Girls’ Boarding Blog

As we’ve enjoyed yet another glorious week of sunshine, we are left in no doubt that summer is well and truly here. Dark mornings and early evenings now feel like a distant memory and so we are determined to make the most of it while it lasts! With the end of year assessments out of the way, the work load is feeling a bit lighter for everyone and we can make full use of the evenings and savour every drop. With this in mind, we have started doing an extra mid-week trip – this week, the juniors from both houses joined together straight after supper and went off to enjoy Idless woods.

Unlike last summer when the house was left bare, Pentreve garden is now busy with fun, chatter and laughter as the girls, and their chosen visitors enjoy soaking up the sun, playing football or perfecting their skills on the trampoline. On Wednesday, we welcomed a new flexi boarder, Mili; the girls, with their usual generosity were quick to take her under their wings and help make her feel at home.

But it is also that time of year when we start to say goodbye to some of the girls as they return home for the summer. There were tears on both Monday and Thursday as Leora, and then Angie, left us to return to Hong Kong. Both girls were preparing themselves for a long-haul journey followed by a 21-day quarantine. Although this is not something they were looking forward to, they know that afterwards they will get to be with their families and love-ones, whom they haven’t seen for such a long time due to the travel restrictions. We miss you, Leora and Angie! Good luck with everything and have a wonderful summer. We look forward to welcoming you back in the Autumn.

By Friday, the house was beginning to feel a lot less busy again. Olivia and Elodie had gone home for the weekend, and Diana was away – this left just 4 girls! Luckily, we had arranged lots of fun activities for them to enjoy over the weekend so no one was left feeling bored or lonely. On Friday evening, it was time to get out the tie-dye kits in preparation for the Rainbow Run * event to be held on Saturday evening. The girls each took a t-shirt and customised it for themselves.

The t-shirts were set to ‘fix’ overnight after which they were thoroughly rinsed and washed and pegged out to dry early Saturday morning. With our costumes prepared, we were then free to go on our weekend activity – this time it was horse-riding in St Agnes. All the girls, from both Pentreve and Malvern, piled into the minibus at 11am and trundled our way over to the north coast ready to spend the day with some lovely equestrian creatures. And what a joy they were! We had such a wonderful time making our way through the bridle ways on horseback. As we were a mixed bunch with a variety of experience, many of whom had never been on a horse before, we chose a very gentle hack. We did manage to get up to a gentle trot and this was enough to get the beginners hooked, and those more experienced, like Alice pinning for the stables again.

Once back at school, the girls had time for a quick shower and a nip into town for their ubiquitous ‘essentials’ before supper. The * Rainbow Run * was due to start soon afterwards and so it was important that they ate promptly and had time to relax so as not to run on a full stomach.
The * Rainbow Run * was in aid of Children’s Hospice South West – a very special charity to the boarding community. At 7.45pm all of the boarding community gathered to run 5K – their way (walk, run, cartwheel whatever they liked). Unfortunately, the weather was not pleasant to us and so the event took place in the Cornish mizzle but it did not dampen our spirits. With music, hot dogs, ice lollies, water guns and rainbow squash we had a fantastic time raising money and coming together as a community.

By Sunday, everyone was feeling rather tired and the walk up the hill was just that bit stiffer than usual. The girls had a gentler day planned – starting with some baking of Breakfast Muffins. We commandeered the Malvern kitchen for the task and soon got on with slicing, chopping, mixing and beating until the aromas of cinnamon, almond and vanilla were sent wafting through the house..

While we were waiting for them to cook, we played a game of ‘You’re Pulling my Leg’ in which you had to convince your opponents of some rather tricky fibs. Or were we telling the truth?? The Queen storytelling (or falsifications ) was Rosie followed at a close second by the investigation skills of Graci. Freya and myself, alas, proved to be just that bit too trusting, or naïve, to be winners this time. But never mind: the muffins were cooked and were set to cool. However, they smelt so delicious that someone (not naming any names, Freya! Hahah) was ready to grab one as soon as they came out of the oven.

Ms Fiol- Pentreve Resident Tutor