A Visit or Two to Penzance.....

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Hello from the Hovel. Having planned to post daily as events occurred in my life I find myself yet again leaving it nearly a week before doing so but at least this time it’s not eight weeks...lol....

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Penzance Harbour (Chris Downer)

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I visited Penzance again today for the purpose of an optician’s appointment, which was nine months overdue. Fortunately Andy was not at work until this evening so I was chauffeur driven by dear hubby today. After a pleasant lunch together I went on my way to the opticians while Andy went to tow his friend’s car. I meandered on my way enjoying the sunshine after the rain of yesterday (reminds me of the song by Elkie Brooks...lol...I was lucky to see her perform in Nottingham some years ago, she’s amazing). I was a few minutes late because I stopped to make a fuss of two lovely English Setters. I finally made it and fun was had as always while choosing my new glasses, purple of course. Fortunately they know me well at Reynolds Opticians and had plenty of warning to arrange the day off for when I visited...hehe...seriously though, they are excellent. I’ve also booked an appointment to go and try contact lens, now that should be fun.......

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St. Mary the Virgin, Penzance.

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The church above is same church you see in the background of the picture of Penzance harbour. I was only inside that church yesterday lunchtime with my friend Charlotte. Her mother Liz is a brilliant musician and plays the viola as well as teaching the violin. Liz is a member of The Aston Ensemble who were performing in the church yesterday. I really enjoyed it and the church is beautiful.........

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The Aston Ensemble

L to R: Maria Heseltine (Mezzo-Soprano), Sarah Glayzer (Cellist & Composer), Hilary Tyreman (Violin),Douglas Cook (Piano), Elizabeth Gregg (Liz, Charlotte’s mum, Viola), Pippa Drummond (Flautist) and Sue Aston (Composer & professional Violinist)


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The East Window

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The East window is beautiful and must be seen to be appreciated, this picture is not very clear. The colours are vibrant and sadly my picture doesn't do it justice. It was designed by Alfred Fisher in 1987 to replace the original one after the interior of the church was devastated by fire in 1985. The organ, built by Crabb of Exeter in 1769, was also destroyed along with the High Altar and Reredos.....


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Charlotte with my trusted brolly....

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Note the brolly in Charlotte's hand....The rain came down in buckets and more buckets prior to our visit so we were somewhat wet when we arrived at the church, the left side of my skirt being particularly wet. While walking up towards the station earlier I had stopped to let a car go by and wouldn’t you know it I was stood next to the only pothole in the road......you can imagine. How can so little water wet a person so much...lol....

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The Branwell Family's Former Home, Chapel Street, Penzance


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This is the brick house seen behind Charlotte in the previous photograph. It also happens to be the house where Maria Branwell, mother of the Brontes, was born on April 15th 1783. The Branwell family were very prominent in Penzance and their name can still be seen in such places as Branwell House, Branwell Mill and Branwell Lane...

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Maria Branwell

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Further along the same Chapel Street is one of the oldest inns in Penzance, The Admiral Benbow, which has been in existence since the 17th century. It was also a haunt for smugglers...

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The Admiral Benbow, Penzance


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Now legend has it that the inn itself is haunted. One of the stories told is that one of the previous landlord’s daughter fell in love with a sailor. Fearing that he was lost at sea she committed suicide and her ghost is said to seen at the window waiting for her lost love to return. Is this true? I will need to do some research, I do so love a good ghost story...

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By now Charlotte and I were in need of a coffee and so off we went. Having secured the very much needed coffee we sat outside to enjoy the chocolate brownie that followed, oops naughty, naughty. Couldn’t help it, it looked so tempting...yummy...

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Charlotte enjoying a much needed coffee....where's the Brownie......


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Also did lots of ‘looking’ around the shops and got some lacy gloves and a couple of books. I know, I do not need any more books.......I really enjoyed my day but was glad to get back home and rest my weary legs. Had a good chat with my mum on the telephone who has finally had a diagnosis. It appears she has Polymyalgia Rheumatica and is being treated with steroids. She has a long way to go and there is no guarantee that she will ever be fully recovered. I wish her all the best and wish I lived nearer so I could help her....


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Well that’s all for now. Still lots to tell you but that can wait....oh yes, my son and granddaughter were initially diagnosed with swine flu on Tuesday but the GP is not 100% sure. As you can imagine I am extremely worried as it appears Jane and Dylan have now got flu. It’s the little ones I’m concerned about, especially Dylan as he is so ting. Will update later....Until next time...Hugs Chrissy x

More Ramblings From The Hovel......

