Celtic crosses & little bit of heaven.

Last of the Cornwall holiday pics.  Which is just as well as am off to Exmoor on Saturday for a few days away with Steve, I have been very lucky this year!
 
Was driving home from Minack along the coast road when I spotted a grave yard with lots of Celtic crosses, which I love.  Dad was very obliging and agreed to stop so mum and I could go and take photos, we have him well trained!



 




I knew what I wanted to do with this photo, cross lit and church in silhouette but I don't think I quite pulled it off sadly!

Then we headed back to my favourite place in all the world - Mum & Dad's house!


They have decorated the wall that runs along the path with souvenirs of all their holidays and its something my sister and I have joined in with, I love it! In fact the second wall hanging, the terracotta circle with the swirl in the middle (which my sister brought back from Spain for them) is exactly the same as the middle of the cross above, 3rd photo down. I have googled this to try and find out what the symbol is but can't find it. If anyone knows please let me know!




Its really quirky!


And their back garden, there is nothing nicer than sitting here with a gin and tonic listening to the seagulls and the helicopters from Culdrose flying over head. Bliss.

Minack Theatre, Cornwall

Not only did the sun shine on Monday but it shone on the Tuesday too, doubly blessed as Meatloaf once said. (I grew up in Cornwall, think yourself lucky that wasn't a Status Quo lyric).

So the Minack Theatre; one womans dream hewn from the unforgiving granite cliff face below her garden. I kid you not. Rowena Cade moved to Lamorna in the 1920's with her mother.  She was clearly a lady of great vision and the idea for the Minack theatre was born after she put on a production of "A Midsummer Nights Dream".  Full history, and one of my favourite photographs ever here - the portrait of Rowena sat in her wheelbarrow is wonderful!  Needless to say Minack has the most amazing back drop, I was last there when I went to see a production of "Macbeth" which I was studying for GCSE English, so that would have been around 30 years ago, eek!  Now there is a fantastic museum which details the history of the theatre, a cafe with quite possibly the most breathtaking view of any in the UK and a gift shop that sells Cornish Tablet, ingredients of which are Sugar, Sweetened Condensed Milk and Butter (9%), its not for the faint hearted, or those with type 2 diabetes as my dad discovered.

So onto the photos.

Not a bad place for a ham sandwich.

 This gives you some idea just how steep it is.

 

Dad was in charge of the lunch.

The sea was the most glorious colour.

Brave or mad? Either way I hope he caught something worth the effort of getting down there.

The seats were all fashioned out of concrete and are hand decorated and inscribed with the names and dates of productions.

Next year am going to try to get to an evening performance in the hope that I will be able to take photos as the sun sets, can you imagine?!  Knowing my luck will be lashing down and blowing a gale!

Aren't these beautiful?  And isn't in annoying when you know the name and it has gone clean out of your head?  Agapanthus, phew!

 

Bet this lot were having a FANTASTIC day in all that sun shine, blissfully aware that they were being photographed by dozens of strangers on the cliffs above.  I love being really nosey and peering in where you aren't expected, like this:

Zoomed in on a small area of the beach from the photo above!  Voyeur, me?!  Look for the pink surfboard in both pics to get your bearings!

St Michaels Mount, Cornwall

On the Monday I was in Cornwall we decided to take a trip to St Michaels Mount.  In spite of having lived in Cornwall for 19 years I had never been to the Mount before so it was all new to me!

As the tide was in we had to get the boat over rather than walk along the causeway.  As the weather wasn't fab the queue for the boat was pretty long!
 
Luckily with 2 boats each carrying 12 ferrying back and forth it didnt take too long.

Whilst the weather wasn't great for those wanting to go on the beach it was bloody brilliant for those wanting to take photos with huge skies!



Once on board everyone had to pay up.

The castle at the top of the mount is up a pretty steep climb, luckily we were fueled by pastys from Rowes Bakery!!  Inside the castle feels much warmer than I had expected given that its on the pinnacle of a mount that is surrounded by sea and battered by strong winds, even on a fairly nice day!



Loads of lovely stained glass everywhere as well as armour hanging on walls.






And some very detailed wood carvings.


I spy some boys through the leaded window!


Given that the gardens around the mount battered by the elements they are incredible.












Stunning view looking back towards Marazion.

Mum and Dad!

In this one you can see the causeway beginning to appear from beneath the waves!


 

The stained glass in the chapel was incredible too.


Side lit marble bust - for mum to see!

Not the best of photos mum, the low light meant I had to use a high ISO so this is why this pic looks a bit "grainy" rather than pin sharp.  (Which is why I keep telling Steve I need a very very expensive camera body that operates brilliant at very high ISO!!)


Model of the mount made out of champagne corks, impressive on so many levels!


And home we went.


 

Ness, this one's for you!

First off your photo of Porthleven. Shame we didn't have better weather as the sky isn't very interesting.

Now the photos of your boys.











I really like this one of all three of them


And love this one of the boys and dad


Photoghenic little love isn't he?!




 
So Ash!

Rofl!!


And this one of Tom



 Eek!


and eek mono!


And one of the landscape ones I think I might print for me