I love going to church in Cornwall. There is something quite simple (not in a 'special' way!) and honest and well, sometimes slightly chaotic about it.
Two classic moments this morning. First had to be quote of the day from James, one of the new curates who after the sermon said:
"Thank you Dick for your words, and also for the dead bum".
Dick is the other curate in case you were wondering, and maybe his sermon was slightly longer than average. I don't personally remember having a dead bum. I did however lose the use of my toes as there was no apparent heating in the building and it was bloody cold.
The other observation I made was that I think for the first time in my life, I witnessed the first candle on the Advent wreath being lit with a fag lighter. More disturbing I think was the fact that the 9 year old girl doing the lighting knew how to use a fag lighter.
Classic. How will I ever get bored here?
By the way, apologies for not posting any pictures yet. I will try and do some this week. I've had a bit of a spot problem (in that I look a bit like I've got herpes) - the stress of moving combined with chronic PMS meant that I have been shying away from the camera for the past week or so. And I panicked and spent £52 on Dermalogica products. Not that you actually want to see any pics of me anyway...
Just to confirm, I HAVEN'T got herpes.
Sunday 30 November 2008
Thursday 27 November 2008
Pinching myself
What a fabulous week so far. Super busy and not actually spending much time in the office. I think it may well continue this way.
Spent the first part of the week discovering The National Trust's super cool head office in Swindon. Not only is it a totally open plan, modern, carbon neutral, green-tastic space, but it's opposite a designer shopping outlet. Heaven. Being pay day, I thought it only right to spend some money expanding my country-living appropriate wardrobe, buying some thermals and tweedy trousers. Also got my Daniel Craig calendar so am looking forward to getting some shelves in my newly painted office so I can stick Daniel up in a suitable spot (no pun intended).
Obviously, I was not in Swindon purely for the shopping but also to meet the rest of the fundraising team. What a fabulously inspiring bunch of individuals. I feel like I'm really going to fit in.
I actually just realised how bad that last sentence sounds....thought I would leave it though. For comedy's sake!
Today I visited Godolphin House -as a mahoosive 'Poldark' fan, this was like a mini pilgrimage for me. It is not yet open to the public as it is in a state of quite severe disrepair. Getting a personalised tour from the Property Manager was a very special experience. I can't quite believe I get paid for this!
One downside - it rained a lot and my once white Converse trainers are now brown and soaking in a bucket in the kitchen. When I started fundraising, didn't think it would involve hoofing over fences and getting wet and muddy. Brilliant stuff, so long as I remember my wellies next time.
Spent the first part of the week discovering The National Trust's super cool head office in Swindon. Not only is it a totally open plan, modern, carbon neutral, green-tastic space, but it's opposite a designer shopping outlet. Heaven. Being pay day, I thought it only right to spend some money expanding my country-living appropriate wardrobe, buying some thermals and tweedy trousers. Also got my Daniel Craig calendar so am looking forward to getting some shelves in my newly painted office so I can stick Daniel up in a suitable spot (no pun intended).
Obviously, I was not in Swindon purely for the shopping but also to meet the rest of the fundraising team. What a fabulously inspiring bunch of individuals. I feel like I'm really going to fit in.
I actually just realised how bad that last sentence sounds....thought I would leave it though. For comedy's sake!
Today I visited Godolphin House -as a mahoosive 'Poldark' fan, this was like a mini pilgrimage for me. It is not yet open to the public as it is in a state of quite severe disrepair. Getting a personalised tour from the Property Manager was a very special experience. I can't quite believe I get paid for this!
One downside - it rained a lot and my once white Converse trainers are now brown and soaking in a bucket in the kitchen. When I started fundraising, didn't think it would involve hoofing over fences and getting wet and muddy. Brilliant stuff, so long as I remember my wellies next time.
Thursday 20 November 2008
First week at work
So I thought that moving to Cameltoe would mean that I would have plenty of time on my hands to write in my blog, go for long walks along the beach and generally hang out with my 6 friends (oh yes - that's 6 whole friends). How wrong was I? Life is so very busy and will probably continue to get busier - there is just so much to do and so little time.
