We travelled down to Cornwall today, on the first day of our 'Wreckers' adventure. The journey was surprisingly easy and seemed to be over much more quickly than anticipated. This was partly thanks to a delicious lunch at the Drewe Arms near Okehampton in Devon and gorgeous weather, but might also have had something to do with Mrs Olney's inability to drive at anything less than 80mph.......

Helen C was the first to arrive in Perranporth, where Duchy Opera have rented a farmhouse for us to stay in, having chosen to take the train to Cornwall instead. The rest of us arrived just after 3. We are staying in a 7-bedroom farmhouse on the top of Perranporth's West Cliff, overlooking the beach. The view - especially in the gorgeous sunny weather - is an absolute dream. Someone from Duchy has very kindly gone shopping for some essential supplies for us.

We had little time to enjoy it, though, as we had to turn straight round and head to Redruth for our first rehearsal. It took us ages to find the venue - the Miracle Theatre - and we weren't exactly bowled over when we arrived. The rehearsal room is a 60s breezeblock construction which was both freezing and filthy inside, with all kinds of junk strewn about. On the other hand, part of the set had been constructed inside which was most impressive. We spent a few hours with Paul Drayton, the Musical Director, rehearsing all the chorus pieces we had already learned in London. Members of the Duchy Chorus began arriving towards the end and watched us as we rehearsed, which made us all feel a little self-conscious.

We then had a full chorus rehearsal with the purpose of slotting the GLOC singers into the chorus numbers. This went extremely well. The setting is quite straightforward, so there isn't much to remember, but there's a lot to think about in terms of creating an atmosphere of a defensive, self-righteous community.

We chatted to some of the Duchy chorus, who have been rehearsing this show for many months and are extremely excited that they're finally putting it on. Everyone so far has been really welcoming.

Back to the farmhouse for bacon sandwiches, courtesy of Duncan, and some much-needed port to soothe the vocal chords after two sing-throughs of the very demanding score.