Duran Duran

On Friday we went to see Duran Duran at the Eden Project

The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky

What a stunning setting for the gig, definitely the prettiest place I have ever seen a band

I took this photo as everyone was starting to arrive, it was a sell out, so all those empty spaces soon filled up

The event was the finale for the BBC's music day and was filmed for the one show

Duran Duran were supported by Izzy Bizu ( who was very good )

And Laura Mvula (who was very good but not my cup of tea )

Duran Duran were outstanding, we have seen them before at a much smaller venue but they just seem to get better with age

Eden lit up the biomes once the sun went down and an ethereal blue glow radiated out behind the stage

The whole project stays open on gig nights, so you can use the restaurants and cafe, they put on a huge barbecue and of course you can wander the gardens if you like, it really was a very laid back but special atmosphere

Thankyou to my lovely hubby for the special treat, it was a fantastic night 

Love and rock star kisses

Tracey

xxx

Thankyou

I hope the rest of the country is also enjoying the stunning weather we have had this week

It has been beautifully warm and sunny all week here in Cornwall and we have been making the most of it, walking every day. We have been to our local Luxulyan Valley three or four times and to Cardinham twice

Talking of walking, this card was made for the surgeon who 'fixed' Neil's knee

Neil tore his cartilage years ago and it had been getting steadily worse

We were referred to a surgeon at the Royal Duchy Hospital in Truro and he confirmed that an operation would help the problem

It turned out the tear was rather large so it was a good job we did make the decision to go ahead

It took only a few weeks for the referral to come through, the procedure went really well and I cannot fault the service Neil received from the surgeon and the staff at the Duchy. The hospital is lovely, immaculate and modern and the staff were all so kind and attentive, nothing was too much trouble ( I even got tea and biscuits on a tray with a doily as I waited in Neil's room whilst he was having his op) And I might add in case you were wondering, this was all on the NHS

I am guessing the health service gets enough complaints so we thought it would be nice to say thankyou 

Love and kisses

Tracey

xxx

Cardinham Woods

Come walk with me, let Molly and Bruce guide us 

Today we are going to stroll around Cardinham Woods, 15 minutes away from our house 

The girls at work have been telling me how wonderful the woods are but, until I got there myself, it was hard to imagine what was so special about them. Well, all I can say is that they were not wrong, the woods are truly outstanding

There are plenty of trails to follow, all clearly signposted so you can't get lost, for both walking and cycling

Lots of children's activities for all ages, stick man trails, badger clubs and all manner of nature inspired games

A couple of child play areas

And a beautiful old stone cottage that is now an excellent cafe 

Streams meander through shady passes, beautifully clean and bubbling over boulders and branches

There are quite a few wood carvings hidden here and there

We chose to go on bank holiday monday and the weather was uncharacteristically glorious, and, although there was plenty of people visiting, we spent most of the time on our own, the woods are so big it's easy to find a little seclusion, peace and quiet

Bruce and Molly, always a little way ahead, lead the way.They are both so good off their leads now, super friendly with all other dogs and their recall is good now too, they forge ahead but never let us get out of sight

Bruce waiting for us to catch up

What are you doing down there Mum ?

And just in case you are in need of refreshment,  the Woods Cafe. We didn't use the cafe we took pack up and ate it along the way in a quiet spot, a sunny little nook nestled in the trees

If you are ever in the Bodmin area, it would be a crime to miss this stunning scenery, Cardinham Woods will definitely be a regular haunt for our family, I can't wait to show Amy and Ben

Love and leafy loveliness

Tracey

xxx

Anniversary wishes

On the 20th of this month Neil and I celebrated 24 years of marriage

Our first anniversary in our new home

It's amazing how much love changes over the years, changes but does not fade

It gets deeper, more tolerant, easier

So happy I found my soul mate

I made this card for him

We exchanged gifts, went out to lunch and generally enjoyed the day together, as it should be

Love you Neil

xxx

Gorran Haven with BA and LJ

I received a phone call a few weeks ago from my lovely friend Joan, she rang to tell me that she and her equally lovely hubby Alan were visiting Cornwall and would we like to meet up. I couldn't have been happier, marking the date of arrival on my calendar and looking forward to catching up with our dear friends

Joan and Alan were staying a little further down the coast, just past Mevagissey in a little harbour town called Gorran Haven

Our friends arrived on the saturday and we agreed to meet up for Sunday lunch at one of our local pubs

Lunch was delicious and five hours later we were still sat there catching up on all the news

We had such a wonderful afternoon and decided to meet up again on the thursday, this time in Gorran Haven, Neil and I hadn't been there before so it was also a chance to discover another little stretch of the coastline

