47 Years! Happy Anniversary Ma & Pops

Amazing....47 years married and still going strong. So proud, have a lovely day and night away at the country retreat.





Love the older one xx


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Liar Dice! Aka Perudo

A wicked start to Chrinklemouse week. I have had a house full with some very dear and wicked fiends....sorry friends down from London. Including the gorgeous Mr Lickey Likely....aka Dillon the pooch.

Lovely walks in the chill and then some cracking evenings just spent laughing and laughing and more laughing. My sides hurt.

We dug out Perudo an old joint favourite of ours and if you haven't got it, it's a must buy. We spent our younger years playing this ritualistically in bars, airports, foreign countries and nights in like this. We are teaching the younger generation now who love it just as much unless they are sat next to me who still blags outrageously at what her hand is!

It's been the perfect way to start Christmas. I can't believe I have been @ No 21 for six months now, it's looking festive and cosy. Only a few more hrs of work to go and then another houseful, it will be bedlam but great fun. Life may feel sad at times but life is good and I feel incredibly blessed.


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No Riff Raff Here This Weekend!

It's always good to catch up with friends and this weekend has epitomised that.

Sylvia is over from Langkawi for 7 weeks and after a few days at Ma & Pops they have all decamped to Exeter for the weekend. Sylvia with me and as my sis is just a few streets away Ma & Pops with her. It's been a feel Malaysian catch up as Jim & Marg have towed their caravan down to Halden so a real catch up has been in order.

Fab evening on Friday alongside Elaine & Simon as well , with good food and wine and just chewing the cud. We are still oompah loompahing it with my dining room table and using the garden chairs....hopefully not for much longer as have spotted the real deal today down on the quay and sourced them cheaper on line so not much longer for peeps to sit in the cheap seats, though it is fun!

Topsham on sat in the sunshine was fab, the Saturday market is a new discovery for me and I will be back after picking up some great bargains for the garden. My Percy Thrower endeavours continue and have some great ideas for the forthcoming months to make it absolutely swooper for the spring and summer next year.

We escaped the wrath of Bertha today, after waking up to rain despite some old blustery wind spurts the sun came out and it was lovely as we strolled out onto the Quay and back at home base later the garden was scorching.

A good old roast and catch up late pm, it's just been a lovely lovely weekend catching up with old friends and family that are young at heart and full of fun.

Other news....I have sourced my big clock! I found the one I loved in the St Maybn pub but found a better one....and it was a bargain to boot and arrived 24hrs after ordering online, just need a drill and some wall plugs to put it up!






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Having Fun

It's all so quiet here bar the dog snoring! E & G are still fast asleep upstairs, it won't be long and then house will be full of the shenanigans of one and almost another teenager!

We had a lovely day yesterday from start to finish. The weather is definitely on the turn, it's damp and very drizzly outside today but yesterday we made the most of the last of the sunshine rays and headed out to Topsham to their outdoor pool. I haven't been there (to the pool) for years, but it was a good choice made as we all loved it!

I am covered in bruises from several rounds of tag and bulldog pool style, it 'twas hilarious. A train ride back and lovely supper indoors as the rain had started and then eyes down for an evenings entertainment on the x-box.

Six months apart,they have grown up together, it never ceases to amaze me how well E & G get on from gentle banter to full on cuddles. It never ceases to amaze me how time flies. Unpacking boxes here we have found some amazing photos from newborns to toddlers to teens, some of which I hadn't seen in years.













So the plan for today is shopping (their request)'and some baking plus prep for the indoor BBQ later. Tomorrow we are up up-cycling furniture together, chalk paint style.

Feeling v blessed, nice way to end my hols. Back to work on Thursday.




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Cousins R Us On Summer Camp Part 6: Rain So Exit Glamp Camp

We had been really lucky with the weather and the forecasts had been spot on, thus far only one small torrential downpour. That's good for me as usually when I go on my hols the weather turns and I am usually berth bound. It's a family joke that no-one books their hols when I do as the weather is bound to be c**p!

We said goodbye to the folks and spent a very lazy day at glamp camp playing Rummikub and for the first time in a year I won two games on the bounce...worthy of a gold medal me thinks.

Going to bed that night we knew we had seen the best of the weather as it was about to turn. The following morning confirmed that we ominous dark clouds in the distance....oh what to do? Shall we in true blighty spirit just weather the storm or count our blessings for a pretty good week thus far. It's no fun packing up a wet tent, with a bot it doesn't matter with a tent it does so decision made and within half an hour the kids and I were dropped at the station to wend our way home.

The call was right no sooner than we hit Bodmin Parkway and bang on cue the heavens opened and boy did they opens the rain never stopped all day. A confirmatory text from those setting off from glamp camp confirmed that everything was packed up and away in the nick of time.

Three hours later back to home sweet home after a cracking week all around, although bed after a week on a blow up mattress was a welcome sight!


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Location:St Maybn

Cousins R Us On Summer Camp Part 5: Padstein

So having ticked off a few must do locations the decision was made to do Padstow. I haven't been there for years and years, the last time was when Rick Stein had just become famous.

We plodded off in 2 cars for the half hour road trip. Much like St Issac and Rock there was no chance of parking in town so we opted for the park and ride. You would think by the masses at the park and ride that we were all off to some national sporting occasion not to a local Cornish town made famous by a chef! The place was absolutely heaving.





The streets and restaurants were jammed and not the Padstow I remember, in winter it must be better and I understand now why it's called Padstein as the Rick Stein enterprise has hit virtually every street with one of his shops. We stopped for coffee and not much else except to buy some breads from his deli for our tapas supper later.







We found a lovely pub in Chapel Amble on the way back for a Scooby snack which was virtually deserted and then made our way back to glamp camp.





Tapas supper much later with all the folks around the BBQ fire to keep warm plus every blanket and rug we could find for those not so hardened glampers! Great fun had by all.







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Location:Padstow

Cousins R Us On Summer Camp Part 4: Pops Birthday

We awoke to glorious sunshine so there is only one thing for that and that's a visit to the beach.

The only place to be then was Rock where the good and the great hang out. Picnic packed we headed out for the day. The car parks rammed to full capacity we ended up parking at the top of the town and then walked our way down...it was baking hot.

Lovely beach, huge in fact and we found our spot and didn't feel hemmed in. 'Twas lovely we didn't see any of the good and the great but it was a great place to hang out for a few hours basking in the sunshine. The teens had a good old paddle in the sea as did the pooch.

We left late pm to come back and meet the folks and most importantly the birthday boy. They had elected to stay in a local b&b, their glamping days well and truely over.

Pre dinner pimms o'clock drinks at glamp camp was followed by a mile long walk up the rambling Cornish lanes to the local pub...St Maybyn Inn and the best mixed seafood grill I have had in ages...it was divine.































All the meals bar an over cooked duck were exceptional and would recommend anyone to eat here. Rustic charm at its best, the pub has just been taken over and is still mid makeover. It will be stunning when finished and even has the thumbs up from the locals. A great way to end the day with the birthday boy. Happy birthday Pops! X


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