Work's Christmas Dinner

I found out the other day that work cook a full Christmas Dinner for us as a thank you. Not only that but we get a Hamper with wine and chocolates too - I love my job! Below are left to right Sharon, Alison, Me and Tracey on the front right.

Here are the hard working canteen staff making sure that we all get a nice big plateful of grub:

The Morning After the Night Before...

There were some very sore heads the morning after the Christmas Do, however we all braved a drive out down the coast, ending up in Padstow for a coffee. Needless to say, it wasn't raining, so we dressed up warm and everyone went topless - that would be the cars not the people!

Christmas Dinner with the 'Fivers'

It was decide that we would all go for a Christmas meal at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay. The above rabble managed to get quite tipsy I think! Left to Right is Sharon, Mike, Sally-Ann and Mike.

Here are Paul and myself with Roger acting as the rose between us to thorns.

And so the festivities begin - including very naughty looking long thin balloons, streamers, and those funky blowy things that never seem to work but when they do make a horrendous noise!

Sharon's Birthday

This is Sharon, one of my oldest friends, that is to say I've know her forever! and of course Chris her fiance.


I'm glad to say that I am once again working alongside her and have made loads of new friends in my new job too.


It's Sharon's birthday and we have all gone to The Old Shire for a meal.


The food was to die for and the potatoes had this herby yummy taste that was sooooo moreish - YUM...



This is Sharon with Mike our Personnel Manager









This is Mandy with me and Paul. Mandy is my office manager - and we tried really hard to get her tipsy on Taboo and Lemonade but it didn't work!







and finally this is the lovely Alison with her husband David.

We had a really nice night - the first of many I hope.

New Door

Paul got sick of getting stupid quotes for having the door fitted into the garage from the garden, they ranged from £500 upwards. In the end he decided, as he had loads of tools gathering dust in the garage that he may as well do it himself and save the money for better things (methinks shoes and handbags?)

It took him a day to cut the stonework for the hole and add in the Lintel. It then took half a day to fit the door. Once the concrete stuff went off he painted it over, just to match it up with the rest of the side wall. Not bad for someone who had never done this before eh!

Minnack Theatre

This is front the top row at the Minnack Theatre. We only intended to go Christmas shopping in Penzance and ended up doing a tour of the coast. Sometimes the best days out are the unrehearsed ones I think. A few weeks before Christmas and the skies were blue and the sea a gorgeous turquoise.


Look at the sun coming through the clouds. It was brilliantly sunny, but this is the effect I got looking directly at the sun - quite dramatic.

What a Difference a Day Makes

The rain stopped overnight and the sun came out - for mid October it is beautiful. We had a gentle drive down into Minehead and a wander through the beautiful gardens there.

When we got back we took Fred on the beach and he soon flaked out on his Dad when we got back

And the rain came...

But that doesn't stop Fred and his Dad

Blue Anchor Hide Away

Finally a week away - after the house move we don't seem to have stopped and this is definitely a well earned break in Somerset. Fred got straight down to business and commandeered the sofa as his bed along with the cushions and Nanny's old blanket! He loves it here and always curls up in the same spot after his romps on the beach.

Paul's Sister's take a Flight

Karen has come down for a visit and whilst she is here she goes on a flight over the coast with Jannah-Beth - Look at the views they had.

The National Rally

Sooooo - Paul decided he definitely wanted to do the National Rally with the club but I have to say I'm knackered - so this is all his fun and I only got to see the piccies - it looks like the camping went well anyway - unfortunately the lilo that Paul used instead of an airbed made unfortunate noises all night whenever he moved and kept everyone awake - good for a laugh if nothing else!

Mine!

Do you really think you are taking this from me mom, forget it!

Treasure Hunt...

So today we are doing a treasure hunt with the owners club. No idea where we would end up but eventually, after about 70 miles, we had in our cars a picture of the queen, a toothbrush, a feather, a bottle of local scrumpy and a cauliflower to name but a few things - the weather was fantastic and we had loads of laughs on the way - FANTASTIC.

A Tour of Cornwall

So today is the day we have to do the whole tour of Cornwall thing - Neither Keith or Marg have been before and there is a lot to see and do:

First a trip to Padstow and a coffee on the quay - and a bowl of water for Fred too of course!




