South By South-West

The past couple of months have been a busy time again but Paul and I are currently in the fortunate position of being able to chill-out in Cornwall – courtesy of friends who have asked us to stay in their [being] renovated coastal house and report back on the place as a future holiday rental property.  Oh well… twist our arms, we’ll give it a go!?

It hasn’t been too much of a hardship and it has been helped significantly by the unbelievable weather… all week sunshine and minimum daily temperatures of 18 degrees.  The average temperature is usually 14 degrees apparently, so we have been very lucky.

So, we are presently enjoying Cornwall but have spent a lot of time trekking up and down the country between Hampshire and Gloucestershire whilst trying to organise my mother-in-law’s house sale and move to a residential home. I shan’t go into all the details because the navigation through medical, social services, legal, estate agents, and financial channels is bureaucratic headache of the first degree. And, you know how that winds me up at the best of times?*!  As a quick example, Paul recently had to reply to the solicitor who had asked for a copy of his Power of Attorney… saying that perhaps they should check their own records because they had drawn it up originally 15 years ago, and again within the past two months.  Hmm… so if we have to do the work for them, can I have a refund on the initial £90.00 fee?? Outrageous.

So, that is the logistics of the above has been the main focus but in the closer periphery the new academic year has kicked off with a vengeance and I've got statutory requirements, policy guidelines and declarations of all and sundry coming at me from all directions! I have also started my new one-day-a-week on site at Temple Guiting Primary School and that's a bit of a learning curve.... although the curve is a gentle one because there's only so much that can be achieved in 8 hours a week, and with a six days gap between attendance! I'm still getting my head round the smallness of the Reception class... that's both in individual height as well as general numbers!?* Although some of the general character and capacity for volume is not necessarily thwarted by a diminutive stature?!I

I have been lucky enough to be able to swap my working day and therefore can enjoy a whole week away.  As you have already seen, we spent some time at St Michaels’ Mount (fabulous), have wandered in and out of Porthleven itself and walked a very short stretch of the Loe Bar coastal path but otherwise have read, snoozed and quaffed wine! 

Nice!

The photographs are intended to make you jealous!  The house is like something out of a film or magazine, and it wouldn’t be entirely surprising to stumble across James Bond or a Cary Grant character gazing across the sea-view whilst contemplating whether to go out on the yacht…
However, my photos are carefully selected views - avoiding the scaffolding and the team of ten builders and painters who all rocked up at 8am this morning!