Retirement. Thursday 27th April 2017

It does not seem possible but today I have to all intense and purposes finished my working career.

People, it seems have their own pre-conceived ideas about retirement. They are many and varied.

Someone has suggested from here on in, it will be lazy Champagne breakfasts, followed by the morning reading The Telegraph. A light lunch at "the club", whatever "the club" might be, then jump back into the Morgan for a round of golf at another "club". I can confirm I see more than one or two anomolies here!

Someone else has suggested, this received from a very wise head. That the first morning of retirement, I get hold of Jackies "Mike's to do list", which Jackie will undoubtedly have and "eat it".

Now there's an idea.

Easter Monday 17th April 2017

Today being the last day of the Easter Bank Holiday, there was much tidying up and packing away of tents, awnings and event shelters. The boys and girls took to the park, played football and rode their bikes and scooters. Not a care in the world. The Mum's and Dad's beavered away. Jackie and I had little to do but sit in the sunshine and read our books. Looking on, it must be said with a slightly bemused look.

Joy-Anne and Warren called down about lunchtime and brought with them home made bread, fresh cooked home ham, various crudities and pickles. This was followed by chocolate cakes, fresh from Joy's baking tray that morning.

Andrew, Kirsty and Noah had set off home for Plymouth. Noah had worn himself out with his little legs flying around the site all weekend. Nik, Emma and Iddy were away down the beach for a quick paddle before meeting up with the Young Corco's, Rich and his two, Lizzie and Elliot at The Travellers Rest for a 1500hrs lunch. That left Phillipa and Alan who had no intention of returning till tomorrow. They had time on their hands, they were retired.

      http://www.staustellbrewery.co.uk/pub/newquay/travellers-rest 

Whilst Joy and Warren decided to take a stroll along the beach, we Stopporton's decided we too would head on back home to Plymouth. It had been a great weekend, quite relaxing, we had not done a lot but it was most enjoyable.

I bet come August it won't be this empty! Any takers?

Easter Sunday 16th April 2017

It was suggested that I might like to organize the Easter Egg Hunt. In effect I was detailed off to be The Event Captain and organize it for the eight children. Most of the other adults had headaches for some reason.

After spending some time walking the site and working out the clues for the two teams, I was pretty secure in the knowledge that all was complete. Well, I believed it was but then Tracey and Emma joined in and with much glee started to suggest a tweek here or a slight alteration there. We artistic luvvies can be so upset by this. They ran off to assist and laid out baby chicks and rabbit feet at the clue points.

The Bottle of Black Rat is NOT mine!

With lunch finished we all gathered at Mikey’s Event Shelter for the start of The Great Treasure Hunt. I’m not so sure the assembled ones listened that carefully to my instructions but suddenly on my command “Go” there were little ones running off screaming in all directions. Followed by Dads on push bikes, scooters, skate boards and Mums trailing along as best they could in an attempt to keep up. Does that sound chauvinistic or am I merely stating the facts?

The Game is afoot. Awaiting the off.

The clues and confirmation tokens came thick and fast and before long the game was complete. There was a goody bag of various chocolate bars, eggs and sticky confectionary for every participant. There was even a special prize awarded to Andrew for his running around the whole course with young Noah. Everyone seemed very satisfied.

Noah, our youngest competitor with Mum, Kirsty.

 

The Prize Giving.

Whilst the young uns drove off in convoy to visit some cave near Padstow, Jackie and I took the opportunity for a walk down to the beach and a coffee and cake at the newly refurbished Porthcothan Shop. The owners, new at the end of last season had been hard at work over the winter months, altering the layout of the shop. New fridges, shelves and coffee machines were evident.  Jackie was most heartened to see Tarquins gin for sale.

 

That evening we were invited by Mike and Tracey into their caravan for dinner. Spatchcock chicken, veggies and various side dishes. We contributed a rack of ribs and a very nice Cab Sav bottle of red. A great “family day”.

Easter Saturday 15th April 2017

Saturday dawned bright and clear. I prepared a healthy breakfast of Weetabix, sliced pear, blueberries, apple and strawberries. Hot crumpets, jam and coffee.

After our leisurely breakfast, using Mikey’s AquaRoll we refilled our fresh water tanks with about fifty litres of water and Jackie threw the switch to try out the mains electric side of the water heater. It was her intention to christen the shower after we returned from our cliff top walk.to the YHA Café at Treyarnon.

