Lighthouse

The fishing village of Mevagissy, fishygissy to it's friends, is only a few miles away and is visited by hundreds of trippers during the Summer. It's typical of many of the small villages around the County's coast.

Early evening looking across the inner harbour to Frenchman's Cottage.

Not far away is Ferry Cottage, Bodinnick, once home to Daphne du Maurier, famous for her many books set in Cornwall.

The Pandora Inn. A welcome by land or by boat. Good food and a nice drop of the wet stuff.

These strange little houses are the Alms Houses at Par.

Seining from Carne Beach

These are two of the four round houses at Veryan. It is said that they were built for the local vicar's four daughters. They were round so the Devil could not hide in the corners of the room.

The harbour at Boscastle, before the flash flood of 2004, which nearly destroyed the village.

Restormel Castle. Nothing that a new roof and some double glazing couldn't put right.

Cornwall is famous for it's Rhododendrons. Taken after wind and heavy rain that caused the flowers to form a carpet of colour under the trees.

Hope you enjoy.

This is the start of the town, and as you can see it's boarded up. This whole area is to be redeveloped ..... but when?



The old town is pedestrianised and is probably the busiest part of the town. It has the usual range of uninteresting shops. Estate Agents, Building Societies, Mobile Phone Shops, etc. etc. etc

There are a few interesting people who take clothes shopping very seriously. Unfortunately, not enough to make the town more inviting. Note the string of lights zig-zagging through the street. They're part of last years Christmas decorations.

Alma Square is the newer part of town. It was developed in the 1960's, but is now one of the areas due to be re-vamped under the reconstruction programme. Why so busy? Most of the shops are now empty.

And lastly, all that is left of the multi-story car park. The building behind, with the pictures of how it will all look, is due for demolition in October.

But we are lucky. We have city shopping twenty minutes away in Truro, or an hour away is Plymouth, with all the major retail outlets represented. I wonder what the £55 million (about $100 million) is going to buy us!

Worship has always been at the heart of Cornwall. The great preacher, John Wesley, claimed the West Country for his own. Here is our local Primitive Methodist Chapel, although what a primitive Methodist is, I'm not quite sure!

Modern shopping came to this part of the Country several years ago, and shops to rival Wal-Mart and Tesco have sprung up to service the needs of the local population. Every thing from a loaf of bread to a band-aid can be found here (but it save times if you ask).

On the high ground above the town, is the dormant volcano known as Mt. Ozzle. It's last and most terrifying eruption was in the bitter winter of 1947 when ash and hot cinders spewed forth to cover the surrounding countryside. Cornishmen from far and wide came to the slopes of Mt. Ozzle to collect buckets of molten lava to take home to warm their cottages. Thankfully, plastic buckets had not been invented then.

Just out of town is the famous Charlestown Harbour. Ships from from the four corners of the world load and unload a multitude of goods for the homes and businesses of the County.

Many of you will have heard about the increase in airport security recently and the County Airpot has taken it to heart. Baggage handling is presenting a problem and body searches are getting a little out of hand........... but a lot of fun!

My next posting will take you around our town and you will see why we are twinned with Beruit.

The posts were there for a week. People wondering what they were all in aid off. And then....

............. Welcome Flags. They've been erected in a partnership between the Local Authority and The Eden Project, to welcome people to our town, and the area.

Of course some people are not happy with the idea. ''It spoils the view'', is the main shout, but they certainly brighten up the place. It's true, the do cut the line of sight to the skyline for a couple of the residents, but I think they hide more than they obscure. Anyway, it's only for a few months of the year as they will never last a winter.

I've been wondering. I've been in contact with some interesting and helpful people since I joined GenesReunited, but I've also been contacted by, shall we call them, users. People that want all the help in the world and give nothing or very little in return. Several time recently, I've had information given to me that I put out to others a few years ago, and it's done a full circle.

So what would happen if I were to put, shall we say, false information on my family tree at GR and see what life from the bottom of the pond emerges?

My family tree is traceable and can be verified back to about 1720. It's not been possible to go back further because like so many families in Devon, records before 1700 have been lost or destroyed. There are, however, records of a family with a very similar name to be found in Dartmouth. This family dates from about 1600 to 1670, so it wouldn't be too difficult to 'invent' a link or two and see what happens.

Will I do it? I'm sorely tempted, and perhaps the two families are indeed relate. Dartmouth and Exeter have a link with the wool trade, so perhaps the family moved from Dartmouth during the late 1600's.

We shall see..................!

15th Aug.
Second thoughts. A nights sleep and a new day. I don't really need to lower myself to the level of the people I despise. Far better to be thought a plonker than to prove it. Perhaps there are other ways to stop feeling used.

There were clear skies over Cornwall today. Only natures clouds, nothing man made since early this morning. No tiny specks of silver being chased by billowing vapour trails as they make their way down the county to pick up the navigational beacon, then altering course to who knows where.

No risk of looking up and being hit by a falling cargo door, under carriage wheel or slab of ice. Well, you never know. It could happen.

A risk 'Critical' for British airports, code 'Red' for the States, and where were our gallant leaders? Tony on holiday and George hiding out of town.

I expect the Muslim Council will be screaming about heavy handedness, and claiming persecution because no Chinese, Catholics or Primitive Methodist were arrested. At least no one has been shot by mistake yet, but it's early days.

I'm losing my hair. Just at the front. Sort of improving the depth of my forehead. I know how it's happening. I'm spending too much time between my wife's legs!

Wow! Slow down! Hang on a minute! You're already two pages ahead of me. Let me explain.

I'm a 24/7 carer for my wife who has M.S. She's not able to wash herself and I have to give her a bed bath everyday. Unfortunately, she broke her left leg about twelve months ago, slipping from the bed. After weeks in hospital, she was left with the broken leg in an almost straight mode, which won't bend, and her right leg had come across her body in a bent state that now won't straighten.

To complete the 'personal washing' I have to hold the left leg with my left hand, hold the right leg open with my head, and wash the plumbing with my free hand. I keep saying to her that some people would pay for this service, or pay to do it, but she's not impressed.

Anyway, this holding the right leg open with my head is waring away my fringe, quiff or whatever you like to call it. I've seen it happen, many years ago, to people who milked cows by hand. They used their heads to hold the cow in place while they tugged away on the udders. It even happened to the milk maids who hand milked.

So let this be a lesson to you ladies............ and gents. If you see a bald headed man or woman, they could have been spending too much time between their partners legs.

I've been spending too much time viewing other Blogs on the wonderful site. I only manage to grab a short time to myself and that time just flies by. I guess it's the voyeur in me, being able to see into other people lives and thoughts and yet being totally invisible..........or so I thought.

I dropped in on a blog a few minutes ago and it told me who I was told my web number, my I.S.P, how I was viewing, O.E, and what programme I was running, XP. Spooky!

Thinks. More care in future.