So I can't write about EVERYTHING here - you would quite simply get bored. Thought I'd give you a few highlights. By the way, a friend said they would like my blog to be a little more positive. Trust me people, I am having a ball here - I LOVE Cameltoe and never want to leave. Just didn't want to make you feel bad....
Caroline's top ten Cameltoe highlights from the last week:
1. Driving across Bodmin Moor to work with beautiful sunrises to look at (yes, I did nearly drive into a sheep whilst admiring the view).
2. My places of work - look them up on the National Trust website - Cothele, Killerton and Lanhydrock houses. Wow.
3. Being allowed a Daniel Craig calendar in my (slightly less politically correct than before) office. Yum.
4. Getting my new shelves fitted and finally being able to unpack some boxes.
5. Trebarwith Strand at dusk.
6. Friendly people and awesome accents - particularly one individual who greeted me yesterday with "alright my lovely!" (imagine in very strong Devonian accent). Brilliant.
7. My new car! Quite simply the biggest thing have ever driven. Our office manager was slightly concerned by my reaction (which went something like "Bloody Hell! How the hell am I going to park that) so insisted she accompany me on a test drive round the grounds. Fortunatelyy, we met no other cars. I have surprised myself - I thought I didn't want a Dad-mobile but am already rather attached and have named him 'Tank'.
8. Not having to queue in Sainsbury's. Then being able to load my purchases into Tank's gargantuan boot rather than struggling with arsey commuters on the number 59.
9. Not needing a light in my bedroom on a clear night. It's all about the moon (no, not my buttcheeks)
10. My new Narnia DVD. I understand these are not exclusive to Cameltoe but I love it nonetheless.
So I hope this doesn't sound too gloaty. Expect a depressing post in a couple of weeks when it has rained constanly, I am missing my London friends and have crashed Tank into a hedge.
Lots of love!
xxx
So I can't write about EVERYTHING here - you would quite simply get bored. Thought I'd give you a few highlights. By the way, a friend said they would like my blog to be a little more positive. Trust me people, I am having a ball here - I LOVE Cameltoe and never want to leave. Just didn't want to make you feel bad....
Caroline's top ten Cameltoe highlights from the last week:
1. Driving across Bodmin Moor to work with beautiful sunrises to look at (yes, I did nearly drive into a sheep whilst admiring the view).
2. My places of work - look them up on the National Trust website - Cothele, Killerton and Lanhydrock houses. Wow.
3. Being allowed a Daniel Craig calendar in my (slightly less politically correct than before) office. Yum.
4. Getting my new shelves fitted and finally being able to unpack some boxes.
5. Trebarwith Strand at dusk.
6. Friendly people and awesome accents - particularly one individual who greeted me yesterday with "alright my lovely!" (imagine in very strong Devonian accent). Brilliant.
7. My new car! Quite simply the biggest thing have ever driven. Our office manager was slightly concerned by my reaction (which went something like "Bloody Hell! How the hell am I going to park that) so insisted she accompany me on a test drive round the grounds. Fortunatelyy, we met no other cars. I have surprised myself - I thought I didn't want a Dad-mobile but am already rather attached and have named him 'Tank'.
8. Not having to queue in Sainsbury's. Then being able to load my purchases into Tank's gargantuan boot rather than struggling with arsey commuters on the number 59.
9. Not needing a light in my bedroom on a clear night. It's all about the moon (no, not my buttcheeks)
10. My new Narnia DVD. I understand these are not exclusive to Cameltoe but I love it nonetheless.
So I hope this doesn't sound too gloaty. Expect a depressing post in a couple of weeks when it has rained constanly, I am missing my London friends and have crashed Tank into a hedge.
Lots of love!
xxx
Thursday 13 November 2008
YAY!
Firstly, let me point out that I am slightly drunk so therefore will not make tihs a long post. Have been driving around all day - from my office just outside Bodmin, to Exeter (to pick up Nick and catch a movie - James Bond...mmmmmmmmmm), then home again. Driving in Cornwall is not so easy, I cannot get used to how dark it is and more scarily, how misty it is up on the moors (I feel like I'm in the famous Five, only immy the dog can smell his way out of this one). Subsequently, my glass and a half of wine has gone to my head very quickly.
