1 The rabbits in the field behind us have been running around showing their white tails as they race by – Spring is in the air here too!
Tide clock
2 Our tide clock gives us pleasure every day. We can choose if our walk will be on the beach or the cliff tops. In fact today, because of our continued work on the sun-room, we just went round the Great Flat Lode behind the house. The light was lovely.
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3 I offered Charlie’s brass sheets and wire on Network Cornwall today and had a reply from Naomi who makes fused glass and who is happy to trade! See her work at
http://mylittleglassroom.co.uk/
Tags: beach, brass, Carn Brea, cliff tops, cliffs, cornwall, fused glass, Great Flat Lode, light, Naomi Richards, rabbits, Spring, spring is in the air, sun room, tide clock, trade
1 Spring has come to John’s pond! What a delightful picture to lift the spirits. Thanks, John.
Busy frogs in John's pond
2 Mr S has been fitting new skirting boards in our sun room and I’ve been following behind painting on the primer. It’s beginning to look really good in shades of white. The sun streams in here (when it shines at all) and it is a lovely room to bird watch from.
3 When we Skyped with 3 year old Jake this evening we told him that Lucy had reached Dingboche at 14,500ft. He told us that rain comes from the clouds and that if the sun’s there as well there’ll be a rainbow. Tabitha kept us amused by doing somersaults off the settee and we managed a word or two with KJ.
Tags: bird watch, Dingboche, frogs, Jake, KJ, rainbow, shades of white, skirting boards, Skype, somersaults, Spring, sun room, Tabitha.
1 I see these two wacky bits of art several times a day and they make me smile every time! The embroidered one, ‘a list of reasons to head for the sea’ kept me going when I lived out of Cornwall. The driftwood one is by Susan R Evans and we bought them both in the Art gallery below Leeds Museum many years ago.
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Driftwood boat
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‘a list of reasons to head for the sea’
2 I’ve done lots of short practises today. Below is my keyboard and another beautiful piece of art, one of my favourites, ‘ The Rock Pool’ by Sasha Harding. It’s lovely to look up at when I’m stuck on a piece.
My keyboard and 'The Rock Pool' by Sasha Harding
3 Lucy and fellow trekkers have reached Tyamboche at 12,687ft today. I don’t think we’ll hear from her for another whole week!
Tags: art, driftwood, nepal, painting, Sasha Harding, Susan R Evans, The Rock Pool, Tyamboche
1 Been listening to my lovely Dad’s beautiful voice today! When, in 2004, he was given a terminal diagnosis, we spent time together recording some of the life stories he used to tell us. I haven’t listened to them before and I have now asked for help on Network Cornwall to get them transcribed. As usual, NC has come up trumps. Thank you.
2 In our garden today – miniature daffodils, tiny iris, delicate snowdrops and beautiful blue rosemary already in flower.
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3 Lucy’s itinerary tells us that today she will have trekked from Namche Bazaar to Khumjung and they are now at 12,434ft .
Tags: cornwall, Dad, Iris Reticulata, itinerary, life stories, Lucy, miniature daffodils, Namche Bazaar to Khumjung, Network Cornwall, rosemary, snowdrops, Spring Flowers, terminal diagnosis
1 This poem has taken me through some difficult times and today I have been reminded of the importance of what it is saying.
Look to this day
for it is life
the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
the realities and truths of existence
the joy of growth
the splendour of action
the glory of power.
For yesterday is but a memory
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived
makes every yesterday a memory
of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day….
~ ancient Sanskrit poem ~
2 Very happy email from Lucy who is having an amazing time. Today is an acclimatisation day at Namche Bazaar. They are at 11,500ft at the moment and are feeling the effects of the altitude.
3 I’ve spent a happy hour or so looking through our photos from our USA trip last year. The highest point we reached was 11,796ft and that was by car up in the Rockies. The shortest of walks was hard work. I am in awe of what Lucy is doing.
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View from Medicine Bow
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Me – at what felt like the edge of the world!
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On Trail Ridge at 11,796ft
Tags: Acclimatisation, ancient Sanskrit poem, Look to this day, Lucy, Namche Bazaar, Rockies, Trail Ridge, USA
1 Lucy has trekked from Phakding to Namche Bazaar today. Quite a trek by the look of it.
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Phakding to Namche Bazaar
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Lukla_phakding
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2 Love:
I carry your heart with me
I carry your heart with me (I carry it in
My heart) I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
By only me is your doing, my darling)
I fear
No fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want
No world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
And it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
And whatever a sun will always sing is you
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
Higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
And this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)
e. e. cummings
3 Excited email from lovely sister-in-law in Atlanta with a copy of the menu from the restaurant they are going to tonight – sounds fabulous! Our delicious meal was more modest but quite delicious and cooked by us at home – our favourite – Duck Confit, with a starter of prawns and dessert, the same fabulous Chocolate Amaretti Soufflés that I did for Mr S’s birthday dinner and a bottle of Footprint Shiraz, that we discovered in San Francisco.
Tags: Barefoot Shiraz, chocolate amaretti, Chocolate Amaretti Souffles, duck confit, e.e.cummings, love, Namche Bazaar, Phakding, San Francisco
1. Tracked all of Lucy’s trek on Google maps. Today the real trek has started as they go from Lukla to Phakding.
Following Lucy's trek
2. Another bitterly cold day here so stayed in and started knitting a shrug for Tabitha. Caught up on several episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ while knitting – a real treat.
3. Exchanged several emails with my lovely brother-in-law about his visit in September. We think it’s cold here. It’s -17 in Poland and colder still in Nepal!
Tags: google maps, Grey's Anatomy, knitting, Lucy, Lukla to Phakding, nepal, Poland, shrug, Tabitha.
1 Cold and grey here in Redruth so we headed West towards a bit of blue sky and had a brilliant sunny stomp through the dunes and along Porth Kidney. Beautiful snowdrops in the hedgerow where we parked.
2 Collected several little treasures for my ‘washed-up’ collection.
3 In the estuary at Hayle we saw lots of swans and saw Wigeon for the first time.The males are very pretty – grey with a pink breast, orange head and a yellow forehead; the females, rusty brown.
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Tags: Hayle, Porth Kidney, Redruth, snowdrops, swans, wigeon
1 Each Saturday I read, “What You Like” where Guardian Weekend readers share their finds of the week and came upon this treasure: http://manonabeach.com/ Do have a look – it’s all about Cornish beaches and why people love them.
2 On our walk today, rather dull and cold, I found this beautiful bark covered with lichen and moss and found sun-rays streaming through the clouds.
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3 Skyped with Ami in Senegal and Daniel in Barcelona on a conference call! My French is improving as vocabulary comes back (and I had my Collins Roberts to hand) and Ami’s English is coming on really well so we do manage to communicate.
Tags: Ami, Barcelona, Collins Roberts, cornish beaches, Daniel, guardian weekend, manonabeach, Senegal, Skype, sun rays, The Guardian, vocabulary
1. Started teaching myself Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” on the piano. Hard but beginning to make progress.
2. The lovely Veronika (of ColourGirlz) is painting the woodwork in the bathroom and the utility room. It’s beginning to look really good. Just two more coats to go…..
3 Cheered by the beautiful big bunch of local daffodils in the fireplace in the sitting room. We’ve had them a whole week and they still look good.
Daffodils 10.2.2012
Tags: ColourGirlz, daffodils, Eric Clapton, piano, Veronika, Wonderful Tonight
