We arrived in Cornwall this afternoon (April 25). The drive down was peaceful thanks to John’s good driving and $’s lack of crying. When $ looked tired, we put him in the front seat and he almost instantly fell asleep. After resting, he contentedly played with his trucks and stood balancing on the hump in the back. [As I remember it, there were no seat belts in the back seat.]
The weather has been weird. Yesterday there was lots of snow in the north, cutting off many villages. In Cornwall (very south of England) we saw snow on the ground, drove under a warm sun and then through a fierce storm of snow, rain and wind.
We were all eager to see the moor. At first we weren’t sure we were on the moor – didn’t know what to expect. The hills are fairly steep, no trees grow there, and it is bleak.
Many areas we saw are being upgraded – stones removed, tough grasses replaced with good grass, and drainage ditches dug. We were very surprised at the number of homes and farms there. We thought no one lived on the moor. Mostly there are sheep and cows grazing on the better lands.
Last Monday (April 20) before leaving on vacation, Kate and I went for an exploratory drive while John and Lisa kept the sleeping $. We drove to Godstone on fast roads and came home on little tiny twisty roads, some only one car wide. Many were not marked at all, so we did get quite lost. I was having fun, but Kate wanted to hurry home. She said she had a headache and wanted to get home to take care of $. She said, “If we don’t hurry, John might starve to death!”
Catherine from next door, Lisa, Kate and I played a new game I made up – the churchyard game. You go armed with pencils and paper to look for various things. I liked the name “Violet Bashford” best of those we saw. We also played a new version of tag. “IT” had to hold to the old carriage with John $ in it while chasing the others in the confined boundaries of the back parking area behind Churchfield. The little boy loved all the noise and movement.
This week $ danced to music, with perhaps some coaching in disco technique from Lisa.
I was chatting to the owner of the village hardware store about his recent trip to Miami when he told me an American was approaching the shop. She is Mrs. Faulkner – has lived all over the US but was last in LA where their family owns a home. Don’t know what her husband does, but she says they may be in Walton several more years.
Philippa from next door spent a night with us. Both she and Kate had wanted company during their holidays, and this seemed to satisfy them. Philippa is a joy to have around – she’s adaptable, loves to play with $, can make peace between Lisa and Kate and has a face that can light up a room with a smile.
$ is beginning to talk. He can say “ ..isa” and “..ate” and often says a form of “thank you” when handed something. This is going to be a fun stage.
$ ran away from home for the first time. He was angry with me for preventing his throwing stones into the frog pond. He stumped off down the drive, broke into a run and disappeared down the footpath to the next street. Kate rode after him on her bike and I ran on foot. He’s leading us a merry chase, indeed!
One day it looked as if $ were conducting a test for strength and durability of toilet paper. We found him dunking a whole unwound roll in the john. We would have loved to wipe the smile off his face, but felt the TP had been subjected to enough already.
Lisa continues to use her loving term for her brother – Beezoo. She decided she should be Beezette and Kate, Beezo. She asked what I should be, and I replied I would very soon be Beeserk!
Mehrling Muse 
John $ is so cute. I wonder if he recalls this part of his life or if he was too young to remember. We spent a week in Cornwall and loved it, especially the cream teas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
$ thinks he remembers a toy store in Walton, specifically looking in the window longingly. He was two and a half years old when we moved back to the US.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beezoo is a wonderful nickname. I like it. The cottage in Cornwall looks like it could be just the same today as it was then. Timeless.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Bezerk. Hahaha. Love the toddler protection idea. Brilliant!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope you enjoyed Cornwall it’s a beautiful part of the Country, supposed to get the best of the weather. ha ha.
Huge Hugs
LikeLike
We loved Cornwall. That area did not have the best weather when we were there, but that could have been highly unusual.
Country Hugs
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another fun post that gave me several chuckles. I love Beezerk…I feel that way often right now without any toddlers.
LikeLike
I had forgotten that quip about Beezerk. Daughter Lise may read it while she is here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved the pictures and the memories. I had to laugh at Beeserk we are away on vacation with limited internet access, but I just thought reading a post from you would be comforting before getting back to reading a novel. Long story short, not sure if it was part of a reaction to our Çovid shots, but ended up having to call the ambulance for hubby and an overnight at the hospital. Doing okay now but a different vacation to be sure. Grateful to God for many blessings and the good first responders and hospital staff.
LikeLike
Oh, my! What a vacation! I’ll pray for you both. We haven’t known anyone who has had a severe reaction to the vaccine. I’m sorry the first had to be your husband.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Anne, glad to be home. I am not convinced that the big problem was a reaction to the vaccine, but maybe there is no way to tell. I did no writing this past week and read only a few pieces, since I was confined to my phone’s hot spot. PA State Parks are beautiful though and a great place to get away. Fortunately we are both readers, and have always found reading in the quiet to be companionable. Maybe we are just strange!
LikeLike
You are strangely peaceful — marvelous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s hilarious. Do they still call each other those names?
LikeLike
No, we didn’t use the names except Beezoo for $. $ now sometimes calls me Mommert, and he is Sonnert. David can be Davoodicus, Lise is Elizabrat, but not often. Do you have nicknames?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I call Salem doo-doo head sometimes. Does that count?
LikeLike
That definitely counts. I’m sure you say it countless times.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cornwall is often the place for those Victorian love stories. I never knew what it was really like. Is there heather there?
LikeLike
I think there is heather. The area is supposed to have the nicest weather in England. However, we had snow a couple of times. That didn’t dampen our fun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beeserk! LOL! Love your sense of humor. Just curious did $ ever run away again?
LikeLike
John’s sister Barbara, husband Thom and their four children stayed in our house and kept $ when we went to Norway and Denmark. $ disappeared, and the whole family spread out to find him. I think those were the only times he got away. He loved that family, so I suspect he was just exploring rather than running away.,
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Cornwall cottage looks so modern next to the tall brick building you had featured before, which looked more typical for England. Indeed John $ is a handful and has three females trying to keep him in line. Good thing there is screen over the pond – yikes!
LikeLiked by 1 person