Cornish Pasty Blog

The beauties of a Cornish night

I went to put our car away the other night and paused.

There was a full moon that painted everywhere in silver. Without the distraction of colour everything stands out so clearly.

Our little cottage lies on a hill. Properties on the side nearest the sea lie below us, those on our opposite side above. The arrangement means that, with the wind coming off the sea and up the valley that old Porthleven lies in, we can hear the surf breaking on the beach shore. One of the properties above us has a thicket of mature bamboo; it is well developed and lush so that the same breeze swishes the heavy canopy to bring another beautiful sound. On the third and fourth sides, the houses are also slightly higher and this places us in a sort of bowl. The amphetheatre as it is shields us from traffic noise from the nearby road through the village and contributes to my being able to just stand and listen.

The longer I stand the more I can hear as some noises drop into the background and others appear, such as the call of seagulls unsettled somewhere in the village by perhaps a passing cat.

Moon free nights alter what I hear. The amphitheatre aspect means that a majority of street lights can be hidden behind buildings, excellent for star gazing. Whenever I look at the stars I get lost in thoughts of what is out there, whether we might find evidence of life [or even intelligent life down here]. If I concentrate, I can almost make out the opaque swirl of the milky way - amazing.