Friday 20th October – Final day

 

 

Our room was really hot all night long. I still managed to sleep. Yet our shoes were still wet through. We got up and went downstairs into a lovely breakfast room. Mum and dad had an English breakfast whereas I just ate sausages, cakes and a muffin. Dad wanted a hot chocolate however; the machine was out of order. Once finished we headed back to our room and packed our stuff.

 

Dad had paid for parking until 5pm today. This was very handy. We put our stuff in the car, and then proceeded on foot into town. There were signs saying that the road outside the hotel would be closed at 2pm for 45 minutes for a running race. Dad made a mental note.

 

We had just made it to the main shopping street when I heard a cry of joy from my dad. Across the road was a Leonidas chocolate shop. Dad crossed the road and went in; I think just to make sure it was the real thing. He didn’t buy any chocolates then you see, as we would have had to carry them around all day. As it was still early, we walked down the main shopping street stopping in shops which were open.

 

We made it to the cathedral 7 minutes before it was due to open. By the time Dad had taken our photo outside the cathedral, and had walked around part of it, the doors had opened. At £15 for all three of us, we all felt that it was very expensive. We did, however, have nothing else planned in Exeter therefore we went in. The Cathedral roof was really high and I loved all the pictures in the glass windows. Dad pushed me around in my pushchair and mum sat down. I have to say that it was very impressive building.

 

Once out of the Cathedral we continued on our way until we reached the end of the main shopping street. I have to say that I like Exeter a lot. The streets are pretty clean and interesting. We went back past Waterstones where dad went in and bought my holiday present. It was an alphabet wooden jigsaw which I very much liked and couldn’t wait to play with it. Dad got his Leonidas chocolates and a bottle of coke whereas mum had a slice of pizza. It was at this point my mum and dad split up. Dad went in search of two game shops whereas mum and I did some clothe shopping. Given the fact that mum had just eaten, dad was away and I hate clothes shopping, I felt it safe to fall asleep.

 

When I awoke both mum and dad were looking around Exeter together. Dad had found the game stores but purchased nothing. Mum had bought some clothes. Dad then went into HMV and bought the ‘Greatest Showman soundtrack’. He said that he would play it all the way home. I just hoped it was good!

 

I was finally allowed out of my pushchair as we went into a small ‘banana-shaped park’. We walked all the way from one end and back. It was a lovely park and had a ‘Cambridge feel’ (not sure what that is as I haven’t been to Cambridge) as there were quiet a few students around. With this done we decided that it was time to leave Exeter. The weather had been amazing and hot, and we wanted to make the most of it. Looking at the clock the time was 1:45pm. In 15 minutes, the road outside our hotel would be closed for almost an hour. Worst still, I had just left a small deposit in my nappy not thinking anything about it.

It was like a military operation. Dad got the car ready and put the pushchair away while mum took me into the hotel and into the changing room. Once ready, we were out by 1:57pm … phew.

 

With it still being early, none of us wanted the holiday to end. We therefore decided to drive south, to a National Trust house called the ‘A La Ronde’. As I got pushed towards this house, it had 16 sides. Apparently, it was two unmarried sisters who had the house built on something they had seen, and loved, in Europe. As there were so many precious things inside, I had to wait outside as my parents took turns to look around. I therefore sat outside and chatted to the nice lady who opened the door.

 

Both mum and dad really liked the house. They both said it was very interesting. I can’t wait until I am a little bit older and I can take part more!

 

With that, the time was close to 4pm. We all agreed that we now had to say the holiday was finished. Reluctantly we all got back into the car and headed up the M5 to Bristol where my dad got petrol. After Bristol the skies darkened and the weather became horrible. The rain was so intense that, apparently, quite a bit of the midlands flooded. I actually didn’t notice. Staring out into the dark, flooded night, I thought about the flowers at the Eden project, King Arthur and his castle, Doc Martin, Lands’ End, my sea gull, the Minack Theather, Dunster castle and being pushed up that hill in St Ives. But most of all, I thought about the sea … wondering when I would be going back to the beach again.

 

Toodle pip!