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Hello from the Hovel. Despite my saying I would not leave it too long before posting again two weeks have gone by since I last did so. But life has a habit of stepping in and so I became too busy. After many months of waiting for a house, my son and his family finally got a house. So packing, cleaning, more cleaning and unpacking was the order of the day (days more like). But before I ramble on about my life and it’s events I would like to take time to pay tribute to Harry Patch who died today at his nursing home in Somerset. Known as the Last Surviving British Tommy, Mr Patch was 111 years of age, having celebrated his birthday last month. A truly remarkable, private man who until he was 100 did not talk about his harrowing experiences in WW1. God Bless you Harry Patch, R.I.P...

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Patch

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Although Harry was the last surviving British WW1 soldier, a Claude Choules is the last surviving British WW1 veteran. Born in 1901 in Worcestershire, England, he now lives in Perth, Australia aged 108. Mr Choules served with the Royal Navy during World War 1.....I would also like to mention John Babcock aged 109 who was with Canada’s Boys Battalion in England in WW1. Although trained to go and fight the war ended before he turned 18... A Frank Buckles, now aged 108, was just 16 when he joined the American army and was held in reserve in England from December 1917. After six months he was sent to France but did not see action on the frontline.....These three men are the last remaining men of their generation, who at such a young age were prepared to give their lives in the name of freedom.....

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Now to the ramblings of a middle-aged woman, or as my friends call me the Geriatric Hippy...lol...
When I last posted about life at the Hovel it appears I left poor Andy in hospital. I can assure you that he is thankfully not still there and judging by his mood the other day very much alive!!!!! He has given up smoking and I applaud him for his effort but his mood swings, oh dear. By his own admission, he is not easy to live with at the mo. I’ve threatened to go up country for six months...hehe...but good luck to him.......

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I know I’m going over old ground and I have done so much since then but I would like to finally finish The Hovel Chronicles.....The last time I posted we saw poor Andy in hospital with a diagnosis of a possible clot on the lung and I had arrived home in the early hours after ‘hanging around’ the hospital.......

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Saturday May 23rd

After a very lonely night I awoke in preparation for a visit to the hospital only to receive a telephone call from Andy to say he was being discharged!!!! So I suggested he got a taxi home.... ‘What in my pyjamas’, exclaimed Andy. Being the good wife that I am I'd brought his clothes home the night before so I could wash them. Now I ask you what is wrong with coming home in PJ’s in a taxi!!!!...lol...

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So away I go the 25 miles to Truro via a train and bus loaded down with clean clothes for dear hubby but I had forgot one vital accessory, his belt! Oh dear, nothing else for it but to ask a nurse for some crepe bandage. Works a treat by the way, may not be the Must Have fashion accessory for the season but it did the job......So off we went by bus to the train station, although I wanted to get a taxi because Andy didn’t look too well. After all he had been given morphine and Warfarin for the suspected clot... Why was he being discharged you may ask. Well, thankfully it wasn’t a clot but he was still very poorly, he had been diagnosed with pneumonia and pleurisy. I feel he should have stayed in hospital but no he was discharged and was one hungry man. So first stop at the station was the cafe....while sitting there munching on plastic sandwiches, etc, I suddenly started laughing. There Andy sat wearing his ‘designer belt’ plus he still had his hospital wrist bands on. It looked like I’d kidnapped him from the hospital...lol... Eventually arrived home and needless to say Andy was poorly for some time. He went back to work too soon but he wouldn’t stay home......

As you can imagine by this time I am getting quite tired after weeks of unexpected stressful events. To recap: A month ago it began with the death of my friend Alma, followed by the death of my furry friend Mr Darcy. Dogs to the vets and kennels, cats to the vets, car breaking down and subsequent bill for repairs, hiring a car, attending the funeral, Arthur my dog’s operation, painful dentist visit, nasty emails from a former friend and finally, so you would think, Andy’s illness. And so I thought it would be and for the most part it was. The next planned visit to the vets was for Arthur to have his stitches out on Tuesday May 26th. All went well and we were hoping to start taking him for runs in about 10 days......On Friday May 29th we hear that Andy’s cousin’s husband had died while on holiday in Spain. Unfortunately we were unable to attend the funeral in Nottingham due to Andy still being unwell.... The following day, Saturday 30th, Andy had to take my other dog Merlin to the emergency vets because his foot had become very swollen due to a suspected snake bite. Yes we have poisonous snakes in Cornwall, especially in the sand dunes and long grass.....So no runs for the mutts for another week....

