The next sands I feel between my toes ...

Evening, 

And so back down to earth and to the "new normal", or in our instance, just the plain old normal from before, just with the added holiday blues. Last week I wrote to you from our holiday chalet caravan in Newquay. This week I write to you from my desk, or at least what can be called my desk, in my spare room listening to the rain in the background as Mr Warehouse watches some loud twenty-something Youtube Vloggers loudly discussing their sexual exploits and prowess. 

After Monday's visit to Cornwalls pride, Healey's Cyder Farm (and after spending a small fortune on apple juice, cider, chutneys and jams) Tuesday was a more relaxing day out to St. Ives, just a few miles down the north coast of Cornwall. Known for its surf beaches (and I mean isn't everywhere in Cornwall), its art scene is just as prominent. The seafront Tate St Ives gallery has modern art exhibitions focusing on British artists and outside in the harbour isn't any different with many an art shop or small independent gallery. And if the beaches and harbours weren't tickling your fancy you could always take a stroll through the nearby Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden. However, Mr Warehouse and I did not nearly get into an argument on the train with a local "Asthmatic" over not wearing a face-covering for nothing (from Monday 15 June 2020 everyone must wear a face covering when travelling by public transport in England - Unless you have a valid exemption certificate of which my fiance had. Me, on the other hand, kept quiet and hoped she wouldn't start on me). 

Oh no. We were stomping down to the jetty to board a vessel that would take us to sea so we could fish. On the website where we (I) booked, StIvesFishingtrips.com, they say that the St Ives bay is by far "your best chance to catch mackerel in the summer months as it is and has been a mackerel hot spot for years" and to be fair to them, that it was. 

As well as mackerel we were expected to also catch other species including Cod, John Dory, Red Gurnard, Scad, Pilchards and Haddock for your tea, or not. Our trip was only 1 hour & 30 minutes in total and once we hit open ocean we didn't have to travel far and were fishing within 5 minutes. As the only full-time fishing boat in St Ives, Mr Warehouse and I expected to be coupled up with maybe one or two other couples, possibly even just ourselves given it was still early days of everything being back up and running after the pandemic, however, with our friendly but firm deckhands we had the best experience of sea fishing. And with a little help and using top of the range rods and reels I was even able to catch something. Although as our bucket filled and my future hubby and I waited for the deckhands to un-hook all of the fish (so no risk of hooks in hands which are very painful as I experienced a little prick from one) I could feel my insides squirm a little as I watched the fish gasp for air and thrash around in their final moments. I can and could understand why some people would not feel comfortable with this and whole-heartedly would be against it altogether, however, with the boat able to take up to 10 passengers I would certainly do it again and almost 100% so with kids in-toe too, moreso to teach them of life and death and the circle of life and where we all come from and that shit. Well, that and free food!

And although we never got to go to Seal Island, just west of town, to see the seal colony, we were greeted when we came back into harbour with a friendly sea-doggo. As we carried our 8 fish out of the harbour (you think that's a lot, we caught over 14 although Mr Warehouse didn't want to being any home so I thought 8 was a compromise) we felt tired and ready for home time. 

Wednesday was a day out for all the family (not that the dogs couldn't have come with us on the boat, they could have, however an inquisitive labrador and rambunctious puppy was the last thing I think anyone needed on board - Maybe next time pups). Land's End. An area of beautiful scenery and cliff faces, Ocean views for days, Lands End Landmark is a headland in western Cornwall, about eight miles west-south-west of Penzance. To the south of it is the English Channel, and to the North, the Celtic Sea. Out to the East is the rest of England and out to the West was the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, it was a really foggy day and on leaving Newquay I was annoyed I may not see much and it would be a wasted trip, however, on arrival, it seemed pleasant enough. With miles and miles of open land to walk and crags to investigate it would have been perfect a few years ago, but sadly our older pooch just isn't up for walking that far now. But she did manage up to the tea room for a Hot Chocolate and some more photos. It was quite warm to be honest as well, as it had been most the week, overcast but warm. As we sat and admired the beauty I thought about how lucky I was and grateful I am of the dogs, sitting nicely and patiently waiting whilst we finished our beverages, ready for the next adventure, albeit back to the car. 

Thursday we packed up, sadly so but also looking forward to getting home and to our own comfy beds, and after a pit stop to the Newquay Riding Stables at Trenance Stables, a holiday staple now every time I visit Cornwall. Riding out along the River Gannel estuary, sandy mud bog under hoof I felt at ease and wholly relaxed. I wish it could never end, but it had too and as we trotted back into the stables I thanked the staff once again for an incredible experience riding out along the sand dunes and rivers, I just wish our little ones could join us by the hooves, riding out as many hounds and horses have done over the years. 