Thursday 19th October - new shoes

 

 

Though I feel asleep watching ‘Three men and a Baby’ on the sofa, I awoke in my bed. Mum and dad were already up and packing. Though the chalet was stuck in 1973 and, looked nothing like the photos from the Booking.com site, I will still miss it. It had been warm, dry and clean. The hot water was hot and all kitchen items worked perfectly. As we put the last bags into the car, I was sad to leave.

 

We actually didn’t go far. I didn’t know this – and my mum and dad didn’t tell me – but this caravan park had its own beach! The last day and we parked in this car park. I walked quizzically until I saw a sandy path which led forever downward to the sea. I was so happy! I ran off from mum and dad, down the sandy slope shouting ‘yata!’. Dad ran after me.

 

The beach was amazing. There were only a handful of people on it. It went, in either direction, as far as the eye could see. The waves were coming in and going and I was mesmerised. Dad was taking a few photos of the landscape, and mum and I. I was loving it.

 

I had earned my parents trust 20 minutes on the beach and that, my friends, was their fatal error. I really wanted to see what the sea was like. I therefore manged to break free of my mum and, before she knew anything, I had ran into the sea!

 

It was lovely! The water went all into my shoes and I was having a great time. I tried to jump however, the wet sand sucked my feet into it and I fell over, with water going all through my clothes. My mum and dad must have thought it looked fun. Though they had a look of horror on their faces they too came into the water with their shoes on!

 

I was soaked head-to-toe but I loved it. I kept jumping up and down however, this time my mum’s grip on my hand hurt a little. Dad soon picked me up and he was trying to take me back up the sandy slope. A look of fear came to my eyes. I was really enjoying myself. We had only been there for 30 minutes and now we were leaving. I could hear my dad say that it was something to do with me being totally wet and having three destroyed pairs of shoes. I didn’t care, I fought every step to get back to the sea but alas, I lost.

 

Back at the car I cried and cried. Apparently, my dad had spent quite a bit of time this morning packing the boot perfectly. Right now, everything was thrown out of the boot and I was laid in. All my clothes were taken off and I got a brand-new set! I feel it must have been some kind of record. I had only worn the other clothes for about an hour!

 

Once changed my parents strapped me into my car seat. All of our shoes were put into a bag and my dad had to drive in walking boots. Leaving the beach, none of us were happy.

 

We drove to Penzance. We went to the same Sainsbury’s we had visited on Monday. Mum and dad bought me a new pair of shoes as my only pair were completely wet through. We were then supposed to go on a boat to St Michael’s mount however, due to the wind, the boats had been cancelled. Apparently, we all could have walked along a stone pathway with the sea on either side in a couple of hours however, mum and dad decided against it. We left Penzance and headed north. I still wasn’t talking to either my mum or dad therefore I went to sleep.

 

Yet again I missed food! This time dad had found a small café in the middle of nowhere which served fresh scones with jam and clotted cream. My parents had eaten sea food and Cornish Pasties and now, they ate the final thing they wanted to eat within Cornwall. Apparently, it was very good.

 

I awoke close to Plymouth. The time was around 2pm and we were heading to a place called Mont Edgecombe Park. Once in a carpark I thought we would be getting out however, it turned out that my mum’s friend – who we had come to see – was at a different part of the park, so we drove there.

 

Mum’s friend looked familiar. I think I had seen him at the Japanese school but … it’s quiet away from Plymouth. We walked around the park where mum and dad spoke to mum’s friend. Apparently, he likes wargames therefore, he must be a great bloke!

 

We didn’t stay long and soon we were on our way again. We went past the place dad travels to for work (The Cornwall Bakery) and into Dartmoor. We went through a place called Tavistock which looked stunning. Dad wasn’t overly happy at this point as he thought he’d got a speeding ticket just prior to entering Tavistock (thankfully he hadn’t). We continued through Dartmoor national park and it was lovely. We finally made it onto the A30 and it wasn’t long before we made it to our destination. Exeter.

 

Before we got the hotel, we went to a seafood restaurant. To get there we had to pass the docks. My dad kept hold of me tightly as we walked past water. I wasn’t in the mood for food; my mum and dad ordered me chicken however; I hardly ate any of it. They had scallops, place and haddock. They really enjoyed their meal however, dad looked a little shocked when he was handed the bill.

