by Maggie Fogarty | Aug 12, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Having spent over two years living in Cornwall – and 16 months in the deepest west of the county – I’m still thrown by the misconceptions many of my friends harbour about this part of the world. So here’s my top list of Cornish ‘myths’ based on recent chats I’ve had with ‘up country’ mates.
1) You can’t work in Cornwall. The assumption is that the only real options are tourism and the care sector. If you fall outside these, then it’s curtains. Leaving aside the education sector and the vibrant arts scene, there is no better time to work where you want to live. Technology has revolutionised how and where we can work and for many people this has liberated them from the daily commute. Granted, travel to meetings can be a pain when you live this far down in the south west but it’s amazing how much you can do with e-mail and Skype.
2) You can’t get decent building workers because they just want to bugger off to the beach at the drop of a surfboard. Definitely not our experience. We renovated our house to a strict time-scale and not only did our builders do a great job – thank you Jonathan Manser and co – but they worked like Trojans. Just struck lucky? Well I’ve met quite a few lucky people in that case.
3) Food is all about the pasties, cream teas and fish and chips. Forget Rick Stein and other top Cornish chefs because this one really refuses to go away. Of course visitors want to sample the trio of Cornish classics but there’s so much more. The food scene down here is exciting, experimental and the food festivals are great show cases.
4) You can’t get a decent hair stylist for love or money. Rubbish. After admiring someone’s beautifully cut hair, I asked her where she had it done. ‘Ask for Viv at Hunter Walsh’ she said and it turns out that Viv trained with Umberto Giannini, one of the most talented hair stylists I’ve ever met and who lost his life far too young. She has worked for Toni & Guy in London and Dublin before moving to Cornwall and setting up her own business with a colleague. So there are some talented stylists down here!
5) There is a dearth of good clothes shops because everyone slops around in shorts and tees. Granted, it’s more of a casual dress code down here but there are some great clothes outlets if you want something a bit smarter or edgier. A shop called ‘Mash’ in Penzance has some brilliant designer pieces for reasonable prices.
6) Outside the main tourist season, there’s nothing going on. Yes, Cornwall feels a very different place in winter but there are still plenty of activities and places open for business. Come to think of it, Cornwall doesn’t really close down and once the summer is over tourism just trundles on in a more gentle way.
Now over to new cockapoo pup Bonnie for her latest take on Cornish living…
‘Hey folks, I’m definitely settling into my new pad and the summer weather has been wicked. I can even get a good eyeball of all those surfer dudes from my favourite place on the balcony. We had more visitors last week – my aunt Sheila and uncle Pete – and I got some great pressies. Loving it now that I’m getting more walks by the sea and I’m wondering if I’ll get one of those surf boards. Maybe if I bat my long eyelashes at my owners…well a girl can dream. One small moan. Why do my owners keep weighing me once a week in a bright orange bucket? (See photo). Woof and out…
by Maggie Fogarty | Jul 27, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Last week we had two of our friends from Bermuda staying at our place. They arrived after a long hot train journey from London and mercifully the sun stayed shining for most of their visit. OK, we did have a thunderstorm early doors, but hey – it wouldn’t be England without a bit of rain. Anyway – and is this a sign I’m getting older? – the garden needed a drink.
So what to do with visitors from a gorgeous paradise island? Well we started with our own beautiful Marazion and a meal at the Godolphin Arms. ‘Wow you’ve got lots of Palm trees just like Bermuda’ was one of their many favourable comments. Having experienced life in both, I’d say that Bermuda definitely has the edge when it comes to pink sands, warm turquoise sea, white roofed pastel coloured houses and all year around good weather – give or take the odd hurricane.
Yet Cornwall wins hands down for sheer variety of landscapes, cost of everyday living, (high in Bermuda), and for its friendliness to dog owners. Nowhere in Bermuda would a pub owner offer your pooch its own comfy throw to lie on, a bowl of water and some doggy treats. Yet this is exactly what our pup Bonnie was offered by the friendly staff at the Tinners Arms in Zennor. Our guests were astonished and added it to the list of things they loved about Cornwall.
The tight schedule meant that we didn’t get to the Penzance Literary Festival (Litfest) but from what I’ve heard, it was a huge success. It’s great that book lovers are flocking to festivals all over the country and the committed volunteers who put together this year’s Penzance line up should be proud of their efforts.
