Back to Exeter

Today has been absolutely lovely despite the horrendous weather - it hasn't stopped raining at all! I got up early and wheeled my belongings to Penryn train station and changed at truro for exeter. Sue met me at Exeter and we went up to the office to say hi to folk, we also had a quick look around the campus and then lunch in the newly updated refectory in Devonshire House with Nat H and Vik. Sue and i| then headed off to Honiton. We had a look around the shops first, junk shops followed by teh antique shops , where each little nook and cranny is chocker full of gorgeous things. If i didn't have to fly home i would have bought about three silver tea pots, who knows how many blue and white plates, lovely prints and a bowler hat. Sue then drove me to the cemetery and I said hi to grandad wilde on behalf of everbody in NZ.
Afterwards \i met Gill at the imperial which although brief was cool to catch up and then on the way home Sue and i went and picked some raspberries from her new allotment. Very cool! PAsta for dinner and BArcelona tomorrow!!! And a big whateva to whoveva has my glastonbury ticket. I probably saw you on the train today with your back pack and it hasn't stopped raining so i hope you're really wet and cold while i'm in sunny spain. HA!!

Heligan - Cornwall

I wasn't sure if it was a classic case of getting my ambitions mixed up with my capabilities but.. I managed to get to Heligan Gardens in Cornwall. I was sort of going on behalf of Mum and Dad but i confess i was pretty keen to see the melon houses and the vege gardens as much for them as for me.
Flatmate Sophie kindly gave me a ride to Heligan, because its pretty much out in the middle of the wop wops. I sat and checked emails etc first while she did some work stuff at the brewery and then we headed off. We travelled down some pretty crazy cornish country lanes that although rather pretty are very deep. the walls are about 8 feet tall and they are pretty narrow lanes and with tight corners- but experienced cornish driver sophie was at the wheel so i sat back and relaxed. It has been pouring with rain in cornwall but it held off while i went round the gardens. The mud sculptures were cool but the fruit and vege gardens were truly amazing. a real study in symetry and repetition.



Needless to say the camera went a bit mad. I saw pretty much all that i wanted to see in about two hours and tehn got various buses all the way back to st austell, truro and then falmouth where i raced to see the maritime museum and had a quick squiz at the shops. Back home in the rain, went to the local dairy and got stuff for tea and had a bath and re[acked. Sophie was away workign in Exeter so i chilled out and collected my thoughts. Missed a perfect opportunity however to watch an episode of coro and get six months ahead of everyone else. I guess you'll jsut have to visti the website to find out what happens!

Tremough

Today has been fab, a leisurely start, pouring rain (who cares when you're on holiday) and then the bus ride up to the Tremough campus. I went first down to the walled garden to take photos and its much tidier and quite green and lucious. I then surprised James in his office and then went to meet Carrie for lunch, later I caught up wiht Robin too. It was so fabulous to see old friends and to learn all about the continuing development and progress. Mining Engineering and Renewable Energy - the most at risk programmes- are now flagship courses and have the highest recruitment. The building looks more established wiht trees and grass and offices and the noteiceboards are all now covered in chaos - people have colonised the space and it lives and breathes by itself. The buses to tremough are now 2/3 full of studnets too rather than empty with the odd poor solitary student wondering what on earth is happening, I bought the local paper today and there are no less than 6 stories about either the art school or the tremough buildings so it has definintely become a huge part of the local community landscape. Its great to be back and visiting but its also great to know that i'm on holiday and will soon go home to my own exciting job and great lifestyle which wihtout a doubt is a bit easier than getting around in cornwall - no matter how goreous or quaint the villages are!

Cornwall -

I love this ere place, its right luvly it is! All pathetic attempts at quaint cornish accents aside, it really is fab. From the FRIENDLY people in the truro post office to the gorgeous oldies on the bus to the fab people who work at Tremough it is just wonderful. I got here at midday and Sophie darling picked me up from the train station and we went and had lunch, The sun was out and Truro was fab. I went to the post office and sent a couple of parcels home. Super service in sharp contrast to london - and then mooched around the shops which was lovely before getting a ride home with Soph. My former flatmate is now unfortunately working for Cornish Ale company and so i was duty bound to taste some of her product. After getting home we went for a walk down to Falmouth and had a drink at a local pub overlooking the harbour, i watched the gigs (rowing boats) out practicing. Curry for dinner accompanied by Cornish Ale and TomCruise and 'Cocktail' - what a fab night back in cornwall and in my old room too.

