Chapter Sixty Three – “One Year On: Back in Polruan (Part 2)”

Day 5 – Wednesday, 10^th May 2017

                Today has been a slight change to the normal routine, if it can be said that the days so far have followed any sort of pattern. Mum and I set out for Liskeard in search of my new phone; my current one was becoming more impractical by the day, although I was informed that my lack of reception was simply a side-effect of being in Cornwall!

                On the way, I played the NHS Choir CD, proud to show Mum what I had joined. She noted that the songs were all of a similar style, but she gave her seal of approval.

                With the S7 purchased after much discussion (and my photos successfully copied over), I realised that I would need a new sim card as there was a difference in sizes. We decided to set off for Plymouth to get it sorted. So our road trip continued.

                Before driving on, however, we stopped by the Co-Op, as I wanted to buy ingredients for a recipe for Scotland. I would try it out tomorrow, as we were out tonight at the 1940’s film, Rebecca.

                The afternoon was lazy, and I enjoyed getting further into my book, whilst appreciating the sunshine.

                The evening showing of Hitchcock’s Rebecca was a treat. I was the youngest bloke there, it seemed – this was unsurprising. Mum and I enjoyed it immensely, and the suspense and atmosphere made it a captivating watch, even though I knew what was coming. Well worth it.

                I appreciate this entry is shorter than usual, but the late hour has taken its toll, and the pull of sausages is too strong to resist. One drawback of writing at this hour is tiredness, and tonight I am struggling to compose sufficient thoughts. The ongoing iPlayer/WiFi saga remains unresolved, so it looks like a return to my book to close the day.

Day 6 – Thursday, 11^th May 2017

                This morning, for a slight change, Mum and I set out for Readymoney Cove, and St Catherine’s Point. This suited me better than the Hall Walk today, as it would enable us to have a more leisurely walk before my guided tour event at two (the last of my Literary Festival events). It also meant we could enjoy a different sort of lunch if we desired – as it happened we decided to stop by the yacht club.

                With Moses in tow, we took a slightly circuitous route to the cove. I wanted to familiarise myself with the starting point for my guided walk, so we ventured up to the top of Fowey, an area I’d never explored before. It gave a lovely view over to Polruan, and provided another angle for many well-known views. The challenge was getting Moses up the steps to the castle path at Readymoney Cove, as they were steep and metal, and not the most dog-friendly. However, we prevailed, and were soon enjoying the vista from this unique landmark. Moses was keenly exploring everywhere. I wondered what it must’ve been like, back when it was a functioning fort (Henry VIII’s time, I later learnt), thinking with the imagination of a novelist.

                With time pressing on, we went for lunch at the yacht club, the festival box office. I remembered last year, sitting on the terrace discussing my studies for my postgraduate diploma, and now being here once more, having reaped the rewards of my hard work. It felt much more relaxed! With these pleasant thoughts in mind, I enjoyed my tagliatelle (and camomile tea – Mum’s idea).

                At two, I was waiting for the guided tour to begin. A number of older couples had already begun to gather, and I was making small talk as I waited for the others to arrive. I was probably the youngest there, unsurprisingly. However, I got chatting to a quiet, but very pretty young lady from Newcastle, who was studying Daphne du Maurier for her PhD, and had only recently discovered the festival for the first time. As such, she had decided to come along. I must say I particularly enjoyed chatting with her (Helena), and we discussed our favourite du Maurier novels (hers was The King’s General – if only I’d waited a bit longer, I may have bought it). Notably, she had the biggest smile I’d seen for a while, and it was plainly clear she was loving the experience – who could blame her? Particularly as she was so keen on du Maurier, rather a niche subject, so it seemed. The walk took us along the streets back to the quay, looking at sites of particular du Maurier relevance along the way – here was her house, for instance, and here was the nursery school. We were encouraged to spare a thought for poor Donna, the heroine of Frenchman’s Creek, who had to run barefoot from the town quay to St Catherine’s Point, chasing her departing pirate ship – our aches and pains seemed suddenly insignificant. I was also reminded how Daphne loved Polruan (the ‘sunny side’ of the river) and would frequently walk along the Hall Walk path. Little did I know that I was walking in her footsteps.

                The tour finished in the town quay, and after saying goodbye to Helena (and saying we’d perhaps meet again next year) and thanks to Dawn, our guide, I caught the ferry back to Polruan. This couldn’t come soon enough, as it was now a grey, miserable day. On my return I got down to cooking my chicken and broccoli bake, as a practice for Scotland. It was well received by Mum and Dad, and thankfully there were no ill effects from undercooked chicken!

                With WiFi finally working, the evening was spent catching up on Holby City and Doctor Who. Things were relaxed, with no specific evening plans (for a change). However I began to feel a bit sad that the holiday was nearly over, and that all my festival events had come to a close. What was more, I’d made a lot of acquaintances, both new and returning, and it seemed a shock to say goodbye so soon. I know tiredness will come upon me all too soon, and Friday will be here before long. So it must be.

NB. As a footnote, it should also be said that Mum and Dad watched my NHS Choir videos this morning. Also, that the change of walk meant I didn’t collide with the tree again, as I had forgotten to duck on two previous occasions, hitting it from both directions!