Talking of pride, new pup Bonnie did well in her first fun dog competition to raise money for the riding for disabled charity. Madam got first place for ‘the dog with the waggiest tail’ and was a finalist in the best pup category. The place was rammed and trust me, some of those competitors take things pretty seriously. We took it for what it was – a bit of a laugh for the benefit of a good cause. Bonnie got an extra ‘Smart Bone’ treat as a reward, it’s a sort of alternative to a rawhide chew made from peanut butter, sweet potato and chicken. She can’t get enough of them and they smell divine, so much so that my other half has been tempted to try one! I think that’s taking ‘dog bonding’ a bit too far so over to Bonnie for her latest missive….
‘Hiya,
It was great having those cool dudes over from Bermuda. More people to mess around with and to take for walks. And didn’t I do well in that doggy comp? Some of those folks were taking things a bit too far though, with all that preening and prancing around – and that’s just the dog owners. Me? I took it all in my stride and have a couple of nice shiny rosettes to show for it. Even got more Smart Bone rations for my efforts. Mind you, I’ll have to keep them away from that male rent Paul – don’t think that I haven’t noticed him sniffing at the pack and muttering something about trying one for himself. That’s not how it works in my world matey. I do the begging for scraps from the rents and my own stash is for me and me alone. So keep well away that’s what I say….Woof and out.
by Maggie Fogarty | Jul 11, 2014 | Uncategorized |
COD CORNISHNESS AND POOCH PROGRESS
So how are you adapting to life in deepest West Cornwall? It’s a question I’m always being asked from my city based ‘up country’ friends and work colleagues.
Given that their view of Cornwall is pretty much based on episodes of ITV’s Doc Martin and the occasional travel programme, the question is hardly surprising. They are incredulous when I tell them that I now live closer to three major supermarkets than I did when I lived in the Midlands. They can barely believe it when I add that there are large M&S and Boots outlets just over 10 minutes down the road in Hayle. So folks there are enough shops down here – honestly!
We came to live in Cornwall a little over two years ago, after a year spent living in Bermuda – the oldest British overseas territory. When we returned to the UK, we decided to fulfil a long term ambition to move down to Cornwall. OK Bermuda it isn’t, but there are a good number of similarities come to think of it. Beautiful beaches, palm trees galore and a strong sense of community.
I recently met up with the editor of the Cornishman, a paper which has enjoyed continued success despite the decline of the regional press in other parts of the UK. I must admit that when we lived in the Midlands, neither myself or my partner were avid readers of local newspapers. In Bermuda, we realised that the two main island newspapers – the Royal Gazette and The Bermuda Sun – were at the heart of the community and keenly poured over by locals. At the time I was a guest columnist for the Bermuda Sun and when I popped into to the supermarket or our local restaurant, people would routinely engage me in chat about my latest piece. Now we’re living in Cornwall, the Cornishman and magazines like Cornwall Today have become essential reading.
So does this mean we’re becoming ‘Cod Cornish’ – trying hard to be more Cornish than the real deal? I’d prefer to think that it’s just a willingness to engage with our adopted community, an attempt to become part of the fabric. Having said this, there are a few things that still bemuse me about living in this part of the world.
One is the constant question about whether we are continuing to work. There seems to be an assumption that anyone over 40 who moves down here either doesn’t want to do any serious work or has taken early retirement. Come on – this is the 21st century with internet, Skype and the ability to work almost anywhere. We’re lucky enough to be able to combine work with living down here but this ‘winding down’ assumption has started to grate.
As for new cockapoo pup Bonnie, the only true Cornish one in the house, her training is going – how shall I put it? – ok-ish. After a stellar performance at her first puppy training class, the second one was less successful. Madam has decided that partying with the other pups is much better than walking to heel and coming back to her owner when called. This puppy just wants to have fun and the training bit will come ‘dreckly’. Yes, a true Cornish gal is our Bonnie.
A final word from Bonnie herself….
‘Hey – had a great time at the last training class with the rents. I was a good girl Bonnie last week, sweet as you like, but this time I just wanted to rock with the other pups. A girl can only take trotting along on a lead and running towards the owners so far, especially when there are some handsome types to flirt and play with. So I had a whale of a time and can’t wait to go back. Still, I got a gorgeous comfy new lounger this week so I must be doing something right – looking good in it don’t you think? Woof and out….
by Maggie Fogarty | Jul 2, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Last week saw us take our new cockapoo pup, Bonnie, to her first training class. It was at Gulval Village Hall and on a rainy Thursday evening we weren’t sure what to expect. As it turned out the class was pretty busy with pups of all shapes, sizes and breeds. Trainer Anne certainly doesn’t fanny about – after a few walks to heel and getting the wayward pooches to return to their owners with varying levels of success – it was straight into the expandable tunnels. The dogs that is. Thankfully the owners could stay on the outside. Our Bonnie took it all in her stride and even went through the bigger darker tunnel with a bit of a push. Well that and the bribe of a tasty treat. Others were less keen, especially a tiny cross breed pup looking like she needed to grow into her skin. So Bonnie didn’t disgrace us and actually seemed to be enjoying herself, tail in full ‘waggy’ mode. So we’ll be back again and hopefully all the socialising with other dogs will pay off.
