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Monthly Archives: May 2013

Silver Trails, New Blooms and Barbecue Smoke

1 It’s been a beautiful sunny day and I’ve been tidying up the garden. Lifting the lid on the rhubarb forcer, I found these delicate slug trails which shimmered and silvered in the sunshine. I’m not sure what the surface film was made of, webs perhaps.

Looking down into the terracotta rhubarb forcer onto the film with silvery slug trails

2 The purpley-blue of these little flowers is very beautiful. (I can’t remember the name and the label has gone. Help please?)

Blue star flowers

3 The smoke may not be beautiful but to have our first barbecue tonight was!

Barbecue smoke with Berberis behind

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 31, 2013 in environment, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday2013

Tags: barbecue, Berberis, slugs

Sculpture, Clouds and Clematis

30 May

1 I’ve been looking at this beautiful sculpture for months, after singing on Thursdays, and longing to have it as mine. I’ve been saving up and today, went into the workshop for the second time. The first was months ago to enquire about it. Today, I have bought it. The Fledgling is now mine and I can pick it up next week. It has been waiting for me all this time!

The Fledgling by Richard Holliday

2 The clouds this evening have been beautiful, all sorts of lovely patterns. I have to learn what the patterns mean in terms of weather to come.

Clouds

3 Our Clematis Montana is coming into flower and is very lovely.

Clematis Montana

13 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 30, 2013 in environment, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday2013, sculpture, Uncategorized

Tags: Clematis Montana, Richard Holliday sculptor, The Fledgling

On the Radio, Seeds and A New Birdhouse

29 May

1 Yesterday at the Museum, I was interviewed by BBC Radio Cornwall about what object I was putting into the Wildworks’ Cabinet of Cornish Curiosities and my piece was used in the Breakfast programme! You can read about my object here.

2 I ordered some seeds a couple of days ago and they arrived today! I am so impressed with the company! They are called Seedaholic and provide a fantastic service. The seeds came beautifully packed and with all manner of useful and interesting information. The ground is now ready and I plan to sow them tomorrow.

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce seeds

Nicotiana seeds, Jasmine Tobacco

3 We’ve bought the most delightful new birdhouse with two storeys, the top one a nesting box and the lower level for seeds. The lovely Mr S put it up last night and whenever I see it, it makes me smile!

Our new lighthouse for birds

19 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 29, 2013 in flowers, Food, garden, growing, nature, photography, Postaday2013, Wildworks

Tags: BBC Radio Cornwall, birdhouse, Cabinet of Cornish Curiosities, lighthouse, Nicotiana, Red Oak Leaf lettuce, Seedaholic

Bus Ride, Volunteering and Little Treasures

28 May

1 I took the bus into Truro this morning and was delighted to find it was a double decker so I was able to get some pleasing shots of the countryside we went through.

The sea from the bus

I love the green of Spring leaves, from the bus

Truro Cathedral from the bus

2 I spent most of the day volunteering at the Royal Cornwall Museum helping with the Wildworks project, The Museum of Us. The fabulous Cabinet of Curiosities is filled with treasures from Cornwall, most collected by Jane Darke, from Porthcothan and other beaches in North Cornwall. If you are reading this and live anywhere near Truro, do come and marvel at the stuff inside the cupboards and drawers and bring in an object that means Cornwall to you. The project aims to collect objects that will be displayed in the cabinet and become The Museum of Us. Do click on the photos to see the detail and to read the labels.

The Cabinet

Drawer in the Cabinet, all items found on Cornish beaches

Driftwood from all over the world washed up onto North Cornish beaches

Mum and the two girls at the Cabinet with Jane Darke

3 Two lovely little girls, aged about 6 and 4, came in with their Mum and their shoebox of treasures collected on Treyarno Beach and showed them to me explaining why they loved them. I loved the piece of Cornish stone that Poppy had embellished so prettily and she was happy for me to take photos of her special beach-found treasures.

Poppy’s treasure box

Poppy’s beautifully decorated stone

Corn husk, found by Poppy, possibly come over on the seas from America

Storm Trooper’s hat, found by Poppy on Treyarno Beach

Favourite little treasures

16 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 28, 2013 in Children, Cornwall, driftwood, local history, photography, Postaday2013, Truro, volunteering, Wildworks

Tags: Cabinet of Curiosities, cornish beaches, double-decker bus, driftwood from around the world, Jane Darke, Porthcothan Beach, The Museum of Us, washed up

Duck Eggs, Light Lunch and Sanded Floor

27 May

1 The golden glow of the duck eggs I was about to use for lunch was very beautiful.

Glorious golden Duck eggs

Naturekitchen Herb Salt

Duck eggs with Cornish Herb salt

2 An omelette with the duck eggs and mushrooms and salad was our simple lunch today.

Light lunch

3 The lovely Mr S has finished sanding the 100+ year old floor in the dining room, removing years of grime and varnish and it looks so softly beautiful. Now to decorate and then to put the furniture back.

