RSS

Monthly Archives: January 2014

Sign of Spring, Pocket and Remarkable Courage

1 The sun is shining today and our first tiny Tete a Tete has opened – magic! There are signs of our Snowdrops too…….

First sign of Spring

2 Last week I featured a beautiful little frock. I checked with L that she would like it for Grandbaby B and she said ‘Yes!” To my delight, when I bought it from the lovely Cornish Bird In The Sticks, I discovered two things: 1. It is reversible and has this beautiful little pocket on the plain side and 2. It was made right here in Redruth!

Pretty pocket

3 Yesterday in The Guardian there was a letter that moved me almost to tears. Jake Arden, the son of Human Rights Activist Margeretta Darcy, told us that she “is serving a three month sentence in Limerick prison for trying to stop the violation of Irish neutrality by US military planes which stop over at Shannon airport from the war in Afghanistan.She took peaceful direct action to stop crime being committed by lying down on the runway of the airport. Margaretta is a 79 year old woman who has recently been treated for cancer.” Her son then asks people to send cards to help keep her spirits up.
What a remarkable woman! I include her address here in case anyone else is moved to send a card.
Margaretta D’Arcy c/o Limerick Prison, Mulgrave Street, Limerick, Ireland.
Let’s hope she’s inundated with messages of support and the weight of the postbag alone will make the Prison Authorities and the Irish Government sit up and think.

The card we sent

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 22, 2014 in Beauty, flowers, Kindness, nature, Peace, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Cornish Bird in the Sticks, Limerick Prison, Margaretta D'Arcy, peaceful direct action, protest

Violets, Seville Oranges and Batique

21 Jan

1 The other day on the way home from Mylor, we saw Violets for sale at the roadside. I have my little bunch and they are very beautiful.

Growing Daffodils and cut Violets for sale.

Tiny bunch of Violets

2 I was thinking I had left it too late to get Seville oranges for this year’s batch of marmalade but we found some today. I’ll freeze them for a marmalade making session when I have time.

Seville oranges for marmalade

3 This fish is in the middle of a big wall hanging that we bought in Swaziland many years ago. I see it every day and just love it. It stirs a wish in me to return to Africa………………

Beautiful batique, small section

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 21, 2014 in Beauty, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday 2014, Uncategorized

Tags: African craft, batique, marmalade, seville oranges, Swaziland

Another Rainbow, A Tiny Tooth and Clementines

20 Jan

1 As we drew the curtains this morning there was a glorious rainbow, a full curve with a reflection all the way from St Ives where we could see the sun shining to beyond St Agnes Beacon.

Rainbow through winter branches

2 We had a delightful Skype with L and Grandbaby B who has just one mm of a pearly tooth!

3 Beautiful orange clementines with waxy green leaves on in a richly blue and green salt glaze bowl by Jane Hamlyn – gorgeous!

Clementines

16 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 20, 2014 in Beauty, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: clementines, first tooth, rainbow, Sykpe

Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

20 Jan

This is the gravestone to the Martin Family and is in Gwennap Churchyard, Cornwall. It is the story of the family on this stone that inspired my Dad to write his best novel, “Jeremy Visick”. You could click on the photo to make it bigger and to make it easier to read. I’ve put the text under the photo too. Do read it through – what a life for that family, for Ann who lost so many children and her husband – and, indeed for many families in Cornwall in the 1800s.

The Martin Gravestone

LOVING MEMORY

JOHN MARTIN

OF TING TANG IN THIS

PARISH WHO WAS KILLED

BY AN ACCIDENT IN WHEAL

PINK MINE 1^ST MAY 1848

AGED 51 YEARS

ALSO OF ANN, WIFE OF

THE ABOVE DIED 16 DEC 1866

AGED 65 YEARS.

ALSO OF PETHERICK CROSSMAN

3^RD SON OF THE ABOVE

WHO DIED 1^ST JULY 1829

AGED 13 MONTHS

ALSO LAVENIA ANDREW 4^TH

DAUGHTER OF THE ABOVE

WHO DIED 9^TH NOVEMBER, 1843

AGED 14 MONTHS.