As for me and the other half, we’re going through the dog tired stage. Lots of early mornings and a pup that never gets bored with tug games. We’re pretty pooped and it’s only been a few weeks. Trying to fit work in around boisterous Bonnie is a juggling act but we’re starting to get there. ‘Don’t let the dog run you – you run the dog’ the experts tell us. The theory may be right but in practice it takes time to get there. For now it’s a battle of humans versus savvy, knowing pooch. We’ll win in the end – won’t we?
An early taster of things to come for the Penzance Literary Festival, (Litfest), gave me a break from doggy dos. At Penzance’s ‘Lost and Found’ cafe, Joy Salisbury, co-chair of this year’s event, whizzed through the programme and it’s going to be fantastic. It struck me that literary festivals are mirroring what has happened in the music industry. As independent book sellers have struggled, (just as the small record stores did), like minded book loving folk have got together to organise festivals. They’ve sprung up all over the country and isn’t that just grand?
Now over to the very Cornish cockapoo for her latest take on things…
‘Hi there,
You could say that my first training session went well and I think my owners are coping pretty fine. I decided to let sweet Bonnie out of her box so that they didn’t let me down – I mean who wants their rents to look like idiots? A girl has to keep up appearances and I spotted a few handsome types strutting their stuff on the floor. I’m sure a couple of frisky males were giving me the eye but this is a gal who plays hard to get. I wasn’t sure what to make of the tunnel thingy – I mean why do I need to head down the doggy equivalent of the channel tunnel? Still with a tasty treat waiting at each end, I went along with it. I’m definitely trying to lick those owners into shape, so bad Bonnie needs to come out from time to time to keep them on their toes. ‘Treat ‘em mean and keep ‘em keen’ isn’t a bad philosophy some of the time. So the odd chew of a rug or owners shoes just has to be done. Then when they get annoyed I put on my cute Bonnie face – and boy can I turn that one on. So far I think I’m training them up well, so not bad for someone who only moved in a month ago. Woof and out…
by Maggie Fogarty | Jun 21, 2014 | Uncategorized |
There’s a first time for everything and over the past few days my ‘first’ has been a fabulous rail journey from Penzance station all the way up to the Midlands. For those who already know the journey, much of the scenery is amazing and hats off to the fantastic ‘orange army’ who rebuilt the track damaged by this year’s awful winter storms.
If anyone deserves an award for a job well done, it’s the teams who worked around the clock to get this West Country rail route back up and running in record time. In my job as a TV producer and journalist, I’ve travelled all over the UK and the rail journey from Penzance to Somerset has to be one of the best – helped by the glorious June sunshine.
Moving on from trains to training. Our new cockapoo pup, Bonnie, is settling in well and as the song goes, ‘getting better all the time’. She’s even been sleeping through the night in her own crate, aka diva’s nest. Her recent ‘first’ has been proper walkies by the beach and she loved every minute. Bonnie is still attracting a sizeable passing fan base and if she could sign her autograph, I’m sure she’d oblige! She wasn’t so fond of another first experience though – a shampoo and rinse in the late afternoon sunshine. Madam sulked for an hour afterwards and decided to punish us by chewing her new grooming brush. Still she’s an adorable little thing and all is forgiven – on both sides I think. Now over to Bonnie for her latest take on things…
‘Hi there,
Well it’s been a week of highs and lows for yours truly. One of my owners decided to hot foot it ‘up country’ for a few days without taking me – the cheek of it. The other owner hung around to answer my every whim, but it wasn’t the same without two rents to play and mess around with. Still, I got to meet Maggie off the train and met some great rail travellers along the way. More pats and strokes for me!
I loved my first walk by the beach and stopping to say ‘hi’ to passing dogs and their folks. I’m not being big headed but this gal is getting some serious attention! Perhaps I need an agent? We’ll skip over the shampoo and rinse fiasco – goodness knows why my owners think I need a wash. Aren’t I a bonny enough Bonnie without it? You decide. Woof and out….
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