JWL.Freakwitch.net

Cornish castles

Staying in Lostwithiel has been a delightful denouement to our trip. Getting to know the Beowulfs has been fantastic; I really feel that there is a very solid foundation for a good friendship to last well into the future. They are already thinking of a trip to the US (and of course Maine) next year. We're finding very similar values across our (albeit subtle -- this as after all England and not so very different from America) cultural differences. I've already promised to set my daughter up with her own email address so that she can correspond to the little Beowulfs who have become good friends in such a short time (a few blowups notwithstanding).

Yesterday Mrs. Beowulf and I went to Tintagel where I was able to see the magnificent north Cornish coastline. The rockiness of it is similar to Maine, except the stones are a bit different, flatter and more slate-like than what we see at home. Then today my family and Mrs. Beowulf along with the little Beowulfs (who were held out of school today -- I was surprised to discover that taking your children out of school in England requires advance permission from the headmistress of the school) took a picnic lunch on an expedition to both The Hurlers stone circles and Restormel Castle. The energy at the stone circle was quite good; another one of those ancient sites that were (or have been) sacred ground for so long that it can be felt if you pay close enough attention. And the views from the top of the round Castle were stunning; you could see the beautiful rolling hills of the Cornish countryside for miles around. There were also old Cornish tin mines right up on the land; the shafts were all around, around 8' across and filled with earth. Now they look like pits; you have to be careful not to step on them or you could fall through.

We're definitely in winding-down mode for our trip; we have to get up at stupid o'clock tomorrow morning to catch the train from Cornwall back to Heathrow for our flight home to Boston, where we'll be arriving late afternoon EST.

And Mr. Beowulf, if you're reading this, the best Freakwitch recording online thus far is Too Bad For You, though it remains just an audience recording from a gig we did a year or two ago. You (like all of us) will just have to wait for the proper album. We're working on it, slow but sure.

For the last time, at least on this trip, cheers from the UK!

posted by JWL at 9:41 AM |