Saturday 5th May 2018
Laura and I travelled down on the train yesterday – leaving Marlow just after 9 in the morning, changing at Maidenhead and Reading en-route. The train journey was pretty uneventful – although the train from Reading down to Liskeard was packed with people. I thought for a moment we might face the familiar nightmare of finding other people in our seats, but thankfully they were being respected for a change.
At some point on the journey a couple got into the seats behind us on the train, and started complaining – the train was “awful”, “far too busy”, there were “bags everywhere”. It finally dawned on them that it was a bank holiday weekend. Of course a few minutes later the woman went to find a toilet, and came back saying there was no way she could use it – it was “completely unuseable” – they kept up this ridiculous conversation with exactly the kind of spoon-in-the-mouth, aloof voices that really annoy me.
Laura slept for the final hour of the three hour leg between Reading and Liskeard. When we finally arrived, Dad met us on the railway platform, with Mum waving from the car park above the station. It was great to see them – I think this time it’s been about 18 months since we last visited. After hugs and smiles, we headed off to a pub for lunch – “The Copley Arms” in Hessenford. Laura tried out nachos with chilli for the first time, and I had a pint of “Tribute” – the brewery over at St Austell.
Once we got back to the house and dropped out bags off, the rest of the evening was pretty quiet – apart from the visitors that dropped in with a Newfoundland in the evening. Her name was “Pippa” – she lives in the next village along apparently. It brought back so many memories of having a dog around the place.
This morning I was up a little before 8, had a shower, and wandered through to discover Mum and Dad were already up, sitting in the living room. I sat down to write this, and Laura appeared a little later – rubbing her eyes after sleeping like a log all night. Before we knew it, Mum was up and making eggs on toast for everybody.
It’s now 10am, and I’m about to go put a rocket under Laura – to walk down to Talland, and then over to Polperro for a pub lunch a bit later.
p.s. I just went out for a ride in Dad’s new car. Ridiculous. Jaguar XF.