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Great Find

Day & Sons, Crew Ltd
Manufacturers of the World-Famed Animal Medicines.


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For the next week all was calm and I finally managed to get to Rosudgeon car boot on Wednesday June 3rd. You can spend the whole day here as it’s very big with lots of goodies. I went with my very good friends Una and Jan. We all go to Slimming World and were very good and took our sin free lunches with us. It was gloriously sunny and I only spent a little money!!! The above bottle was one of my buys. It’s very unusual to find such a large bottle and still in its original box, it’s ten inches high. Just had to have it....didn’t I...lol...Plus I got some lovely rusty weights for my vintage potato scales, which I will show a pic of later......

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Nice Rusty Weights. Sorry about the blurry image...

Praa Sands, Cornwall

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We went to eat our lunch at one of my favourite spots, Praa Sands. We were fortunate that the new owner of the local cafe there allowed us to eat at one of his outside tables, of course we purchased a pot of tea. The view above is what we looked out to while eating our lunch. What more could you ask for, sunny weather, good company and a beautiful view accompanied with the soothing sound of the sea...bliss...and this feeling stayed with me until the evening when a telephone call from my Din L blew it away. My granddaughter of 19 months had fallen down the stone steps at the flat where they lived and was at A&E. Fearing the worst Andy and I sped of to Truro hospital. Poor little mite, she was deathly white with at least four bruises on her face but thankfully alive. They did not keep her overnight where at one time they would have done, however they did keep her there for 3 hours to observe. So once again I was at the hospital main entrance but this time saying goodnight to my family....


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Korenza, what a beautiful photograph...


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Talking about my family, here is a collection of photographs my son had professionally taken this month. Isn’t the above one of Korenza beautiful...


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My Handsome Grandson Dylan. Yes, he does have all five toes....lol..


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My handsome little man looks like he wants to spar. Still very tiny but he has a big personality. I am so proud of my two grandies.....

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Christopher, Jane, Korenza and Dylan July 2009

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We see here my son Christopher and DinL Jane with their offspring. Now Christopher looks a little ‘rough’ here and the reason he is grinning so much is because under his breath he is saying ‘You could have warned me’. He had just finished work when Jane informed him that he was going to have the photograph taken. He was put out because he would have liked to have had a shave.......but I also noticed he looks very tired, he does work hard...


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Korenza, not shy of the camera....

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This child sure likes to pose.....See the dress she is wearing, that came all the way from Australia kindly sent by my dear friend Ann. Jane particularly put this on so Ann could see Korenza wearing it. A nice thought I think, thank you Jane....

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Well a lot happened in a space of seven weeks and it was to end with the sad news of the death of Aunty Betty. I say Aunty Betty although she was no blood relative of mine but the mother of my brother-in-law. This lady was in her nineties and I have known her for 40 years. She was a wonderful lady with a kind heart despite having had a very hard life. I have very fond memories of her and I know she will be greatly missed by my sister’s family. God Bless Aunty Betty.....

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Well I think I’ve rambled on long enough. The Hovel Chronicles have now finished but I will be back to tell you about what I’ve been up to since. I did finally manage to visit the Titanic exhibition so will be back soon with photographs of that plus other bits and bobs.....Until then, take care.....Hugs Chrissy x

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A little humour girls

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Happy July 4th.....

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A quick hello today just to wish my friends in the USA a Happy July 4th. Hope you all have a super day and celebrate in style.......

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I would love to see all your homes decorated for this day and be there to watch the fireworks. But as I only fly my brooms at Halloween I will visit your blogs to say hi instead......until next time, take care......Hugs Chrissy x

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The Ramblings Go On, And On, And On........

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Hello everyone, how is it in your neck of the woods. After the hot, still day on Wednesday thunder decided to come calling in the early hours of Thursday morning. I was glad I was inside because I do not like being outside when there’s thunder and lightning....Mind you if I was out what was I doing in the early hours at my age!!!!!..

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I remember as a child that to help alleviate our fears of T&L my mum would say that thunder was God moving his furniture about and the lightning was him switching the lights on and off. Did it help, I think so but I knew that I was safe with my mum.......

