Nostalgia

We have visited Cornwall many times over the years. At first with the girls and then, as they grew up and flew the nest, by ourselves. One of our earliest trips with the girls had us staying in some log cabins at Deerpark. While there we would visit Looe and Polperro. Both seem to have been permanent fixtures on our itineraries over the years. So it was that we found ourselves heading east to Looe, this morning.

The car park has been extended, but other than that little seems to have changed. We wandered across the bridge to East Looe and made our way through the town pointing out the various haunts and landmarks that we have seen so often. The little gift shop, the fish and chip shop, the cafe by the pier, and so on. It really was a very nostalgic trip.

The Silver Vixen found a branch of Sea Salt so the Gorse Fox had plenty of time to stand outside and watch the tourists go by. He observed that there is clearly some new statute of which he was not aware. It seems that every other tourist has, by law, to have at least once dog with them. The dogs have to be on leads so that they can cause the maximum chaos as they make their way through the throngs of tourists as the wander up and down the narrow streets.

The promenade by the banjo pier has been extended (though the pier itself is blocked off). The little beach was packed with what the Gorse Fox first assumed to be walruses, but they turned out to be holiday-makers gently roasting in the lovely sunshine.

We stopped in a little courtyard for a cup of tea and a scone, then made our way back to the car and the hotel.

We have spent the afternoon out on the lawn with J&T (and a G&T). It was very comfortable and peaceful until a loud-mouth harridan from Birmingham plonked herself down about 20 feet from us and started to hold court for the people next to us. The Gorse Fox has never been interested in golf… and after this afternoon’s rant, he is even less interested. 

In the end, to save the precious remains of his sanity, he had to get up from the lounger and go for a walk. There are times like this that you wish the Uber had a sniper service.

Mill pond

 It’s another fabulous start to the day. England have beaten Germany in a knock-out tournament for the first time sine 1966, there are blue skies, a bit of very high cloud, and the sea is as flat as a mill pond. No definitive plans yet, but we’ll make a decision over breakfast.

(The 1966 World Cup Final was one of those moments that stick in the memory - the Gorse Fox was 14 years old and we had just returned from a week in Eastbourne with our Grandparents. We got home to Cockfosters just in time to see the kick-off and watch the whole game).

Padstow

As it was sister J’s birthday, the Gorse Fox had booked a table at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. We all piled into our car and pottered off to the north coast.

Padstow was busy when we arrived and the car parks at harbour level were full, which was expected. The streets had effectively been reclaimed by the tourists and the Gorse Fox had to crawl through the streets to find a spot where he could leave the Silver Vixen, and J&T. He then drove back up the hill and parked in the high level car park.

The Gorse Fox wishes local authorities would standardise their “pay by mobile” suppliers. The Gorse Fox had to download yet another app for Padstow parking (that’s four separate parking apps). Once done, it was pretty painless and quite reasonably priced.

He headed back down the hill and met up with Trev outside the gin shop. The girls were in Sea Salt. We had assumed they were shopping, but it turns out that the Silver Vixen had, again, been used for target practice by a passing gull who was clearly quite unwell. She had to strip off and work her way through the wet wipes; it’s a shame she had walked into the window display instead of the changing rooms - but the tourist will remember it for a long time. (The Gorse Fox is, of course, joking and she was in the changing rooms).

The Gorse Fox and Trev went and sat by the harbour (oblivious to the seagull drama). The world passed by. The sun was out and the tourists filled the roads and paths.

Eventually, the girls joined us and we made our way along to Rick Stein’s. We were ushered to a table by the window and made very welcome. It sure has changed since the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen last had a meal there. After a bit of analysis we reckon that it was November 1996. Despite that, there was no plaque celebrating our visit. 

