Junior Girls’ Boarding Blog

This week has been a week of cake, cake, cake and then…even more cake. It all started with Freya who turned 14 on Tuesday. Happy Birthday Freya! In the usual Pentreve tradition, she woke to balloons, decorations, cards and presents, and of course… cake. But on her return to house after school, she came laden with a large chocolate cake, and two trays of cupcakes from her friends in class. So we had cake on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Come Saturday, there was still lots left but, just in case the supplies were getting a bit low 😉 all 32 girls got in the mini buses and headed to Falmouth Hotel for a posh afternoon tea of sandwiches, and (you’ve guessed it…) cake!

As we headed for the hotel, I missed the turning into the entrance and had to take a detour to get back again. This meant driving up to and around Pendennis Castle. The Falmouth hotel is situated in the bay below the castle and as the road swept round, it opened up into the most spectacular view. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Literally, the whole bus simultaneously had a sharp intake of breath followed by squeals of delight. I wish I could say I planned it; that I had deliberately taken the scenic route to show off to the girls how stunning Cornwall can be, rather than having taken the wrong turn. But my mistake was well worth the good natured mocking I received.

Although we are now in February, usually the dreariest of all English months, you would never have known it that day. It was gloriously warm and sunny and the sea was as calm as it could be. Many of the girls took a walk on the beaches before reconvening for afternoon tea; others took themselves off to the town to do some shopping. For the tea itself, we were seated at huge round tables with a stunning view overlooking the sea. The white linen tables were stacked with an abundance of goodies to eat and we all tucked in, adhering to the etiquette expected, of course. None of the girls had been for afternoon tea before and so we quizzed them about what they knew about how to conduct themselves. The fact that the sandwiches must be eaten before the cake, was an obvious one to them. But most were baffled by how to hold a cup, especially as they erroneously held out their pinky fingers! Teresa was the only girl who knew how to hold a cup properly, (held between the thumb and index finger, balanced on the 3rd finger, with the other fingers tucked under). Theresa was awarded the prestigious position of ‘mother’, and so the tea pouring commenced. The scones caused the most confusion – for instance, did you know that you should never cut a scone, but should pull it apart in your hands? Then, of course, there is the age-old dilemma of what goes on first – the jam or the cream. In Cornwall, we always put the jam on first with a big dollop of local clotted cream on top. Yummy! The girls really enjoyed the afternoon, some saying it was their favourite activity so far. I must say, I was so proud of each and every one of them- they all behaved impeccably and were the finest ambassadors of Truro school.

But cake consumption is not all we have been up to (I promise ☺). In between this, the girls still managed to find time for all their other activities throughout the week. Uma, for instance had a drama performance one night, followed by a music performance another night. I was told by her teachers, that what she had done was so good that ,if she hadn’t have been too young to sit them, she would have been awarded the highest of marks in a GCSE exam. It has been so lovely hearing her piano practice of Vivaldi’s Moonlight Sonata resounding through the boarding house these last couple of weeks. I hope she will continue to entertain us with her music. Leora had a great week too – her talent for basketball was noticed by a visiting coach and she was picked for the Truro College basketball team. She will be taking herself off every Thursday to the college to join the other girls in the team.

On Sunday, most of us stayed close to home, perhaps just popping into town or going for a leisurely walk along the river. But Anouk and Uma had other plans. They were up and out early Sunday morning as they joined the boys from the other boarding houses for BMX riding in Blackwater. Many hours later, two very muddy girls, both grinning from ear to ear, returned to the house having had a fantastic time.

It is now Sunday evening and the girls, having finished their prep, are now getting themselves ready for the start of the new week. Beds are being changed, rooms are being tidied, hair is being washed, uniform is being hung up ready and bags are being packed.

And so, once again, we must draw to a close. We leave you with Aom, Aim and Leora sending their love home to you from fabulous Falmouth.

Ms Fiol, Resident tutor