While in England we met my nephew/godson Robert, and his little family. I last saw Bethany in March, when she was only 3 weeks old and slept all the time, so I noticed a tremendous change in her. Jeremy had never seen her, and never got close to a small baby before, so we plonked her in his lap. He was terrified to begin with - Bethany took it all in her stride.
Having my two favourite men ( after George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt, who couldn't come with me) with me in my favourite place - St Ives - in beautiful sunshine, which we reached with a magical trainride along the coast, was like a little bit of heaven. Yes, it was full of tourists, and yes, you can smell the suntan lotion everywhere, and yes, the seagulls will try to snatch any foodstuffs you might unwisely carry in the street (like a scene from "The birds"), but the sheer beauty and charm of the place make it all worthwhile.
The streets are very winding and narrow, and cars do try to push their way through the crowds of pedestians, the houses are whitewashed or built of granite, with no room for gardens, but make up for it with an abundance of pots, window-boxes and hangingbaskets. There's even an old boat overflowing with flowers.
The blue of the sea, and the gold of the sand are breathtaking, and there are three sandy beaches right in the middle of town. We ate our lunch in a pub which was built in1312! It's right across the street from the beach and is probably the most well-known building in St Ives, although those interested in art would know about the Tate of the West, Barbara Hepworth's house and Bern