The menus were handed out and the experience began. Three of us started with the coconut prawns, and Trev had scallops. Then we moved on to the main dishes. The Silver Vixen had traditional fish a chips (though the chips looked more like railway sleepers). J&T both had sole in a vermouth sauce, and the Gorse Fox had hake on spinach. The whole thing was exquisite. We virtually licked the plates clean. Then there were the sweets. The Gorse Fox did not participate but the other three tucked in. It really was a very special lunch.

Leaving the restaurant we went for a short stroll around the harbour, then, with an eye on the time for the car park, made our way back up the hill and headed south back to our hotel.

Good Start

 It’s a lovely bright and sunny start to the day. It’s the Gorse Fox’s sister’s birthday so we have plans to go across to Padstow for lunch. Let’s hope the north coast is just as bright and sunny.

Charlestown

 There was heavy overnight rain (according to the Silver Vixen), though the Gorse Fox didn’t hear it. When we woke up, it was a lot brighter than yesterday and the blue patches in the sky were growing as the morning progressed. 

After a good breakfast we debated what we should do and decided that the first order of the day was to have a quick look around the property. Having had a quick look to the west and south of the building we decided that a walk into Charlestown would be a good plan.

We met up with J&T and strolled up the hill, passing the various million pound properties with 10 million pound views. 

At the top, we dropped down onto the footpath and walked down the hill into Charlestown. It must be 30 years since we had last visited the little port. The Gorse Fox had forgotten what it was like, but it clearly catered better for tourists than it had in years gone by. 

It may not have be quaint, but it was an attractive little harbour. Over the year it had been featured in a number of TV and Film productions, and was proud of these associations.

We decided that a coffee would be an entirely appropriate excuse to sit by the harbour and watch the world spin by. We grabbed a table at the Pier Hotel (where Becky had stayed last night - unfortunately, she was already on her way back up to London, so couldn’t join us). Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from the view and made our way slowly back to the hotel.

By now the clouds had rolled away, and we had a deep blue sky and pleasantly warm sunshine. We sat out on the lawn with some tea (and a beer) and watched as several scones disappeared, as if by magic. T went for a swim while we had another tea and another beer. It was a perfect afternoon.

As the Gorse Fox writes this, we are having a quiet hour before heading to the bar, prior to dinner.

Brighter

 

There is a patch of blue! It is looking brighter. There was heavy rain overnight, but it has stopped and it seems to be drying up.

No plans made, as yet.

Go West

It looked promising. We had woken to a dry and fairly bright morning (but that, as the forecast promised, can be deceiving). We finished packing and loaded the car, bit by bit. Everything was squared away, we locked up and set the security system and were on the road before nine o’clock.

The Gorse Fox had debated with himself and Google Maps regarding the route. He decided that the “Jurassic” route along the south coast was likely to be slow, given the weather forecast (heavy rain). Another route cut through Salisbury and up to the A303 west of Stonehenge, but that meant getting round Salisbury. The final choice, a few miles longer, nipped up the M3 to Winchester, along the A34, and onto the A303 east of Andover. This final route was chosen. What a good decision that proved to be.

Including a brief comfort break, our journey took 4 hours and 40 minutes. The Gorse Fox was able to sit at the speed limit the whole way down (and thanks to the Adaptive Cruise Control hardly had to touch the pedals at all). It was a very comfortable journey and the forecast rain didn’t actually start until the last 20 miles. That did mean, however, that we arrived in an absolute monsoon. We parked the car and left all the luggage to collect when the rain eased off.

We settled down in the bar for a cup of tea and a sandwich, while waiting for our room (and a break in the weather). When the room was available, the Gorse Fox went and got the luggage - the rain had not relented, he was soaked. He had to change and his trousers were at the bottom of his case. He stripped ti pant and started to unpack. Just as he dragged on another pair of trousers, there was a knock at the door. It was Becky.

