Wednesday 27 May 2009

Polperro Part 3 - The Eden Project

This is the day that even in all our wet weather gear, we really didn't fancy walking - the rain was relentless.

So what do you do when you can't be wandering around in the sun for the day? We headed for the Eden Project a few miles down the road.



These huge greenhouses are 'biomes' and they recreate a specific climate - one is a rainforest (humid!) and the other is mediterranean (much more comfortable!)



There is some truly weird and wonderful stuff at the Eden project, including sculptures like this giant bee!


This big guy does have a name which unfortunately I can't remember! He has been built to highlight recycling. He's made up of all kinds of stuff - computer mice for teeth, bits of cars, washing machines, ironing boards - you name it, he's built from it!


The rainforest biome was unbelievably realistic - I'm sure you'll agree that a couple of these shots don't look like they were shot in an artificial environment!






The mediterranean biome was much more bearable humidity wise! There was so much to look at and so much information to soak up as well!






When I saw these gorgeous beds of tulips I immediately thought of my very good friend, Jane Thompson at Flower Design and how she'd love the amazing array of flowers on display.

These two shots are for you Jane!



The Eden Project really is a very interesting day out and really does make you think about everything they're trying to make you more aware of - recycling, reducing carbon footprints, being kinder to the environment - growing you own fruit and veg even!

It's also brilliantly geared towards kids - this hands on (quite literally) exhibition had kids coming out of the painting area literally covered from head to toe in paint! It was hilarious seeing the expressions on some parents faces!





So a rainy day ended up being a great day out! I'd highly recommend it!

Thursday 21 May 2009

Polperro Part 2 - Fowey & Pinky Murphy's

Ok, so just because we walk every day on holiday, doesn't mean we do it ALL day!

This is one of my favourite places in Cornwall. Actually, one of my favourite places anywhere! It's the delightfully mismatched, ultra relaxed cafe, Pinky Murphy's in Fowey. Everything is perfect here. It doesn't matter which chair you end up sat in, it's comfortable, it doesn't matter what book you pick from the shelves to read, it's got something in it that you just have to read out to the people you're with, it doesn't matter whether you order the scone or the carrot cake, they're both equally amazing!

The car ferry to Fowey:


A view over the beautiful bay:



The AMAZING Pinky Murphy's!





Emma and Clare pondering the menu....



Inexplainably (but brilliantly!) there's a bucket of unfinished knitting by some of the tables, which means if you fancy it, you can add to the scarf that someone started last year! Which the girls had a go at!




The food arrives!






And finally, a bit more of a look round for you!





If you're ever in that part of the world, it really is worth a visit, the staff are great, everything is relaxed, the food is cracking and it's even kid friendly! What more do you want!?

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Polperro Part 1

How about some holiday pics then?!

Every Easter for the past few years, Emma and I, my Mum and Dad and my sisters and their other halves have descended on the historic fishing village of Polperro in Cornwall for a week's walking, resting, eating and drinking and generally taking it easy. And so came Easter of this year and more of the same!

We actually did SO much on this holiday, that I'm going to split the stories and pictures up into different posts!

So we'll start with a little bit of walking shall we?!

One of our favourite walking destinations is the beautiful Talland Bay. There are three or four walks that we do that incorporate Talland and we love nothing more than watching the world go by on the bay whilst tucking into cornish pasties and cafe lattes!



What a difference a day makes! The two shots below are both taken on Talland Beach a day apart. Guess which one was the more enjoyable for a picnic!





The walk from Polperro to Talland follows the coastal path which has stunning views out to sea. The halfway point is this memorial for the local heroes killed in the Great War. It's also the only place in Polperro that you can get mobile phone signal so it's usually rammed full of people texting and ringing!





With the exception of one day (when it absolutely lashed it down with rain all day, but that's coming up in another post!) we walked everyday whilst on holiday.









This is the beautiful church at Lansallos, which we've been visiting for the last few years since it was the sad victim of an arson attack. The local community have done a fantastic job restoring it and every year we're amazed at how much closer to being finished it is.

My Dad's favourite part of visiting this church however, isn't seeing the restored beams, the bells hanging back in the tower, the original stone flags painstakingly restored. No. It's visiting the grave of an unfortunate smuggler who was killed by cannonball in the 18th Century! What a way to go!



As well as taking shots of us enjoying the walks that we were doing whilst in Polperro, I also took the opportunity to shoot some landscapes - here are a few of my favourites.








Keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of our Polperro trip!