Sunday 18th and lovely Exeter

Exeter really does feel like my city and Exeter cathedral is my cathedral. It smells the same, sounds the same and feels wonderfully familiar and comfortable.
Anyway, NAt and I headed into Exeter to meet Jane and Sue at 10.30am. First stop, Princess HAy and the new shops. I bought an English sheep tea cosy - don't ask me why but its cool believe me. SEcond stop food and something to drink, then PriMark the new great TK MAx and home of CHEAP clothes - £1.50 for tee shirts. Suitably grossed out and repulsed (but tyring hard to stem the retail madness) we then went to Laura Ashley and then had a picnic on Cathedral Green. Fab butternut squash, feta and sundried tomato salad and french bread. NAt B, her husban MArk and baby daughter Sophie met with us and then the girls headed off the Quay to look around. It was a wee bit of a weird experience then walking back past the old flat but it was a super day and after a quick coffee NAt and I headed back to Exmouth and popped in to see Nat's mum. Tomorrow is Cornwall and a bit more of a relaxing time. IT really has been totally cool and super to see darling friends and to laugh and giggle.

Sat 16th Elizabeth and Exeter

Phew, well a mega week but now the holiday was to begin proper.
I was up early again and finished the last of the packing and headed off to breakfast. I was pretty jaded and stiff I must admit but got underway and met Cath at Paddington at 9.00. Her partner Stuart is Station Manager or something and so he kindly looked after the mammoth suitcase while we headed off to see a steam engine that was about to depart. We then had something to eat and headed of to see TRooping of the Colour! Whaoo, I've only wnated to see this since I was a little girl. Anywya there were quite a few people but it wasn't crazy, no one was pushing or shoving and we made it to the MAll in time to see the procession. Then we learnt they would be coming back so we stayed and got front line seats and set up the camera. Pierz, the darling, had made a mad dash to catch up and stood with Cath and I and we watched the guards with their big fur hat things. Then the horses thundered past and then Beatrice, Eugenie, William, Anne and the Queen - resplendent in Green. We were standing next to a lady who had camped out for three days to watch Charles and Diana's wedding. ANy way, no time to wait for the flyover it was a absolute run for the tube and then Paddington, made it wiht one minute to spare but no time for collecting luggage and getting fast tickets - so STuart sorted us out and we had lunch instead.
I then set off abourd the next train and although I had a little snooze, mostly I watched the green hills, the canal boats, the garden fetes, the thatched cottages, hedgerows and skies by constable.
Exeter - and there was sue and jane - rushing from a foot massage. So wonderful to see them, and Jane all the way down from Manchester. ANyway we went to Exmouth to NAt's and had a quick catch up and a chat and all of a sudden it was eight o'clock and time for dinner!! We had dinner in a lovely little cafe, had a drink at a bar at the marina then home and I was virtualy asleep before I'd turned off the light.

Friday 15th

Update - Here is what happened on Friday...consider it at high speed and fast forward ...
Up early about 6.00am to pack the work suitcase,
Went to breakfast at 7.00,
Finished the packing,
Wrote thank you notes and postcards,
Went to post office to post everything including suitcase,
Was served by the most unhelpful post office lady in the history of post office ladies - Mary from the South Kensington Branch, consider yourself named and shamed!
Almost lost my temper in public place, but managed to only shout "You have got to be joking!" when I was asked to lift the 22 kg suitcase onto the scales for the third time as she couldn't see how much it weighed from her seat behind the safety glass without standing up, and "No thank you, I do not want to buy a roll of sellotape!" after I was concerned about the post office labels adhering to the suitcase. I turned to go and said " THank you so much for your help" in my best sarcastic voice and saw a queue of sympathetic faces and one lady turned and said "did she really tell you to buy sellotape!"
After that I headed to Holland Park to meet the photographer and pick up the photos, zoomed to Notting Hill and bought my red toile - perfect instructions Anna - ran to Portobello and managed to buy a snuff box and some silver trinkets.




Stopped for something to eat and then raced to the Royal Mews - only to find they were shut again but this time because of Trooping of the Colour on Saturday - WHat!!! I was here and going to miss it, I decided to change my train tickets.
Dashed back to the hotel (this is all by stinky tube) and reckoned I had 20 mins to see the V& A Museum . Did a quick reckie, and then headed to knightsbridge mainly to get foot balm (!!) then sat at the hotel computer and uploaded all the photos onto the website, then flagged the nana nap and headed off to Collier Wood to see Richard and Sue. Although I was absolutely buggered it was a lovely relaxing evening, I bumped into Nigel Burdon on the tube so managed to catch up with him and then shared Pizza and red wine with Richard and Sue and relaxed.
Home by 12.00ish and sat up and repacked my suitcase and sorted the damage following some mysterious mini tornado that had demolished my hotel room. Phew!!!