As lunchtime approached, Mr Warehouse drove us all back to Newquay to dine on fish and chips by the seafront. Looking out over the beach I became emotional. I thought back to the horrible moment I had to drop our Golden Oldie off at the Vet's before her emergency Pyometra operation a few years back and how I whispered in here ear flaps, soft and blonde, "I promise we will bring you to Newquay one day so you can feel the sand between your toes and run and play on the shoreline." My thoughts then turned to the fact that here we were and that the next time Mr Warehouse and I visited, maybe even to the same bench, it would not be with her at our feet. Swiping away a tear and sharing my last fish and chip scraps between the two pups, I was sad to be leaving but excited too as it meant we were just that little bit closer to our wedding. 

After a short run along the beach and a play in the wet sands it really was time to leave and as we buckled the pair of them into the back seat, boot filled to the brim, Mr Warehouse started our journey home. Six-and-a-bit hours there and just over five-hours back wasn't bad going. For the short term, we will have our fudge and rock, jams and cider, but until we meet again beachy shores. I suppose thinking about it our next beachy holiday will be our Honeymoon!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

London - Practically perfect in every way ...

Heyy, 

With many wedding plannings afoot, Mr Warehouse and I decided to take a break and head to London for the day, partly to celebrate Valentines Day, our last as a Fiancee and Fiance, but also as a Merry Christmas Pressie to our Beau. I had promised him that I would take him to go and see his favourite Disney film in theatres - Mary Poppins! As the website suggests Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s have collaborated in order to create a multi-award-winning musical. Playing at the Prince Edward Theatre, this is the timeless and magical story of the world’s favourite Nanny. Being triumphantly and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs. MaryPoppinsOnStage.co.uk goes into detail about the cast, starring Zizi Strallen, returning to play the title role following great acclaim on the recent sell-out international tour along with co-stars Charlie Stemp as Bert, Joseph Millson as Mr Banks, Amy Griffiths as Mrs Banks and the legendary Petula Clark as The Bird Woman. "The stage production of Mary Poppins is brilliantly adapted from the wonderful stories by PL Travers and the original film.  It is co-created by Cameron Mackintosh and has a book by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes. With a timeless score by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman including the classic songs; Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Feed the Birds with new songs and additional music and lyrics, including Practically Perfect, by the Olivier award-winning British team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe."

However, as we attended the third ticket office we were met with the same response, and unless we were willing to pay over £150.00 PER TICKET then we were in no way going to be able to afford such an affair. Unfortunately the combination of booking slightly last minute and more so the fact of it being half-term holidays for kids, Londoners or otherwise, it was going to be damned impossible to get any sort of supposed discounted or cheap tickets. Disappointingly I accepted that it was not meant to be, but promised Mr Warehouse I would take him to see it again soon, maybe a weekday evening, before the play shuts for good in June 2020. 

Instead, we decided to grab Costa Coffee (well I did). Indulging in the new Valentines Day inspired drink, made with Ruby cocoa that gives the drink a stunning natural rose pink colour - The new Ruby Hot Chocolate. Infused with sweet berry flavours, crowned with a swirl of cream and finished with red shimmer chocolate curls it certainly was not Slimming World friendly. 

Following our little pitstop, I decided to take my future Husband to the wondrous world of Borough Market with all its tidbits and nibbles. As its website reveals, Borough Market is rich with history, but it remains as relevant now as it has ever been. As London’s oldest food market, it has been serving the people of Southwark for 1,000 years, and that extraordinary heritage is an important part of its appeal. However, despite the array and variety of the food on offer, it was far, far too busy for Mr Warehouse to even entertain eating something overpriced and Hipster and so we left, empty-handed and slightly hungry. 

Next stop, throughout the horrendous weather storm Dennis was inflicting on us and the rest of the country was the Tower of London. Included in the ticket price (which we used a 2-for-1 offer, I ain't made of money) are captivating stories of pain and passion, treachery and torture on the Yeoman Warder tour, a chance to meet the famous ravens and discover why they are known as the guardians of the Tower and a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the breathtakingly world-famous collection of 23,578 gemstones and crowns of the state. 