The Silver Vixen’s niece has been down in Cornwall for the past couple of weeks and we had suggested she come and meet with us and have dinner. She had checked in to another hotel, in Charlestown, down the hill. We had a lovely afternoon and evening, catching up on all her news and the family gossip. She has been down as an experiment to see if she could relocate here yet still do her job effectively. Was the WiFi good enough? Is the train journey to London manageable? Can she live on her own? Where would she like to settle, and where did she feel wasn’t right? Her checklist was extensive, but the results were looking positive. She’s headed back home to Clapham tomorrow… and then has some decisions to make.

We had dinner in the Spa Bar and Restaurant. This is a less formal dining room than the main restaurant. As expected, the food was excellent. We all started with a chicken and bacon roulade with salad; for the main dish the Silver Vixen had confit duck, Beck had a beef dish, and the Gorse Fox had monkfish. As we were looking at the sweets menu, J&T arrived. They, like us, had had a very good run down from Wokingham. We continued to sit and chat for the rest of the evening.

Becky said her goodbyes and headed back down the hill (texting her safe arrival). J&T went to stretch their legs, and the Gorse Fox and Silver Vixen headed up to bed. It had been a ver good day.

That was quick

 The Gorse Fox hadn’t realised how influential he can be. Only yesterday he sent a letter to his MP saying Hancock should resign. Within a couple of hours, he, metaphorically, fell on his sword. 

Moral of the story? Don’t disappoint the Gorse Fox to the point he has to write a letter!

How does he do it

 The Gorse Fox had his usual Saturday morning call with his cousins. The attendance was a little sparse, but it was still good fun and a chance for some banter. The Gorse Fox made the mistake of signing off with the words "Got to go, we need to take the cat to the cattery"

Little furry ears must have been listening. Jasper had been asleep on the bedroom floor, but 30 minutes later when it was time to go, he had disappeared. He was hiding under our bed, right in the middle where we couldn't easily reach him. This is the first time he has hidden under our bed for months. How did he know? Did he hear the Gorse Fox? Has he checked the Google calendar?

Eventually, we dug him out and dropped him into his carrier. We took him across to the cat whisperer, where he quickly settled and will now enjoy ten days of pampering.

Once home we retrieved the suitcases and began the lengthy process of selecting, down-selecting, culling, and then packing. The Silver Vixen is still at it but should be finished by bedtime.

Responsibility and Honour

The Gorse Fox has slept on it. (Actually, given that he is referring to the revelations regarding Secretary of State, Matt Hancock, and his Aide, that may not be the best choice of words). In the end, the Gorse Fox decided it was time to take a stand.  So it came to pass that he has penned a note to his MP.

I am both a constituent of yours and a member of the local Conservative Party.

Dear MP
Like so many of us, my family has been supportive of the Government's policies regarding suppression and beating the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I was embarrassed by the farce regarding Dominic Cummings last year, but tolerated it and felt that his sacking was an end to the matter - even if it did give many people excuses to break the lockdown. 

I was glad to see the firm stance that Matt Hancock took when Professor Ferguson breached lockdown. I am, however, appalled at the recent disclosures of his behaviour with his aide. It is not the incident itself that I find so galling. It is the utter hypocrisy of his stance. This IS a resigning matter. He has clearly breached the very rules that he set out for all the rest of us. It is a matter of honour. 

In addition, I would like to call out the clear "one rule for us, and another for them" so clearly witnessed at the G7 beano in Cornwall, where no social distancing or quarantine was evident and the stance being taken regarding the UEFA VIPs access to Wembley. 

I no longer believe the Government has any moral authority left regarding control of the pandemic.

The Gorse Fox has spoken

Gadgets

 In case you were not aware, the Gorse Fox likes his gadgets. This poses a problem before a trip. Which gadgets are essential? And which gadgets are just nice to have? What chargers and adapters are needed? Is everything charged up? Are all the right charging cables available?

