Day 2 And We're Walking...

From Mawnan Smith across beaches,

through woods,

past more, many more, bluebells 

and beaches,

following reassuring National Trust signposts,

to the busy port of Falmouth.

There we found super yacht builders,

and fishing boats,

refreshment,

and still managed to navigate to the dock in time to catch the ferry

for a pleasant ride to our day's end destination, St. Mawes.

 There we found a fine meal and a pint or two at (where better to celebrate our first real day of hiking the SW Coastal Path?) The Victory Inn, and rest well at the peaceful and lovely  Nearwater.

Just Out of Reach

Camellias at their pretty, pink peak.

Cornwall is famous for camellias.

You will not find these in Wisconsin.

In North America you have to travel to zones 7 to 9 to see these beauties.

Hmmm...someone in our acquaintance just happens to be moving to zone 7a and already has one in her new yard.

Do you suppose we could make a standing reservation to visit during the annual camellia bloom?

And egg her on to plant more camellias?

Once Upon the Cornish Coast

Day one. Jet lag day. Our alertness level was sufficient to tour two beautiful gardens, try out a bit of coastal path, and maneuver to a pub for dinner. The off and on showers were good for testing out rain gear and for seeing the flowers and greenery in their most brilliant hues. 

We were met by a friendly fox on entering Glendurgan Garden.

Soon we came across a path-diverting, tree with true character, and first sighting of the famous, lovely, ubiquitous bluebells of May.

Silly us. So sad fearing that we would miss the bloom of our beautiful PJM rhody back at home and that the English ones would be past.

Our fears were unfounded and to our supreme delight we saw rhododendrons at peak and in profusion throughout the public and private gardens of Cornwall.

And no wimpy rhodies, these! Stories tall they were!

Leaving Trebah Gardens we found the first leg of the coastal path and gave it a test run.

This is the first of many interesting and sometimes challenging path surfaces. Slippery when wet.

We walked past bluebells, and gorse of course. If you've read Jane Austen you have at least heard of this prickly shrubbery and you may hear more about it in this space in future.

Then through a lush pasture on a public footpath and past the first of our somewhat wary, four-footed walking companions.

Through a dark and mossy woods.

To the official South West Coastal Path and our first glimpse of the sea.

Our trial run somehow looped back to the Red Lion and the first of many day's end pints at the pub.

The lemon sole with veg was fantastic! The Cornish cider wonderful as well.

Miss Marigold Monkeysocks Sez

There is still time to reserve your very own community garden plot.

Go on, do it. Summer will come and you will be glad you did. Homegrown tomatoes! Yum.

How could you say no to a face like this?

Swingtime

Remember the old porch swing? It was a gift on one of the first, if not the first, Mother's Days we qualified for. 

You might have noticed it as the backdrop for many NDL photo shoots.

It came from the Sears catalog about 25 years ago. It was 5' long which is hard to find these days. Three medium or up to five small people could sit on it, and one average height man could lay flat out for a nap. It originally was varnished wood , but over time saw at least three different colors of paint.

 Finally it could not be glued, nailed, or coaxed back to wholeness. So we took our old friend to the local wood artists at Elm Grove Woodworks where they copied the design down to the last detail and lovingly made a new and structurally improved replica of our beloved porch swing.

Solid Ash with a beautiful grain.

Milled spindles just like the original ones.

Still the requisite 5' long.

Finished by NDL herself with carefully followed directions from EGW.

We were only able to enjoy it for a few brief weeks last fall and can't wait to hang it this spring when the weather finally decides that it wants to be conducive to porch life.

Just like the one we grew up with 50 years ago, and the one our kids grew up with for the last 25 years, this swing is ready and willing to receive babies who need a soothing bedtime ride or a place to go outside when they have woken way too early for the rest of the snoozing household members. It will do duty with the post-preschool set who will want to see to see how high it can go. It might again hold courting teens someday. It assuredly will get much use by a couple of oldsters who like to watch the world go by from a gently swaying perch.

C'mon by anytime you have a few moments to relax and enjoy our view.