Experience the unique and internationally acclaimed Victorian Village and wander through its life-size and authentic re-created Victorian shops, businesses and cobbled streets where you will find yourself immersed in this fascinating era..." and I thought perhaps it was going to just be a commercial thing and not very realistic but to my surprise it was really fantastic with all items included in all the displays being a real Victorian era article collected over the years from various places including peoples homes and estate sales. It is so well done and really enjoyable if ever you find yourself in this area. The Victorian Village ends with a completely transplanted Victorian pharmacy that was owned and operated by a Mr. White who died in 1909 and his son, at that point was not a licensed pharmacist so he just boarded up the back room and it wasn't opened again for almost 80 years. When it was discovered around 1987 when the elderly sisters passed on it was a remarkably well preserved history of Victorian life. The son had left everything exactly how it was including stuff on the counters and the exhibit is pretty much exactly how everything was in the original space and even includes cob webs. The front part of the store which wasn't sealed up in 1909 was used by the sisters as a shop but in the 50's when the money changed to a decimal system they were so flustered by the change that they just couldn't keep the store open and closed down also leaving it as it was so in 1987 the front was also well preserved with much of the Victorian items perfectly intact.

Flambarts also includes an exhibit on the Blitz which was so emotional and had lots of warm memorabilia and even air raid sirens going off and I must say it was nerve racking for just the little bit we were there so imagine facing it day and night in London during the war. They also had a wall with letters sent to a teacher in London whose students had been sent away to save them all from being harmed in the city.  It said over 2 million people, mostly children, were evacuated to the countrysides and many sent to family, friends and strangers here in Cornwall. I can't even imagine what is was like for the parents not to mention the scared kids. Although the letters were really beautiful and thoughtful and even hopeful with little details about enjoying being on a farm or going on seaside trips with their sponsor family.

It was also interesting to see the exhibit from the eyes of those around me because many, as they told me in passing lived through this time. Admittedly they were all pretty young but some do still remember. and one women was telling me about life in Scotland then living in a one room house with 5 people and having very, very little but truly being happy. Her mom apparently was a great cook and used to bake and worked at sugar factory and sometimes she would get 2 pound bags of sugar from the boss and she would bring it to the local candy maker and he would give her 2 pounds of finished candies and deserts. It's so great to hear these stories from the people who lived them. And although they admitted it was a hard, hard time they all seem to have some happy memories of just being with their loving families.

We then took a short bus ride to Healey's Cider farm and there we got to enjoy a traditional Cornish Cream Tea which includes 2 homemade, very yummy, scones with homemade preserves and clotted cream and a cup of tea for 4 pounds. So that was lunch today and let me tell you totally worth all the extra calories and just glad I don't do it often. The clotted cream is so dense and filling but so delicious and I sat at a table near the fire place and a couple who were visiting for Christmas sat with me and the man, who is from Denmark and who recently married the British women, had his daughter visiting from a Danish Island where she lives and works as a hairdresser. so nice and so funny to meet people from Denmark on this quaint farm. The wife is originally from this area so they came here to see her family.

Healey's has a description on it's website: "Come and see why we are ‘The Nation’s Favourite Farm Visit’! Visitors are always welcome. Our farm shop offers free tastings of all our Cyders, wines, juices, preserves and you can ‘watch us work’.  We are the largest Cornish Cyder maker in Cornwall and the only distillers making Cyder Brandy, Cornish Whiskey and Fruit spirits. In fact we have Cornwall’s only distillery - the first in Cornwall for 300 years. We make over forty varieties of delicious fruit products including farm scrumpy, sparkling cyder, country wines, jam, chutneys and spirits." and is worth a visit as well. And do try the cream tea, it's a Cornish delight and found pretty much anywhere in Cornwall so if you're don't make it to Healey's there are lots of places to partake in the tradition.

The farm also has lovely little animals so I got some pictures of baby goats, and the family of peacocks, so beautiful, especially the male who was preening on the pigs fence.

So that was our lovely day and I'm just sitting at the hotel across the street from my hotel and looking out over the ocean and the other part of town which is lit with tiny yellow lights and the sky, just getting fully dark as the sun is seconds away from setting, is a dark blue with tiny bits where the setting sun is peaking through. I watched, in the last hour since I've been here, the surfers finish their last few runs and emerge at the very last possible moment before the sun was gone. And one surfer came walking up the hill to the hotel and right past my window in his wetsuit and looking rather relaxed and warm. He clearly had a good afternoon out in the waves and looks no worse for the ware.

So this has been Cornwall and a very lovely visit it's been and I can see why so many people in Tunstall had told me it's the place to visit. And walking by just a second ago was a women with a little white dog dressed in a bright pink rain coat with a hood which matched his mothers. Pet lovers in NYC dress their dogs up all the time but it's funny to see it here for some reason and especially when the human is dressed to match the dog. I can't imagine having dressed up Teddy, he would have looked so silly. And the Tunstall family called me two days ago to make sure I was having a good time here and to say they had gotten me a gift from Holland but for got to give it to me. It was some kind of food item, so I told them to please eat it and think good thoughts for my trip and they, being so sweet, said they are always thinking good thoughts for me. They're a very caring family and they put me on speaker so I could talk to Teddy who they said is fine but a little blue. he really will be fine, he just needs to get used to having them home.