A perfect little cottage

It was the usual scene, rushing around, packing, cleaning, checking, checking again, yes we were getting ready to leave our lovely weekend accommodation and exit by ten o’clock. We had done most of the packing the night before, apart from clothes, bathroom items, breakfast items, items in the fridge,. We hadn’t made a lot of mess over the four days we had been in the comfortable little cottage we were inhabiting during the Port Isaac shanty festival. We’d had a great time at the fest, despite the rain, and we had loved our little home from home.

The festival had started on Friday, and The Beach’d Buoys had gigs on all of the three days, but we all had arrived the day before, to acclimatise and enjoy wandering round the pretty little village. Last time I was here was for the nearby Literary Festival at St Endelilon, a very different vibe! We were very fortunate to have such a lovely home while we were there as the weather was somewhat inclement.  The other Beach’d Buoys and partners were in bed and breakfast accommodation some way away and would have had to trail round from café to café seeking shelter until the gig. Luckily we could accommodate them for a couple of hours, so the Buoys sat round the kitchen table practising shanties, and partners sat upstairs catching up with each other’s news.

It was a great if rather damp shanty fest, the Bouys had five gigs, in various cafés, restaurants, the pub and other venues. Our little cottage was perfect, we cooked our own meals, we could chill and relax, we could entertain the band, we could come and go as we liked, we could buy a few beers and let the evening unwind, and then retire to a comfortable bed to catch up with our reading.

Then of course when it was time to go and it was a mad rush – despite our best intentions and tidying and packing the night before. Because we had felt so at home we had spread somewhat. I am exaggerating slightly, it was in fact an organised retreat rather than a mad rush, even so, despite checking everywhere, we managed to leave two items behind. I know exactly where we left them, one on a chair at the dining table, and one beside the bed (his side not mine!) The items are in safe hands and this means we will have to return to collect them, a grand idea!