in Tintagel castle

Stories and legends about King Arthur, Uther Pendragon, Merlin, Tristan and Isolde (a.k.a. Tristan and Iseult), Bodmin Moor, the alleged visit by a young apprentice Jesus, the giant Cormoran (eventually killed by Jack the Giant Killer), pirates and buccaneers (and the famous Admiral Benbow inn in Penzance, as in Treasure Island), strangely named Cornish places (Fowey, Polperro, Marazion, etc), Land's End, the open-air Minack Theatre on a rocky granite outcrop by the sea (which reminds me of Taormina - we visited both), even the Poldark series and a bluegrass festival drew us back to Cornwall several times. (We visited or checked out all the above.) The authentic Cornish pasties also helped. Thelma hated only the narrow one-lane roads everywhere. In gusty and chilly Tintagel, worrying for my wellbeing, my caring sweetheart got me a very good windproof thermal beanie hat, so the draft in Merlin's Cave didn't affect me. All these were given real value and meaning with Thelma beside me, sharing it all. Here, she is walking towards me in Tintagel Castle. This kind of look of hers has always been with me - from rainy London days to rambling on the rocks at Tintagel.