The Portuguese cafe, Penrice and Penryn

An alliterative day.... the team has been on the road.
Mike Matthews and I went to Redruth to visit the Portuguese cafe.

Redruth always seems to me to have a huge potential for gloominess ... but then, I would say that - my heart's with Camborne. (A huge local rivalry, traditionally, between the two towns.)
But despite the deeply grey and granite environs....
the cafe - on close inspection - proves to be a delight.

Mike knows that as he is already an habitue.
But how wonderful to see roses and a blast of Portuguese colour.

The coffee is good too. And someone is eating a very substantial English breakfast.

The coffee is good.

We arrange to return for a photoshoot next week. On April 2, Sophie Goncalves will be singing - not to be missed - she is certainly Cornwall's top fado singer. This cafe is licensed and open until 11pm daily. Cannot believe that I never discovered it before.
En route back to Praze (to pack up the exhibition, ready for Saltash at the weekend), we pass daffodil fields which are disconcertingly yellow. This is a bad sign: the crop has come in too fast.

Then to Penryn, where Jo Grace (our workshop leader) and Bartek (migrant worker from St Ives) are ready to deliver two assemblies. The pictures will tell the story...

This has been an exceptionally busy day for them: they started at Penrice College (St Austell) very early indeed. And took things in a rather different direction - role playing in drama workshops.

We have a de-brief meeting in the cafe at Asda's afterwards - in the great tradition of I PACKED THIS MYSELF debrief meetings. They are usually in the cafes of major supermarket chains - only because they are quickest to get to and easiest to park at. And everyone can shoot off in different directions afterwards - as happened this time.
Me to the station and a train back to London - alas. Cornwall was calling today. The sun was out - at last! - and spring seemed to be on the way.