St Michael's Mount

We had a very foggy day in St Ives, and we know from experience that if you travel just 6 miles to the opposite coast, you can often find a completely different day.  And so we found ourselves at St Michael's Mount in Marazion.

 It is always mystical and magical and never fails to impress - no matter how many times we have visited (and we've lost count now).

 The island is joined to the mainland by a causeway that can be walked at low tide.

 But we had to cross by boat as the tide was in when we arrived.

 The house is full of history and has so much to see as you wander around.

 But the most spectacular thing about the Mount (in my opinion) is the spectacular garden around the back  - facing out to sea.

 Because this sits in the gulf stream, so many exotic and tropical plants grow clinging to this granite rock.

 We loved our trip across to Marazion - the fog had still not lifted when we got back to St Ives.

And the National Trust cafe's on the Island are great too!

My Happy Place

Long time readers of my blog will know that it is no secret that St Ives in Cornwall is my very happy place.  We have visited this gorgeous seaside town every year (sometimes more than once per year!) since we first had our family.   

This was the first time that hubby and I had been on our own.  We missed them, but it was easier and much cheaper!!

 I have to say that we have easily fitted back into each others company, and it is a great relief to find that we still like each other!

 We walked a lot, and talked a lot, picked tons of sea glass and stood and stared - and stared - and loved every minute of it.

 We nearly gave it a miss this year, we thought about jetting off to sunnier climes...

 but this is where my holiday heart is.

 It seemed strange visiting outside of the busy school holiday season, but we soon got used to it.

 It was great to wander into restaurants and find a table without having to book in advance.

So I've had my fix for now.  But it's never quite enough.

The Full Monty

Last week I visited The Lyceum theatre in Sheffield to watch the brilliant "Full Monty" , the play of the marvellous film that was written about the demise of the steelworks in our own city of Sheffield in the 1980's (thanks to Mrs Thatcher!).

The play, like the film demonstrates perfectly the total and utter despair of the men that have lost their jobs when the unthinkable was happening.  And it shows the gritty northern humour that always shines through and helps carry people through and bonds them together in desperate time.

I have a knot in my stomach and a tear in my eye when Gerald strides out to "work" ever morning as he can't bring himself to tell his wife.
These times seem so long ago now but the effects still can be seen in this wonderful city of ours.
If you can catch the play, I urge you to.  It's moving and funny - a great night out! x

Elsecar Reservoir

On a nice evening, we like to have a walk around nearby Elsecar Reservoir.  Elsecar Res was made to feed the Dearne and Dove Canal that was built to take the Coal from Elsecar Colliery and the iron from it's ironworks to the rest of the world.  The mining industry in the area ended in 1983 and nature has been busy taking back the surrounding area from it's industrial past.

 The Res was used a lot for recreation in the past and a man made beach was made so that children could paddle and even swim (although a lot of graves in nearby Wentworth Old Church show that this was possibly not a great idea!).  In 1910 a photographer from a Sheffield newspaper captioned his photographs "Elsecar by the Sea" .  As the village had a direct train line from Sheffield, a bit of a tourist destination sprung up and the Res and Park were often very full.  I remember it still being extremely popular in the 1960's and 70's and it was always a big treat for us to visit.

 The park has had a bit of a resurgence theses days.  A friend of mine has taken over the cafe and is making a grand job it.

 The Res is still used a lot by locals for fishing.  We saw lots of walkers and joggers and it also has a bird hide that we sat in for a while.  It's a lovely peaceful little haven.

 Lots of wild flowers that I remember from my childhood still exist around it's banks.  We used to call these "Milkmaids"

 .. and Cowslips.

And we still find things we have not noticed before.