This morning, after a fitful night’s sleep, I arose, bound and determined to tackle the task of putting all our tax information together for our accountant in Nevada.  

Over the past months during my recovery, I couldn’t seem to get motivated to get this done. It weighed heavily on my mind. As of now, Monday at noon, I am done, having sent the worksheet and attached documents by email, including a few questions, for the accountant.  

He’s very competent and will most likely be done submitting our forms electronically by the end of the week. No signature is required.  What a relief to have this almost behind us!

My next daunting task is getting to work on setting up Plan B and a supplement for Medicare, so at least when we’re in the US, I’ll have coverage. Plus, I’m contemplating a trip to the Mayo Clinic while we’re in Scottsdale, Arizona, to check to ensure all is well with my heart and recovery.

United Healthcare Global Plan doesn’t cover our trips to the US.  Thus, the only coverage we have while in the US is Medicare Part A which only pays for 80% of any required hospitalization but not doctor visits, outpatient tests, or treatment or prescriptions.

Now that I am down to only three prescriptions with the opportunity to refill them online at reasonable prices from a reputable company we’ve used for years, ProgressiveRX.

As we’ve mentioned many times in the past, the responsibilities of our lives as US citizens remain constant regardless of where we may be at any time in any part of the world.

On the most recent cruise, only 2½ weeks ago, several passengers asked us if we’ll ever give up our US citizenship. This will never happen for dozens of reasons I won’t get into here since the list would be too long to list.  

We have many benefits and reasons always to maintain our US citizenship, plus with it comes down to it, there is a certain sense of pride in being American. And yes, regardless of “political disharmony” in the US (which we won’t get into here either), we still and always will feel a strong sense of patriotism.

Today’s photos depict one of many reasons we both feel connected to the countryside or outlying areas of many countries in the world. As we’ve often mentioned, we are not “city folk” as much as we may be in awe from time to time visiting large cities.

Sure, cities such as St. Petersburg, Paris, London, Rome, and many more hold a certain appeal with their luxurious historical buildings and history. But for us, a visit to a small town in the country leaves us reeling with delight, as has been the case here in the UK in Falmouth and now in St. Teath and their many quaint surrounding areas.

On the day we arrived at the Mill Barn cottage (actually a large house), we noticed a sign at a nearby farm inviting passersby to stop to purchase grass-fed local meat. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. 

On Friday afternoon, we returned to the less-than-a-mile away Button Meats and purchased all the beef, lamb, pork, bacon, free-range eggs, and chicken we’d need for a week.

We always giggle over finds such as this delightful farm offering a wide array of healthful meats, chickens, and eggs. The butcher/owner John cut beef for us precisely as we needed to make old-fashioned pot roast, a favorite of Tom.  

I selected two lamb shanks to add to the beef in the large pot we borrowed from the owners whose home is next to us (not attached). They are kind and thoughtful, willing to assist us in any way possible. But, we make every effort not to ask for many extras.

Speaking of thoughtful owners, John, the property owner in Falmouth, sent a US $300 credit to our credit card (via Homeaway’s system) with an apology for the inconvenience of the towel debacle the first two days we were there. How nice it that!!!  

We’d never asked for special consideration of any type. Here’s the link to John’s property in Falmouth, which we thoroughly enjoyed once we had towels on hand. The owners here in St. Teath are equally kind and accommodating.

We’ve been fortunate to have had many great experiences with owners throughout the world over the past almost seven years and, they are with us. We would treat their properties with the same consideration if they’d been our properties, creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

Of course, we’ll be back tomorrow with more, sharing photos of the animals in the paddocks here on the farm. It’s raining, so we’re staying in doing laundry and preparing tonight’s special dinner.

(Apologies to our vegetarian/vegan readers for today’s meat photos)!

It was dark and dreary as we drove through the town of St. Ives.

Also, the town was packed with end-of-summer tourists, and we couldn’t find a single parking spot that didn’t require us to walk for 15 minutes up steep hills to reach the center of town and all the sites. 

Narrow roads and historic buildings created a fascinating view of the small town with approximately 12,000.

Our raincoats were packed deep inside our luggage, plus we didn’t feel confident in leaving our bags unattended in the car, which included all of our digital equipment and laptops.  

St. Ives Parish Church.

Thus, we could only drive through the town at a slow pace as we worked our way around tourists with umbrellas and raincoats and an endless parade of vehicles. We can only imagine how much busier it must be during the warmer summer months.

Many towns, villages, and countries throughout the world have these colorful buildings lining the streets.

The quality of our photos was hampered by the crowds and the rain. I could only get out of the car once for photos when Tom parked for a few minutes in an illegal spot in front of a hotel. I got soaked attempting to capture a few ocean shots.  

Old and newer structures are built into the hills to take advantage of the scenic views of the ocean.

With check-in time at 2 pm at our new location, we didn’t veer from our course when we wanted to stop for lunch which was impossible in St. Ives but would have been fun.  

Note the surfers at a distance.

Instead, we stopped at a cute cafe, Pots, in the center of town in Bodmin and had a nice lunch, as shown in the photos below. We were able to park on the street and quietly enjoy our meal.

We love little cafes like Pots, extensive menus, freshly made food, and loads of playful ambiance.

My grilled chicken salad at Pots.

Tom’s spaghetti bolognese. Notice the buttered bread to the right. He devoured his bread and then mine. He never ate another bite the rest of the day, bypassing dinner since he was so full.

Here are some facts about St. Ives:

• 
  St Ives is home to one of the oldest inns in Cornwall. The famous Sloop Inn, which sits on the Wharf overlooking the harbor, dates back to circa 1312 and has welcomed fisherman through its doors since the 14th century.

• The branch train line from St Erth to St.Ives is deemed one of the most picturesque railway lines in England and takes in the sights of Hayle Estuary, Porthkidney Sands, Carbis Bay, and St Ives.
  

  The narrow, tightly packed roads made driving through the pretty town slow and tedious but well worth it.

• St Ives is home to one of only four Tate Galleries in the UK – Tate St Ives. The others are Tate Britain & Tate Modern in London and Tate Liverpool. The artist movement in St Ives has gained world acclaim, with masterpieces created by Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, and Alfred Wallis, who were all residents.
  

  The rocky shoreline in St. Ives.

• St Ives September Festival takes place for two weeks every year and has been running since 1977. There is something for everyone, with over 200 events over two weeks relating to music, dance, fine arts, poetry, arts, crafts, and theatre.
• Of only eight Blue Flag beaches in Cornwall, three are in the St Ives area – (Carbis Bay, Porthmeor, and Porthminster). The Blue Flag Award is an independent recognition of environmental excellence run by the non-profit Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). Worldwide there are over 2,000 Blue Flag beaches in 36 countries.

Photo from one year ago today, September 8, 2018:

This baby elephant appeared to be no more than a month old. For more photos, please click here.