The weather truth be told was horrid, that frustrating combination of spitting rain and high-speed winds that made for a pretty miserable day out in the City. And so, following our visit we headed to the tube in search of Absurd Bird in London's Soho District, something I have been begging to take Mr Warehouse to ever since I first tried in in Bath with Miss Tweedle-Dee during our trip to HMP Shepton Mallet (Haunted Happenings at Her Majesty's Pleasure). Advertising itself as "Deep South Fried Chicken, Wings, Waffles & Cocktails", Absurd Bird hit the spot, even for a weary Mr Warehouse who selected a Chicken burger and onion rings. For me, I was yet again met with disappointment as the waiter informed me that there was no deep-fried Babybel on the menu and that this was taken off several months ago, much to my dismay. Instead, I drowned my sorrows with an ABBuffalo Chicken Burger with spicy buffalo sauce, garlic mayo, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese served in a brioche bun with a tangy carrot & celery slaw. This was all washed down with a BOGOF cocktail, The Green Jubel: Vodka, melon Midori, kiwi syrup & apple juice. Shaken hard with lemon juice & fresh apples - Simply Delish! 

Heading home I was glad to be back in the 'Shire. Despite the darkness and black of the now night sky, I was glad to be out of the rat-race-mentality of the Big Smoke. Now don't get me wrong, I would never admit it, but I am glad I didn't follow my earlier dream of working in the city as a 20-something. I very much doubt it would be all Bridget Jones and Notting Hill, more likely than not I would have been stuck out along the ends of the tube, ages from the hustle and bustle. I would have grown tired of the corporate events, meetings and high-powered nature of business. Now whilst I imagine the money being good, maybe very good, I eventually would have grown frustrated with the price of everything including socialising and eating out, not to mention the fact I would have never been able to afford my own home. Granted the dating scene would have been plentiful, but I would soon have eaten through the Tinder profiles and POF dates, only adding to my city-frustrations.

Yes, certainly glad to watch from afar and enjoy city living for a few hours, maybe even a few days, but I am always glad to return to the greenery of home and the peaceful surrounds of Cranfield. Yes, I could have gone to the City, earned my money and come out again, possibly even man in toe; But I know I would have gotten far too used to the pennies and would have ended up living out the rest of my days in the smog of London, miserable and bitter not looking at people or making eye contact with whilst on the tube, all after I have raged on Instagram about having to wait 2 minutes for the next tube.

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

My Big Fat Greek Holiday!

Good evening all, 

And so I am back from my travels yet again, this time to Kavos on the Greek Island of Corfu for those that did not read along last week - Naughty Naughty! And what a week it has been; There has been Holiday Hotties, Ocean Occurrences and Bathroom Bust-ups, but all has been in good taste. 

Last week I wrote about the journey to our holiday apartments and how they were much nicer than the dreaded anticipation of a 2-star, out-of-season-getaway usually is. An improvement further to the situation was the hot barman whom looked very much like Mr. Grey 2015 himself - Jamie Dornan, of whom I am a big fan. However not as much as Miss Tweedle-Dee and after snapping a few secret pics of the poor bloke I started to question whether she was still into the female variety or not!? Nevertheless the holiday was good fun and for the first three or four days we just got up at whatever time we felt, going to the pool and alternated between there and quick trips to the sea/beach which as I said previously, would not have looked out of place in Clacton. 

On Wednesday we were invited to BBQ at the Hotel we were staying at by the Scottish owner and her gorgeous son and no word of a lie this was more of a BBQ than I think I have ever had. Steaks the size of my head and sausages the size of my arm, literally. So much food and such small bellies. But we took a keen interested in the cocktail list did Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I. Ordering as many cocktails as we could handle we chatted casually amongst other guests as we ate, laughed and enjoyed the company. Many a strange and jovial story was shared over the table that night and subject of conversation ranged from 'Very Hairy Ladies' to Poo, all of us throwing in our own anecdote or two for good measure. 

The following morning, with fuzzy heads we decided to get the local bus into Corfu Town, about a mile down the other end of the island to Kavos. We would have otherwise headed into Kavos but the fact that there was extremely little there to see and even less to do out of season was a reason to avoid it. Corfu Town however was lovely and I was unexpectedly pleased with how pretty the harbour areas looked. Big ships and cruise-liners stretched out along the shores and in the distance you could still make out mainland Greece. Little tug boats and small fishing vessels also littered the coast as we walked around paroozing the local shops and stalls for something to spend our pennies on. On arrival home that night back to the hotel I really felt as though I had bought well for my money and after bartering the price of a faux designer handbag and couple of pairs of sunnies I knew I had a good deal. A multitude of other items have been brought back with me from holiday however I am hasten to add that the majority of that is food. The coach journey back was long though and since it was a local bus and our hotel was down a dodgy dirt track, we knew we would not be dropped off anywhere nearby to where we needed. And so I took it upon myself that once close to the entrance to our hotel's road I would simply ask the driver to stop so we could get off. However in pitch black of nine-at-night, with Miss Tweedle-Dee's anxious predisposition and Miss Tweedle-Dumb's feeling rather travel sick I knew we were all relying on me to stop this thing! And so that is what I did. turning a corner I saw the bins we had previously hailed the bus down at that morning and so alerted the driver we would like to depart in the only way I knew how. 
"STOP! Stop the bus!" I yelled out loud as if I had some sort of undiagnosed bus Tourettes. Immediately the bus stopped dead in its bumbling tracks and allowed us to get off but not before the conductor asked us if we were sure. 
"Are you sure you want to get off here?" the Greek Conductor said questioningly in broken English, a look upon his face as if to say "there is nothing around here". I nodded and proceeded to help Miss Tweedle-Dee, Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I off the bus. 