The Gorse Fox has had the day to ponder these First World problems. Batteries have been checked and topped up, cables have been packed, chargers have been packed, and we are now satisfied that we have the right mix. Having said that, the Gorse Fox was concerned that some notes he wrote to explain the data transfer and GPS settings for his camera’s photos had gone AWOL. They are probably a victim of his summary disposal of OneNote. The Gorse Fox has rewritten and tested new explanatory notes and filed them in a new Photography folder in iNotes.

Got it

The Gorse Fox decided that the scanner issue had to be resolved. He started up Merlin (the Windows laptop) and downloaded the full set of device drivers from the Brother website. He then applied the drivers and tested the outcome.  Success!

As a more complex test, the Gorse Fox has just scanned part of an 1888 map of Birmingham. The scan was beautifully clear and the resolution high enough for the Gorse Fox to blow it up to examine it in detail that he just couldn't detect on the paper map.

Scanners

 The Gorse Fox has several scanners. Two are embedded functions of his printers - an A4 Canon, and an A3 Brother. With the recent demise of Condor (sitting in a decaying pile of feathers by the Gorse Fox's desk), he needed to scan to his MacBook (Harrier). The A4 Canon printer/scanner worked without a problem. The A3 Brother, however, could only be recognized as a printer, not as a scanner. Nothing he has tried so far will get the scanner function visible. In a fit of pique, the Gorse Fox decided to try and access it from his new Windows laptop (Merlin). He was convinced this would work. Wrong!

He will have another try on another day. The A3 scanner is not something he uses much, but there are times when it is invaluable. This problem needs to be solved.

Countdown

 Ellie wandered into our room at about 6:40 and asked for the iPad. She settled down between us and watched YouTube Kids until it was time to get up. We got here ready and offered her breakfast - which she declined (as is now quite usual). Urband-cub arrived to take her to school and the Gorse Fox went along for the walk.

Today was a bit of a change from the usual. We had decided that, with an impending trip away, we didn't need to trouble Ocado. We crafted a much cut-down list and popped round to Sainsbury's.

Back home, the Silver Vixen retired to her sewing room to finish off the buttons on her latest project. The Gorse Fox got on with some admin and then put his feet up until it was time to collect Ellie.

The bright sunny morning had become slightly overcast. It was still warm, but it was clear the weather was changing. Despite this, we were able to stroll round to Dizzy Ducklings then take Ellie to the small play-park for a good 45 minutes. Hopefully, it will have worn her out and she will sleep well tonight.

Adventures

 The day started bright and shiny with blue sky blanketing the south coast. The Gorse Fox popped around to the Urban-cub to escort her and Ellie to Dizzy Ducklings.

Back home, he changed and headed off for Wednesday's football. The teams were picked and the Gorse Fox expected a rerun of the Alamo. As usual, they were somewhat skewed - and this was not helped by the fact that one of the goalies had dropped out. We were resolute and managed to keep things to a creditable 1-1 at half-time. The second half saw a change in tactics. Suddenly we were 3-1 down. We fought on. 3-2, then 4-2, then 4-3, then as we threatened to equalize, the final whistle blew.

This afternoon, the Silver Vixen had to attend a funeral for the husband of one of her friends. This left the Gorse Fox in charge (with Jasper's consent). He had to collect Ellie from Dizzy Ducklings, then amuse her until the cavalry arrived. 

The Gorse Fox had a plan. He tried to install the child seat in his car. The first part of the plan failed. It would not fit. 

The Gorse Fox moved to Plan B. He collected Ellie, then offered her the choice of playing in the park or taking the bus to the beach. The bus and beach won. 

So it was that we found ourselves singing "The Wheels on the bus go round and round" as we lurched into Bognor Regis. We alighted and strolled down to the beach. Ellie played on the swings and slides and then she informed the Gorse Fox that she would like ice cream. The Gorse Fox had expected this (indeed, Urban-cub had warned him that it was a likelihood).

We queued for ice cream. The attendant kindly loaded a huge lump of strawberry ice onto Ellie's cone. She settled down at the side of the promenade to enjoy it and watch the world go by.

