Sept 6th:
Driving through countryside with Carol on our way from Lostwithiel to Lymington. Passing fields and part of Bodmin Moore. Saw some Druid ruins/temple on a hill and this amazing little pond with a mini cliff overlooking it. Love seeing the sheep with their fluffy sweaters and black socks. All the sheep here seem to be the black legged ones. Lots of cows grazing. It’s pouring rain, seems appropriate for the final day here.
Bit of a change of plans. Wanted to try to do Fowey or Eden project today but with the horrible rain, decided not to. Carol Douglass invited us to ride home with her and spend the night in her house and she will take us to the airport in the morning. Such a generous offer and we took her up on it. Met for a coffee at the Duchy Coffee Shop and I FINALLY got my scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam! I’m happy. Holly also gave me a tiny silver spoon, which was really so sweet. She also got one for Lisa and Robert. Mine says “GRM” on it, which made her think of the Graham/Meharg last name thing. The story behind the giving of spoons is that Holly has a tiny demitasse spoon that she likes to use to eat ice cream (because you feel like you can eat more when you use a little spoon!). But then her kids started to want to use the little spoon, and it became the coveted spoon for ice cream eatage. Now she picks them up as a souvenir of the places she's been. When she told Lisa and Robert about the mini spoons, they loved the story too. I think it makes for a really nice souvenir of our time here. I can’t wait to eat ice cream with mine!
Breakfast of Champions.
We stopped on the way to Lymington at a grocery store, and I was tickled to see Tropicana OJ advertised as "Smooth"' or "With Juicy Bits"! I guess "pulp" has a negative connotation in the UK, so it's Bits instead! We had dinner in Lymington and I had the most delicious venison burger with melted brie and a Guiness. Mmm! Then Carol took us on a super fast tour of Lymington. I really wish we'd had more time! So many places to explore. It was dark by the time we had our car tour, but still could tell it was a neat town.
Juicy Bits.
Carol's house was so cool! Lots of exposed beam and stone, with stone floors, cool old doors with lifty latches that actually were a little complicated for my tired brain to maneuver but I figured it out. Definitely some history there.
Sept 7
Carol was so sweet and bought me clotted cream and made fresh scones this morning! So I got my final meal in the UK and it was the best meal I could imagine. On our way to the airport, Carol gave us a bit of a tour. She lives in the New Forest, which, despite it's name, holds very few trees! The New Forest was originally woodland, but parts were cleared for cultivation during the Bronze Age. New trees weren't planted, so now the area is covered in heather and scrub brush. There are trees naturally, but not as many as New Forest would make you think. The thing that was super cool about the area is that is is now all unenclosed pasture land. Cows, horses, little ponies, pigs and other farm animals wander freely through the area, and are kept in by grills set into the roads that border busy intersections. It was pretty wild to drive through and just see cows grazing right next to you and horses saunter in front of you. We drove through the village of Beaulieu, and I kid you not, there were horses just walking in the street. The cars and trucks gave them the right of way, and every thing was copacetic. The vehicles respected the animals, the animals took their time, and I scrambled to take photos! What a cool thing to see.
Note the horse to the right. There is also a horse to the right of the van/truck but he's behind the thing on the windshield.
Purveyors of clotted cream!
Horse. Car.
The next phase of the trip starts at London Heathrow. And believe me, I lost that magic feeling right quick... but that's a story for another post!
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