I am bursting with pride today because my Mum and Dad have come to see our little home for the first time. Now that they are retired they can go where they please, when they please so they've come down this morning to visit us. They've not visited Cornwall for more than thirty years, preferring to take their walking holidays in the Lakes. To the best of my knowledge, their vision of this place that I call home is based on two camping holidays in the mid 70s in consecutive years....I think 73 and 74. They were essentially 'beach' holidays and not at all the Cornwall that I've come to know and love. It is so important to me that they love this place like we do, though I know I'm hoping for a lot. I'm hoping that over the next couple of days, we can show them some of the Cornwall we love and they will at least understand its beguiling charm.

Mind you, they arrived to chaos - roofers finishing off the job (and it's a fab job too), us not quite back from a trip to Plymouth for an emergency visit to the bank and nowhere to park because there were so many builders vans along the street.

Ah well, we soon sorted them out with a 'grand' tour (which took all of five minutes to show them the three rooms of the house). Our welcome lunch for them was the traditional Cornish Pasty and a cup of tea. We've had to pack them off to an hotel because we can't put them up in any sort of comfort here but we'll see them lots over the next couple of days.

Once they were replete and we were sorted out, we took them for a gentle (I'm still not up to much more) walk over the Seaton and around a few of the mine buildings. This is my Mum and Arch sitting resting beside me while David and Dad were taking photos and chatting a bit further down the hill. Mum and I sat for ages while they debated and discussed stuff.

Later we ambled down onto the valley floor again, past a group of wild ponies and Arch was as good as gold, not even looking at them as he bumbled past. Maybe we've cracked the problem of him chasing things now - I do hope so.