Family

The strangest day, but one of the nicest family days I have had in a while.

Breakfasted by 9am, then wandered along the cliffs again. Bumped into a lovely elderly gent, who I chatted to for a while - it turns out that his daughter works at the special school in the same authority as my school - in fact, their kids come to us for some courses and I think I know her! Small world.

Dad and Ann went to Aunty Pat's house. James, Chris and myself followed on, after going to the churchyard in Ruan Minor where my grandad and grandma Hebdon are buried. James seems to have the same fascination with graveyards as I do and we wandered around trying to find the oldest headstone in the yard.

We then went to Pats. Maureen - her best friend- and John, another good neighbour, have pretty much cleared everything and boxed it up. It took us a while to feel like we weren't intruding, but then we started finding all sorts of family history - it turns out that Pat's dad's (great uncle arthur) Dad (great great uncle) has a war grave erected - we found the paperwork from the Ministry to confirm when and where it had been erected.

All sorts of other things, some which is going to require a little bit of research, and literally hundreds of photographs that Dad is now going to start scanning and cataloguing, turned up, along with a number of paintings that Pat had done which were awesome.

Along with Jim and Pat's wedding rings which Pat had specifically requested come to me, I have uncle Jim's flat cap and his binoculars and a couple of paintings that Pat did. All sentimental value that means more than anything else.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Chris and James, first at Goonhilly Downs and then down at Kennack Sands - fortunately the tide was out so we got to go hunting through the rock pools, and the boys went into the sea to their knees. Have some wonderful shots of the coastline but this image summed up the afternoon perfectly.

We got back and James had a quick bath to get rid of the sand, then went out for another coast walk with Chris for an hour. By 9.30 tonight he was virtually sparked out.

Lovely meal, accompanied by the music of Andrea Bocelli, which I think I will now associate with this place.

Lots of memories, old that were remembered, and new that were formed. That was my day.

And more snuggles and hugs from my boy AND an early mothers day card and present. (Thanks James, and Ann and Dad!)