Our reward on arrival at Treyarnon, a mere two miles from Berryfields was to be coffee and cake. Callum, Lizzie and Elliot had ice cream, Mikey a pint of Westons cider, Tracey a mocha, James a Sprite and Rich brought all sorts of delights out of his day sack for the children. I had slipped a fiver into Callum’s hand on arrival with instructions he buys the other two children and himself a lick lick. As Elliot and Lizzie prefer ice creams from the van down on the beach rather than here in the shop Callum pockets the ´£3-20 change and cannot agree to return it to me. It is not until his Dad intervenes that I get my change back!! Our refreshment stop over we make the return journey to Berryfields and the promise of a tea party for Iddy’s 6th birthday.

Whilst we have been out walking the clifftops, Emma and Nick have been decorating Mikey’s Event shelter with birthday balloons, ribbons and party banners for their son Iddy.

Jackie has her shower in the "Ice Cream Lorry" The first time we’ve ever used it. Knowing she will be in there for hours, the three minute shower rule does not apply to Jackie, Mike saunters through the hedge to join the adults for a swift one.

Mikey, God bless him fires up the BBQ, Andrew young Noah’s dad brings over his stainless steel wash tub brazier and fires it up loading on lamb shanks and salmon steaks. Mickey and Andrew are cooking a double shift tonight for we are expecting some thirty odd persons, adults and children.

Who is the cool dude in the shades?

Once the children are fed and a few party games played we move onto toasting marshmallows. Then the adults get stuck into their BBQ grub all washed down with cider, drunk from casks and dubious containers, the contents of which are labelled with such exotic names as Black Rat and Wylde Wood. As the evening drew on it turned cold, a chill wind was blowing in from the sea. The other side of the hedge.



A bit uncertain about the body language here!



We donned hoodies, jackets and hats, stoked the fires higher and drew closer.

In the gloom someone cracked open another cask of Black Rat and passed it around. Remember that scene from "The Big Sky" with a very young Kirk Douglas? Well it was getting just like that and no-one was gonna cut off my trigger finger! 

It was not long, after a few more glasses, before Mike felt like passing out.

That's better. Either the fire or The Black Rat is warming us now!

 

Easter Friday 14th April 2017

Easter Friday was overcast and we spent a leisurely morning pottering about the camper.

The young Corco’s arrived at 1300hrs. Most of their immediate neighbours were down for Easter. They were busy either mowing the grass or washing down their caravans.

Jackie and Tracey enjoying a Tarquins Gin.

Jobs Jackie and I had done last weekend for Tracey and Mike.

We had a passing acquaintance with most of them. The late afternoon saw a gathering at Tracey and Mikes event shelter for drinks prior to a BBQ to be hosted by Tracey and Mike. As usual a great meal.

We left about 2030hrs returned to the other side of the hedge. Red for a while then turned in.

Easter Thursday 13th April 2017

As is tradition with Easter Weekend we decided to go camping and spend the four days in "The Ice Cream Lorry" at Berryfields Camp site at Porthcothan Cornwall.

 

Tracey Mike and Callum have had a static caravan here for some years. It is not a large developed site with clubhouse and all amenities. In fact it does not even have a shop for rations. However what it does have is a rather splendid kitchen arrangement that was commercially revamped last year. This enables Chris the site owner and his family team to offer a very wide and varied breakfast / lunch menu. There is also the facilty to offer home-made scones with jam and cream and glorious milkshakes. In effect Cornish Cream Teas. Bootifull!

Alas none of these culinary delights will be available this weekend as Chris’s winter project has been the complete rebuilding of the Gents and Ladies loos, showers and dish washing facilities. These are nearing completion and although Easter is a traditional start to the season he has slid that date back till mid-May.

 

We left home at 1645hrs and surprisingly we were on the site at 1805 hrs. A miracle given it was the start of the bank holiday migration. We had been down the previous weekend to drop our canoes. The weather then was perfect and we stayed overnight in Tracey’s caravan. Alas there is no way we can get the canoes onto "The Ice Cream Lorry" and we thought if Easter weekend weather was good and the all-important sea state calm, we would kick ourselves if they were not to hand.

 

We pulled up behind the hedge which separates Tracey’s fixed site with our transient site. The fence, new in 2016 had blown away in this year’s winter storms and Chris had this replacement task lower down on his list of priorities!

 

No sooner had we arrived than it was sun downers and then lose ourselves in our respective books till it was time to put Jackie’s home-made stew on to heat.

Sunday in the Sound.

Jackie had been so miffed that she missed the canoeing Friday with us boys that she decided Sunday morning was a perfect day for canoeing and so we quickly threw the sit-ons onto the van, made a flask of coffee, grabbed some flapjacks and made our way onto the Embankment.

