Friday 19:49 A nice contrived group picture taken outside the front door, not long after arriving, and just before heading out for the evening.
Friday 20:03 On our walk into Padstow, I came across this G-clamp which I couldn't resist taking a picture of. Everybody needs a picture of a G-clamp.
Friday 20:03 En route to Padstow, a very pleasant walk along the shore (or estuary?) with a couple of nice bridges involved.
Friday 20:07 Apparently this is the old railway track, which made for a very easy going flat walk... although it was a bit cold at this point, we didn't yet have our full beer coats on.
Friday 20:19 Padstow seen from across the bay/estuary/whatever, as we were just about arriving in the outskirts. Starting to get dark now then.
Friday 21:03 The first pub of the evening - The Old Custom House - where we got a quck bite to eat and the first couple of beers in. I learnt a valuable lesson that the sort of peas you routinely get on the side of a pub meal are much more palatable submerged into a vegetable lasagne.
Friday 21:03 Rich with his first (but not only) steak of the weekend.
Friday 22:06 The next pub, the London Inn, and very nice too. Not sure what all the hand movements are about here. This may have been an earlier instance of Rich "taking one for the team".
Friday 22:06 David with his scary orange light thing on his camera, amidst another picture of the group. I think Kev is pretending to beat Rich up here. That'll learn him.
Friday 22:34 Is Kev secretly tipping beer into David's glass in this unncessarily blue-ish picture? Let's hope there's some kind of under hand plot behind this.
Friday 22:34 Well that's the blue out of the way at least. If you look carefully you can just about see me taking the picture, reflected in the "Southern Comfort" mirror behind Kev.
Friday 22:35 Kev laughing at something or other and Rich expressing his amusement by being blurred.
Friday 22:43 Ermmm, must have been taken by accident.
Friday 22:51 Look - it's me! If it was framed slightly differently, the part of the sign in the shop window could have read "Butt", which may have caused a small amount of merriment.
Friday 22:51 Me again, but blurred.
Friday 22:51 ...even more blurred.
Friday 22:51 Rich looking startled, or something... Perhaps preparation for "taking one for the team".
Friday 22:52 I think we'd clearly all become mildly drunk by this point, given the number - and quality (i.e. poor) - of pictures.
Friday 22:52 Kev. This may be a self portrait.
Friday 22:53 Kev again. Not sure if I find this facial expression amusing or frightening.
Friday 22:57 The apparently unavoidable picture taken through a pint glass. Actually this one is almost half decent for a change.
Friday 22:57 The scary orange light eminating from David's camera illuminating a pint. This may have been something like Tinners, which I recall being very nice.
Friday 23:12 Not sure who took this - or why!
Friday 23:13 Some sort of whisky tray here. Can't remember if I took this, or if it was someone else on my behalf.
Saturday 00:00 On the way back now...
Saturday 00:01 As you can see, it was pretty dark, so the walk back was quite a fun experience. I wasn't particularly sure if I was going to make it back alive, but luckily was sufficiently drunk so as not to be too concerned about the issue.
Saturday 00:01 Some jeans in the dark, and something in the foreground, which, on initial review of this image after taking it, I thought was some kind of scary glowing puddle thing. Errr....
Saturday 00:01 ...it is of course just the top of my head.
Saturday 00:02 My constant use of the flash quickly became a source of great irritation for the others.
Saturday 00:04 Along the windy bridge, not so windy now.
Saturday 00:04 Errr, was I trying to get a picture of the bridge itself here?
Saturday 00:05 Me and David playing "flash wars".
Saturday 00:25 We somehow managed to lose David along the way, and I personally became convinced this whole weekend was a front for David's secret motive to kill us all to death down a dark country lane. It seemed prudent to send Rich on ahead to "take one for the team".
Saturday 00:31 I took a picture of this sign to remember it, just in case we went round in a circle and saw it again, in the style of the Blair Witch project.
Saturday 00:33 ...we did finally find David again, who had somehow got ahead of us (I was sure he was behind us). Luckily he didn't kill us all to death or anything.
Saturday 00:55 Yes, we, finally we made it back to the house alive, and, in the absence of any late night kebabs or chips opted instead for some very nice cheese and whisky.