 

The hotel mum and dad had chosen was opposite Exeter’s train station and a little drive from the restaurant. As I was pushed into the reception my mouth opened; boy it beautiful! It was an old Victorian building with high ceilings and grand staircases. We were given our room key and off we went.

 

The room was boiling hot! The sofa had been setup as a bed for me, and my mum and dad had a super king size bed which looked very comfortable. So comfortable I decided to join them as there was enough room for three. Before falling asleep, dad hung all of our shoes on the room’s radiator to dry.

 

I feel asleep dreaming of the sea.

 

Toodle Pip!

Wednesday 18th October – King Arthur but no round table

 

 

Today I awoke before my parents and went into their room, and on their bed, to see what they were doing. Funnily enough, I’d only been bouncing on their bed for 3 minutes and they too got up. Today we got ready and were out the door just as quickly as the other days.

 

As dad drove off, he looked worried. I looked outside my window and could see a small amount of rain fall from the sky. This grew as our journey north continued. At one point the wind had picked up and it seemed like a small hurricane was blowing outside. I could see that my dad was wondering whether to turn around or not. He persevered.

 

My dad’s perseverance paid off. As we reached the car park at Tintagel the sun was shining and it almost seemed as though we were in a different country as to that of this morning. As mum and dad got me into my pushchair I could feel that the wind was very strong indeed. Once strapped in, my dad pushed my pushchair with some vigour towards a place called Tintagel castle. I decided not to talk and listen to my parents have a discussion. The reason for the haste was that, a local had said that the weather was due to turn midday. We therefore had around 2 hours of good, but windy, weather to see the castle (as it turned out; it stayed nice in this area of Cornwall all day).

 

It was expensive to enter the castle, but my dad was sure it would be worth it. Tintagel Castle was the home of someone called ‘King Arthur’ … or so legend said. We raced down a very steep hill and I was confronted by a few ruins of a gate house. I had no idea who King Arthur was; but there wasn’t much left of his castle! Next up was a beautiful wide bridge which led to a small island where the castle was situated. Apparently beneath the castle there was ‘Merlin’s cave’ though, as the tide was in, we couldn’t go and see. I didn’t think that this King Arthur was a very nice guy if he left his friend Merlin in a cave.

 

The view from the bridge was stunning. My dad took quite a few photos and I was quite happy just to stop here and look around. Still, we pressed into what was left of the courtyard. The wind had picked up once more and the path led up a steep set of steps and onto the top of the island itself. Where we currently were was shaded a little from the wind however, you could tell that it was pretty strong (apparently the castle has been closed yesterday due to high winds). Dad therefore went on his own to have a look around and I sat with mum and ate snacks. Dad wasn’t too long – meaning the island could not have been that big – and so mum went off and I ate more snacks with dad watching me. Fond memories of the Minack theatre came flooding back.

 

Mum wasn’t too long and soon we were heading back. You could go down a driveway to the sea however, it was a very long and steep road therefore we decided against it and headed back up to the car. Both my mum and dad had been very impressed with the views from Tintagel Castle. My dad very much liked the King Arthur statue – whatever that was – and almost bought a replica from the shop. I remembered the hill when we came. I decided to walk up it as I remembered how difficult it was for dad to push me up the hill in St Ives.

 

I wish I hadn’t bothered walking up the hill! As soon as I got to the top, I was feeling sleepy. It only took a shop or two before I fell asleep. For the third time this holiday, my parents decided to eat lovely food while I was sleeping. My mum had an excellent sandwich and my dad had a proper Cornish Pastry. Apparently their ‘tick list’ of food was almost complete … mine hadn’t even started!

 

We spent five hours in Tintagel. The amount on offer surprised mum. We all even went into a National Trust Post office which was incredibly old. This turned out to be good because our next destination, Port Issac, didn’t have a lot to see at all.

 

It took only 30 minutes to reach Port Issac. We almost had an accident with a speeding car down a very small country road. All was well however and we soon parked within Port Issac’s visitor carpark. As we walked into town, I soon realised why we had come. My grandma and grandad like a programme called ‘Doc Martin’. I have watched tonnes of episodes and I recognised the place instantly. I wanted to visit the surgery however, I was told that the Doc wasn’t in. I instead played on Port Issac’s small beach. I loved playing in the sand and I could have been there all day. Sadly, we did have to go.

