What to do in January?

 It's over a month since my last post, mainly because I've been nowhere and done nothing of interest. With the coming of the dark evenings and horrible weather, I've hibernated! I'm grateful that I have a roof over my head (I hope it stays there throughout these fierce winds) and that I can keep warm and cosy inside. But I also look forward, with the advent of vaccines to treat the dreaded coronavirus, to the days when it will be possible to venture forth into a near-normal world, or at least my little bit of it. I can only dream of walking on a Cornish beach again, feeling the sun on my face and hearing the sound of the sea. 

But first, there's Christmas - a very different Christmas where it isn't safe to hug and kiss my beloved family members and share the day with them; indeed some are out of reach physically during these Covid-restricted times. In these cases, I am grateful for telephones, emails and Skype to give some comfort and a semblance of being together. The Royal Mail and the plethora of delivery firms will hopefully transport Christmas presents and cards to those who live at a distance.

And so to January - and a confession that I have treated myself to a couple of books I fancied reading if we face a further full lockdown in the New Year (these are separate from the books I buy on Kindle Unlimited, which don't count as expenditure once I paid the annual fee!!!)  

And then - a parcel arrived . . . . a Christmas present of 2 more books.  Oooohhhh, that's 4 new books to read.  🙋 

And in the next day's post . . . . another Christmas present.  FIVE new books, all placed under where the tree would be if I had put one up! 

Roll on January, that's what I say. 

 I guess if we didn't have lots of rain, we wouldn't have such a beautifully green county - and judging by the amount of rain that fell on us in recent weeks this theory should be well and truly proved over the next year or so.  

The view from the kitchen window, the front window and just for a change, from the car window.

So, what with the weather conditions (we've had fierce winds as well, bringing down branches and even whole trees) plus the current lockdown restrictions, it's been a stay-at-home  time with little or nothing to blog about and to photograph.

I seem to be falling to bits and my home along with me!  I'm still unable to wear enclosed shoes, so if I go out it's in my summer sandals and in home I wear slippers to avoid pressure on my still-blackened big toes. There's very little 'going out' as most days we have fierce winds and heavy rain showers, though it's reasonably mild.  I was due to have a cataract operation and I was looking forward to much improved eyesight - it's all blurry and out of focus at present - but that has been postponed. I was told that I'm still 'on the list' but I'm guessing a new date won't be forthcoming until after lockdown has ended, whenever that might be.

What with arthritis (made worse by all the wet weather), diabetes, a general lack of fitness due to not exercising and all the usual creaks and twinges, I am feeling like an old crock! 

The house is coming out in sympathy and is determined to have issues of its own: the bathroom light, a central globe thingy, pinged when I pulled the cord switch and has died.  But there are 2 lights above the sink, on the shaver point . . . . well, there WERE 2 lights - now one of them has also died!  So I take my showers during daylight hours, just in case the remaining little light decides to pop its clogs.

Speaking of the shower - it is the type with a waterfall shower head directly above and a directional shower hose - the one I prefer. And would you believe?  That one has split so water comes out of the split instead of the shower head.  

So I went online and bought a replacement.  When it came, I was unable to work out how to fix it in place.  Grrr!  Then I found it had the wrong 'ends' for my shower; it is not a standard fitting. 'sigh'

When buying online, it's impossible to tell from the illustration or the description if any hose has the fittings that I need - so that can't be sorted until the shop is open and trading again.

The waterfall shower is rather useless when trying to rinse shampoo from my hair - and impossible to use to give my Bichon his fortnightly shower.  He hates rain and to him, that waterfall is definitely rain! 

(He usually stands perfectly happily to have a shower and has no objections to the directional hose removing lather from his curly coat.)

Outside, the paths need jet-washing, particularly the one that leads from the garage to the garden; it is on the north side and receives no sun, so algae turns it into a skating rink.  I found that out a few days ago when I was putting the recycling out for collection - one step on to that section of path and I fell, luckily against the fence so I didn't crash to the floor.  Phew! (I just had a thought - I wonder if my toes would object to wearing my wellies rather than sandals, then I could do the jet-washing????) I will try that out. 

Well, enough of my woes and enough of the dark days.  I am looking forward to The Shortest Day, or rather the days that follow.  Roll on, December the 21st. After that, the days will lengthen and the darkness will gradually lift - YESSSS! With a bit of luck, the lockdown might be ended as well AND we can surround ourselves with pretty coloured lights for Christmas. 

The first photograph is of Crantock village; almost every house, business, tree, fence - basically anything that didn't move and some that did, was beautifully decorated with lights.

