Today was the drive down to Cornwall. We left at about 10:30, Ed driving the VW Cubby rental van. A couple of weeks ago, Tiffany asked whether Barb could come along, and our has house had plenty of room so we were so happy to have her with us!
About the house! After all of us dilly-dallying about a few possible rentals, Dad found a place in Stratton two houses down from Ring O’Bells (so basically part of the same building) where our Saunders/Davis ancestors lived. It is directly across the street from St. Andrews Church, where some of those same ancestors are buried.
It was a rainy, gloomy drive. We stopped for lunch in Watchet, a small coastal town in Somerset on the Bristol Channel. It reminded me of the Cornish towns we have been to, and also New England. We ate at the Star Inn, a pub with typical fare. I had cod and asparagus fishcakes, which were mostly mashed potato, but tasty. Ed & Dad had prawns scampi style, and Linda had a ploughman’s lunch. Barb had fish sticks off the kids menu. We got to the house in Stratton after five, unloaded the luggage, and then Linda, Ed and I went to the outskirts of Bude to get provisions. We found two real supermarkets which were not here last time I was here! They even had wine, beer & liquor.
At home we fixed drinks but soon discovered that the cottage pie we had bought had not made it into the house. Linda and I waited for the rain to stop (took quite some time), then walked down the street to where the car was parked. It had slid under the seat.
Linda, Ed & I walked to the churchyard after the store and found Nicholas Saunders’ grave. We will have to explore the church more tomorrow. The house is great, 16th century, lots of odd steps and awkward spaces though. As one did in the 16th century.
