What a difference a wet weekend makes

The weather in Cornwall has been lousy all weekend – just drizzling rain and long periods of dull, grey, overcast skies. I pity the poor holiday-makers, dragging buggies and kids around in waterproofs – I hear that record receipts at Falmouth’s Maritime Musuem are a testament to the lack of sunshine. Popping out for supper on Sunday evening I was (wait for it) TURNED AWAY from the new Pizza Express – it was full! Amazing how a brand name attracts holiday traffic looking for a consistent customer service and food experience. My neighbour Sarah, who works at the nearby “5 degrees west” (my favourite local) reports a noticeable quietness in the last week, since the pizza giant opened. We’ll see how long it lasts – but last night I ended up sat outside 5 degrees enjoying my calamari and scallops, reading, tippling a glass of rose – and not many people about. Here at Barrow Towers, it’s been a focus on inactivity – so much so that I completed my biography of Leni Riefenstahl in 48 hours and made a good start on the travels of Ryszard Kapuscinski (see book list). Reading, and a couple of DVD’s, were enough to occupy my mind – sleep accounted for a sizeable portion of the balance. So I was up with the larks this morning – to find a glorious sunny morning – how perverse is that? Today I’m off to Gaudi’s coffee bar in Truro, for a full-day meeting with Bonnie and Simon to discuss the 12-month vision for our businesses. Simon and I are identical twins – in our element when discussing vision – I already have a Powerpoint slide of what I want the DBS to look like in a year. Bonnie’s challenge will be to keep our feet on the ground.