And this last one is of Mousehole's Christmas lights last year. Sadly, they are cancelled this year.

(Photograph from the internet; no copyright infringement intended.)

"Let There Be LIGHT!"

And thanks to Andrew, who comes and cuts the hedges of 6 neighbouring bungalows, there IS light at last! The low-in-the-sky sun can reach down on to my patio and nurture the plants in that area.  My line of sight from the back door now reaches as far as the horizon and the Moorland hills to the south, instead of the untamed wild hedge you see in this first photo. 

 

Since returning from Polzeath, I have determined to build up some sort of fitness by walking daily; it was apparent to my niece that I was struggling to walk, thanks to my confinement to home and garden over the last 7 months, so her concern and pep talk encouraged me to do something about it. 

BUT . . . the walking in Polzeath, particularly the steep hill down from the car park, had resulted in two injured toes - both big toes had blackened nails despite wearing good walking shoes, so since then I have not been able to wear 'normal' shoes and I have had to revert to my sandals, so as not to put pressure on those poorly toes. 

However, I am happy in my sandals; it just means that muddy lanes are best avoided!

So despite the constant drizzle, Benji and I set out from home and walked the lanes - he gave me such a look (he hates going out in the rain!) as if to say, "Do we HAVE to????"

I snatched a few photos along our route -

There were alternating sunshine and showery periods throughout this walk, which enabled me to catch this rainbow in the valley below.

Once more in the Tokenbury lane - with sunshine to look at and a dirty big black cloud hanging over us!

Turn right for home - and a very welcome cup of tea or two!

Local Folk Lore - a Ghost Story

 A short walk from my home brings me to the Tokenbury Estate; access is via a tarmac surfaced drive which is open to walkers . There are signs saying that cycling is not allowed, dogs must be kept on leads and a request that you clear up after your dog.  Fair enough, as the drive, its boundary walls and surrounding fields are kept in immaculate condition. The views from there are beautiful, as I hope these photos show. 

A Cornish Hedge on the left, dividing the drive from the village cemetery; this one is topped with beech hedging and a few wildflowers -

 

On the opposite side, a neater Cornish Hedge topped with turf which is always trimmed short.

Looking north-west with moorland in the far distance.

And here is where the folk lore begins . . . .

As you stand beside the entrance to Tokenbury Manor you see a grove of beech trees.  In the 17th century, at the time of the Civil War, the Cavaliers were marching up the main road to Caradon (this is the one that leads into Jimmy Goodman's Lane)  At that time, it was the King's army's practice to force any able bodied men they encountered on their march to join the Army. Three of the recruits tried to escape but sadly they were caught and hung from these trees as an example.

The story continues -

In November 1976 Mr. Bill Stapleton of Pensilva had cause to visit the manager of Tokenbury and after their business was concluded, he remained and they played cards.  It was after 11pm when he started to cycle home. It was a crisp, frosty night and the whole world sparkled in the moonlight. When he reached the gate opposite the grove he stopped and looked at the beautiful view. A man appeared beside the gate and Bill assumed he had walked behind him. 

He said: 'It's a beautiful night' 

'Yes,' replied the stranger, 'but there will be a heavy frost in the morning.' 

'Do you live around here?' asked Bill. 

'Yes,' replied the stranger. 

'Have you been here for very long?' The stranger threw back his head, laughed and said 'I have been here for a very long time!'

It was then Bill saw the vivid red weal of the hangman's noose. As he stared in amazement the man faded but the last memory Bill had was of his manic laughter.

He never traversed that drive again after dark !!!

An afternoon in POLZEATH

My comment about the summer season being over was a tad wrong, judging by the full car park on the beach at Polzeath.  The surfing lessons were very well attended, too, even at £100 for a 2 hour session. This car park often catches motorists out because at high tide it's under water and when it's a neap tide, the water floods over and across the main road.  So it's as well to be aware of these things! I had driven a little further, up the steep hill that leads out of Polzeath, to another car park which overlooks the bay. 

The town was pretty busy but on the whole, people were obeying the distancing recommendations, though some seem to be absolutely unaware of such things. (What planet are they on?)  At one point I sat on the low wall at the edge of the beach when an elderly couple came and plonked down very close to me.  I discreetly edged a bit further away, but then another couple came and sat on the other side of me!  It's a long wall and was mostly empty. . . .  My cue to move elsewhere. I took Benji down on to the beach and let him off his lead - he loved that!  Galloped around, exploring and tagging on to other dogs as they also enjoyed the space to run free.  In my first photo, he thoroughly investigated a washed up clump of seaweed, rope, mussel shells, salty sticks, etc. Oh such wonderful tastes and scents!  He also did an excellent job of hoovering under the outside tables after a family with children had been having tasty food there. Mmmmmm . . . 

