Anyway sorry not been around for a while, been busy and on holiday, must have been disappointing for those of you logging on for a fun filled blog of the thrills of South West life.
I have spent some of this time recovering from an ample hangover after Somerset thrashed Glamorgan at Taunton for their first Twenty20 win of the season.
Justin Langer demonstrated smart captaincy, getting out second ball to allow his fellow Australian Cameron White to come in and flail 68 from 35 balls including 6 sixes. After this the Glamorgan were never really in the game and I joined with the rest of the Somerset crowd who were looking intent on doing some serious damage to local cider stocks. The resulting lethargy the next day meant I was unable to write my blog before heading off to the wild west.
Yes west Cornwall, I spent a day and a bit here enjoying the showers before heading to see Of Mice and Men at the Minack Theatre if you like theatre and you have not been you should, it is a great location. I could put in one of my dodgy photos of the Minack or I you could look at their webcam. It can get cold so take a blanket and they do serve pasties if you need warming up or forgot to bring the picnic. Luckily it managed not to rain during the performance.
Not content with west Cornwall being wild enough I pushed on 28 miles past Land End to the Isles of Scilly on the Scillonian III (the Islands Ferry Service) a thirty year old vessel that looks every day of it, but is the cheapest way there.
Despite the weather on the passage over looking grim, of the five days spent there only one was interrupted with some minor showers, the rest was warm sunshine. The islands themselves are great, stunning scenery, which because of the changes in light and tides is different each time you look. Wild and rugged in parts like the appropriately named Hells Bay below, go west from here and you hit nothing until Newfoundland, it feels the full force of the Atlantic storms which drove ships towards the dangerous rocks around the Scilly isles. Despite visiting on what elsewhere on the islands was a calm day, Hells Bay had a forceful wind pushing though and a sense of menace that left me with the distinct feeling that the full fury of this place would be best watched at a distance.
The water is really really clear, but freezing, I think the strong currents mean the water is always being pushed through which keeps it clean, but cold, I swam at this little cove below for about 5 seconds.
On returning to Cornwall there was time for a day on the beach at Hayle, again fabulously lucky with the weather and some attempted body boarding to prove the water here was warm. A quick trip around the Tate St Ives was well worth it, I say that but I did manage to get in free, really good exhibition at the moment is If Everyone had an Ocean: Brian Wilson. Compares California’s surf lifestyle to ahem … Cornwall’s, but still good, honest.
The only problem if you do ever visit St Ives is the parking and the crowds, consider we visited on a cloudy weekday before the schools have broken up, already the tiny streets of St Ives were having to cope with large hoards of people attempting to buy fudge and pasties. Entering St Ives in August must be like entering the mosh pit for Kasabian during Club Foot. Anyway you have been warned, St Ives loses none of its charm out of season.
Meanwhile back on the farm there have been some brighter days, but showers still dominating any activities.
Our second crop of 60 day strawberries that some of you may recall at the start of this blog are behind because of the weather this has caused a break between our two strawberry crops; generally everything just needs some sunshine. The raspberries are coping better than most and we just have to pick them when we can.
Despite my attempts to bring back some of the good weather I had experienced further west it refused to come with me past the Tamar River.