Once the ice creams were finished, we returned to the playground, then ventured onto the shingle bank. The tide was way out but in the distance, we could see people frolicking in the shallows.

We headed back to the bus terminus and managed to get straight onto a bus as it was preparing to leave. We were home in no time and the Silver Vixen had beaten us to it, arriving a couple of minutes before we did.

Not the Euros

 The rain was still falling when the Gorse Fox got up this morning. It was due to ease off by lunchtime, but in practice, it had dried up by the time the football started. The Gorse Fox had checked on Google. The traffic looked terrible, with overrunning roadworks on the A259 at Angmering, and long queues on the A27 into Arundell. He opted for the A27. Good move. By the time he got there, the queues had gone and he whistled straight through.

It was important for the Gorse Fox to arrive in plenty of time today. Robert Plant (of Led Zeppelin) has been doing some concerts with someone called Suzi Dian. Due to the demand, an extra concert was being arranged - in Worthing. By pre-registering, the Gorse Fox got the first shot when the ticket went on sale at 10:00. He stood there, pitchside, phone in hand. As the clock ticked to 10, he hit the button and got straight through. Two tickets were paid for and our e-tickets nestled in the Gorse Fox's inbox. Perfect!

The football? Less so. The Gorse Fox's blue team lost the first game and his own performance contributed to a couple of goals for the opposition. The second game was much better and we managed to win that, though the Gorse Fox did have to intercept shots on our goal and take control of several goalmouth scrambles. The last game was another disaster. Even our goalie commented that there was nothing the Gorse Fox could do when overrun by 3 or even 4 attackers - our own players still stuck at the wrong end of the pitch to help.

Back home, the Gorse Fox was glad to see that his clutch of old Ordnance Survey maps had arrived. This has kept him amused for several hours as he has tried to locate where various ancestors had actually lived. 

Grey and dull

It's about 6 in the evening. It's the longest day of the year and it's grey and miserable. In fact, it is so grey and miserable that we have had to put the lights on. The Gorse Fox wondered, for a minute, whether he had fallen asleep and woken up in the North. (He checked in the mirror and noted that he wasn't wearing a flat-cap, and Jasper hadn't morphed into a whippet)*

The Gorse Fox spent part of the morning working on the family tree. This got him perusing some old maps and made him realize that there are plenty of ancestors for whom he has no contemporary maps. This drove him to one of his favourite websites and set him wandering through their indexes looking for the relevant sheets. These are now on order.

We collected Ellie from Dizzy Ducklings and she had a lovely afternoon with us. Urban-cub collected her soon after 5, and they have now gone home.

* No stereotypes in this blog!

Wet

 The Gorse Fox isn’t saying it’s wet this morning, but and aircraft carrier just went past the front door. The Gorse Fox suspects that we will take Ellie to Dizzy Ducklings by car!!

Super

It has been a super day. As you will have seen from the earlier post, Ellie had some face paints. Both the Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox became the artist's canvases at some point or other. It has just occurred to the Gorse Fox that he is still festooned with the sparkly paints several hours later.

Urban-cub, Ellie, Cousteau-cub, and the Coventry Hobbit all came round to visit and to wish the Gorse Fox a happy Father's Day. It really was a lovely day.  Urban-cub took over the preparation of lunch and finished us all off with a mountain of food. (The Gorse Fox had slow-cooked some beef at 110C for 2.75 hours having left it overnight in a dry rub... it was sensational).

Cousteau-cub and the Coventry Hobbit left soon after lunch - CC wasn't feeling too good, and they had to get back for the dogs. Urban-cub and the Silver Vixen took Ellie to the park after lunch while the Gorse Fox started to watch the Italy-Wales game on TV. It has just finished, as the Gorse Fox writes this, and though Wales lost 1-0, they did get through to the next round of matches.

Father’s Day - Ellie has Face Paints