Recent Posts
Well here we are again in the Provence. We were here 3 years ago a little further south in Isle sur la Sorgue. This time we’re in a place called Valreas, quite near to Orange … of William of Orange fame … so a nice Dutch connection there. Our Gite is absolutely gorgeous set among the vineyards, olive trees and...
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Sep 03, 10
Today we left our Cornish chalet a day early so that we can travel on to “La Belle Provence” from Southampton airport tomorrow. Again our trusty guide Jane directed us unerringly the 192 miles to our overnight hotel. However not before I put in a slight diversion to Charmouth beach on the Dorset coast when I realised we...
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Cornwall, in addition to its seafaring culture, is well known as a centre for mining tin and clay. Whilst the tin mining industry has all but disappeared china clay mining is thriving. Close to the site of the Eden Project, itself built inside a disused clay pit, is Wheal Martyn, a museum located on the site of two old china clay...
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Sep 01, 10
Today we motored on down to St Ives and then on to Lands End. St Ives is another picturesque Cornish fishing village. However it’s also been an artists hub for a long time and is the location for Tate St Ives. This was our main motivation for going there and being the ‘cultural barbarian’ that I am I’ll let...
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Today we visited the impressive ‘Eden Project’. A trip Annelies has been positively salivating over since we planned our trip to Cornwall, and it didn’t dissapoint. Over to Annelies ….. “At first site Eden looks like an amazing futuristic scene with its big bubble-like biomes nestled into the valley...
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Aug 30, 10
Today we drove to Polperro … a place I last visited on a family holiday when I was about 5 … 36 years ago … I can’t believe I’m that old !!!! Polperro is a delightful quaint Cornish fishing village crammed into a rocky valley that leads down to the sea. Like so many other Cornish fishing villages...
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Aug 29, 10
Padstow … or the village owned and run by Rick Stein the celebrity sea food chef … or so you’d think when you visit it. Seriously though Padstow is beautiful and was well worth a visit in its own right. However it’s been firmly put on the map by Rick Stein. He owns a cafe, a restaurant, a brasserie, a...
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Aug 28, 10
Well we’ve arrived in lovely Cornwall. We flew to Exeter and hired a car for the week. Our holiday home is just outside Newquay it’s nice … but a little musty … part of the charm I suppose … ahem! 😀 We’ve bought a TomTom GPS navigator especially for our Cornish/Provence “foray” and I have to say...
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Not our usual holiday blog but whilst in Holland Annelies has been inspired to write some Haiku poetry… White wool fluffs the fields Peacefully they stand and dream Beneath clouded skies ~~ Black and white on green Shades of blue, grey, white above Holland’s colour scheme Tall and proud they stand Flanking quiet waterways...
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It’s here … !!!! A couple of weeks ago I put my name down on a short list at our local Apple store for a 64GB wi-fi iPad, Its the UK launch day and I’ve been allocated one .…… wooo hoo! 😀 It is VERY impressive and causing quite a stir, I had no less than 5 people surrounding me in the office just opening the box...
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This morning we had a late brunch with Julie before heading off to the Fitzwilliam Art museum. The museum houses works from antiquity right up to modern abstract art. We were able to get up close to works by Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and Rembrandt amongst many others. Also, and what I found most impressive, there were carvings and...
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Met up with Julie for a leisurely brunch in a little cafe on the river Cam. We then spent the afternoon wandering the charming streets and alleyways of Cambridge shopping like people possesed (we’re returning home with no less than 5 new pairs of shoes between us!) This evening we went to Great St Mary’s Church to...
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Today we visited the nearby Duxford airbase. Now the site of the Imperial War Museum for aviation. Duxford has a long history of military aviation right from WWI through to the 1960s. Most famous of course for its “Big Wing” during the Battle of Britain. It’s from here that the famous Douglas Bader flew with his...
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Well we’re back again in the outrageously cosy city of Cambridge, visiting Julie in her ‘new’ digs. Cambridge is a lovely as ever and even the weather has perked up so that it’s hot and sunny. After arriving today we visited Wood Wind and Reed where I deposited my beloved Tenor Sax for repair and service...
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