Cornwall - Day 3

Daphne du Maurier, The Birds, and Me

After feeling like I was in a terrible flare yesterday, I allowed myself to get a full twelve hours of sleep last night. While yes, I’d rather be out exploring instead of sleeping, I knew that if I didn’t give my body the extra rest, I’d pay for it.

Fortunately, I woke up a little after noon and felt much better. There is a method to my madness. (Also? I wrote 1800 words last night on the novel! Huzzah!)

I headed back to the city centre again today, determined to see what the small Fowey Museum had to offer. Unfortunately, they were closed, so instead, I went into Fowey Church, St. Fimbarrus. This church dates back to the Norman period (built circa c. 1150); was reconstructed in the 14th century, then rebuilt in 1460 after a French attack. It has seen a lot! Though I am an agnostic, I love exploring old churches as they are full of history.

The peaceful interior invited a somber reflection of all the people who’d sat in those pews over the centuries . . . If I looked hard enough, I could see parishioners dressed in different outfits over time mingling amongst themselves, singing, greeting each other, praying. I placed my hand on the stone of one wall, thinking how many before me had touched it. I could almost hear their voices whispering to me, telling me their stories. It was a holy moment.

I kept walking and at last saw Daphne du Maurier’s house, Ferryside. It is not open to the public as it is still owned by her family. Her son, Christopher, still lives here. But I snapped some photos!

I sat on a bench and pulled out my journal, wanting to document this moment. I thought of how happy Daphne was in this house, how her creativity sprang to life here, how she was able to write more freely than ever before in her life. This place fueled her. That’s exactly what I want from where I live: energy, inspiration, peace. Every time I come to the U.K., I feel all three of those things. It feels like home.

As I walked the steep, winding streets, I pictured her doing the same, probably pondering over plot snarls or working out character motivations, or perhaps mentally writing descriptions of the birds snatching chips off the ground or the way the slate walls bend along the lanes. As I watched the birds swirling overhead, listened to them calling and cawing, I realized that of course this place inspired her to write her short story, “The Birds.” The 1963 Alfred Hitchcock movie is different to her story as it takes place in California instead of Cornwall, but both center around birds suddenly attacking human beings. It’s chilling. Now, I love birds dearly and take pictures of them all the time. But it’s a bit unnerving when you see flocks of them circling you . . .

In the town centre, there is a statue dedicated to “The Birds.” While I was eating fish and chips at a nearby restaurant, these two birds landed on it. What a photo op!

I sat at the restaurant for quite awhile, enjoying my fish and chips and cider, and letting myself completely relax. I have desperately tried to not be in a rush during this vacation, and today I completely succeeded. I don’t feel the urgency that I did back home, don’t feel like I have to hurry up and do this so I can do the next thing. That part of my brain has gone quiet. I’m enjoying the silence for now.

I stopped into a charity shop and found the book section (did you think I’d skip that? Never!). Lo and behold, look what I discovered! I am a huge fan of the British murder mystery series, Midsomer Murders, so of course I had to snatch this up. I loved the “choose your adventure” stories when I was a kid, so this has been a lot of fun to read.

Fowey is full of history, but since I am a WW2 historian, I was really chuffed (uh oh! I’m picking up the vernacular already!) to find this plaque dedicated to the D-Day invasion. Fowey Harbor played an important role in the Normandy Invasion and was a “secret port.” Here’s a few details From the Bodmin Keep Museum’s website:

“Fowey became one of the main ports in Cornwall for loading ammunition for the US 29th Division which landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day and because of this it was a well-defended town and harbour . . . In 1944 the town played its part in the D Day landings and accommodated units of men from Landing Craft Tank and Landing Craft Infantry units in the preparation of the liberation of troops from France. Over 1000 Americans were based in the town prior to embarking for France in the June of that year. Many of the survivors rescued were brought back to Fowey for treatment before being sent on to Falmouth. Due to the very large number of service personnel stationed in Fowey, British and American, the town was well served with medical facilities. The US Navy having a 100-bed hospital and a hospital training school.”

Wow. Such a cool part of history! And now I have another idea for a book set here . . .

I took my time returning to my flat. I enjoyed the cool breeze, stopped to smell the flowers (yes, really), and took more photos. There is a wall here with these cool “porthole” openings that are so neat to look through.

Once back in my flat, I decided to tackle my laundry. When I booked this place, I could have sworn they mentioned they had a washer/dryer unit. Nope! So I did it the old fashioned way and used the bathtub. It’s gonna take quite awhile for those clothes to dry, but hey! At least they’re clean!

England won their World Cup match last night - but I was too knackered to go and watch. I’m glad because the game was delayed and started at 2 a.m. I was fast asleep by that point!

Tomorrow it’s supposed to be warmer. I, being the American wimp (and a post-menopausal woman) that I am, ordered a fan from Amazon.uk a few days ago. It will be here tomorrow, THANK THE GODS. Although there is always a nice breeze flowing through the windows, when the temps start climbing, I’ll need more.

Right! Hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post on my Cornwall adventures! Now it’s off to work on the novel . . .

Follow along for the rest of the week as I document my holiday in Cornwall!