Twenty one years again today we began our Cornish adventure.
Moving from Worcester and me having never driven on a motorway, (still haven't!) I left the husband packing up the house three days before moving date and made a road trip with my one little girl aged 9 and our baby daughter only 14 months.
Planned a route which took us down through some favourite stopping off places, through Bath, Weston, then over Exmoor, North Devon and down to the furthest county! Stopping off at country B&Bs on the way, one a rather creepy old manor in deepest North Cornwall!
Uncannily, eldest daughter above and now 30, has moved to a new house with her own husband and baby today. This makes it a hat trick for her as it will be the third time she has moved house on 27th July!
Much time has passed since then but the only time I felt regret about the move was the first Winter, when it seemed to rain incessantly! It still rains a lot but when it passes it can be so beautiful here. The girls have grown up in a wonderful place and feel part of the county and culture-especially the younger one, who has known no other home, really.
One of the huge draws of moving to the county for me at the time, was the prospect of being amongst artists and makers in a county known for its arts and crafts heritage. Although I have made much of creative pursuits over those years, life has a way of choosing pathways which define how much of your time is spent. Children and family demand so much of our time and of course, making a living-having a career in education is a true privilege but I am still constantly wailing, 'I need more time for my crafts!' 'Me-time' can be such a precious commodity, but like most mothers (and now grandmothers!) I would not exchange any of it.
I am usually making something for her! She has quite a selection of crochet hats, blankets and rabbits!
How wonderful it is to be Grandma to this beautiful little girl who is the image of my own daughter when she was tiny. Now she will grow up in this stunning county, warmed by the Gulf Stream, where wild flowers abound and cliffs reach down to beaches made for roaming. She will also be initiated into Poldark at the earliest opportunity. How glad I am that we took that leap of faith 21 years ago, and began our Cornish adventure!
With summer holidays here again, I may have time for all those WIPs...
Happy summer days!