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Lightning over Miramare DiRimini, Italy (wikipedia)

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I’m still doing catch up so I will try and finish it with this post.....So you can bail out now if you wish, which is what I thought I may have to do once the heavy rain came down after the thunder....lol....

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Left: Merlin. Right: Arthur

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We returned from our trip to Nottingham late Friday night, May 8th, to a very quite house. Before my son married he lived at home and would care for the animals in our absence. Usually on our return the road would be woken up by loud barking ‘Mum and dad are home’ and without fail Mr Darcy would greet us at the door, outside the house I may add. My cats are not allowed out while I’m away but Mr Darcy always managed to escape. This time there was no barking dogs due to still being in kennels and obviously no Mr Darcy. The house was not the same without my three boys......

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Saturday May 9th

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We picked up the boys from the kennels and they looked really well. I would highly recommend Tregurtha Downs Farm boarding kennels at Goldsithney. It is also a riding school and livery, they have some beautiful horses.......

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A Toadstool in a corner of the farm. If you look, you may find a Cornish Pixie...

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Tuesday May 12th

Another worrying day for me... Arthur went to the vets to have a lump removed from his left shoulder area, which was discovered when he went for his vaccinations. My cats Evie and Phoenix, half-sisters, were also booked in that afternoon for their boosters.....This was déjà for me. The Monday morning Mr Darcy had his exploratory op, Arthur and Merlin were booked in at the vets for their boosters in the afternoon!!!!.....

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Evie Snuggles Munchin. Resting in my basket of medals and tins



Phoenix BooBoo on our garden wall, the house is our neighbours


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Fortunately everything seemed ok but I requested the lump sent away for tests (the news was good). In the afternoon we collected Arthur after the girls had their boosters but the upsetting part of the day was that we also collected Mr Darcy’s ashes. The reality of my loss hit me hard but my furry friend was coming home with me. I placed him on my computer desk, which is where he liked to be, and he is still there. His ashes are in a lovely wooden casket and Summerleaze Pet Crematorium put it in a small box with some dried flowers placed on top. Also they give a certificate with the date of the cremation. It happened to have been on the day of my sister’s birthday, April 30th......Always thought that was a bad day...hehe.......The photo below was taken on my mobile and is a bit blurry, sorry. Also madam is not looking too happy...

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Manic Millie Snotbag resting on Mr Darcy

Talking of Millie, she’s had a couple of visits to the vets over the last few weeks due to her having chronic rhinitis. They have suggested taking a nasal swab which will include sedation....I’ll see.....

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Monday May 18th
Straight forward dental check-up appointment this day and on the walk back I took the following photographs. There are some lovely gardens along this walk.....

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A Beautiful Poppy in full Bloom



Flowers growing in the wall

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Wednesday May 20th
After my visit to the dentist Monday an appointment had been made for me to see the hygienist. My dentist wanted to see me after due to my having a problem with a lower tooth. They had explained that I may have to wait as Jim had a ‘long slot’ before seeing me. Now you know about my friend Charlotte and that we go a lot of places together. Well this ‘long-slot’ turned out to be her. We even went to the dentist together without booking the appointments together....lol...

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Hayle Dentist Practice. It has a small double pathway and beautiful garden

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Now Charlotte is petrified of the dentist and I don’t blame her but Jim is an excellent dentist. So there I am comforting her and giving reassurance. Oh was I going to look a fool....
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I calmly walked in smiling and joking as usual. Diagnosis: possible nerve problem. Treatment: Root canal work, NOW....ok I can cope with that, just. I don’t usually feel anything when Jim gives me an injection but boy was I in for a shock, literally. The injection was to be given in the back of the mouth near the ear area, a site I hate having one. He moved the needle around so as not to hit any blood vessels, good, but he accidently hit a nerve!!!!! OMG, the pain and my body started shaking like a jelly and tears came into my eyes. Now Jim and I get on great and he has my total trust but I looked at him and said ‘That ****** hurt’...his reply ‘I haven’t done it yet’!!!!.....
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Well guess who was outside sat on the step being comforted by Charlotte, yep me. I did start to laugh though, we were now frozen gums buddies....hehe...I also said ‘Is anything else going to go wrong’ with a smile!!!....

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After this traumatic incident we called in at Johnny’s cafe on the way home for a soothing beverage, drank with a straw obviously. Now don’t be misled by the name, you guys would love this place. It is named after the owner’s father, but more about this place in a later post.....