 

Both mum and dad wanted to visit a café for scones however it was full. We therefore drove home, back through the terrible weather which seemed to had stagnated within the middle of Cornwall all day and back to the M&S closest to our chalet. Dad wanted to try a cake which he had seen yesterday however, today, there were none to be found. We therefore purchased Chinese food and went back to cook it.

 

After yesterday, I wasn’t allowed to sit anywhere near the chalet’s white walls. Dinner was lovely and soon eaten. It had been another full day therefore, I watched most of ‘Three men and a baby’ before I fell asleep.

 

Tomorrow was our final day in Cornwall and I was pretty sad. I had enjoyed the beach at Port Issac therefore, I hoped we would go back tomorrow.

Tuesday 17th – Eden Project

 

 

Once again, we were up early and off. This time though, we had timed tickets to something called the Eden Project therefore, we had to be there on time. The weather was awful as we drove however – and this would become a theme of our holiday – it was dry when we reached our destination. My dad had calculated his travel time wrong and we had arrived at the Eden Project, frankly, before anyone else! We got out the car slowly and I was pushed in my pushchair to the entrance. The Eden Project had been built in an old quarry therefore, we have to walk quite a bit. This, uphill and downhill walking would become a familiarity for our trip and I think my dad lost a little weight.

 

Once at the ticket desk, we were still 20 minutes early however, the kind lady let us through. Once through reception and back out into the outside world, I gasped at a few big clear bee comb shaped buildings. I had no idea what they were for however, I was determined to find out. That was, after I had consumed a cake that my mum had just given me. This cake was made by my mum and was delicious however, it must have been the crumbliest cake in the world. If I am honest, I think I ate 20% of the cake and the rest flew off me like a snowstorm as I got out of my chair. Dad wasn’t impressed that I had cover this project with cake!

 

The Eden Project is all about something called ‘sustainability’. There were loads of flowers and ways we could protect our environment. It was a really interesting place with flowers and trees around every corner. My mum and dad did let me walk around a bit which I enjoyed.

 

Eventually we went into a big building. There was this weird blue thing blowing rings of oxygen at people. Apparently, this micro-organism – which had been magnified – is responsible for all life on this planet … or whatever that meant. The rings of oxygen were cool … but I preferred the white room which held an enormous model of a seed. The seed wasn’t that interesting however, the room created a huge echo. I loved telling myself a story at the top of my voice while in this room however, it would appear others didn’t like it as everyone else left.

 

Finally, I was pushed into those clear bee combed shaped buildings and all became clear. These plastic sheeting buildings acted like a greenhouse. This allowed the Eden Project to house both Mediterranean and jungle plants. First of all, we all visited the Mediterranean dome which housed plants from Greece, Spain and Australia. Paths had been built and I loved looking at all the plants. There was also this enormous tree with a face! As we left, we went past a restaurant which served pizza and paella. It looked closed however, I felt that it could be a good place for lunch.

 

We then all went into the Jungle dome and the temperature sored. So much so, that we all de-layered very quickly. Mum got me out of my pushchair and allowed me to walk … which was a mistake as I was off like a shot. My mum struggled to keep up and I lost sight of my dad until we met up again at a Jungle house. I really liked the jungle; sure, it was hot and humid however, the different plants and birds which ran past my feet made it very exciting. Finally, the dome had a ‘jungle boardwalk’ at the top. It was pushchair friendly therefore we went to get a bird’s eye view of the place. I was loving my trip to the Eden Project however, it was very tiring therefore, I went to sleep.

 

As I slept, mum and dad popped back to the Mediterranean restaurant and ate said pizza and paella. I only discovered about this back in the car after as they discussed how delicious it was. I found that restaurant! I was not happy and I was determined not to fall asleep again.

 

I awoke once outside of the domes. We had a tiny part of the park left to see before we headed through the souvenir shop – where we spent quite a lot – and back to the car. We had spent around 6 hours at the Eden Project and it had been amazing. I certainly want to come back when I am older.

