There’s nothing like a holiday to sweep away the cobwebs and look at life afresh. I’m a terrible procrastinator and deamer. Full of what ifs, but never actually getting around to turning those ifs into reality. I’m not talking big ifs, but those little ifs that are achievable if only I could drag myself away from the mindless time wasting I’m so good at doing. There’s been many an occasion when I’ve thought of something to blog about but never made the effort to climb up to my little study two flights of stairs away ! Life is too short and precious to waste, and a week away to recharge the batteries has made me realise that I have to stop putting things off, get off my well upholstered backside and get on and do it!
So, here I am feeling invigorated and ready to hopefully start realising a dream. (Sorry, but I’m not giving anything away just yet, just incase nothing comes of it!) The theme from The Onedin line by Khachaturian is playing on the CD player which reminds me of the sea, which reminds me of our holiday, which reminds me of a very special place discovered last year and an equally special new place discovered this year!
If you stay on the A30 until the outskirts of Penzance and then take a right at a roundabout you will find yourself on the A3071. Keep going past windswept moors and reminders of the long gone mining industry until you reach the most westerly town of St Just. At first glance you may think that it looks a little drab and bedraggled. It’s never going to win Cornwall’s prettiest town award and it would be easy to drive through and not give it a moments thought.
I hold my hands up now and say we did just that and went a little further west to where the land meets the sea at Cape Cornwall. Our first visit was last summer when the sea was calm and the most vivid aquamarine colour. We climbed up to the chimney stack at the summit and sat and took in the beautiful view. I had read somewhere that The Brisons, two rocks about a mile out to sea looks like General De Gaulle laying on his back. Since then I can’t think of it as just a rock but a former French president with a rather big nose!
Below the cape is a secluded little fishing cove called Priests Cove. To me, this is the most magical place in Cornwall. On a warm summers evening with the sun setting it simply took my breath away.
We returned again last week. Yes, I wanted to experience Priests Cove out of season, but I also wanted to visit a little cafe cum book shop that I’d been following avidly on Facebook for some months. Stepping inside seemed so familiar and I instantly got one of those warm fuzzy feelings you get when you feel that something is very right! The Cook Book is a hub of village life, yet warmly welcomes visitors passing through. I had to stop myself from calling the lovely waitresses by name and knew instantly who the owner was when he walked in with his camera. I’ve often admired his photos he regularly posts on Facebook. They reflect the beauty of the area wonderfully. He’s the sort of chap you could sit next to at supper and listen to for hours quite happily.
The Cook Book encourages you to linger and definitely enjoy the scrummy cakes that Della makes. The food is delicious and plentiful. Read the paper and take a look at a book. Say hi to Aggie, the cafe dog (there’s even a book written about her!) Admire the exhibitions of local art work. This little cafe represents a village with a strong sense of community. This is my idea of the perfect cafe. St Just is far from drab. You just need to scratch the surface a little, explore beyond the main road, and of course visit The Cook Book cafe !
afiftysomethingme 
Ooh, it sounds intriguing! Such a pretty place too.
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