Page 60 - recollections of a life in Porthleven

some members of Porthleven Band came around and played some Christmas
carols for our Gran. They filled the back yard and there were a few in our
back kitchen as well. On another occasion the Church and Chapel’s choirs
came to sing a few carols. This time the house was full, the kitchen, the
passageway and even a number of singers were standing in the stairs! These
were very kind and caring people from our village.

That Christmas was quite at Trewarvas but we still had our tree, decorations
and our Christmas dinner. Dad was a good cook and Gran was also
downstairs helping out and looking after us.

A few years later the worst thing that could happen to a mother happened to
our Gran. Her son, our wonderful Dad had a heart attack and passed away
at the young age of 51. Gran and Trewarvas, well we were all lost. It looked
as if it would be the end of everything. But, with the very kind help from the
village, eventually family life returned to us. But without Dad things were
never the same. (If I may, I would like to tell you more about our Dad in a
future story.)

Our dear Gran still looked after us. She cooked dinner and tea every day in
addition to a Sunday lunch as I was still living at home and working at
Porthleven shipyard as an apprentice marine engineer. Margaret was married
with two young children and living away near Stanstead and Stephen was
working in a hospital in Highgate, London. When the shipyard closed I also
moved away to Chatham, Kent, with Gran’s blessing.

Stephen and I came back home on a regular basis to see Gran. Stephen even
took her on a QE2 cruise as, by then, he was working on this ship. Years
came and went, Stephen returned to Cornwall and was working at Treliske
hospital. I also had moved back to Cornwall and was living in St Austell.
Gran, by now, was a very elderly lady but still lived at Trewarvas.
Unfortunately she became ill, spent time in Treliske hospital but never
returned to Trewarvas. She moved into a very respectable nursing home in
Truro where she stayed until her death.

Gran’s funeral was held at St Bartholomew Church and she was taken there