 

The time was only 3pm therefore, not really the right time to return to 1972. Fortunately, there was a National Trust place called Lanhydrock house only a 20-minute drive away. Normally, I don’t like National Trust houses … and this was no exception. Fortunately, we had arrived near closing time therefore, without me having to be annoying, mum and dad had to rush around the inside of the house. Even here there was a connection to Japan as a Japanese artist – who made bowls – visited here and a lot of her work was on display. It was pretty incredible however, completely unusable.

 

Once the house was done, we had to walk up another big hill to head back to the car. We stopped at a park where I got to play for a little while however, it was starting to rain. We therefore left this National Trust house glad that we had visited.

 

On the way back to the chalet we stopped at an M&S food hall to buy dinner. For dinner we had pasta with a tomato sauce. The sauce was such a rich colour I felt that the chalet needed some of it on its wallpaper. I climbed up onto a chair and pressed my ‘tomato sauce covered hands’ onto the wall’s multiple times. Dad was horrified as tomato stains … whatever that means.

 

All I know is that I went to sleep watching my mum wipe the area of wall I have placed my hands. Why, I had no idea!

Monday 16th October – Many stops

 

We were up early and my parents were getting ready for the day. This holiday felt different. I wasn’t sure if it was because there was a lot to see in Cornwall, or mum and dad only wanted to be in 1972 for the shortest amount of time possible. I didn’t mind. I found myself in the car at around 8am. I love riding in the car; especially when there were new sights to be seen.

 

Mum decided to drive this morning which was odd, as she rarely drives on holiday. We arrived at a place called Lands’ End and, we seemed to be the only people there. Dad paid, what he called, the extortionate parking charge and we went into a type of theme park. I could hear my mum and dad describing this place as ‘tacky’ and ‘not in keeping with its scenic surroundings’. I concurred. I discovered that this was Great Britain’s most western point and, it looked like the developers relied on that fact to try and squeezed every penny out of everyone who visited. I had my photo taken next to the ‘Lands’ End sign’ before we went for a little walk around the coastal path. My mum found a telescope that, if you paid a pound, it gave information in Japanese. My mum and dad bought some souvenirs alongside my holiday present; a stuffed seagull. We left 45 minutes after arriving. Just before we did, both mum and dad went to the toilet and dad came back shocked. He stated that they must have been the cleanest toilets in the land!

 

We didn’t drive far enough for me to fall asleep. Dad took over and we went around the coast for a bit, up a very narrow road, and to something called the Minack Theatre.

 

You couldn’t see the theatre from the carpark therefore, you have to pay £10 per person just to see the place. As I am always free, I was about to stroll into the place however, the lady behind the counter stated that I was half fare! I am only 3 … I am not going to remember it! Still dad paid £25 for us all to have a look.

 

We had been done like a kipper! Sure, the theatre was stunning; stone steps led down the hillside to a theatre that overlooked the sea. The stage was quite small however, there were other places the actors could position themselves. The view of the sea, coastline and beaches were all stunning however, for £25, there wasn’t a lot to look at and I would have preferred some chocolate instead. Though it wasn’t raining, it was very windy. I found the steps quite large and scary. Fortunately, mum stopped with me partway down. We sat on a stone seat while dad went to have a proper look around. Dad came back and mum then went off to have a look around. While I waited, I was allowed to eat as many snacks as I liked … which I was very happy about. I ate tonnes of raisins, cheese and chocolate biscuits. We must have been there no longer than an hour. We had battled the winds and managed to get back to the carpark. I gave the sales assistant a stern look as if to say “half your prices” and we headed off.

 

Once again, we didn’t drive far. This time we headed to Sainsburys in Penzance. I hate food shopping. Still, it did mean that we were out of the wind so, on this occasion, I didn’t mind too much. We first of all had lunch in Sainsbury’s restaurant before we did some food shopping. Finally, dad filled up with petrol before he headed south. As this southern journey was close to an hour. I decided to take a short sleep.

