Bits & Bobs

Usually, we write a blog after returning from a trip, but we have decided that we need to be better about writing about everyday events and life here in England.  As a result, the following is a list of random things that have been going on.  

Cream Tea and sweets at Dolly's Tea House

London Riots
As most people have heard, it’s been an eventful few weeks here with all of the riots taking place throughout the country.  Fortunately, we were not directly affected by the riots in London or the riots that drew less media attention that took place in other cities throughout the country.  It was certainly an interesting topic around here as most Britons struggled to pin-point the exact cause behind them or the message that was attempting to be sent.  It was essentially all triggered after the police shot and killed an unarmed man in their attempt to arrest him.  The riots appeared to escalate as a general “anti-police/anti-government” movement.  As of this week 3100 people have been arrested.  As we live in a relatively small town the joke has been that the closest thing to a riot Truro has ever seen was when a bum knocked over a garbage can and someone drove the wrong way around a roundabout :-)

Falmouth Boat Ride

Last weekend Katie and I decided to spend the day in the town of Falmouth for the last day of their Falmouth Days Festival.  Normally, we would travel there by train, but we decided to take a boat that leaves from Truro and navigates down the canal that empties into the sea.  It was a great way to see a part of the area that we haven’t seen before.  The highlight for me was seeing a 500-year-old cottage (with a still functioning thatched roof) where General Eisenhower stayed in the days leading up to D-Day.  We spent the day strolling through town, stopping for cream tea at a local tea house and enjoying the opportunity to explore a familiar area in a new way.  

Brangelina

Katie looking for the Brangelina super-yacht

One topic that has had Katie (and the rest of Cornwall) rather excited was the fact that Brad Pitt is currently in the middle of shooting a movie a few miles from here in the town of Falmouth.  A few weeks ago there was a story in the local newspaper stating that they were seeking “extras” for a few scenes.  Not surprisingly, hundreds of locals turned up and got to spend the day on a film set.  Katie and I had plans that day, but looking back, it would have been a fun experience.  As the past few weeks have gone on, more reports have come though that Brad and Angelina are staying on a “super-yacht” just off the cost of Falmouth.  As a result, Katie was on strict “Brangelina” watch during our day in Falmouth.  

Seagulls

Our poor neighbor's seagull ravaged garbage

When you grow up in Wisconsin and live in Minnesota, there is one thing that you don’t ever worry about….seagulls eating your garbage.  Racoons, yes, but not seagulls.  The sound of seagulls filling the air is something that comes with living so close to the sea.  It’s one of the things I like the most about being here as you are constantly reminded of this fact.  However, on quiet mornings, when the weather is warm our friendly seagulls like to make there way through our neighbourhood looking for anything to eat.  Last week, on garbage day, Katie and I were awoken VERY early in the morning to the loud sound of seagulls right outside our door.  After glancing out the window to find the neighbours garbage strewn about the street, we knew that ours was next.  Fortunately, we were able to scare them off temporarily until cars and busses began filling the streets for the day and our garbage man collected our bags.  Now, it’s something we think about every Wednesday night as we place our garbage bags on the curb.  

All of these random events are an excellent example of the experiences that fill our typical days and weekends here.  When your typical “boring” Saturday involves a seaside boat ride and a stroll through a small fishing village, you know that your life is pretty great.  Since our future is unknown at the moment, we're doing our best to enjoy every minute we have left here!

Random store window in Falmouth :-)

Old Friends & New Friends

Hanging out in Truro

I know we have said this before, but there is nothing like having friends and family come to visit.  Katie and I were both delighted to be the first stop on the 29-day European extravaganza for my best friend Luke and our new friend Jayme.  They both arrived last Thursday after a long day of travel.  This being the first time Katie and I would really meet Luke’s new lady friend, we were both very excited to spend some time getting to know her.  It was great to see Luke and Jayme interact with one another and see how happy they make each other.

Intense game of Farkle

We all spent the first few days hanging out in town and keeping things pretty low key to allow our guests to adjust to the time change.  We strolled around, had dinner at a local pub and Jayme introduced us to a new game called Farkle.  Little did we know the first night we play this on our back deck the obsessive competitiveness this would bring out in all of us.  There was name-calling, shouting, excessive celebrating and this was only the first day.  Ok, none of that happened, but it is pretty awesome and Katie and I ordered it online yesterday. 

Saturday Katie had to work, so Luke, Jayme and I all spent the day in St. Ives, a small Cornish fishing village.  This is where most artists are drawn to since the colors are like nowhere else in Cornwall if you get a sunny day.  Fortunately for us, and our artistically talented friend Jayme, we had a great day filled with sun.  We all spent the evening grilling out, playing cards and even had smores, a little taste of summer at the cabin.  Sunday was low-key, rainy and a perfect day to catch up on sleep. 

Smores in England!

Cyrano at Minack Theatre

Luke and Jayme rented a car for Monday and Tuesday and were able to spend those days exploring.  Monday night we all drove down to the Minack Theatre, which is an open-air live theatre built right into the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea.  The show playing was Cyrano De Bergerac, which Luke and I both read in high school (thanks Ms. Kennedy!).  We had a great night drinking wine and enjoying the show, while looking out over the ocean.  It only started raining for the last 20 minutes but if you’re going to see an outdoor show in England…

Amazing Dinner !!!

Luke and Jayme spent the next few days exploring Cornwall as all of our visitors have done.  Since Katie and I had to work during the days, we all made the most out of our evenings together and enjoyed our long chats over dinners and drinks and even playing more Farkle.  Wednesday night came way too quickly and it was Luke and Jayme’s final night with us.  They were gracious enough to cook us an amazing Mexican dinner and we all spent the evening chatting and playing a few more games before Luke and Jayme left for Scotland the next morning. 

 Looking back Katie and I both agreed that the week seemed to fly by, as it does every time we have visitors.  If asked what we think about Luke’s new girlfriend, I would respond with the same words Luke said to me earlier this year when they met, “I met this girl, and she’s pretty awesome.”  It was great to spend time with Luke and just hanging out as a group made Katie and I look forward to the day when we may live in Minneapolis again.  It was a week filled with a lot of laughs and great company.   What better way to spend these summer days in Cornwall.