We met at the cottage Joan and Alan were staying in and walked down to the harbour 

Just to the left of this photo, on the harbour was a little eatery - The Mermaid Cafe, we sat and chatted, had lunch and then decided to take a little stroll along the coastal path

Joan and Alan never stop smiling, they are like a tonic and we had such a wonderfully relaxed afternoon

We left the harbour and followed the path around the cove

Looking ahead, it was pleasantly warm but not sunny, at least it stayed dry for our gentle coastal amble

And of course we took time to take in the views, almost all of the path is beribboned with white 'bluebells'

Even on this relatively dull day the sea was a lovely turquoise colour

We didn't venture too far on the path, turning back after a little while and heading back into town

We took a slow wander around the narrow streets and up to the local hotel for a nice cold drink

Back at Joan and Alan's holiday cottage, we took a moment to capture our special day

I hope it's not too long before we can all meet up again

Love and special friendships

Tracey

xxx

Tintagel

Come walk with me around the Castle ruins at Tintagel on the North Coast of our beautiful county Cornwall

Tintagel is a small village nestled along the Atlantic coast

This 14th century post office is at the heart of the village

Walking through the village and towards the coast a gentle path takes you down to the waters edge with just a hint of the ruins visible in the top left corner of my photo

We arrived at lunch time and the weather was glorious so we settled down and enjoyed our picnic, gazing out to this spectacular scenery, the sun on our faces and gentle sea breezes blowing off the cobwebs

The journey around the ruins commences in the Grand Hall

The dilapidated remains of an archway, lead you around the cliff edge

Just portions of structure remain, giving an impression of a majestic presence long gone, with glimpses of the now peaceful ocean, an ocean that has no doubt contributed to the demise of the castle 

Continuing around the cliffs, the views were breathtaking, each twist and turn offering a unique postcard possibility. These stunning seascapes definitely explain the reason why Tintagel is one of the most visited places in the UK

"This is the heart of Lancelot,

Not these stones, not these timbers,

These palaces and towers,

Burn them all and Camelot still lives on,

Because it lives in us, 

Camelot is a belief that we hold in our heart"

King Arthur 

The mediaeval fortification has a long association with Arthurian legends

Looking out from the modern statue you can just make out an ancient church in the distance

And continuing around the peninsular the village of Tintagel once more becomes visible

Heading out through another archway down steep steps, leading into the cove below

And continuing onwards and upwards to the final stretch

At the top of all those steps, you are rewarded with uninterrupted ocean views, or if you look down, you are situated directly above the cove concealing Merlin's cave

A local artist has recently sculpted this image of Merlin, chiselled and hewn into the rockface, only slightly larger than our own heads, but quite colossal in controversy

Both this sculpture and the statue in my previous photo have definitely split opinion, both have been accused of "Disneyfying" our beautiful and natural heritage. I can, in all honesty, understand those who believe our heritage should remain pure, untouched, preserved but unaltered, but, my own personal opinion is that tasteful and sensitive art can indeed contribute it's own nod to history, bring legends alive and illustrate without spoiling it's setting

" I must ride with my knights to defend what was

And the dream of what could be"

Excalibur

Love and legends

Tracey

xxx

Bodelva

The sun continues to shine today and the temperature is definitely much more springlike, no need for coats today, so we took our opportunity and headed out for a stroll around the local countryside.

Dogs on leads and a spring in our step we set off through St Blazey and towards the hills you can see behind our local church 

The walk takes you to The Eden Project, we weren't actually going to the project but we intended walking up to it, along one side of the perimeter and back towards our home town in a large loop.

We passed all manner of wildlife along the way, in addition to the usual birds and bees we saw a field of Alpacas

A little further on we found some donkeys

Wandering down this little lane, a pheasant strolled quite oblivious to us or the dogs

We encountered some more donkeys on our way home, these were very friendly and headed over to the fence as soon as they saw us

Looking back towards the Eden Project, which you can't see as it is completely hidden in a huge basin but you can see one of the St Austell clay pyramids in the very far distance. The pyramid looks insignificant here but is in fact enormous and very imposing when you get nearer.

We stopped at a farm on the way home and indulged in some local duck eggs, I love the way we have so many honesty boxes in the area, you can buy all manner of farm produce, plant and flowers, jams and chutneys. On leaving the farm we had a distinct feeling of being watched, no CCTV here to keep an eye on the honesty box just some very inquisitive cows peering over the hedge

Back home and someone is all tuckered out from the excitement of the walk

Love and long country walks

Tracey 

xxx