Our Wild Hearts

Today I would like tell you all about the adventure my close friend Natalee and I shared together a handful of months ago. 

Last year, during the third trimester of my pregnancy, my husband and I happened quite by chance to stumble across a beauty spot very close to our home. It is located near Boscawen Park in Truro; which is a very popular area we have visited on occasion over the years. However, we had no idea this place was hidden so close by. That is truly one of my favourite things about Cornwall, it never reveals all of its secrets at once. It retains mystery and chooses what it wants to share with you and when. I never tire of it.

However, I am terrible at keeping secrets and I love to share. So, here we go...

You can find this location by heading towards the duck pond across the road from the park. Head just a few feet past the pond and then take a left up the steep incline (it is marked as a public footpath but the sign is very easy to miss). Just keep following it. You can't get too lost. Not really. But if you do, does it matter? Getting lost can lead to the best of adventures.

The path will take you through fields of flowers, a row of  barn conversions overlooking the breathtaking views, cool wooded paths and eventually lead you to an overgrown country road flanked by an expanse of meadow. Hay fever sufferers beware.

I simply had to show the area to Nat. You must understand, I'm convinced she's an elf. Or something equally ethereal and mythical. She belongs in places teeming with nature and wildlife. 

From the road, I led my dear friend into a nearby field in which we stood and took in the view for a long moment. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo due to the fact that I was trying to save battery power. I'm incredibly absent minded and always forget to bring spares. I frustrate myself on a daily basis with that sort of forgetfulness. I never forget huge, important things. My lack of memory just likes to apply itself to the mundane and domestic. Especially when it comes to household chores...but that might be selective. Ahem. 

The view. The view. I should have risked a photo. It didn't look like a Cornish landscape. It felt a little like being back in the mountains of California, specifically Idyllwild (where Connor proposed - but that is a story for another day). I promise I'll take a picture next time. 

Another marvelous fact about the area is that it is full of tree saplings. We both felt extremely lucky to see the beginnings of what will one day be a beautiful woodland. Oh, and there were dragonflies flitting around absolutely everywhere! We made a little blue friend. Isn't he gorgeous? Swoon~

Don't tell him I said that. His own natural beauty has inflated his ego quite enough already.

The weather was perfect. Warm and slightly overcast, but with the relief of cool air. Later in the day, the sky looked heavy with clouds that were pregnant with the threat of rain. It never fell.

After a long walk through tall grass and a small decline overgrown with wild flowers, we made our way to a hidden pond which also happened to be a nesting ground for moor-hens. We didn't see any, but we heard them as we ate our lunch - lemon and ginger flapjacks.

I adore these photos of Nat. So calm.You would never guess that prior to taking them we had spent upwards of 30 minutes having a foliage induced mental breakdown by the side of the pond. 

I still have flashbacks...

Alright. So perhaps I'm being slightly dramatic. Natalee  took the whole thing in stride, but I definitely lacked grace. You could probably hear my horrified cries of "IT'S IN MY HAIR. WHAT THE *expletive* IS THAT?!" for miles. I love nature, I really do. But sometimes it is truly disgusting and a little bit creepy.

The above photo was taken on my phone while I tried to ignore the feeling of something crawling up my leg. I need to invest in sensible walking gear. I live in Cornwall and yet I don't own a pair of wellington boots. That's probably grounds for expulsion from the county. 

Natalee is a wonder. I've never met someone who exudes such calm. I truly feel completely at ease around her, and I am very grateful for our friendship and her insight. Everyone should have a Natalee in their life.

Plus, she is an elf. Shhh. No one can tell me otherwise.

 An adventure to make our wild hearts beat a little faster. We followed the path back home.

~ 

Last week, I received some zines from the Etsy shop of The Remarkable Existence of Carly and Moth (please visit Carly's beautiful blog, I have never stumbled across anything quite like it - absolutely magical).

Eventually, my son and I will be trying out the activities and following the adventures within the zines (there will be a dedicated blog post), but for now here are some photos and (shouty caps) A HUGE RECOMMENDATION. TO. GO. TO. THE. CARLY. AND. MOTH. BLOG.

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." — Margaret Atwood