Day 7 – Friday, 12^th May 2017

                This morning was another one to take at my own pace. First of all, I had no festival events arranged for this ‘last’ day. Secondly, the weather overnight was so windy and gloomy as to make the prospect of a long walk thoroughly unattractive.

                However, to give Moses at least some exercise, I took him up to the point, just along from the cottage, and allowed him to have a bit of a run. Though not the most interesting of walks, perhaps, it afforded me an opportunity to take some atmospheric photos from the headland, looking out to sea.

                Upon returning to the house, I spent time reading, for want of other plans. I also listened to some music for next week’s choir performance, and further discussed finances with Mum – always an interesting topic(!), and one largely neglected until now. Time well spent.

                It was around one that Mum and I decided to brave the gloomy weather and head across to Fowey for a spot of lunch. To free ourselves up to do our own things, we considered it best to leave Moses behind. I felt sorry for him as he excitedly watched me fill the rucksack and put on my walking shoes. Persuading him to stay in his basket, we made our exit.

                As we walked to the yacht club for lunch, Mum stopped by the estate agent’s window for her usual perusal of the houses on show. Initially interested myself, following the morning’s talk of money and mortgages, I was soon distracted by the young lady standing beside us, who was also gazing through the window. I immediately recognised her as Helena, though this time without her beret, so her dark hair fell down over her shoulders (I now recalled noticing her at the film on Wednesday evening, though of course at the time I had no idea who she was). Seeing she had a large purple holdall beside her, I deduced she was about to leave Fowey, and wished her a safe journey. She smiled, and we went our separate ways.

                As previously, the yacht club provided me with a delicious lunch; chicken tikka this time. However, it was too cold and windy to sit outside, so we found a corner table in the restaurant. Dr Laura was sitting at the next table, deep in discussion about her talks later this afternoon – she was going to be introducing a new du Maurier documentary, premiering today. I couldn’t resist listening in, although the event itself didn’t attract me hugely, as I only considered myself a casual reader of du Maurier’s works.

                Onwards from there, we made our way through the town, stopping by the Fowey River Art Gallery, as was customary. I loved the seascapes with the artist’s use of light and shadow, and half-wished I was looking for something to place on my own wall – alas, they were all well above my price range! Still, my imagination was aroused, as I pondered the stories behind the various paintings – some more mysterious and abstract than others.

                Our main destination was Pinky Murphy’s Café, the perfect place to laze with our books and a comforting hot chocolate, taking shelter from the elements. I continued with my book, learning ever more about David Attenborough’s early years in Africa, occasionally referring to the dictionary they kept on the bookshelf (just like the old days). Mum read her book too, and having finished it, duly fell asleep. I struggled with The Times crossword on my own, but not getting a single answer I gave up and briefly returned to Attenborough. Before long it was closing time, and now feeling well refreshed, we were bidden to leave. So began our slow return to the ferry, and our farewell to Fowey, reluctantly on my part.

                Dad had booked us a table at the Lugger Inn in Polruan for six o’clock. Our final dinner consisted of the Lugger burger (Mum), ‘whale and chips’ (Dad) and salmon fillet (myself). I seemed to recall last year’s meal choices being similar, but didn’t think it surprising as we were evidently creatures of habit. I rounded everything off with strawberries and cream (yes, two months early).

                The final part of the day involved cheering up a sulking Moses – after initial excitement at seeing us again, he flopped in his basket and took some persuading to join us in the lounge. That said, he didn’t stay for long. He was rather tired himself and soon returned to his bed.

                After some packing, I relaxed with a Doc Martin, Scrabble with Mum, and a Cornish-themed Poirot.  Yet again, after all that, tiredness prevailed and this account was written with somewhat tired eyes. Just one more night in Cornwall, but plenty of memories stored up. It has been a good week, but over far too quickly.

Day 8 – Saturday, 13^th May 2017

                Today was a day for packing and saying goodbye to Polruan – for another year, at least. I rose early and sorted the final items into my bags. Checking the house, I made sure nothing was left behind, and we locked the doors. Moses, already in the car, could sense a change in atmosphere and was settled, a little despondently, onto the back seat. The gates opened, and Dad was off.

                This left Mum and I to return the keys and to book up the cottage for next year. Then, with a pasty in hand (my last genuine Cornish pasty), we set off on the road to Totnes, where Mum was staying overnight. With the train not arriving in Totnes until half past four, I had a lazy afternoon to enjoy. In contrast to yesterday, the weather was particularly glorious.

                The afternoon wound to a close at the house of a couple of Mum’s friends – he, Alan, being my go to person during my school days for all chemistry-related problems. We’d only ever spoken on the phone, so it was high time to finally put the voice to a face! But one of the reasons for visiting this afternoon was to see their new three month Labrador puppy, Amber; very soft and adorable, but rather tired. We left her snoozing under the garden table as we left. Brenda had lent me another Daphne du Maurier book, Vanishing Cornwall, so I had plenty of reading material for the coming months – I counted four new books at least!

                The Totnes to Paddington train was slightly delayed, giving Mum a few more minutes with me on the platform. I said thank you for a wonderful holiday, looking forward especially to next year. Just a few more days though and I’d be off to Scotland – of which I’ll doubtless write in due course. But for now, with a sigh, here ends my Cornish holiday.