Then we moved to Tintagel and Jamaica Inn...



It was somewhere around here that we realised that we had used nearly a £100 pounds in diesel... worth it though!

Treasure Park

Marg and Keith arrived this afternoon from Birmingham. It's still early so we had a drive around the local coast to show them how close we are. We stopped at Treasure Park in Portreath where Marg spent a fortune and we stopped for Ice Cream

A Trip on the River Fal

On the 17th August, Paul's Mom and Step Dad decide to visit us from Brum-we already have boat tickets booked for a trip up the Fal with our MX-5 Owners Club and ask them to join us. It was a fantastic night finishing with fireworks to celebrate the end of the Falmouth Yachting week.

Mount Edgecumbe Car Show

Mount Edgecumbe car show was a great day out - so many cars, beautiful weather and look at that water we could have been in a cove in the Greek Islands, not Cornwall! - Fred had fun with all the new sniffs and certainly made himself vocal every time a much larger dog passed him by - bless him - no fear that one!

I bought myself a new sun hat but I look like something out of the 1930's in it so it's only for shading my eyes from the sun when the lids down on the car .... Honest!

A Very Miffed Fred

Not the best shot of my kitchen, granted, but as you can see, Fred was not at all impressed with either of us going out to work today, he took the hump big time and hid behind the bin.

Fred's Quiet Time

Daddy's just got home from work - and Fred decides this is as good a place as any to catch up on some well earned zzzz's....

Visiting Mates...

So excited - My friend Kelly is coming down from Birmingham to vist for the weekend, and you know what that means - chocolate, chick flicks and curry - unfortunately the curry was a bit of a let down - I burned it! but he choccie and the movie were great.

We visited Falmouth and had cakes on top of the Pizza place on the balcony overlooking the water and then went up to Pendennis Point for a mooch around the ruins.

Powderham Castle another Camping Experience

Another fantastic turn out of cars on our '5' stand. We were able to try and recruit new members and offer advise to currents owners.



The weather was lovely and warm and both Fred and myself enjoyed the sunshine

Lulworth Weekend

On arriving everyone set up their tents and fired up the BBQ's.



A Good turn out so far and it's only 10.00 am!



Fred is so bossy - he certainly rules the roost in our tent!

First Day In My New Job

Well today was day one.

I'm working with a very old friend of mine. We met when she moved to Birmingham and got a job at the same place as me. Her daughter was a little dot, still at school and she would come in and help us to colour in and copy bits of paper during the holidays!.

Now of course Bex is a young lady in a job of her own and Sharon and I are quite a few years older!

I am to work the same hours as Sharon for the first couple of weeks, as the office manager is on holiday, I can then go to my regular hours.

There are only 4 of us in the office and it's such a laid back environment. Not at all like the high pressure, high powered stuff I used to do, (up until 6 weeks ago) a much more sedate pace of life. Lovely.

I do believe that sanilty shall return now we are in Cornwall.

By the way today was also our 15th wedding anniversary!

Time for an Ice Cream

It's a lovely day so we drove over to Pendennis Point in the '5' and got an ice-cream. 

Fred preferred to sit in the drivers seat while we ate....

Wardrobe Space!

Before the hard work starts we need to buy a wardrobe.... Our last one was built in so now we have nowhere for our clothes - a trip to Trago Mills in Falmouth is in order and so a chance for our first trip out since arriving in Cornwall.

Cleaning House

Oh my god the place is filthy - I've never used so much bleach and I've already been out and bought some paint to slap on the walls - we think that will be the only way to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke! I have a busy few weeks ahead...

Silence is Golden

The peace and quiet is quite astounding - no road noise, no sirens, no kids screaming up and down the road on mini moto bikes - just complete quiet.

We did not sleep last night as we are not used to the silence.

And there are stars in the sky too!!! Amazing - you can't see this in Birmingham!

Moving To Cornwall

Today we move house.

Its more than a little scary - we are upping sticks and moving 276 miles away from Birmingham to Cornwall.Our new home is about 4 and a half miles from the beach and the Carn over looks us in the near distance.