So what I really wanted to say was WOO-HOO! I have three people following my blog. Cannot contain my excitement. I may indeed wee.
Ok. Time to sign off now. Keep 'following' you blog stalkers you!
xxx
So what I really wanted to say was WOO-HOO! I have three people following my blog. Cannot contain my excitement. I may indeed wee.
Ok. Time to sign off now. Keep 'following' you blog stalkers you!
xxx
Wednesday 12 November 2008
First post
Firstly let me say that I was slightly reticent to set this blog up. Blogs, I believe are generally rather self indulgent pieces of propaganda, only of interest to those actually writing them (though having said that, I'm bored and LOVE writing so bring it on!). Let's face it, I'm not the first person to move 300 miles from home, get married, start a new job and do her third London Marathon in the space of 5 months (to give you a flavour of what future posts might include). Or maybe I am?
So it is with reluctance that I begin to chart my journey, at the insistence of my gorgeous friends who treated me to the most fantastic and delicious farewell lunch on Sunday. And how things have changed since then..
We drove through the night on Sunday/Monday. Ok Nick drove. He is a night owl and decided it would be far less stressful to drive the potentially 6 hour journey starting at 10pm rather than fight it out the next morning in the hellish London/Bristol traffic. There was nothing on the roads and it was a smooth journey punctuated with a few double espressos and a box of mini macaroons I had bought from Paul earlier that day.
The moon got bigger and paler the further west we went and eventually sunk beneath Dartmoor at about 3am. We arrived at around 4.15am. Mission accomplished!
3 observations since moving to Cameltoe:
1. There are very few actual Cornish people here. Most I've spoken to are emigrants, the nice lady in the fruit and veg shop who moved from Reading 20 years ago and reluctanty returns occasionally to visit family, the carpenter who came to measure the flat for storage units who also used to live in Berkshire; my lovely friends Gill and Jon who so kindly fed me up with apple pie yesterday (and are from Worcestershire). It's reassuring that I'm not the only one.
2. It's spectacularly freezing. I think I underestimated the difference between living in a small flat surrounded by fifty others and living in a slightly larger flat on a hill surrounded by nothing but open countryside and cold winds. Subsequently, I am wearing two t-shirts, a cardigan, a fleece, jeans, slipper socks and uggs. And I have the heating on.
3. It hasn't quite hit me yet. I feel like I'm on holiday and will at some point have to step through the door in the air (sorry - keep forgetting I'm not actually in Narnia) and back to Paddington station and real life. Maybe my first day at work tomorrow will go some way towards changing that...
So it is with reluctance that I begin to chart my journey, at the insistence of my gorgeous friends who treated me to the most fantastic and delicious farewell lunch on Sunday. And how things have changed since then..
We drove through the night on Sunday/Monday. Ok Nick drove. He is a night owl and decided it would be far less stressful to drive the potentially 6 hour journey starting at 10pm rather than fight it out the next morning in the hellish London/Bristol traffic. There was nothing on the roads and it was a smooth journey punctuated with a few double espressos and a box of mini macaroons I had bought from Paul earlier that day.
The moon got bigger and paler the further west we went and eventually sunk beneath Dartmoor at about 3am. We arrived at around 4.15am. Mission accomplished!
3 observations since moving to Cameltoe:
1. There are very few actual Cornish people here. Most I've spoken to are emigrants, the nice lady in the fruit and veg shop who moved from Reading 20 years ago and reluctanty returns occasionally to visit family, the carpenter who came to measure the flat for storage units who also used to live in Berkshire; my lovely friends Gill and Jon who so kindly fed me up with apple pie yesterday (and are from Worcestershire). It's reassuring that I'm not the only one.
2. It's spectacularly freezing. I think I underestimated the difference between living in a small flat surrounded by fifty others and living in a slightly larger flat on a hill surrounded by nothing but open countryside and cold winds. Subsequently, I am wearing two t-shirts, a cardigan, a fleece, jeans, slipper socks and uggs. And I have the heating on.
3. It hasn't quite hit me yet. I feel like I'm on holiday and will at some point have to step through the door in the air (sorry - keep forgetting I'm not actually in Narnia) and back to Paddington station and real life. Maybe my first day at work tomorrow will go some way towards changing that...
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