Tara Tuesdays - Part 12
Posted on 03 July 2012
I know I am woefully behind with blog posts, I have so much to say but so little time to construct my posts! There are new fabric ranges I have to tell you about, businesses I want to feature and people I want to tell you all about. However, thank goodness for Tara keeping the ship sailing over the last few weeks! I saw her last night at the 'Fabric Fruitloops of Crowborough' meeting/catch up, where she showed me her patchwork cushion cover and it looked lovely in the flesh. There was a little bit of a scuffle when Mags tried to put it on the stock list for the two craft fairs they're all doing together this weekend. The cushion is back at Tara's house, but if you're in Kent, they are selling lots of other things at the Langton Green Fair in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday and the Rotherfield Fair on Sunday (near Crowborough). They (Ginny, Mags, Mary, Sue and Tara) are collectively called the 'Sewing Circle'. Hopefully Tara will take some pics, as she does so well with her fancy camera! Here she is with part 12 of Tara Tuesdays. Unfortunately the photo gallery originally attached to this blog has disappeared into the ether in the move from the Wordpress blog.
Grand Tour Finale (part 1)
We endured the long slog of a drive from Winscombe to Cornwall and it was most definitely a case of “are we there yet?!” It seemed to take ages, we were in Devon and then Exeter and thought “oh not too long now” but oh no! It just seemed to drag on forever! I was chin strapped by the time we arrived and just wanted to have a shower and a sleep! We stayed at a fabulous B&B in Falmouth that we found several years ago and haven’t been to for far too long. It is called the Ivanhoe and we have become great friends with the owners Donna & Gill (they even came to our wedding!) We were greeted with homemade scones and “a bit of clotted” as Donna called it and a pot of tea which was ace! We briefly caught up and then got ourselves ready to go out. Fortunately, the B&B is located in a perfect spot and we could easily walk into town within about 10 minutes which was great for me as I didn’t want to do any more driving that day! We had a lovely meal out and then were back at the B&B and in bed ready for the next day. The breakfasts at the Ivanhoe are delish and Gill makes all of her own jams and marmalades that are really good too. She is also an artist and lots of her work is for sale and hanging up in the cheery breakfast area. We have several of her things in our house which we have purchased over the years.
The weather wasn’t great in Falmouth so we decided it might be a good idea to go to the Eden Project as we have never been and thought that we really ought to have by now! It wasn’t too far a drive but the weather was thick mist and fog, great, not! Although expensive to get in, we had a great time and took masses of pics, some of which I have attached for you below. We also went to Chysauster which is an English Heritage place and again, the weather was just awful!
We drove onto St Ives thinking it might clear up en route but it didn’t! St Ives is so pretty, not so much if the weather is grim like it was (bit like now actually, pouring down where I am and my washing is out, grrrrrrr!) Anyway, I digress. We just wanted to mouch in St Ives and the first shop I found (unintentionally although I did want to go there) was Poppy Treffy’s. I was determined to buy something so came away with some buttons, two beautiful linen tea towels and a bobbin holder case! Not overly exciting but still want I wanted! I am lucky enough to have a very generous husband who has bought me loads of Poppy’s stuff so I didn’t really actually NEED anything! We were about to head back to the car when we found a gorgeous shop where EVERYTHING was handmade, what drew us in was the BUY CORNISH, BUY CORNISH, BUY CORNISH, BUY CORNISH sign! I found some gorgeous buttons which were expensive but I just HAD to have them!
We were having dinner with Donna & Gill this evening which was great and the next day we wanted to have a mouch (well I did) in Falmouth itself as it is such a nice town with some great shops. Hubby’s head dropped and his feet dragged after I had forced him round all of the shops, I was laden with bags and had made many purchases from Seasalt and also found a great place that Gill had recommended called Kit where I bought some gorgeous fabric for £6 a metre, such a bargain! We were moving onto Padstow after Falmouth as we had a reservation at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant which I was very excited about as I am a huge fan.
We drove through Newquay and I was blown away with the beauty of the beaches here. We stopped for some photographs and then made our way onto the Woodlands Country House Hotel which is where we were staying for just one night before we headed onto our final place before home. The weather was fabulous! Completely different to Falmouth and St Ives! We were staying in the Jade Room and I have to say that this place was by far the most luxurious out of everywhere we have stayed. The bathroom was just unbelievable and I had my own dressing table to get myself ready at before I went out which was a real treat! Our room had a spectacular view and not very far from us were lots of pretty, almost private, beaches within 5 minutes drive.
Our hosts advised us to drive to Harlyn Bay. I even went in the sea, it was freezing but sometimes it just has to be done! There was hardly a soul about which was just great! We had the most gorgeous meal at Mr Stein’s and although expensive, I would highly recommend it! It was a real treat! Breakfast was delish again the next day and we had a bit of time in Padstow itself before we headed off to Tintagel Castle (OMG) and Teffont Evias our final stop before home. I think if I was ever to move somewhere away from East Sussex, Cornwall would be high up on my list! It is just so gorgeous there; I missed being away for so long and can’t wait to go back! Final part of GT will be for you next week, just want to drag it out that wee bit longer! :0)