Friday we had opted for an excursion and much to our excitement it was yet again on a boat. Previous years holidays have seen The Tweedles and I embark on many a boat trip in our time from the glass-bottomed boat of 2013'S Trip to Majorca or maybe the Pedalo that existed in our first girls holiday in Fuerteventura. As we placed our towels in our bags and slipped into something easy over our bathing suits I wondered what ship would i be this time. I was hoping for a Kardashian styled Yacht although I am sorry to report that this was not the case as many many other people wanted to go on said trip and so a larger boat was required. Oh and I s had hoped for sunbathing on the bow! Getting on and getting a set was a dilemma and a half but once we spotted a little section on the starboard side we immediately took it and never left for fear of seat stealing. First stop was some scenic caves and coves that rumoured to belong to Poseidon, the Greek god of the ocean. In honour of us exploring Poseidon's cave dwellings we lived it up with a little boat party, music blaring and everyone on their feet clapping and dancing, I felt more on a Kavos holiday out at sea than I ever did in the small town of Southern Corfu. Next stop however I was very much looking forward to - Some of the clearest waters in the world off the coast of a small island called Paxo. Clear water as see-through as a swimming pool was warm and deep but forever and gloriously turquoise in colour. It felt as though I was in the Caribbean with water so clear. But as I approached the Stern of the boat, bikini clad and in all my slightly tanned glory I asked the question - Can I just jump off?

Crazy as it sounds I wanted to do it. I was scared as I was greeted with a Greek smile and a helping hand to the edge of the boat. Standing on the edge of the boat, legs on the opposite side of safety I looked back to see if the girls were filming and taking pictures. If I couldn't have my Kardashian styled Yacht I might as well have a styled out photo showing me having the time of my life. Nervous of the jump I looked back towards the blue hues of the ocean and took a deep breath before I simply stepped off the edge. A scream, a heart-stopping drop and a salt water plunge into the blue later and I resurfaced. Everybody on the boat was now looking at me! "Mission Accomplished" I thought, although as a huge Titanic enthusiast I wondered that if I was scared at that relatively short jump and plunge into warm and clear waters, I could only imagine what it was like in April 1912 when hundreds of people had little choice but to make that same move from a far higher standing Titanic into the below-freezing temperatures of the black Atlantic. 

I was joined soon after in the warm waters by my Tweedles, Miss Tweedle-Dee and Miss Tweedle-Dumb although after loosing my cherished and much loved flower headband to the sea and swimming frantically to get away from the suction under the boat I had inadvertently given myself an asthma attack and with no inhaler or medication on-board I was scared. Swimming constantly and desperate to catch a breath of air and not salty sea water caught me off guard and only exacerbated the situation more. Slowing down I tried to keep calm as Miss Tweedle-Dee and Miss Tweedle-Dumb took the safe bet of just using the boats steps to get into the clear sea. Petrified I tried not to make a fuss but was secretly struggling to gain breath and to swim against the current. So it didn't help when Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I were about to get run over by another bigger tourist ship coming into dock. After attempting to swim out to the sandy beach which seemed a lot closer than it was Miss Tweedle-Dumb and I were accepting to the fact that we just were not going to make it there and back in time before our ship left. However when a liner slightly bigger than ours drops anchor meters from us and with the suction of now several ships in the areas trying to drag us back under water I mustered up what little strength I had left to swim back against the currents to our ship. 

Back on board we dried off and headed to our final stop, a small, very French Rivera looking harbour where we had a chance to have a bite to eat, albeit surrounded by sickly-looking stray cats, and a quick look around the shops there before heading back home to the hotel. 

For the rest of the holiday we chilled out, relaxed and looked forward to going back home to Blighty. I am much glad I am at home now, although not so sure I will be drinking the water in foreign countries any-more as all I have seen of my flat since landing has been my bathroom. Welcome Home eh?! 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx