Good times and bad times

Well this Easter has just been fabulous. I had long walks every day, the first being over at Helford where Carol and I went to see some friends of mine there for a trigging party at Gillan Creek. Trigging is an old Cornish practice of collecting cockles on Easter Friday, and the creek was full of people raking the river bed at low tide, others lighting fires and everyone having a brilliant family time.

On Saturday a group of us went up to Luxulyan, organised by Rich, who is very into his geocaching. It was a great walk, despite the cold wind, and we got all the caches apart from one - though as Rich said, it’s a good excuse to go back. After a pint in the King’s Arms afterwards, I was good for nothing except food and a quiet evening in, but Deb and Rich are made of sterner stuff (despite being older) and went on to carouse at the folk and cyder festival…

Easter Sunday saw me tackling a car boot and then heading down to Penwith Moors where we found a walk which turned out to be near Castle an Dinas, which is where I need to do a walk for the book, so that was a fantastic coincidence. Once again, by the time I got home I was so tired I had to go to bed for an hour, but the walking was superb.

Easter Monday brought another car boot then going over to see some friends who are having a really difficult time. Life can often take us by surprise (always) but this one is a particularly heart wrenching and they need all the support they can get.

And yesterday I went over to Carbis Bay to give a talk at the hotel there - what a lovely audience they were, and bought lots of books too! I then went to help another friend going through a horrible time, and went for a long walk afterwards, thinking, I’m really glad the weather’s so good. It helps lift all the horrible stuff.

So here’s to spring, and good mates.

The House on the Strand

Last weekend, Deb, Rich and MollieDog and I went up to Tywardreath to do another Du Maurier walk. It wasn't the most photogenic of walks but the weather was just wonderful - we walked in t shirts and shorts for most of it, and I couldn't get enough of the wonderful sunshine.
The picture above is of what the locals call Crocodile Swamp, a marshy area below the railway bridge that could have been the one where poor Marcus died.

This was the railway bridge that looks quite spooky....

And this was the church where, next door was the most wonderful flowering cherry tree. It was a fabulous walk, and as we climbed one particular hill we looked out over a wooded valley. "That looks good to walk in," I said. Rich was very taken by the idea as he loves geocaching, so on Saturday we're heading off to the Luxulyan valley to walk and geocache there.

So that's my Easter treat! Hope you enjoy yours....

Daphne walk

At last I'm able to get back to writing the next book - Daphne du Maurier walks.

So on Sunday Fiona and I headed up to Fowey, in amazing weather, to do a walk round Lanteglos Church which was where Daphne married Tommy Browning. It was also where Jane Slade married Christopher Slade, and both were buried there: Janet became the inspiration for Du Maurier's first book, The Loving Spirit.

There's something special about spring, I think, as it carries a reward for the dour winter months, and hope for the summer ahead, and never more was it so than on Sunday. The scent of joy was in the air, along with shy primroses, deep blue violets clumped next to wild chives. Celandines lit our way along much of the path and overhead the bird song was the sweetest sound ever.

The church at Lanteglos is up a steep path from Pont Quay, but worth the view, and when we got there the churchyard was kissed with blackthorn blossom. From inside the church came the sound of a piano playing - the vicar, somewhat embarrassed at having been caught, said he wasn't supposed to have been playing (why not??) but was waiting for Bishop Chris from St Germans who is walking the Celtic Way - a variety of Celtic paths spanning some 135 miles from St Germans to St Michael's Mount. The Bishop was due any minute, but we didn't see him, and instead wound our way back towards Bodinnick where we sat in the sun and enjoyed the spectacular views down the river towards Fowey.

We really didn't want the day to end, it was such a joy to experience. And how lucky am I that I get to write about it, later? Transcribing the tape was lovely, listening to the robins and blackbirds singing their heads off, on what was a really perfect spring day.