seagardensandglass

Of turbines and loos and fleurs

The number of spectacular gardens and flowers we've seen, and I never seem to have the camera at the ready. The camellias are in bloom, and I haven't snapped a single one.

Another grocery, putting our home ones to shame. (If I've run this already, sorry about that!)

Vic and I love a turbine, and a turbine farm especially. This next one appeared suddenly out of the gloom Friday morning.

This we saw yesterday.

And then, the loos. First of all, they are everywhere. You never have to go searching for one. And second, they're interesting. The machine in position #2 offers soap, water, and air for drying.

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Newquay

Newquay is a large city, Gloucester-itorially speaking. Victor and I drove in and drove out again, fast. I snapped quick pics of the palm trees, which are increasingly common, the farther south-west we go.

The above picture doesn't convey the use of neon.

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Signs and such at Padstow

We were just saying how like Rockport it was; I had to look twice at the sign on this storefront.

Gooseberry yogurt and ginger fairing ice creams

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Inlet at Padstow

Padstow is along an inlet, crossing of which would require loads of driving farther to the south and then swinging up the other side. So there's the cutest little ferry across it.

The sun started to peek out at moments.

Can you see the tiny white sails of sailboats? Another reason to love Padstow!

And some points of interest:

Plus gourmet food! We have not been awfully lucky with food, outside St. Albans, to date.

Classic pub.

Fried Cadbury Cream Eggs! How revolting.

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Lovely Padstow

We are making a list of Reasons to Come Back to Cornwall. Trebarwith Strand is on it, and now so is Padstow.

It started with the series of locks in the harbor.

It continued with the brick-and-wood building enclosing "fishermen's shacks" (not very shack-like). The huge Metropole Hotel looms over the building, on the right. Fresh fish for sale inside. And a lobster hatchery.

Businesses cluster at the harbor front, with narrow, narrow streets extending out from the harbor.

Three Cornish pasty bakeries in a row!

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Hmm, regarding Portquin and seaside ruins

Just did a little reading on Port Quin (apparently the current preferred treatment of the name), and it seems that the great storm was in 1698! Don't know how that explains that apparently more recent, yet ruined, wall that served as fencing for the gray-blue house.

And as regards the ruins in the cliff face that we saw on our Tintagel walk: They may have been quarry works dating back to the 15th century.

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Portquin

The draw at Portquin was that, after a terrible storm at sea more than a century ago had taken nearly all the menfolk, the women abandoned the village. Derelict seaside homes were described.

Sadly, big money has settled in. Private this, do not use, do not stand in this spot--and a significant collection of plastic waste on the beach! But we got a few nice shots, and one very blurry one of a doorway right on the narrow roadway. There was no way to get it focused, but it's a picture of a truly derelict home in Portquin.