 

I must have been really tired because, when dad drove into Lizard point’s carpark, I was still fast asleep. Lizard point is the most southern point in Great Britain and, my parents let me sleep through it! Yes indeed. As I slept, both my mum and dad took it in turns to visit Britain’s most southern point. As we drove away, I awoke to hear my dad describe the point as extremely beautiful. Both my parents did say that it was very windy (so much so, it was a little scary near the cliff edges) but I didn’t care. I frowned because I hadn’t seen one of our tourist attractions.

 

The day was drawing to close however, we still had time for a little more sightseeing. Dad drove to St Ives and parked in a carpark at the top of a huge hill, quite far away from town. He found out that the last bus back to the carpark left in an hour and 15 minutes. We all therefore walked down the steep paths into the town of St Ives knowing that, if we wanted to catch the last bus, we only had an hour.

 

St Ives was very pretty. There were quite a few small cobbled streets with some interesting shops. Mum bought me a book but I need to forget about it as its for Christmas. We then went to St Ives beach and I really enjoyed playing in the sand as the sun went down. My mum and dad then made a decision. They decided not to get the last bus back to the car park. Instead, we would head into a fish restaurant overlooking St Ives’ Bay. My mum had wanted to try some of Cornwall’s famous fish dishes. I looked at what my parents ordered and, though it looked like chips, it was actually squid. Fortunately, they ordered me a sausage which was delicious. I would say that it was the most delicious sausage I had eaten ever. My mum and dad, seeing my delight, ordered me another sausage. This made up for missing Lizard Point.

 

We had enjoyed our restaurant experience. Night had fallen, and so it was time to head back to the car. Dad had plotted a route which would take in the part of St Ives we hadn’t seen yet though, I bet he wished he hadn’t. Though we went past St Ives’ art gallery, dad then had to push me up one of the biggest hills I had ever seen. It was so difficult that my dad was out of breath at the top and had to sit down … maybe I shouldn’t have eaten so many snacks.

 

It wouldn’t have been so bad if that was the only hill dad had to push me up however, St Ives is very hilly and we went up and down for ages. It took forever to get back to the car! Once back the time was around 7pm. Dad was knackered. He paid for the parking and drove back to our caravan park which, thankfully, was only 20 minutes away.

 

Once back we all didn’t stay up long. It had been a very long day with many stops. I went to sleep happy. I had seen loads, had a lovely sausage and got a new stuffed toy. I wondered what tomorrow will bring.

Sunday 15th October – Dad’s friend

 

 

Rather weirdly for a holiday, an alarm clock went off. This is rather unusual and I wondered what it was for. Mum and Dad packed up rather quickly and off we went downstairs for breakfast. My mum was very happy when she was given her English Breakfast. Apparently, it was a proper breakfast with egg, bacon, sausage, fried bread, beans, mushrooms and tomatoes. Dad wasn’t as pleased as he had hoped for more than one sausage and one rasher of bacon as he didn’t like egg. Still all three of us were full and so, dad went out to fill the car with our bags before paying for the stay.

 

Mum and I went out to meet dad at the car. He had just finished packing and was talking to three people; a man, a woman and a little girl. I thought dad had done very well to make friends so early in the holiday however, I listened intently and discover that this man – Andy – was my dad’s old boss. The lady was his wife, and the girl his daughter. They all lived in Minehead. We got into our car and they into there’s. We then followed them somewhere. Dad said that Andy was a very good driver as he was easy to follow.

 

The road went up and up. I pushed up from my car seat to get the best view possible. It was as if we were on the top of the world, with the sea to one side and rolling forested hills to the other. The weather was superb too … clear blue skies. I didn’t know it but, we were deep inside Exmoor national park. We stopped within a car park with a superb view of the coastline. We got out and went for a short walk with spectacular views of the national park.

 

What goes up must come down. We went all the way down, past our hotel, and off to a place called Dunster Castle. This was a national trust place and was lovely. We stopped in a café and Andy bought us all a drink and cake. I said thank you and tried to grab a piece of his wife’s cake but she was too quick. We ventured around the grounds. Sadly, we did have to go inside the castle. I didn’t want to do this as there was so much room to run around outside. I therefore wouldn’t walk around the castle and kept sitting down. This did speed up the viewing of the castle and soon I was outside.

