Never Leave The Path

The best (and only) pub in Zennor is called The Tinner's Arms. This pub's name obviously comes from the long tradition of tin mining in Cornwall, something that has been hard for the miners here to give up. But they had to, and now the only tin miners here are the retired ones.

But that is not what I am here to talk about. We four rode a Cornish bus up, around and through the peninsula of England's great southwest, heading straight for The Tinner's Arms. It would provide us with lunch and then send us on our way, on foot, back to St Ives. While we were sitting in the sunshine and eating (two kinds of soups: Pea & Mint, and Sweet Potato, plus Ted broke rank and ordered a Mackerel. For you Americans, a Mackerel is a fish that has its head still on), someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and saw the splendid Tony standing there, who not only does a walking tour of St Ives, but also sings Bass with the Mousehole Male Voice Choir. 

 "I'm doing a Moors Tour today," he explained. This was very exciting. Have you ever walked out on the moors in any part of England? They are stark, but beautiful and enviable, and at a higher altitude than the soft green lowland pastures. I think the moors are also rather spooky, especially if you watch movies like "An American Werewolf in London". It will definitely spook you, and you will forever remember what to do when you are walking near the moors at night: "Never Leave The Path".

So Tony was about to depart with his Moors tourists when he asked, "Going to the Choir rehearsal, tonight?"

Choir rehearsal! I had forgotten it was Monday. And right away friend Rosie said, "Oh, I would love to go hear the Mousehole Male Voice Choir! What time?"

And then all four of us said we wanted to hear them too. So after our hike (think: STILES) and a chicken dinner, we drove to Penzance, through Newlyn and Mousehole, and then up a steep hill to the village of Paul.

As expected, the first notes out of those Male Voices were so sweet and so clear, that we were instantly hooked. I'd been hooked numerous times already, but the four-part harmonies of a large group of talented Cornishmen is still new, for me. Friend Rosie, Ted, and 'our Em' declared that attending a rehearsal (or concert) of the Mousehole Male Voice Choir was simply a MUST, every year. A new tradition is born!

We are still humming those songs today, and looking them all up on YouTube. Oh - and something else we are talking about, is the fact that WE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DIRECTOR WAS SAYING.

It is gratifying to discover that even the Brits have trouble with that.


See you along the way!
the SconeLady