Recovering!

Yeay, I'm back and yes the holiday was fantastic. I did all the research I needed to, visited many beautiful places and met some lovely people, most of which will be a part of my next novel. It never ceases to amaze me how different places can be. Here in Hampshire we bump and rumble over shoddy roads that have been dug up so many times it is a joke, unadopted roads are common and traffic is often unbearably busy but down there, even the smallest road is immaculately tarmacked and smooth.
Talking of roads, we travelled on some amazing ones that we would call a track yet they are through roads connecting to bigger A and B roads, What was amazing apart from the condition of the surface was the width, as we drove along them the foliage beat the car on both sides. Thankfully few cars were on them but those that were had to be passed using tiny little passing places cut into the banks. They also travelled about 50 mph which scared the daylights out of me. Talking of the banks, Cornwall is very hilly and as we joined these roads they took us down hills so steep we feared we must topple over, the banks either side didn't change so by the time we got to the bottom the tops were so high it was like being in a tunnel especially if the trees that grew on them were dense and touched over head. It sort of reminded me of Alice in Wonderland and the rabbit hole. Often at the bottom, which could be anything from a mile or more down, we discovered farm houses and smallholdings. Miles from anywhere! Water was obtained from wells or boreholes but I am sure they could never get a mobile phone signal or internet because we were on a hill and couldn't, so they must be totally isolated. Perfect.
Anyway once at the bottom of these roads the only way out was up. Then it was as steep the other side going up as it had been going down. In places it was nearly dark despite it being full sun above. But each and every road was smooth and well looked after and best of all round many corners were some quaint little places, some superb architecture in the form of bridges or viaducts, picturesque rivers and any number of other beautiful places, some of which took our breath away. These places alone were worth going to Cornwall for. It is a totally different way of life and we loved it all.
Best of all when we got home the house was tidy, the cats still alive, nothing out of order and daughter learned a lot about housekeeping... like ... 'Can't be bothered to cook for one so I didn't bother unless there were others there.' meant there was still a full freezer, bonus! I think they ate out most of the time.
Trouble is with holidays that it takes time to recover from 'doing very little mode'. So today I have cleaned the house, laundry done and my new recipe for Cornish pasty tried and tested. Tomorrow I can relax and do some serious writing.