September in St Ives, Cornwall

One of my very favourite things to do in the world is visit Cornwall and explore, so 8 weeks after Sebastian was born we booked a cottage just off the harbour in St Ives and travelled down the A30 with a car full of baby things (who knew such a small person could need so much stuff!?) and a few rolls of Portra 400 film...Being on holiday with such a newborn wasn't the easiest thing ever, especially the epic car journey but I'm so glad we made the effort to go.  In between endless feeds, nappies and hours spent rocking a colicky baby - we spent the week walking around the winding streets, sitting on the beach, breathing in sea air.   We even had a first few smiles from Sebastian which was amazing.  I loved wandering with my camera while we walked Seb around the town to calm him.  We had time to reconnect with the world and each other.September in St Ives brings the festival, so during our stay many artists in the town had open studios that we could explore, along with our usual visit to the Tate gallery which I loved.  Thanks to my friend Laura I also discovered the St Ives Archive - a room packed to the rafters full of old photos, articles and information, run by the most dedicated volunteers.  I spent a very happy hour looking at old photographs, allowing my imagination to run away with itself.  That's one of the things I love most about Cornish towns and villages - their timeless quality and their storytelling streets.  I came home feeling refreshed and inspired.And the light, don't get me started on the light in St Ives... It was amazing to take Seb to the beach - we put his little toes in the sand and standing in the sea, in the early autumn sunshine with my baby in my arms, I felt home.