17th July – Farewell Mongolia, hello Louisa Musgrove

Today we farewelled our dear Yurt. I don't think I finished a proper description of it. It was white cloth on the outside with a blue (Grecian looking) pattern on a narrow skirt around the bottom, and around the top. It had bright orange wooden doors, with glass panes, on the inside, and a solid door (still orange with bright patterns – think carnival, carousel patterns) on the outside. Mongolian Yurts have no roof in the centre but ours had glass going around in a circle, with a chimney going through the centre. This means that the light within the tent comes mainly from this 'sky light'. We were glad of the modifications, given the amount of rain that has fallen, and been forcefully blown, since our arrival.
Nor did I mention the eco aspects of our camp. Who knew that our experiences with China's flushing inabilities, would prepare us for our time in Cornwall? That's right. Loo paper in a bin. This time it is because we were using a Canadian Compost toilet. Your business goes onto a pile of peat, which is aerated by a solar powered fan. I am thinking of you Dave, and your eco home to come....it was surprisingly not smelly BTW.....
The little garden shed-kitchen was very nice and had a gas stove and battery powered lights. I quite enjoyed my time in that little kitchen. It felt warm and snug when wind was whipping about outside.
Whilst in Cornwall we have visited the following places: Lizard (the most southern point in England), Pendennis Castle (built by Henry the 8th as a defence) Land's End (England's most Westerly point), the Minack Theatre (not old, but impressive in its location and story), Chysauster Ancient Village (the remains of a 2000year old village, which the kids enjoyed exploring despite an initial lack of enthusiasm). We finished our week by spending yesterday afternoon wandering around the remains of Tintagel Castle. This is famous for its links with the legend of King Arthur. There is no proof that the man ever lived here – or even that he ever actually existed – but he is loved and adored never-the-less. King Henry the 4th rebuilt here a couple of centuries after the site was abandoned, maybe for the association with the legend which had already begun, maybe just for the view...no one knows. I reckon the view would be reason enough! It is on a headland, built over many heights on the hillside, and surrounded by the blue Atlantic. The sun put in a special appearance for us and we had a lovely time. Stones on the ground to various heights, show where once there were walls, and wild flowers and grasses blow in the breeze....and your imagination is free to fly as you wander around, and wonder what life was like.
Today we have driven from Cornwall (grabbing my last Cornish pasty at Fran's Pantry, in Liskeard)

We stopped and looked at a few coastal towns on the way and are now staying in a Holiday Park, just outside of Lyme Regis. Along the way we stuck mostly to the motorways, the funny thing being, that when you venture into the village ways, you actually lose most of your view. Either side of the road (which is generally one-and-a -half cars wide) you have towering walls of green. They tower far above the car, and you only occasionally catch glimpses of the land beyond the roads edge. We thought they were built up mounds for a while, but soon realized that underneath these profusions of greenery (fern, grass, nettle, wildflower), there are stone walls, built long ago, and probably overgrown nearly as long ago. Often as you drive, the trees create a canopy above you, so that you are driving down a tunnel of dappled shade. It is truly gorgeous. As are most of the villages in the Cornwall area. It will be interesting to see whether there is such an air of 'untouched history' as we travel on.
Why Lyme Regis? This is where the infatuated and animated Louisa Musgrove jumped from the Cobb, into Captain Wentworth's arms, in order to get down. She enjoyed doing it so much that she climbed the ladder and did it again. This time he missed and Louisa knocked herself unconscious- to the horror and distress of all concerned. She then spent two months in Lyme recovering her health, and comes home engaged to a different captain. I am speaking of my favourite of Jane Austen's novels, Persuasion. Read it.
She speaks so fondly of Lyme, and with such familiarity, that I am quite delighted to be going to explore it tomorrow. I intend to jump from the Cobb to see if Shane will catch me. I think he will try very hard, because the thought of me taking two months to recover, in Lyme, whilst he travels the country alone, with three kids in tow, probably doesn't appeal to him! Of course, on the down side, if he does catch me, he will need two months to recover! Haa
We also hope find a church service to join in with in the am. I am hoping for some sort of Gothic chapel, with stained glass and uneven slate floors.
I would also like to pay tribute to our Sam. Of all my babies, he was the one who was most unsettled by change, particularly travel. And now, every day, he is the trooper. He has exclaimed several times that he can't believe how lucky he is, and that he loves his life. What a wonderful thing to hear from your child. He has also decided that he wants to marry Lilli. He was lamenting the laws of the land whilst we were in Bath, Eliza joined in with a wail, “Who is going to marry me?”, while Lilli just lay there debating the dilemma that law changes would bring....Cameron, Jayk or Sam? That was a tough one. I cracked a few jokes, and then Sam started wailing, his sadness so real. After I gained control of myself (I confess to having a little laugh at the absurdity of it all) I did my best to explain things again, without going into genetic independent assortment. Not surprisingly, kids really do find it hard to take comfort in the fact that one day, they will feel differently.
At this point, I am just taking comfort in the fact that my kids love each other, and hoping that another two months of intense living, doesn't squash that emotion.