Home and away

Our family has been lucky enough to visit Cornwall every year for the past 25 years.

We have deep set roots there on my husband’s side so our children have grown up puddle hopping, river wading, bobbing on the ocean in a restored family boat, exploring coves and beaches along the coastline, and respecting all nature provides.

It is wild there when the weather comes in.

Dark, stormy and sometimes unexpected, the rain can start off as a fine misty spray and soon become ‘stair rods’ drenching your waterproofs and putting them very much to the test.

Connecting with the elements, letting yourself go, isn’t always easy.

Life is hectic, all held to times, meetings, commitments and arrangements.

Disengaging from home and work to reconnect with family and oneself is such an important part of life, but by no means always the easiest feat to achieve.

Visiting a beautiful Cornish town, with every possible weather taken into consideration when packing (!!) was our summer break this year, so you can imagine how much we have looked forward to those 5 days away.

Towing our boat means the journey there and home again is the best part of a day each time, so our true holiday is 5 very precious days.

We took a morning to do a coastline explore from the water, looking at the southern coastal path I had walked earlier in the week, and looking at things from another perspective.

So many birds on both journeys, beautiful rugged rock faces rising from the sea with dramatic effect, flora and fauna enjoyed on most coastal paths, although the first time I have seen wild sweet peas.

Lots of honeysuckle, so sweetly fragrant as I brushed past it, butterflies, bees and of course overhead the kestrels and buzzards.

It was a week of challenging weather, but we managed the best possible and explored each day either on foot or in the boat.

Coming home after a very long drive, it is lovely pulling into the driveway and seeing the welcome flowers in the planters all in full bloom.

The vegetable garden has gone bonkers in just that 1 week. The beds are housing triffid sized courgettes and cucumber plants, the tomato plants are now laden with fruit, the wine berries sweet and juicy, so many green beans, peas and bread beans, spinach and lettuce.

The corn on the cobs are not about 2 metres tall, along with the sweet peas climbing up their teepee frame.

The standard rose has so many flowers I lost count, and the olive tree has grown half as big again.

It has been wet weather at home as well, but in combination with the heat, the garden is looking very welcoming.

Sometimes we need to take a step back from what is close to us to realise what we have, and how very lucky we are.