 

We then left the castle and headed into the village of Dunster. It was very pretty and only consisted of one main shopping road. We were not there long and soon we returned to the castle and our car. Dad and Andy said goodbye. Mum gave their daughter a box of chocolates, which she was very excited about and which I was looking forward too. We then drove together for a little while, and climbed up a very steep hill with more excellent views. This is where Andy pulled off to one side and we kept driving. To a place called Lynmouth.

 

We didn’t stay long in Lynmouth. Mum bought dad and her a pasty. They were so hot; dad drove for another hour before finding somewhere to eat it. We then drove again for hours and hours and I wondered if we would eventually be in another country. The drive was spectacular though; it was very hilly and coastal. I decided not to go to sleep and enjoy the view.

 

It was now getting dark and finally we approached a caravan park just outside of St Ives. The time was bang on 6pm. We drove to our chalet and I stepped in. To say that all of us were disappointed was an understatement. In Dad’s words, it looked as though we had just walked into 1972. The sofa was flowery, the carpet was red and the tv was microscopic. Still, it was dry, warm and had hot water. Also, there was no one else in the caravan park therefore, I could make as much noise as I liked.

 

As it was a Sunday, all shops were shut and we didn’t have any food. We went to a petrol station to buy milk before heading to McDonalds for tea. It’s been a while since we were in a McDonalds and it wasn’t that great however, we were all full.

 

Once back in 1972, we were all warm. It had been a long day therefore; we all went to sleep.

 

So apparently, I have now arrived in Cornwall.

 

Toodle Pip!

Saturday 14th October – Off we go!

 

 

We were all up early as my mum had to go to work. I had my usual breakfast; cheerios and raisin bread. On a normal Saturday, dad and I would wave mum off however, we actually went with her to school and then returned with the car. I gave a little smile as we drove; the only time my dad does this is when we go on holiday. I’m not sure why my dad wants the car before every holiday. I think it’s so he can pack the car, then pick up mum and head straight off.

 

Today was different though. When my dad and I returned back to grandma’s house from dropping mum off, I stayed with Grandma and dad went to a place called ‘Belper’. I am not sure what he did there however, his hair was a lot shorter when he came home. Once he had got home, I did wonder if we were going on holiday; or did Dad just need the car to visit Belper.

 

My question was answered around 1:30pm. I was put in the car, surrounded by bags, and we all went to pick up mum. Once done we went the opposite way to my grandma’s house and onto a road called the ‘A38’. I decided to settle down into a lovely sleep. I was sure it was going to take a while to get to where we wanted to go.

 

I awoke up within a Costco. I was terribly worried that we had come back to Derby however, I didn’t recognise this Costco. We went inside and bought some boring mouthwash before getting a mango smoothie. Apparently, my mum and dad said it was delicious however, they didn’t offer me any. We then went for something called ‘petrol’. Apparently, we needed this to get to our holiday destination but, I couldn’t see what it was. It took forever to get this thing called petrol; mainly because a pump was closed. Once out of Costco I could see that we were in Bristol, heading south on the M5 … so not the Lakes or Norfolk then. Where is mum and dad taking me?

 

Wherever it was … it was miles! The road went on and on and on. I was glad to finally reach a place called Minehead. We pulled into the last hotel carparking space and went in to register. The hotel was right on the coast and, from our room, we could see the sea and a crazy golf course. I climbed on the first bed in the room and declared that it was mine. I couldn’t enjoy the bed for too long as I was soon picked up and put in my pushchair.

 

I don’t really know if Minehead is nice or not as it was pitch black. What I could make out seemed nice enough. We ended up in a place called the ‘Duke of Wellington’. Apparently, it was a pub … I hope the Duke didn’t mind. Mum and Dad ordered some food which, though looked nice, I didn’t eat a lot as I was ready for that bed I had briefly lied on. Thankfully both mum and dad ate quickly. We made a final stop in a boring Morrissons 24-hour convenience store, to pick up supplies and some chocolates, before heading back to the hotel.

 

Once again, as soon as I went into the room I climbed onto the first bed available and this time, I wasn’t moving. I fell to sleep wondering what tomorrow would bring.