Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

I am writing a post today about a place very close to my heart, a place I call my soul's home and that place is Cornwall. We first went to Cornwall fifteen years ago. We wanted a family seaside holiday, with good weather, so we knew we were heading down to the south of England. We decided on Cornwall, somewhere I had always felt I wanted to go. From where we live it is a long journey, we went on the train, a journey of nine hours and getting on for 400miles, from one end of England to the other. The magic started as soon as the train crossed over Brunel's magnificent work of engineering, the bridge over the Tamar river. As soon as the train was on Cornish land, the enchantment fell on to me, I felt as though I was coming home. I had never felt like that before, when visiting a new place. Sitting typing this up now, I can feel tears in my eyes thinking about that feeling of 'coming home'. Every year since then we have tried to visit Cornwall at least once a year, some years we have managed a lucky two times. If we ever have the chance and the wherewithal, that is where we are heading to live. It is both our deepest dream.




That first holiday we went to Penzance, the end of the line for the railways in England, after three years holidaying in Penzance as the house we rented was no longer available, we started going to Falmouth, staying in different apartments and houses. Now in these later years we have returned, without the family to Penzance. We love both places dearly, but there is just something a little extra about Penzance that both my husband and I feel,something that can't be expressed in words, just a felling about the place.

The first two photographs are of St Michael's Mount, the Cornish twin of Mont St Michel in France. When the train turns towards the sea as you approach Penzance, I can't express the feeling that wells up as St Michael's Mount comes into view, it is like an island out of time and from fantasy, and when you do this journey, as we have, when the sun is just rising it is just awe inspiring.


The above photograph it taken from the front of Penzance looking back at the town, the church tower that soars above the buildings is the Abbey, and it dominates the skyline of the town.


This is a photograph of our favourite pub in Penzance, 'The Turks Head'. It is a very old building, some of it dating from the 16th century. It has very low ceilings and to get out into the lovely planted courtyard behind it, you go down this very old narrow low ceilinged corridor. The cellar of the building is a restaurant, although you can eat in the actual pub, which is very dark, wooden and quaint or in the couryard. The food there is supberb. You can just imagine smugglers doing business there. I think part of it was attacked when the Spaniards invaded in tudor times. It is set in one of the crooked narrow streets that lead off the main street of Penzance.


Here is another view of the Abbey. It is situated, also in a maze of little streets. That is one of the things I love about Penzance the narrow streets with very old houses and shops, dating from the 1600's onwards and then the regency part of Penzance near the sea front.


This is one of the squares, where the houses, date from regency times, and a lot of them are painted gay pastel colours. Behind these squares are the impressive Morrab Gardens, and the houses on one side of these are larger versions of these small regency houses.


Whenever we visit Penzance, we always have a couple of trips by train to St Ives, the above photograph is an overhead view of St Ives as you leave the station. I love St Ives, the only thing is that in summer it is very crowded, the streets are very narrow, yet traffic is allowed through these narrow streets, causing congestion, as obviously the streets were not built to take the volume of today's traffic.


This is representative of some of the side streets of St Ives, they are beautiful in summer, lots of people have hanging baskets and pots full of geraniums outside their doors, which makes it very colourful. St Ives is full of craft shops and galleries, not all in the main streets some tucked away in small side streets and alleys. The nearer to the sea you go the more tight, twisted and narrow the streets become. All to the benefit of old time smugglers, sneaking through the night to collect lace for the ladies and brandy for the gentlemen. Our favourite pub is at the harbour, 'The Sloop', it is another old quaint place. Three beautiful beaches surround St Ives and there is no where better when the sun is shining and the sea is sparkling than lying on those beaches. On the other hand it is also impressive watching the storm clouds approach and the sea changing from a sparkling blue to a stormy grey.


To me, there is nowhere like Cornwall, and especially nowhere quite like Penzance. It is a unique place, the quality of light is sensational and there is just something in the air there, its not just the ozone, it's a sort of magical quality, a place where anything could happen and you would not be surprised. In parts there is a quiet shabbiness to it that is endearing, and the ambience is very comfortable, a place where you just don't seem to have to hurry about anything, yet at the same time and inspiring, buzzing place. The main street is called Market Jew Street, and that is the main thoroughfare for traffic, at the top of that is what is called Causeway Head a paved long road of interesting shops, old book shops, craft shops, witchy shops and interesting food shops. Cutting away from here is Bread Street, that is still being rennovated and is the home of art galleries and craft shops. We stayed in a lovely small house just off Bread Street, in a private Square with cobbles, and trees growing in the middle, a square that looked more French than Cornish. Well I leave you with one last photograph of the the sun's rays shining on the Abbey.