Lanhydrock is a National Trust Property in Cornwall and one of the best houses in the country for a visit. We went with Rosie, Mike and Dan and had most of the day there. The weather was lovely and it is well worth a visit.
They don't allow you to take photos in the house but the gardens are a photographer's dream. The rest of the photos are here
While we were staying with Rosie and Mike, we went to Charlestown in Cornwall. Built between 1791 and 1801 by a local landowner, Charles Rashleigh, and typically named after himself, it was intended as a port for exporting copper and coal. Later it was used for exporting china clay.
It is still unspoilt, though it gets busy in the summer. We went to the Shipwreck and Heritage Centre and were amazed to see an old Scarborough lifeboat. For more photos click here
We went to the opera yesterday evening – but it was an opera with a difference! I had some doubts about a ‘light’ opera by Shostakovich telling the story of a 1950’s Soviet housing estate and the machinations of bureaucrats but it was a light hearted romp with a great deal of topical humour. We enjoyed it tremendously.
Cheryomushki translates as Cherry Tree Estate and the re-orchestrated version we saw is titled Paradise Moscow. For more info on the production and Opera North, go to this link
We’ve not been to the Leeds Grand Theatre before and were most impressed with the fine restoration. Rather than run the risk of plagiarising, I’ll just send you to this site to read about its history if you are interested. I just wish there were more photos.
We ate first at a little vegetarian cafe almost next door in the Grand Arcade (alas, grand no more). At first sight it looked doubtful with unmatched chairs and plastic tablecloths but it served a very good falafel (my choice) and Alan had mushroom stroganoff, thereby messing up my planned menu for today. It gradually filled with opera goers and we topped our meal off with apple and gooseberry crumble with custard. M’mm! Thank you for the recommendation, Andrew.
When we were young, gap years didn't exist so we are planning to have one (or two or three) at the end of our working lives. To give us maximum flexibility and keep costs down, we have bought a caravan and tour the UK over the next year or so. If it all works out well, we will then venture into Europe - beyond that, we are keeping our options open. More caravan pictures are here
The last few years of travel and happenings are still at Machinhome but from now on, new postings will be here.
With a lot of hindsight, I can recommend these posts now (2011). We have tried to future proof the caravan so we can continue travelling as we get older and less active.
Just after Easter, we went to visit Rosie, Mike and Dan for a few days. Luckily the weather was fine and we were able to have one of Mike's magnificent barbecues. We also visited Lanhydrock and Charlestown, finishing our stay with a cholesterol raising breakfast at Cap'n Jasper's at the Barbican. For more photos see here.
