The title for this post takes its name in part from an email I received from a coast path walker who found my blog through some of my previous posts about walking the Cornish coast path. I hope she won’t mind my ” borrowing” a part of her email subject heading for my post today.
Yesterday John and I headed out to find a bit of adventure along with some fresh air and exercise. I’ve been doing a lot of computer work lately (editing wedding pictures) and the weather was too nice to stay inside. Additionally, even though I’ve been back since May 25, it was our first walk along the coast since I’d gone back to America in late April. John suggested a short walk from Port Quin to Port Isaac both of which are about ten miles from where we live. After packing up a P B & J for me and some fruit for him…we were off.
It was beautiful as it always is and I promise I’ll include a few pictures near the water, but my main reason for this post is to have a little talk about the cows and bullocks we encountered so walk with me now….
Sometimes on our walks we have to walk through fields that are already occupied.
Me saying hello…this one was quite happy to let me touch him on the nose before moving along with his buddies.
The question came up from one of my readers as to the safety in crossing though these places where the public footpath herds (sorry, I couldn’t help myself) you right in with the big animals. I told her I’d never encountered any problems and then she recounted how she and her family had a bunch of cows come charging across the field startling her, her husband, and their children. In the past I naively thought cows and bullocks were just happy to see me whenever I saw a herd of them shift direction and move in mass at a clip towards me.
John said if they ever look scary to just say boo and throw your arms out at them. He demonstrated this technique below without warning me so you can’t see the hand motions. ( I missed it)
A couple of guys trying to look tough…”Whadaya mean you want to pass through us?”
John approaching the bad boy brothers just moments before saying BOO!
After they’d scattered …giving him some sulky looks.
This one did not look amused either.
This brown one was pretty interested in me however… deciding that I might be worth investigating further.
Right! Now I’m usually okay with a nudge but I think I really must draw the line when it comes to taste testing. John was getting his camera out here while I was trying to capture this beastie licking my arm.
For the record…cow tongues are rough, slimy and strong.
All joking aside, when I mentioned to John what my reader Sarah had said in an email to me about cows and safety on the path he said…people are usually quite safe and that cows are more curious as you can see above than dangerous. He did go on to say that they will get angry when dogs are around especially if they have calves with them. An incident was in the news here recently that illustrated this when David Blunkett, a prominent politician in the UK who is blind was out walking with his guide dog and was trampled by a cow who was trying to get to the dog. So I’d say caution is key when passing by these gentle seeming two ton Toms and Tessies. ( Okay maybe one ton not two, but it worked better).
Wrapping up the walk from yesterday…as I was taking this picture.
John was climbing up and over here.
Then while I was trying to get a decent closeup of these drying flower heads below….
John slipped back and stuck his head through a gap in the wall and began to make woo woo scary moaning sounds as I approached the fence and started to climb over. Going back I saw this….
On the other side…you can actually walk down to the water…no one’s stopping you.
Back on the path
Port Isaac from above. We had a little pub stop for a pint and a coffee and walked back to Port Quin totally ignored by the cows who’d lost all interest in us by late afternoon.
NEXT TIME: Celebrity spotting in Cornwall.
I’ll be back with my experience with celebrity spotting yesterday in the supermarket. We were actually side by side scanning the parking lot for our cars after stepping out of the store at the same time.
Here’s a hint…there’s a TV show that uses Port Isaac as its location, but with a name change. The man I almost bumped into is a regular character on the show although not the male lead. He’s associated with a trade profession in the show…anybody want to venture a guess?
As most of you who’ve been following my blog lately are aware, I’ve just completed the enormous task of downsizing 48 years of my physical life into a box measuring 200 cubic feet for shipping to England where I now live with my husband John. As you might imagine, 200 cubic feet is not a lot of space especially for a woman with a tendency to place value on the memory of a day or event and hold on to whatever object heightens the memory. Thank goodness my daughter Miranda was willing to take on some of the things that were too difficult to part with over the last few weeks.
I’m still waist deep in boxes and sorting as I decide what will move to England with me. The shippers come a week from Monday and I’m working steadily to go through everything and repack the non-breakables. (the shippers have to pack the fragile stuff)
Gifts Of The Journey 