We’re in Cornwall again, down in St Endellion for the autumn literary festival – which if you’ve never been, is absolutely brilliant! Always a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, a great variety of writers for every field you could imagine, talks, workshops, performances, and a most enthusiastic and appreciative audience for every event.
We had a full and busy day yesterday (I attended a most useful writing workshop, and a talk by the writer Vaseem Khan) but today there was a free morning. One of us went to meet a friend, but later we went to Wadebridge the nearest town to the festival.
Wadebridge is a town in north Cornwall which straddles the River Camel five miles upstream from Padstow. Originally known as Wade, it was a dangerous fording point across the river until a bridge was built here in the 15th century, after which the name changed. The bridge was strategically important during the English Civil War, and Oliver Cromwell himself went to take it. It has been widened twice and was refurbished in 1991.
Being Sunday, many of the shops and eating places were closed, but we found a very nice little café and had a most satisfying fried breakfast and coffee. We had nothing particular to do, so we sauntered around the centre in the lovely sunshine, stood on the bridge, visited a charity shop where a book was bought (‘Eastgate’ by and signed by J.D. Kirk) visited a junk shop which seemed somewhat overpriced, and then found a bench in the sunshine to sit while we waited for our other to return.
Sitting there we wittered on convivially about all sorts of things, mostly to do with writing, books we’re reading/have read, yesterday at the festival, trivia, furniture, the rude man in the junk shop, the nice cabin we’re staying in, the writing/book fest we’re planning for next year, and so on and so forth. Very pleasant and relaxing!
Tomorrow we will head home, but no doubt we will have an adventure or two on the way – which of course I will share once I’m home again.
PS I’m writing this in our little cabin, the window is open because it’s a lovely afternoon, and I can hear a single bird calling – probably a rook, and it sounds as if it’s shouting ‘George! George!’
My featured image isn’t of a tree in the woodlands here, but it looks the sort of tree a rook shouting ‘George!’ might sit in.
Lois Elsden 
Dear Lois
I preface my remarks by saying we ( wife Jo and I ) are from Bell Park, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria , Australia.
I read your comments regularly.
The reason for writing is to share an interesting comment I heard on a favourite TV show we watch nightly – Mash.
They referred to an ” edible complex ” which is the complex a man has for his mother’s cooking.
You may wish to introduce this to your writers group for their comments and interpretation.
Regards
Richard Sykes
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Dear Richard, how lovely to hear from you.I believe I have a distant cousin living in Geelong, but I’m not sure of her married name! I’ve only ever been round your side of the world once, we went to Tasmania where my great-grandfather was born. We had the most wonderful stay there, we loved every minute, and if we had been younger may very well have considered emigrating (if they would have us!) We also went to Brisbane to stay with my husband’s closest friend, and he was a wonderful host, showing us many really fabulous places.
It’s a long time since ‘Mash was shown on TV over here, but I used to watch it – a clever, very funny, and significant series. I like the idea of ‘an edible complex’! Both my parents were amazing cooks, and I often think about their recipes and ways of cooking our meals. I think that is an excellent suggestion for a writing topic for the group – I will mention it at our next meeting!
Best wishes from the south-west of England and thanks for your message!
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