Oh boy did I enjoy this!
As I said in the week, we had some special guests today – my ‘boss’ (Janet) from my very first job and John, her other half. She was newly graduated and, in those days, graduates immediately became bosses! Ah how times have changed.
Anyway, I lost touch with her four or five years after I’d left the company – you know, busy lives and we just drifted apart. At that time, she lived in Tottenham (oh hail the place where my heroes play), on the other side of London from me. I was living in Ruislip at the time. I heard no more about her until I was in my local DIY Shed in Sandhurst some ten years ago now I reckon and a woman came up to me and asked where I’d found something that was in my basket because she was looking for the same thing. I said ‘I’ll tell you, if you tell me if you used to be Janet Lowther’. She looked totally shocked and said that not only did she used to be Janet Lowther but in fact she still was Janet Lowther!!!! She’s never let me live that one down! Anyway, it was fate and I am glad we met up again.
We don’t see much of each other but do get together from time to time and when she contacted me this week to say they were staying in Looe and would we be able to meet up, dinner was arranged. We popped down and picked the up and then a taxi took them home.
On the way down, we’d been discussing what they would think of our new home. We’ve been disappointed so far at the reaction of people to it. Our rellies don’t like it much and far from being inundated with people wanting to stay with us, we’ve only had a single request from someone who wanted to come just to be here, rather than just to see us if you see what I mean, from DMs pal, Mike. So, we were thinking ‘what will they think?’
Luck was on our side as the weather was absolutely perfect. Beautiful sunshine and blue sky – not a cloud anywhere. In weather like this, I still find myself wondering if there could be anywhere as beautiful as this on the planet. Well, to be honest, we actually think that all of the time but I know we’re in a minority when it’s bleak, foggy and cold.
Anyway, I’d forgotten John was a geologist and mining engineer! When he learned where we live, he was really excited about it. He started to ask about the quarry, which is famous in geological terms immediately so we got booted up, the dogs on their leads and headed off onto the moor at 8.30pm or so.
We walked to the Cheesewring, across the moor to the Hurlers then home. John was thrilled and we learned a lot of stuff from him, including the fact that the Tyne Bridge is built with pillars made from our granite! He really is full of information and one of the other things that’s excited me is that he tells me there is a Cornish Beam Engine in a mining museum in the Peak District. I have to find my way there to see that, I can tell you. I didn’t think any had survived.
The Hurlers looked wonderful in the last of the light. They were fabulous, almost glowing with heat, having been warmed by the sun all day. I spent a bit of time getting my shot, then went around and hugged a few of the stones, just to feel their warmth. It was magical. Warm golden light. Perfect. These Bronze-Age standing stones, at (best guess because no one really knows) around 3,500 years old, are young in comparison to the granite that made them, which John told us is 400 million years old.
By the time we got home, it was gone ten o’clock and so I had to scoot around to finish prepping supper and serve it by the time their ‘carriage’ was booked. It’s a shame Janet wasn’t in this shot of her golden day but I’ll suspect she’ll like it nonetheless.
I have this feeling that we’ll be seeing more of them because I KNOW that they saw at least some of what we see…..
A year ago, a man stole my heart!
