Polish buns in Shepherds Bush

In London, but thinking about Cornwall as we are just pulling together a team for the next round of workshops in school. am reminded of Ewa Cimochowska, who helped with workshops earlier this year, by the Polish bakery a few doors down the street from my office in Shepherds Bush.
Very interesting how pastries can have such a strong cultural stamp.
Ewa is a fantastic cook, as anyone who sampled her cheesecake at the Workshop we held at Truro Library will know...

Trip to Pool police station, a Polish shop and the daffodil season on ice

To see Bev Faull, the recently appointed police officer dealing with migrant workers in the west of the county. She is inspiringly focussed and interested in the subject - consult her ahead of our assemblies at Pool School next week. There was a minor skirmish in the local press about migrant workers in the area last autumn - the West Briton carried a front page story. Again, so far from the truth that it is not worth repeating here but it can be read via the link. An example of local hysteria, whipped up against migrant workers. This was not the West Briton's finest hour. This front page story was based on quotes by un-named local residents. Not one named source.  In reality there were no evidenced examples of 'bad behaviour' by migrant workers and because of that the story inevitably died down, thankfully. Local hysteria has now turned against planned social housing for single mothers. Regrettably though, the West Briton story has left a legacy - people thinking that there is a 'migrant worker problem' in Pool.

Bev is based in a station that is not open to the public - it is almost romantically bleak ... What I imagine 'safe houses' in John Le Carre novels look like.

Then to the Polish shop in nearby Tuckingmill to stock up with goods for the Eastern European suitcase. It is a fusion of Cornish and Polish. A sign for pasties outside. And (how ironic!) West Briton advertising...

Fairy liquid, Polish sausage and Chupa Chups inside.

Then back home via the daffodil fields. The daffodil season has stalled because of the icy weather last month. Very much behind schedule. The big local flower grower, Nocton, has hundreds of workers poised to pick. But few flowers as yet. Crows are enjoying the empty fields.