There are some nights, and some people, that will always stick in your mind. I am going to tell you about a night, and certain people in my life, who may just inspire you – regardless of how you feel or who you are – to be as brilliant as the events were for me.
After three weeks of settling in – and of enduring the nerves and strain of being in my first year of university – my mother, two of my sisters, and my partner finally came to visit me. Curiously, my strongest hug went to my little sister (who is one year younger than me) because I had realised in her absence from my life that she is my best friend. My mother and my older sister were greeted with the kind of fond affection that is largely reserved for people you adore, and I placed my head against my partner’s chest with the glorious sensation of coming home.
We wandered around Penryn and up to the Exeter campus in order to expose my little sister to her “insurance choice” university. Throughout the afternoon, she became increasingly sure that she had made the right decision, for which I was thankful. She is a complex creature, so enabling her to reach a conclusion on something as significant as her future was immensely comforting.
Shortly after this we returned to my house for a snack, and then my older sister parted ways with us so that she could spend the night with her own friends in the area. My mother, my little sister, my partner and I ventured into Falmouth to experience the curiosities of the town.
We strolled first to Beerwolf Books, to which I pose a question to you: how frequently have you, my readers, been to a bookshop in which you could buy a beer? Alternatively, how frequently have you bought a beer and then been able to sit in a bookshop and browse? If your answer is never or rarely, then this is the place for you. It is the greatest invention to ever pass before the eyes of a bookworm. My partner wandered off to play chess with a stranger, while we – my family – sat and remarked on the curious place in which we were sat.
The highlight of the night was when we found our feet drawn into the leisurely atmosphere of Hillbilly’s, which is a true curiosity of Falmouth. Only in this cafe/pub, for instance, can you find a one-eyed little dog acting as co-owner.
My partner, as you’ll soon come to learn, is frequently emboldened by the presence of a piano if it is in the same room as him. He is emboldened even more so, it turns out, when the owners of the establishment exchange his talent for drinks. Soon, Bohemian Rhapsody was playing (on the notes which could still be played on a circa 1903 piano) and the music was soon radiating through this oddity of an establishment.
We ventured home earlier than we should have liked, but we had plans for the following day that did not allow us to endure a poor night’s sleep. From Falmouth we walked to Pendennis Point for an ice-cream before meandering into Harbour View – a delightfully atmospheric restaurant. Much to the delight of my little sister, the beer garden had blankets in it.
Tragically, our time together as a family ended shortly thereafter, following a bit more tea and chatter. I cried, my partner cried, but once they were out of view I felt better in an odd sort of way. This beautiful place in which I have chosen to study filled our weekend with brilliance and interest in ways I had not predicted. I saw my favourite people happy and then I also saw them leave, giving me the chance I need to establish my own happiness here.
This place is wonderful. Although I am isolated from my family, I am not necessarily without my home.