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Yesterday we had a slower day, the weather wasn't quite as nice as it has been, not wet, just a little cloudy. In the end we headed over to Gwithian to walk along the cliffs and look out to Godrevy lighthouse. There were quite a lot of surfers out making the most of the waves so we stood and watched for a little while. Although the blue sky wasn't making an appearance it wasn't especially cold and made for a pleasant walk. Having managed to miss them all week, we decided it was about time to get some Cornish pasties for lunch. We dropped by Philp's in Hayle to get 3 pasties and scotch eggs to takeaway. They also did takeaway cream tea for four but we gave these a miss as we already have scones and cream in the cottage.

The lunch was very filling and we found ourselves stuffed for the rest of the day. Dani and I played some ping pong in the games room whilst mum read for a bit in the afternoon and after tea we watched 'Goodbye Christopher Robin' on DVD (the cottage has a really good selection of recent films). A bit of a lazy day, but it is a holiday!

Today we decided to head for Mousehole which is a small fishing village on the coast. We parked just on the edge of the village and set off for a wander. The weather was similar to yesterday with a lot of cloud although the sunshine peeped through a few times bringing with it a bit of blue sky. There were quite a few nice shops and galleries to look in and mum managed to pick up a few nice bits including a seaside sign and a tree decoration. We stoppped for lunch in The Old Pilchard Press cafe with me and mum both having a panini whilst Dani had the special of mackerel pate and toast. It was all very nice and the service was very good with a warm welcome and cheery service throughout. 

Later in the afternoon we decided to drop by St Ives for a wander around the shops. We bought a few bits, including a framed picture for mum and a pink dinosaur for me! We dropped by Tesco on the way back to the cottage picking up burgers and chips for tea. In the evening me and Dani went for a quick drive back to Marazion to see if St Michael's Mount was lit up. Sadly it isn't. I tried a couple of photos but the camera was struggling to focus. Headed back for a bit of TV and packing before bed, home tomorrow!

The weather was a little grey to start with today after a spot of rain early in the morning. After a quick check on the weather for the day, we set off for Trelissick and the closer we got, the better the weather! It turned into a really warm and sunny day, which was great for walking around the garden. There was plenty to see, but also signs of damage caused by the recent bad weather.

We also managed to get ourselves on a house tour limited to 10 people for the day, giving a glimpse of the second floor and cellars that are normally closed to the public. It was intersting to see a few different bits including the rather grand billiards room and the quite extensive wine cellars.

In the evening we headed out for dinner to Pizza Express in St. Ives. We arrived a little early for the table we had booked, but this gave us a chance to see the RNLI lifeboat being towed back in. Dinner was nice, and on the walk back to the car, I took a few more night photos before calling it a night.  

Today, we made a last minute change of plan and headed for Trerice. We were originally heading to Truro and nearby Trelissick gardens, but the weather wasn't particularly clement, so we decided to go somewhere different and leave Trelissick for a sunnier day. After a bit of Googling, we settled on Trerice, an Elizabethan manor house and gardens. It didn't take long to get there and it was a little damp, but not really raining. We wandered around the house first, looking at all the antique furnishings and particularly the clocks, as there were many! We went to the cafe for lunch, using our handy giftcard to pay for it. Dani had a tuna jacket potato, and mum and I had a cream tea each. We then went in search of the much-anticipated lawnmower museum, but much to our disappointment, we were unable to find it. However, Dani did stumble upon the second hand bookshop, and - grinning from ear to ear - she came out clutching a new tome. We had a bit of a wander around the garden and were pleased to see a little bit of blue sky appear making for a few nice photos of the Elizabethan Manor.

On the way back to the cottage we stopped by Wheal Coates Tin mine. The first mine is a short walk from the car park, and a little further along, there is another, clinging to the edge of the cliff. The tide was in and there was quite a lot of fog making for quite a dramatic scene. It was a little chilly as there was quite a breeze coming in from the sea so we only stayed about half an hour.

We dropped by Tesco again on the way back to pick up a few bits for tea before heading in for the evening. I added a few more photos to the Cornwall album and whilst at it I tweaked the website code a bit. I didn't like the way that the album preview displayed below a blog was always the same so I made a change so that it now shows the most recent photos.

Exceeding all expectations we had sunshine again today! We decided to make the most of it and headed over to National Trust St Michael's Mount. It's only a short drive away from the cottage, and is accessed from the town of Marazion. The tide times are a bit useless this time of year with low tide early in the morning and late in the afternoon / evening so the causeway wasn't an option for crossing, so we made our way by boat. As the weather was so nice, the water was very calm making for an easy crossing, plus it saved our legs a bit for the climb on the otherside. We were taken across by one of the island residents who pointed out his bathroom window in the cottages that sit at the bottom of the the rock on which the castle sits.

The climb up follows a winding path of uneven cobbles and stepped rock sections, and was no easy feat. It took a little while, but we all got there in the end. There are some terrific views from the top of the boats ferrying people below and the surrounding coast. We had a bit of a sit in the sunshine on the rocks just outside the castle entrance and Dani managed to spot a seal in the sea below! After a bit of a rest, we headed into the castle to wander around the historic rooms, it was all very insteresting, and although there was a steady stream of people, it wasn't exactly busy.   

Feeling quite hungry on the journey back down, we headed for the cafe where we had some tasty toasted sandwiches followed a little laster by ice-cream. We dropped by Tesco on the way back for a few essentials (clotted cream and scones) before heading back to the cottage for a bit of rest and relaxation. Splendid! 

After another busy term, we've eventually hit Easter. We're actually half way through the break at this point and have alredy spent the last week decorating the stairs and landing before coming away to Cornwall with mum. The weather this spring has been less than impressive so far with the "Beast from the East" weather just a few short weeks ago dumping snow everywhere. On the plus side it did reward us with a snow day, although in our case it was actually a "frozen pipe day", with the water pipes frozen leading to a lack of water across the school site. With all this in mind we weren't suprised to see the weather reports for this week predicting cloudy days and light rain. We arrived yesterday to Brook Cottage, our home for the week. It's in Carpis Bay which is just a short distance out of St Ives and is very nicely appointed with 3 bedrooms, a fully equiped kitchen and a games room including darts, table football and a table tennis table. Even better there was a welcome basket when we arrived with lots of essentials including tea bags, coffee, milk, some biscuits, a box of celebrations and a bottle of wine! 

Today, we had a wander around St. Ives. The weather was amazing with bright sunshine and blue skies. St. Ives looked as beautiful as usual in the sunshine with clear blue water and sandy beaches. We stopped for some lunch in Olives Tea Room where I had my first Cornish cream tea of the week. Dani had some coffee cake whilst mum had a quiche and salad. It was all very tasty and we left feeling very full up.

We finished off the day heading for Godrevy National Trust car park in Gwithian, but unfortunately arrived to find it full with the top car park seemingly closed. We found a place to park a little further along the road and headed up the path to look out to sea, there were no seals sadly but still quite a view. 

Here's hoping the weather continues a bit longer ...