Gorgeous floor

P.S. You will all, no doubt, be aware of the terrible murder of a young soldier in London last week. Such hatred has been stirred in some people by this. Russell Brand has written with eloquence, love and tolerance here and I thought you might like to read his words that I echo. With love to all my readers of all religions and none, wherever you are in this beautiful world that we share.

14 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 27, 2013 in Food, home, photography, Postaday2013

Tags: Duck Eggs, herb salt, light lunch, love, Naturekitchen, omelette, peace, Russell Brand, tolerance

Weekly Photo Challenge: In the Background

27 May

Yesterday we went for a fabulous woodland walk. Here, you see our shadows as we head for the depths of the woods.

On our way to the woods

If you would like to see more of our walk see yesterday’s post http://mybeautfulthings.com/2013/05/26/a-lurcher-a-woodland-walk-and-sea-views/

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 27, 2013 in Cornwall, nature, photography, Postaday2013, Tehidy Woods, Weekly photo challenge

Tags: shadows, Weekly Photo Challenge: In the Background

A Lurcher, A Woodland Walk and Sea Views

26 May

1 Friends have recently adopted a wonderful dog whose owner is off to Australia so couldn’t keep him. He’s a Lurcher and is one of the sweetest and best behaved dogs I have ever met. I’m not really a dog lover, having been seriously frightened as a child, but Duke is just delightful!

Duke

2 Our friends have a delightful cottage just by Tehidy Woods and we spent a lovely sunny afternoon walking and talking our way through the woods up to the coast and round again. Click on any photo for an enlargement.

Sunlit trunk

Twisted trunk

Tree trunk

Filigree branches

Woodland signs

Greens

Sunlight on new leaves

Sawn off trunk

Woodland path

Tree in pool of sunlight

Another woodland path

Where is this path going?

3 The sea was many beautiful hues of blue in the sunshine.

Sunlit sea

Rocks and sea

Sea blues

Golden gorse and the sea

All in all, it was a beautiful day in every way: sunshine, wonderful natural beauty, exercise and being with good friends – what more could one ask? And, I almost forgot, a delicious Cornish cream tea before our walk and a fabulous meal afterwards!

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 26, 2013 in animals, Cornwall, environment, nature, photography, Postaday2013, Sea

Tags: Cornish cream tea, Lurcher, Tehidy Woods

Three Choirs In Trelissick Gardens, Golden Squirrel and Wisteria

25 May

1 After another lovely day with L and Grandbaby B, I came home just in time to be part of the Three Choirs event at Trelissick Gardens: all three of Claire’s choirs singing together on the great lawn, about 100 of us and it was brilliant! The cafe art being done by the artist Carol, whose work I wrote about here, is now finished with a beautiful Tower added to the lovely Wisteria stencils.

Trelissick Water Tower by Carol

2 On top of the Water Tower is a delightful weather vane with a golden squirrel instead of the traditional cockerel.

The Golden Squirrel on the tower

3 The Wisteria outside the cafe is in full bloom and echoed by the stencils inside (See this post for the photos) Further into the garden and after the concert, I took the last photo by the light of tonight’s full moon!

Wisteria outside the cafe

Wisteria blossom

Wisteria by moonlight

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 25, 2013 in community, Cornwall, flowers, gigs, music, nature, photography, Postaday2013, singing, Trelissick Gardens

Tags: full moon, Trelissick Water Tower, weather vane

New Growth, Suffragette Colours and Knitting

24 May

1. The trees have really greened up and make the loveliest living tunnel to drive through.

2. Grandbaby B is today wearing the purple, white and green that her Great Great Great Granny, the Suffragette, wore.

3. While here, I’ve just managed to finish off a new pair of boots for Grandbaby B as she has grown out of all her first size boots already.

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 24, 2013 in Grandchildren, knitting, nature, photography, Postaday2013

Tags: Purple White and Green, Sally-boots, Suffragettes

Camellia, Grandbaby B and Nest Box

23 May

1. We had given up on our white Camellia flowering this year, its first season with us and then, this morning, I noticed this beautiful blossom, in May rather than February – but it is as cold as February so maybe it has been fooled!

2. Grandbaby B has a new bouncing cradle where she is happy to lie and watch what’s going on. She is also beginning to smile and found a musical toy pleased her greatly.

3. We’ve been watching the Great Tit going in and out of the nest box just outside the window. L says there are six baby birds in there so no wonder he’s so busy. I was delighted to catch him on camera!