Week 33 of 2020 brings a different tone and format being on holiday – more about family and leisure time – including digging holes, Tate, sea lions, cream tea, tin mines, Eden Project, bunnies, tropical birds and skittles.

Monday, holes on the beach. Weather was glorious so we visited the local Carny Bay for a day of sand, sea and sun. Cornish roads are not the easiest to get around or park on but we found a cheeky roadside spot that was free for the day. It just left quite a steep hill for the kids to moan along. I got my dad hole mode on, excavating quite an impressive trench which got plenty appreciation from passers-by and nearby dads. Facilities were relatively good, nervous to use considering “eased lockdown”, but fresh tasty food from a local bbq shack and clean toilets with plenty sanitiser certainly helped.

Tuesday, Tate St Ives and sea lion boat tour. With every family trip, we have to seek out a nearby gallery for art obsessed wifey. Plenty local heritage she appreciated but kids and myself not hugely impressed. After some snacks, we jumped on a boat tour to see sea lions bathing and resting. Eerily misty journey out to see was totally worth it.

Wednesday, cream tea and tin mines. Visited a quaint garden in the middle of nowhere serving scones and tea. Nice idea attracting foreign tourists but neither were that tasty despite decent reviews (should I contribute back online?). Best part of the journey was seeing some wild cattle by a derelict tin mine. Great opportunity to treat the iPhone wide angle lens (see featured image).

Thursday, Eden Project. Underwhelming national treasure. Impressive structures and wonderful to see research going on but it needs more activities for families, plus food options are too spread out without enough variety. Family annual pass for £75 but you need a good reason to return. We also popped around the corner to see some family, as socially responsible as possible.

Friday, quiet lazy one at the caravan with a trip to the supermarket as most local restaurants are fully booked through Summer #lockdownstaycation.

Saturday, boiler woes and bunny tears. We woke up to realise the caravan boiler wasn’t working. Many phone calls later, we found a nearby hero able to source a replacement heating element and fix it same day. The day got worse when grandparents called to say one of the rabbits passed away overnight. Trying to tell any kids they’ve lost an animal is hard, especially unexpected. Being unable to say goodbye properly really bothered our son who’s planning to work with animals in the future. We also said goodbye to our Middlesbrough camping neighbours; addresses exchanged for the kids to pen pal each other – the lost art of social messaging.

Sunday, tropical birds and skittles. We head over to Paradise for an afternoon of tropical birds. Immediately, we were impressed. As we sat down for a picnic, we noticed parrots free flying around, sitting in the nearby tree. The entire park was really well managed with all the creatures looking healthy and happy. We even had a 15 minute discussion with a member of staff who told us some parrots can live to 80 years old. Following the animals, we found Country Skittles – a nearby restaurant featuring skittle alleys to enjoy with some pub grub. Perfect end to a lovely day.