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Tag Archives: Cornwall

The Flower Box

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by pat in Burnham-on-Crouch, Cornwall, England, Gardens, Uncategorized, United Kingdom

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Cornwall, Flower box, London

Everywhere we went in Great Britain on our travels there was a great profusion of flower boxes.

A perfect window dressing. Photo by me

From the simplest to the most elaborate they were everywhere.

A creative flower display in Fowey, Cornwall, England on the southwest coast. Photo by me

The English love their gardens and if they don’t have a bit of land to plant in they will create a plot to hang on a wall, …

Like a special hat over the doorway, these bright red geraniums decorate a building in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex. Photo by me

…grace a pub in London,

Happy hour on a Friday afternoon made happier by the flowers over head. Photo by me

or swing from a doorway.

A flower basket at the front door. Photo by me

I think they get their inspiration from the rock walls nearby.  With all the rain, flowers grow anywhere. It really is special to see.

Flowers on the cliff walls. Photo by me

 

 

Tides

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by pat in Cornwall, England, Travel, United Kingdom

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boats, Charlestown, Cornwall, Ships, tides

For such a very well-mannered country, the tides of England are pretty darn dramatic. Especially in Cornwall. It was so very evident wherever we went on the southwest coast.

The beautiful tall ships tucked in a safe harbour in Charlestown

But nowhere were the large tides more obvious than in Charlestown, where the big, old ships are berthed.

You might see a lovely bay, or small port, with the boats floating about, and when you came back a couple of hours later there is nothing but mud, and the poor boats are left high and dry.

The tide comes in at the entrance to the protected harbour at Charlestown. Photo by me

 

Poor boats left in the mud when the tide goes out. Photo by me

The change in sea level is very steady and goes from very high to very low in about six hours.

..and the tide goes out

Luckily the Brits know all about the sea, and have devised clever hideaways to protect their ships from the outgoing tides — like the lock system here in Charlestown.

The ships are carefully protected during low tide behind the locks. Photo by me

It’s a lovely feat of engineering that pumps the water in to the holding area if needed as the tide goes out. Someone actually closes the locks on the tides schedule. I imagine he keeps his alarm clock well maintained.

Water is pumped in to keep the ships high but not dry as the tide goes out. Photo by me

The system keeps the boats safe and protected no matter the time of day.

All tucked in for low tide. Photo by me

And if there are no walls to hold it back…

A beach in Cornwall near Carlyon Bay. Photo by me.

…the tide may just take a bit of England with it out to sea.

A room with a pub…and a view

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by pat in Cornwall, Cornwall, England, Travel, Uncategorized

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Cornwall, England, Inns, January specials, travel

This time of year I get notices from some of our favorite haunts in England advertising their winter specials.  It doesn’t tempt My Beloved Brit at all to go over in winter, but I always imagine tea & scones by a cozy fire and walks on quiet lanes dusted with snow. That of course is after several tours of the art galleries of London.

Winter lane St. Tinney Farm, photo by Phil Windley, wikipedia commons

St. Austel Brewery just sent us their newsletter with a gorgeous array of January deals in 15 of their wonderful small Hotels or Inns, most of which are in Cornwall.  We have stayed at their historic Charlestown inn, The Rashleigh Arms, which is within sight of the Tall Ships of Charlestown Harbour.

The Rashleigh Arms in Historic Charlestown, Cornwall. Photo from their website

Looking down the list of specials, I can find many that I would love to try. At the Rashleigh, we found the rooms were cozy, and the large English breakfast in the pub downstairs unbeatable. At the very least, it’s wonderful to sit by my own fire and dream…

From the 14th century The Masons Arms website, another St. Austell Brewery property. Doesn't this look cozy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for the St. Austell Brewery January deals newsletter, and dream a little dream of your own.

Cornwall, Carlyon Bay and the quilted hills

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by pat in Cornwall, Cornwall, England, paintings, Travel, Uncategorized

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Cornwall, England, travel

One of the first spots outside of the London area I visited in England with My Beloved Brit after we were first married was Cornwall.  His cousin lives there, who is like the brother he never had, and we drove the few hours west from Heathrow to visit.

I was groggy from jet lag (MBB had come over early to do some racing so he was my chauffeur), but I do remember the drive and the beautiful quilted hills. That was my name for those multicolored fields that were criss-crossed with hedgerows and pressed by endless sky.

It was home to MBB, and even when I woke up enough to register my astonishment that we had just driven past Stonehenge, he was rather unimpressed.  To him, it was just a familiar distance marker on the many trips he had made in his life from London to Cornwall.

We ended up in an area near St. Austell called Carlyon Bay where the hills finally met the sea.  From the tall bluffs you could look across the hydrangeas and see the rolling hills.  The cliffs were dotted with small inns and hotels, and we found a charming one called Porth Avallen Country House Hotel overlooking St. Austell Bay.

Perched on the sea road,  it was friendly and relaxed.  The labyrinth of hallways and staircases only added to the old fashioned charm, and we were perfectly happy.  Even more perfect, as soon as you walked outside, you could see the most amazing views.

The colors were beautiful and no matter which way you walked along the seaside road, the views were a painting waiting to happen.

But finally I saw the one that really held my interest. It was lovely.

That lone house on the edge of all those gorgeous hills.  There was something so isolated about it and yet, it was totally connected with its surroundings. You could just imagine curling up in one of it’s windowseats with a good book and a quilt.

I painted it hoping to capture that feeling, and now I love that painting.  It means domestic bliss in a wild world.

all photos and painting by me.

 

 

 

But is it cod?

19 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by pat in Cornwall, England, Food, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

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Cornwall, England, fish and chips

Whenever we go to the seaside town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to deliver my art to the gallery that represents me there,  we always have to stop for fish and chips at Go Fish.

photo by me

My Beloved Brit is very particular about his Fish and Chips.  Once we’ve searched it out in any area we visit, the first question as he gazes at the menu is “Is it Cod?” If not, it’s just not the same thing.

When we met his cousins in Cornwall and went to the historic seaport of Fowey, we stopped for lunch.  They had the puffiest, biggest center cut pieces of cod, along with spectacular mushy peas (you don’t want to know) and of course chips (fries to us yanks).  His cousins looked in horror as I opened the puffed golden fried batter and ate the white moist fish out of the center.  It was fabulous, but honestly, they just couldn’t see the point.

And yes, Go Fish has lovely cod for their fish and chips, and the friendly British accents to go with it.

 

 

 

 

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