The Extra Layer.

Hello All,

I'm in beautiful St.Ives, Cornwall, at the moment. I usually take a little break in March and am usually drawn back here. Its such a magical place with it's strange changing light and abundance of beaches. It's so quiet at this time of year too so it's possible to wander alone by the sea and gather one's thoughts.

In my mind I often plan a week of just sitting, listening to the sea, reading and knitting........but the reality is usually a little more adventurous. The first thing that happens upon arrival is the desire to swim in the sea.  Yes, it is only March and the sea is still fairly cold but this happens anyway. This objective was achieved on the second day and it was wonderful.

It somehow wakes me up, resets the balance and swooshes away all that accumulated land-locked melancholy.  It's so transformative, even if it does result in legs the colour of pink cocktail sausages!

Buoyed by this early success, I planned my next swimming adventure. I had long wanted to swim in the lovely sea-pool at Cape Cornwall and my OH was equally keen to visit the abundance of the remains of the mines along the coast of West Penwith. We planned our route from St. Just, out to Ballowwall Burial Barrow and then back northwards, via Cape Cornwall, Botallack and Levant mines, finally arriving in Pendeen to catch the bus back to St.Ives. Following the coastline it would be a walk of around 5 to 6 miles.......easy....under normal circumstances (more about that later!)
We caught an early bus from St, Ives to St. Just, a journey of around 1hr.30mins. I am not a good traveller on buses but I took a travel pill and luckily all was well:) We arrived in St Just just as The Cook Book Cafe opened for the day and we enjoyed a lovely cup of coffee and breakfast there. It's a lovely, friendly , cosy little cafe and it was great that they opened at 9am (especially in early March).
By 9.45 am we were off on our little trek :)

Ballowall Barrow is a burial site of both neolithic and bronze age use. It is situated on a truly spectacular site on the West Penwith coast.
Heading North on our windy clifftop walk , Cape Cornwall came into view.

We walked on and wound our way down to the cove and there was the sea pool ✨

I couldn't wait to get down there and get in! It was a moderately cold-ish day, around 5C but it was blowing a hoolie with a biting Atlantic wind making it feel colder....but it would be fine...I had a couple of layers and a very warm jacket with a brilliant hood. I would have my clothes ready to put on and I wouldn't stay in too long. Nothing could go wrong (more about this later!)

It was a wonderful swim. The water was cold but a few deep breaths and I was in. Its a special place and so fab to see and hear the sea waves rolling in and crashing just beyond the end of the pool.

I felt as though I could have stayed in there all day but I know I am prone to getting cold quite quickly so I stayed in for no longer than ten minutes. What I hadn't bargained for was the freezing hailstorm which happened just as I was making my way out. It didn't bother me but it did manage to make my lovely waiting warm clothes very cold and wet within seconds. I was dressed in a flash and we made our way back up to our clifftop path to walk on to the mines. I felt ok...eventually my legs seemed to warm up but, to be honest, my hands , arms and shoulders never really did.
This coastline is amazing. Passing alternately through valleys and along clifftops , all rich in the evidence of Cornwall's industrial past, I can only imagine the resilience and determination of the people who worked in these mines, underground, so close to the elements.

By the time we reached Botallack I was feeling distinctly under the weather, shivery, aching all over and really tired. We carried on to Levant, naively thinking we might be able to get a hot drink there. Alas, as it was late afternoon, everything was shut ....and it also started raining torrentially! Onwards to Pendeen. It's a good thing my OH was there....I don't think I would have made it there otherwise.
The man in the Costcutter at Pendeen made us a lovely cup of coffee which we drank in the bus stop, waiting for the bus back to St. Ives. The OH bought me an egg sandwich but I couldn't eat a thing!
The 1hr 40m bus journey back is a blur! I know I had to concentrate hard on not throwing up..Lol.
Once back I warmed myself up gradually in a warmish bath (if you ever find yourself with mild hypothermia it is not a good idea to suddenly get into a very hot bath), then I went to bed. I couldn't eat all the next day and felt absolutely shattered! I'm fine now and reflecting on lessons learned.

1) If your instinct is telling you to take a big flask of hot tea with you, even though it will make your already full rucksack even heavier....do it!!

2) Take one more layer of warm clothing than you actually think you will need and put it all into a waterproof bag FFS!

3) I am not invincible ;)

This was a case of mild hypothermia and it was horrible. It was mild because I was still conscious and could function, albeit in a limited way. Proper full blown hypothermia can be fatal. Never underestimate the power of the cold. If your core temperature is too low for too long it can affect your ability to think and to keep going. Eventually it can lead to vital organs shutting down and death! (Sounds dramatic, I know...but it's true). So if you're going to leap into cold water don't be daft, like I was, and make sure you've prepared for every unexpected weather eventuality:) I will be more prepared next time.

I can't wait to walk this amazing route again and to swim in this amazing place again and to put that extra pair of long-johns on and the extra woolly jumper and get my hands around that flask of hot tea when I get out. :)

xxx💕

RUN !

Hello,

I have had the flu! It's a vicious thing and of course illness is the dread of the small business self-employed, like me. I firmly believe that to be seriously self-employed, as in...it's how you support yourself, not just as a hobby in addition to the day job, one has to be in good health. There is no sick pay and if you can't work, the bills do not get paid. The strain of flu which seems to have been doing the rounds of the UK at the moment is a nasty piece of work. The cough and the cold are the least of the problems....the worst thing is that it seems to deplete all your energy and enthusiasm! Anyway, I've had it, it's gone and I've survived it.......apart from a little residual vertigo....which seems to be an annoying side-symptom. I've managed to keep going at a reduced pace, work-wise and yarn-dyeing has been happening over the weekend.

I like to run. I don't run vast distances as my knees are slightly rickety but a 5k run , out on my own , is great. Of course this all stopped with the flu. Just walking up the stairs became a major ordeal and I wondered if I would ever run again! After saying for the last few days..."I really need to get back running", today was the day I forced myself out of the door to actually give it a go. First, I went through all the usual reasons not to do it...the internal dialogue... "You are 61 years old, why do you want to run anyway?" Of course this is poppycock! "You are not really completely over the flu." ,"You don't have time, too much work to do", "Maybe you should have breakfast and another cup of tea first", "Your phone needs charging", ! In the end you just have to put the trainers on and go!

It was hard. Three weeks off takes it's toll. However , the sun was briefly shining on a chilly winter day and there are little signs of Spring. Through the woods and across the field I went. I had to walk on the uphill sections and my 5.4km took ages but, spurred on by the thought of caramel and ginger granola with a banana and a coffee, on my return, I did it and I'm glad.

Why do I do it? Many reasons but the main one is because it makes me feel stronger. It also "gets me out". Now I'm ready for a productive day of work.

It's Still Me.

Hello , This is my new blog. My old blog , Solstice Yarns, was fine but it was so long since I had posted on it that I decided on a new start. I also needed a new blog name and I have decided on "Running The Solstice Tide". Long winded, yes but it needed to encompass several different aspects and interests. "Solstice Yarns" was just about my hand dyed yarns and these and my yarny creations will still feature here but I also love running, swimming and generally staying fit as the clock ticks :) My love of the sea also had to be there as it is a large part of who I am....so "Running The Solstice Tide" seems to include most of these things. Do drop in or follow if you'd like to.

Solstice Yarns News..... I'm currently having a SALE in my Etsy Shop.

 There is 20% off everything for a limited time. Everything is included, even the posh, luxury yarns so now is the time to treat yourself if you've had your eye on anything. Feel free to hop over to my shop for a little browse.

Bye For Now, Eleanor x