rain, surf, beer, beaches, croquet and pasties

Our stay in the British south has been more grey than shine and more wet than dry. September has begun and we've closed out the summer holiday season here with a stormy bang - great company, way too much fun and delicious 'inputs'.

I relearned very quickly that while body surfing is the donkey to the regular surf, doing it right requires impeccable timing - you've got to launch yourself ahead of the wave at just the right time. I also learned another valuable lesson: do not attempt to teach a spouse about something unless you are a certified expert in it. After remarking to Stephanie that she ought to be careful, stay between the yellow flags and practice patience she stuck a tongue out at me and managed to perform quite well exactly where she was.

Equally important in the 'fun' category is water temperature. If you want to be immediately roused to full alert, the English sea is the place to be. The ocean of south England must surely be set at the lowest possible temperature in which a person can swim in the name of fun – at least there is no chance of a shark attack.

This week when swimming was not on order sitting on the beach was hardly a long-term intermission activity. With the rain dominating the sky we took to strolling along the coastal cliffs, touring stately homes, enjoying a pub lunch and less than friendly games of croquet. When those things weren’t happening we had a steady supply of British newspapers – the Telegraph, Times and Guardian being our selected prints – to plough through. Basically, it’s been all Britain all the time.

We also ate and made merry with the family. Our kind relatives hosted an excellent British-style BBQ for us complete with fireworks towards the beach (and house), we took in a family team-building raft race on the high seas, and marched down to the Cornish Arms pub for a family dinner. So far so good, or jolly. Stephanie and I have been here a week, and have got a week to go. On September 11th we head to London, then in the early AM on the 12th we're off to Cairo. This week I intend to write about the unique foods of Cornwall, but first I gotta try them all, a few more times...