The lovely view from the car park I used, overlooking the beach and sea. Just below where I stood, what used to be part of the car park is now a camp site and there was a line of motorhomes in prime spots along the front, on seasonal pitches; how nice to have your own home from home, with all mod cons to retire to when you've had enough fresh air, wild winds or rain. They were all in use yesterday with electric hook-ups attached.

I hate crowded beaches at the best of times, but during this pandemic it's madness to join in with the throng.  This is much more to my taste.

Plenty enjoying being in the sea and the lifeguards were keeping a watchful eye on everyone.

My niece and her husband bought Cornish Pasties - really, really tasty ones, according to them both - to eat as they walked the coastal path and we all enjoyed cappuccinos from the same little cafe.  While they walked, I elected to stay where I was and read my Kindle; decided against visiting Daymer Bay, as it would have meant extra car parking charges and then paying again when I returned to the Polzeath one.  It was so good to meet up even though we couldn't hug (I wonder if or when we ever will again) but at least we saw each other and chatted away, nineteen to the dozen!

A wonderful afternoon, good weather as the first shower didn't arrive until after 3pm as forecast and well worth the drive down from my home.  The drive home wasn't so good - a continuous line of traffic all the way, constant rain and spray and several hold-ups through sheer volume of vehicles, just as busy as during the summer season; I wasn't expecting that! It was good to reach home - and Benji slept through most of the journey. Last night I slept solidly for 7 hours - this morning I'm feeling the effects of all the unaccustomed exercise. 

Stormy Skies

 I didn't go away for my week's holiday!  And now that Storm Alex is doing its worst, I'm so glad I didn't have to pack the car and drive during these wild winds and lashing rain. The beech hedge across the lane is being bent low, as are the taller plants and shrubs in my garden; leaves are swirling round and littering the lane, my front garden and drive; seagulls are screaming loudly in excitement as they ride the turbulent currents above. Of the smaller birds there is no sign: where do they all disappear to? Hopefully they are somewhere sheltered and dry until it's safe to venture out for food and water.

It's so dark! I needed the light on in the kitchen at just after 3pm today and I took these photos of an extremely stormy sky. It was raining too, so please excuse the random raindrops on the camera lens.

When Storm Alex has blown itself out I shall hopefully have a few days out with Benji, find somewhere quiet, which should be easier now that the summer season is well and truly over, where we can enjoy a wander along a beach then retire to the car for a cappuccino and to read my Kindle.  Benji doesn't do reading, but after a drink of water, he should be happy to curl up in his bed on the passenger seat for a sleep after all that galloping around.

My niece, Carole, and her husband, Pete have driven down from their home in Leicestershire for a week's holioday in Cornwall (Mawgan Porth) and we have arranged to meet up at Polzeath on Wednesday to spend some time together.  We intend to buy Cornish Pasties in Polzeath, then Carole and Pete with their dog, Rosie, will walk the coastal path to Daymer Bay - I shall drive there! The dogs will enjoy a run on the beach while we humans will catch up on all our news/gossip. 

Polzeath from the coastal path:

Aerial view of Daymer Bay:

Daymer Bay beach:

Should I? Shouldn't I?

 Last February, before all talk of lockdowns and the like, I booked a week's holiday in the dim, distant future.  It was something to look forward to, a chance to walk in a different area and meet up with family members who were due to come down to Cornwall from their home in Leicestershire in the same week. We made plans for walking our dogs together on the beach, returning to a favourite cafe on the cliffs above Bedruthan Steps and enjoying catching up on each other's news since last year. 

That holiday is due to start on 2nd October, a week today.  And after the sobering news from Boris I'm dithering about whether I should go.  There was no mention of travel restrictions in his speech, but reading between the lines, his urging of people to work from home if at all possible seems to indicate that staying at home is the safest thing to do.  Since the start of lockdown, back in March, I have stayed in my home and garden, had my groceries delivered, allowed no-one into my home and even curtailed the dog walks, thanks to people not keeping to the rules of distancing. Should I now take the chance of risking infection by taking this holiday in a different area? Will the cottage have been thoroughly cleaned against Covid? What about the soft furnishings? At one stage I had convinced myself that I couldn't possibly go because I was so worried about the possibilities. 

I'm still undecided. But this weekend will, I think, make things clearer.  If people ignore the restrictions, gathering in crowds at parties, etc., there will be repercussions, as promised, from our Prime Minister and that will influence my decision.