Port Isaac (Or Port Wenn)

This week we stayed in one of the most picturesque villages in Cornwall - and there are loads! Port Isaac (often better known these days as Port Wenn, the fictional village of TV's 'Doc Martin') is on the north coast and when you try and picture a 'typical Cornish fishing village' - this is the picture you'll conjure up.

The weather forecast didn't look good as we arrived, apparently Hurricane Bertha was rattling across the Atlantic heading straight for us, but we were in a beautiful cottage with sea views from every window, so we pictured ourselves snuggled up at a window with hot chocolate and a bit of crochet, (Ok, maybe that bit was just me!), watching the sea swirling below us battering the cliffs and wreaking havoc on the tethered fishing boats in the harbour.

It turned out that Bertha decided to skip us and disrupt the rest of England because we had spectacularly sunny days interspersed with some very impressive downpours. We sat and waited for
the hurricane on the first afternoon, but then enjoyed the rest of the week in typical Cornish summer
rain, sun, wind, sun and a bit more sun.

The cottage was indeed beautiful and very famous, it was the actual Doc Martin's house - but disappointingly there was no Doc inside - indeed not even a consulting room or reception :( Only joking because actually it was very tastefully decorated in nautical colours with brand new bathroom and kitchen facilities. And underfloor heating - which was a highlight of the week!

However an unanticipated havoc was the sheer number of Doc Martin fans who turned up continuously all day every day to have their photo taken outside Doc Martin's house! It got very embarrassing - we're all in many holiday albums by now, and if we ventured outside people would start firing questions at us: "When's the next series being filmed?" "Do you have to move out during filming?" "Is the Doc in? My sciatica is playing up, hohoho!" But on a positive note, I loved sitting at an upstairs window watching tourist after tourist walk up the hill and smile brightly when they spot the house, everyone was so happy - even when it was pouring down!

The ridiculously narrow side streets, which were built long before cars came to Cornwall, were plentiful, providing endless walking trips, peering into hidden gardens and alleyways, the cliff top
walks with those spectacular views and hidden little coves, the pubs, restaurants and cafés were delightful and even the hike up to the co-op every couple of days for milk and bread became a
highlight

I even got to wear my famous poncho - several times! :) :)

And then there was the crochet. A new Auntie Becca's Crochet Corner became my base for the week, and unsurprisingly the blues, turquoises and greens came flying off my hook. The stitch-cation squares took on a whole nautical/fishing village life of their own and I've now finished them all.

I soon  got them all joined together, then did a lovely border:

And then.....!

Tadaaaaaaahhhhh!

A Day Out

So I found myself home alone today. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. Really blue. I wondered what colour the sea was - so I grabbed my hooks and bag and jumped into the car. As I headed towards the coast (never far away here in lovely Cornwall) I was held up by a local farmer who had also decided to make the most of the weather.

He was taking his time, trimming away and as I sat behind him and watched stalks flying and insects flitting, inhaling the 'just cut grass/hay' scents wafting through the windows, flashbacks to summers past flickered through my mind. It was ALWAYS sunny in the Summer. This smell, dry grass, the greens - slightly turning to yellows. Happy voices, children running ahead down the path towards the sea. Freezing cold, clear, greeny-blue water, I knew where I wanted to go.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't realise for a minute that the farmer had pulled over and was waiting for me to pass, so with a 'cheers met' thumbs up, I carried on along the lanes, through Par up the BIG hill towards Fowey, then along more tiny roads, until the dead end. Yes, the 'parking field' is still there!

I was tempted to sit at the top and admire the view. A family was picnicking and it looked delightful.

But I left the car and set off down the lane - it was worth it!

The fields on either side spread out into a patchwork of greens and yellows and I dutifully popped my 50p into the milk churn as the lane closed in and I passed the farmhouse. Following the path, twisting and turning, the tall grass, nettles and brambles on each side rustling and buzzing away, I wondered how much further. ('Are we there yet?') The sea had disappeared behind the busy hedges, but I was still going down, and down.... and then there it was, glistening and sparkling, blue, turquoise, clear and so welcoming.

So I obliged :)

I walked along to the other little bay and picked a spot. I could've stayed for hours (actually I did) I was so happy just watching people swim, wishing I'd brought my cossie, eating my rather meagre picnic, watching a couple of boats chugging in and anchoring on the glassy water. And of course, hooking away, soaking in all those blues and greens.

I'm taking my 'stitch-cation' blanket quite seriously now, I'm learning a lot as I turn to each new square - not least how to read a pattern! But the number of new stitches, new fabric textures and new colour combinations that I'm picking up too has become a real eye opener for me. I'm on square 11,
out of 20, so still quite a way to go yet. But I think you may be able to guess my colour inspiration for this one!

Happy hooking, everyone 😎☀️

The Postman Came

The postman came.

So, the other morning the postman was struggling a little as he manoeuvred a large parcel over the gate. 'Cheers met' and there it was - my lovely, lovely yarn.
We'd been up Helman Tor the day before, looking for the heat wave, and I'd snapped away in all directions and marvelled at the beautiful Cornish colours:

As I slit open the parcel and the yarn came tumbling out, I was not disappointed:

I loved doing the other ripple blankets so much that I decided I definitely wanted one for myself. That wave effect seems so soothing and the yarn really does seem to ripple along as you hook away - so excited!

The colour scheme called out to be divided into greeny-yellow fields and bluey-grey sky, so I set about organising my ripple rows. Then I dropped everything on the floor and thought 'what the heck'. I couldn't wait any longer and just started hooking random colours together.

They do seem to have come out a bit fieldy at the moment though, so I think I'll stick with that and let you all know how it goes. I'm off to do a bit more...

Green Inspiration

I love driving in England. It's actually a relaxing, pleasurable experience.
Quite the opposite of the UAE, where it's quite possible to 'nearly have' three accidents on the short drive to the supermarket for milk and dog food.
Driving in Cornwall (if you can stay away from the roads on a Saturday during August) is even more relaxing and pleasurable. As we drive across the Tamar, I can actually feel my shoulders 'untense' and my mind fog clear. I don't have to always be on the lookout for someone on the wrong side or expect every other car to swerve towards me randomly. I can just relax and check out the scenery.
And the scenery! It's just so green and blue (and sometimes grey, but so many different shades of grey!)
When we drove down this week, it was green and blue, with a smattering of white and grey -  just enough to make it interesting - 'that one looked like a camel' or 'look, a dog chasing a cat chasing a mouse!'
Well, I was inspired, anyway, and started dreaming up a new blanket. It would be as beautiful as the two beach blankets I've recently passed on to good homes. And it would be for me!

The sheer number of shades of green was dizzying and the odd splash of purply foxgloves, or some other flowers in the hedges looked so yummy. The blues, whites and greys were swirling and I knew this blanket would be made soon.
So as soon as possible, I dragged Nina into town and we both spent a looong time browsing in Truro Fabrics, our favourite shop. But although we managed to browse - and spend - a lot, those many shades of green were eluding me.
But wait. While sitting in the garden later with a lovely cup of tea, flicking through my new crochet magazine, I was inspired again - woolwarehouse.com! And they've got a sale! So, the iPad swung into action and suddenly my bank account balance dropped dramatically as all these green shades plopped into my cyber basket.
So, just waiting for the postie now...