We have just returned from a wonderful week in Cornwall, what a fabulous time of the year to visit, just before it all gets too busy with Easter tourists and Children on holiday from School, and before all the lovely spring Daffodils fade, the Hedgerows and Steep Banks along the side of the roads are certainly bursting into life, with lots of white Hawthorn blossom, creamy coloured Hazel Catkin trees, Vivid yellow Gorse, delicate yellow Primroses, the dainty white flowers of the Greater Stitchwort and of course the profusion of Beautiful Daffodils everywhere. The Gardens large and small, are full the Spring Flowers of early Tulips, Cherry Blossom trees, Camelias, Rhododendrens and Magnolias.
And the Bird Song everywhere we went was at its very best.

You couldn’t have wished for a better place to visit for a pick me up, especially as the weather was so warm and Sunny for our first five days, Just driving around the country lanes in Cornwall was a lovely treat.
We made a visit on our way down to my 90 year old Aunt who’s in Exeter Hospital, so we stayed at the travel lodge at Whiddon Down, Oakhampton on our first night so that we could visit Castle Drogo the following day, before we made our way to Cornwall, we try and visit National Trust places wherever we go, having been members now for about 6 years.
Castle Drogo is in such a lovely setting, Julius Drewe certainly knew what he was doing when he decided to build it, just such a shame that he only got to live in his dream for about 5 years before his death in 1931, He laid the foundation stone in April 1911 on his birthday but the Castle wasn’t completed until 1930, owing to the first World War and general economy. The finished Castle was a lot smaller than the original design by Lutchens.
Julius widow Frances continued to live in it after his death and with their daughter Mary made a home there during 1939 to 1945 for babies that were made homeless during the bombings in London.
When Frances died Basil their son lived on in the castle with his son Anthony and his wife, and in 1974 Anthony and his son Dr Christopher Drewe gave the Castle and 600 surrounding acres to the National Trust. It has wonderful Tapestries and Spanish furniture that Julius Drewe acquired when he moved to Wadhurst Park after his marriage to Frances. The main thing for me was to see what life was like in a big place like this at the beginning of the 20th century, it was coming to the end of an era of Upstairs and Downstairs people, and this place shows it all, the Kitchen areas are fabulous, the utensils and equipment they had to use and the plate rack..well that was incredible.
I would have loved a Kitchen like that. As modern as could be for the time, this place had electric. Where the different people who lived in the Castle carried on with their lives. You can see where it was also a very personal home for the family, lots of family pictures etc. I loved Julius Study, so much information there and also where he had on the wall a portrait of his Mother and Mother in Law ! Looking down on him.
All in all a great place, well worth a visit.

We went on to Newquay for a couple of nights, had a lovely stay at The Great Western Hotel on Cliff Road, brilliant. While we were there we visited some of the lovely beaches just above Newquay on the map, Lusty Glaze, Porth etc and also made another visit to Trerice House, a wonderful Edwardian Manor House and garden, we spent a lot of time as the weather was so beautiful, just sitting in the garden enjoying flowers and Birdsong.
We moved on to Perranporth on the Monday to stay in a caravan at the Haven Perran Sands Holiday Park, a great bargain Mon to Fri self catering holiday with tokens from the daily paper, only cost us just over £60 for the four nights, we have been taking advantage of these breaks for a few years now, if you do your homework, they can be a great bargain break, we never have Bed Linen etc nor the Entertainments passes, that way it keeps the cost down, just having the compulsory Service charge in your package, of course you pay for 4 people, but at approx £15 each, the total for just two people is still very good. If you want to visit an area in another part of the country for Family History Research, this has got to be a brilliant way to do it, also a lot of the parks have free Wi Fi in their Café areas now aswell. You can still go and have a pint in their bars in the evening without the entertainment passes too if you want.
On Wednesday and Thursday the weather was a bit foggy and windy, lots rain too, but was at night thank goodness. We went out visiting Gardens, Small Villages and Beaches still, went to Truro Catherdral, had a lovely picnic lunch by St Mawes Castle, also another visit to Trelissick Gardens, National Trust again, it was our third visit, still as lovely as ever, overlooking the River Fal and The King Harry Ferry, you can hear the clunking of the massive chains of the ferry as you go round the garden, mixed with the beautiful Birdsong. The Camelias and Rhododenrens are just incredible here the flowers on some are exquisite.The coast along by Godrevy Lighthouse too, we packed an awful lot in.

So now we are home, it has done us both good having a lovely week, Dave especially has improved enormously, he has slept so well, mainly because he has been shattered at the end of each day. His mobility has improved greatly, only needing to use the wheelchair twice in the whole week, so that was very good. Of course the worse bit…the flipping washing when you get back, still I’m almost up to date now.
I have started a page on my Blog called Picture Gallery, so that if you want to see some of my efforts with my camera you can. I have posted a few of this visit to Cornwall.

Looking forward to our next break now, have got two more already booked (tokens from the paper again) one in Blackpool and one in North Wales.
 
Footnote……….Getting back to the beginning of this Blog, my Aunt told me that her Mum(my Nan) told her about 60 years ago, that there was a murder/er in the family ‘a few years ago now’ Aaarrrggghhh now what to do with that information, where to start ?????????? Any suggestions ? She doesn’t know which side of the family or any more info!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a lovely Easter Break, and the weather is kind to you.

Till next time then ………………..