We decided to put in here, next to Blagdons Yard GR: SX 50189 54861 as we reasoned that being rather close to 1000hrs and such a gorgeous day all the free car parking spaces would be taken at the public slipway at Oreston. GR SX50006 53575. We were to be proved correct. A fact we soon confirmed as we paddled past.




Which one....

should I ....

purchase???

It was a lovely day the sea as flat as glass but you did need to keep an eye out for the numerous other craft coming and going. Especially as we drew alongside the Mount Batten Water Sports Centre.


Jackie shouted across at one point after we had been paddling for an hour "Where are we going?" to which I replied "The Breakwater." meaning the end of Mount Batten Pier but Jackie thought I meant the breakwater in the middle of the sound! She was some relieved when  I  heaved to at the end of Mountbatten and asked her where she wanted to go next. "I thought we were going to the breakwater." "Well we can dear but not today eh?" I replied.

It's either a navigation task or sending a text!

The chap in the green jacket looks "Lost at Sea".

 

Instead we headed off towards a small beach just below the cliffs at Catalina Villas. Here we beached, had a coffee and by now some rather damp flapjacks then made our way back to the put in. In Plymouth Sound every man, his donkey and type of craft seemed to be out either paddling, sailing or power-boating.

It was a fantastic day and immensely enjoyed.

This is the less than glamorous bit you never see. Lugging the canoe about!

There was villainy afoot, or perhaps that should be afloat.

The leader, Blackcoat.

The Second Mate with Blackcoat looking on.

Second mate his 'ead still spinning from last night's grog.

In the early morning mist three canoes slid silently into the water beneath Brunel’s Iron Bridge at Saltash. These three ne'r do wells were making for a ketch that was laid off the shore a few cables length away.  Their leader, a piratical looking sort dressed all over in black, was sporting a headband to keep out the chill of the morning mist into which he had tucked a dirk, pulled easily ahead and was soon at the stern of the ketch. Whilst his two companions took up station on watch either side to offer early warning and protection from the excise men.

 

The Ketch "Jamaicy"

The ketch, bearing the name “Jamaicy” suddenly came to life. A light held close and shielded outlined the silhouettes of three crew on deck. They had formed a line and were passing something wrapped in hessian sacks from a forward hatch to the rear and down into the canoe which was held fast on the ketch’s bow line. This off-loading of “goods” took no more than some few minutes and with the quiet professionalism of men grown used to such tasks was accomplished without barely a word uttered.  The mist had enveloped all and given perfect cover, within moments the three were paddling for Kingsmill Lake and the farm that took its name from this stretch of water which sat nestled at the top of the creek. These were dangerous waters, the haunt of wreckers who when needed could quickly disappear into a labyrinth of patchwork fields, hidden valleys and shady woods. 

With distance the three grew more confident. The sun was now up and such workers in the fields and farms that might have glanced in their direction took no notice. Long since had they learned to cast a blind eye over such river travellers. Reaching the head of the creek well before their appointed time they laid up amongst the reed beds which gave ample cover from view from the old road bridge. It was here that they were due to hand over the booty they had collected from the ketch earlier that morning. They waited. Time rolled on with only the lapping of the outgoing tide against their hulls and the sound of the crows in the trees, sounding as though they were mocking the three. The appointed RV time had come and gone. The leader glancing at his watch whispered    ”That’s it me boyos, we weigh anchor now and run with the tide. There’ll be no business here today”

Moditon Quay.

In silence, alone with their thoughts the three leant to the paddles for the wind was now agin them. The push from the tide was totally counteracted. They were beginning to tire. They had neither food nor drink since the early hours when their escapade had started. The second mate, a tall swarthy gent with the appearance of a preacher pulled alongside the leader and motioned to a spit of land, an old jetty that would afford sanctuary, enabling them to stretch their legs and take stock of the situation. They landed at Moditon Quay. Nearby the old chimney of Wheal Sophia took on the sinister aspect of a spy platform for the Preventative men. Once ashore the three gathered in a conspiratorial huddle, the leader glanced about, his nervous eyes darting everywhere. “Boys, we bin running pasties out of Deben and into Cornwall. We durn’t pay no pasty tax. If the excise boys catch us now were done for. It’s Bodmin Gaol and a short drop at the end of a rope.” “What can we do?” cried the short fat shifty looking one, “I’m too young to dance a jig at the end of a rope.” The other two crew members, made of sterner stuff glanced pitifully at him. “We’ll eat the evidence.” said Blackcoat and with that the three tucked into their pasties declaring them “Bootifull."

The Second mate, known as "Preacher".

Blackcoat, devouring the evidence!