Saturday 01:37 I was very keen on starting a fire, given as it had been a bit chilly outside, and so this is a proud picture of the fruits of my labour.
Saturday 02:00 Kev and Rich enjoying whisky. These are a couple of bottles from my collection that really need using up, given my impending move abroad. I'm pleased to report the guys made a really good dent into them.
Saturday 02:01 David seems to have nodded off, whilst Simon is being quite skillfully offensive.
Saturday 10:03 The next morning, a picture of me not really appreciating the view on account of being too hung over.
Saturday 11:45 David inspecting something in the pond.
Saturday 11:46 The house, and look what a nice day it was turning out to be!
Saturday 12:00 The trusty Volvic that had sustained me through my hangover. Actually I think by now it had been replaced with Cornish tap water, but that was very nice too.
Saturday 13:20 For lunch we headed into Padstow (by car this time) for fish and chips from Stein's place. Unfortunately I had to go elsewhere for my chips as everything at Rick Stein's is cooked in meaty-cow-lard-fat (TM).
Saturday 13:25 Whilst waiting for everyone else to eat, I idly took some pictures of the harbour. I rather like this one...
Saturday 13:26 Hmmm I think this worked better in portrait actually.
Saturday 13:26 A seagull in the mud.
Saturday 13:27 A little boat.
Saturday 14:13 After lunch we went for a little drive, and then went to visit this very nice bay - Bedruthan Steps - for a walk on the beach.
Saturday 14:17 The "steps" part of Bedruthan Steps is well justified - it is a bit of a climb, but well worth it.
Saturday 14:18 All the rocks and sand and sea and stuff you could hope for.
Saturday 14:22 The rocks were totally covered with mussels. I'm never quite sure if you can eat these ones that aren't in the sea... as a vegetarian though, this was not an issue I felt it necessary to trouble myself with for any great length of time.
Saturday 14:22 A rock.
Saturday 14:24 The guys over there in the distance.
Saturday 14:24 I think I was looking for some new background images for my PC...
Saturday 14:26 Contrived group photo number one...
Saturday 14:27 ...number two...
Saturday 14:28 ...number three, when Rich sensibly pointed out the previous pictures were taken into the sun.
Saturday 14:28 ...and number four, a bit closer.
Saturday 14:29 A fairly camp looking picture here, it has to be said.
Saturday 14:30 Simon was temporarily stranded here when the tide started coming in...
Saturday 14:35 Luckily he escaped.
Saturday 14:42 The view from inside a little cave.
Saturday 14:44 Taken from a ledge over the mouth of the cave, and you can see across to the hole in that rock over there, which became my next objective...
Saturday 14:46 Rocks etc.
Saturday 14:54 So this is me having a go at getting up to where that hole is.
Saturday 14:54 I think this was my second attempted route up.
Saturday 14:55 ...then I realised I would probably have to get down and start again as this was round wasn't going anywhere...
Saturday 14:55 ...so here I am climbing down again.
Saturday 14:58 My third and final attempt - a much easier route - where I did more or less get up to where the hole is.
Saturday 15:06 On the way back up now, one final view of the bay.
Saturday 15:49 After a drive through Newquay - which is really tacky and horrible - we stopped off for a quick ice cream.
Saturday 15:52 David and Simon enjoying their ice creams...
Saturday 19:26 After a spot of shopping, we returned back to the house for a barbeque... Here's some vegetable kebabs and assorted other stuff.
Saturday 19:26 David is clearly in charge here.
Saturday 19:26 Unfortunately it wasn't quite warm enough to eat outside, so the standing outside bit was just confined to the cooking.
Saturday 19:35 The guys enjoying some very nice red wine David had bought.
Saturday 19:47 Round the dinner table...
Saturday 19:48 ...a close up of my plate.
Saturday 19:54 Cheers!
Saturday 19:54 Kev kindly offered to get one with me in...
Sunday 13:41 This is on the way back on Sunday now. Rich had got bored of the dual carriageways etc, so I suggested instead we go back by way of Dartmoor.
Sunday 13:45 Yet more ice cream!
Sunday 13:46 ...I tried to stage these pictures such that you couldn't see the road and it looked like we'd actually got out and walked somewhere - although clearly this didn't work with the previous one...