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Johnny's Cafe, Hayle, Cornwall

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Later that evening despite being in pain Charlotte and I had a pleasant time. Andy was not yet home from work and we were just relaxing. Well it didn’t last long......

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On the evening before I had a visit from the ex-partner of a friend of Christopher’s, the one who had stayed in my caravan last year. You may remember the incident with the penicillin lab...lol...When he went some of his belongings were left behind which I have kept safe for him. I had asked him in January to arrange with Andy a convenient time in which to collect them. Fast forward to Tuesday May 19th and suddenly he sent his ex around to collect them. I obviously said no as I wanted him to collect them personally to ensure that he actually got them, and I am legally correct in insisting this. Well going back to Wednesday the day was interrupted by a rather nasty threatening email on my mobile from this young man. I won’t bore you with the details and the contents and language of this and following emails is not repeatable, this is a family blog.....But I have to laugh. This young man read my blog, for legal reasons I will not say what he threatened regarding one particular posting! So I don’t know whether to feel flattered that he wants to read a middle-aged woman’s blog or sorry for him that he has nothing else better to do at his age but read a middle-aged woman’s blog...lol...

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Friday May 22nd
Well the fun didn’t stop this week...On Wednesday night Andy came home complaining of feeling unwell, we put it down to everything that had been happening....This particular morning he woke up complaining of pain just below his lungs, near his op site. He did do too much too soon and I thought he had just pulled something!!!! So I suggested we went to A&E at Penzance after the vets appointment, terrible aren’t I. Arthur was due for a check-up and Millie needed an anti-biotic jab.....If only I had known...

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The A&E visit turned out to be a serious one. I was called into the department and informed that they suspected a clot on the lung.....my world came crashing down but at the same time had to keep a brave face on. Andy looked so vulnerable and scared....Transference to Truro hospital by ambulance was to be arranged and at 7.45pm I ordered a taxi for myself from Penzance to Hayle via Andy’s firm (I don’t drive). Got home after an assurance from the taxi driver that they would get me home from Truro later!!! Quickly collected what he may need and went to catch the train, which was 45 minutes later. After getting a taxi from Truro station I arrived at the hospital about 10pm. Truro is about 25 miles from where we live....

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Main Hospital Entrance where I 'hung out' in the dark...



A&E Department, which also has the snack machines..lol..

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First I went to the main entrance and then to the A&E department. I arrived there just in time to meet Andy at the door being wheeled on a trolley to a ward. I could only stay on the ward until 11pm as the nursing staff wanted to settle the ward down, naturally. No problem, I’ve got a lift home...wrong. They could not come and collect me, so much for perks of the job (and they later billed Andy for the full price of my ride). Luckily Christopher’s boss Aileen phoned me and kindly offered to pick me up when she finished work, bless her, I was so grateful......

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Walked around here, it's opposite the maternity wing. Poor girl outside in slow labour


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So there I was hanging around Truro hospital. Now if you recall I spent some time here when my grandson was in the neo-natal unit, so I knew where all the drink and snacks machines were.....hot chocolate, crisps, etc..yummy...I had not eaten since breakfast so armed with my goodies I ‘hung out’. It was damp and I did look a bit suspect walking around outside but I got chatting to some interesting people. Aileen did pick me up and I got home at 1am Saturday morning...yawn!!!

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Well guys I had promised to finish ‘catch-up’ here but I’m afraid it’s longer that what I thought it would be.....I do go on so, don’t I.....I will say tootle-pip for now, take care until next time...lol...(a little humor below)

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Happy Canada Day.....

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Hello everyone, what a glorious sunny day we have had here in Cornwall. I am so enjoying the sun, a sight I thought we would not see again....

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This is a short post today just to wish our Canadian friends a Happy Canada Day.......Hope you enjoyed your national day, a day in which you celebrate the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act. Now before today although I knew that there was a Canada Day I did not know why, shame on me....But it is a day to celebrate because on this day in 1867 Canada was united as a single country........Enjoy your day...

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Snowbirds Over Parliament 2008 (wikipedia)

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The above picture reminds me of the Red Arrows displays we have here in the UK.....I'll be back soon to tell you all my news, both old and new. Take care until next time...lol....

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(The date should read July 1 but who knows. Did you all say White Rabbits this morning...lol...)