ALSO WILLIAM PETHERICK, 2^ND

SON OF THE ABOVE WHO WAS

KILLED BY AN ACCIDENT IN

WHEAL JEWEL MINE 19 DEC 1844

AGED 18 YEARS.

CAPTAIN NICHOLAS ANDREW

THE 5^TH SON. DIED 14 FEB 1872

FROM INJURIES RECEIVED IN THE

VARZIA MINES PORTUGAL AND

WAS THERE INTERRED. AGED 37 YEARS.

ALSO, JOHN ELDEST SON OF THE ABOVE

WHO DIED 5^TH JUNE 1876.

AGED 51 YEARS.

EDWIN THOMAS, YOUNGEST SON,

WHO DIED 22^ND JAN 1878

AGED 33 YEARS.

I’ve read the novel at least a dozen times as it was on the reading list for the children I was teaching. (It was studied at schools all over the country, not only at the school I was teaching at!) We used to study this gravestone and the pupils would write a diary from Ann’s point of view. Their empathy was wonderful and the diaries often quite heartbreaking.

For others in this challenge, click here

23 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 20, 2014 in Beauty, History, photography, Postaday 2014, Weekly photo challenge

Tags: 'Jeremy Visick' David Wiseman, The fate of Jeremy Visick, Weekly Photo Challenge: Family

Masts, Splashes and A Notable Gravestone

19 Jan

1 The morning started out full of sunshine and cerulean skies so we went to Mylor where the water just rippling was causing the reflections of the masts to create beautiful zig zags.

Masts at Mylor 19:1:2014

2 The water splashing onto the rocks made a lovely pattern.

Splashes

3 Isn’t it touching that, two hundred years on, people have marked the tragedy of the ship, Queen’s Transport, being wrecked off Trefusis Point on January 14th 1814? The stone itself is beautifully carved with the lightning, the stormy waves and the ship going down so graphically depicted.

200 years on

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 19, 2014 in Beauty, Cornwall, Kindness, Mylor, photography, Postaday 2014, Uncategorized

Tags: January 14th 1814, Queen's Transport, Trefusis Point

Bee Garden, Moon Garden and Galette Jalousie

18 Jan

1 It’s lovely to think of Spring on these grey days and to think of what to be planting this year. Here are some to plant for the bees. We have lots of them already and will make sure we have all the others somewhere too.

Plant these to save bees

2 We are also planning on planting a moon garden, one that lights up in moonshine and where the scent of the flowers is particularly strong at night. We’ll plant it in the front garden so that visitors and passers by can also enjoy it.

The reference book for our new garden

3 We are out tonight at a Music evening with a Bring and Share supper. I’ve just taken this Caramelised Onion Galette Jalousie out of the oven and it is cooling ready to transport later.

Galette Jalousie with Caramelised Onions

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 18, 2014 in baking, Beauty, bees, Food, garden, music, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Galette Jalousie, Moon garden, planting for bees

Showers and Sunshine, A Blue Egg and Ben Waters

17 Jan

1 Our beautiful sculpture, Fledgling, looked as if he were drinking some of the driving rain this morning. Moments later, he was basking in the sunshine.

Drinking in the rain

Enjoying the sunshine, moments later

2 One of this week’s eggs is blue. Just look at its beautifully delicate shell.

Large blue egg

3 I’m struggling a bit with my piano playing at the moment. I don’t seem to be making much progress (and I am practising!) However, my teacher is very encouraging and tonight we’ve been to see Ben Waters, a magnificent boogie-woogie player who can turn his hands to anything. Inspiration indeed! The support band were from The Scillies and were a brilliant rock’n’roll band. What an evening! Everyone left invigorated and grinning after all the singing and dancing! It’s not such a good photo but it does give an impression of the evening.

The finale

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 17, 2014 in Beauty, garden, gigs, music, nature, photography, piano, Postaday 2014, sculpture

Tags: Ben Waters, The Steam Band

Rainbow, Shadows, Reflections and Full Moon

16 Jan

1 Just as we finished singing this morning there was another glorious rainbow across the Penryn River. I love the boats and the flash of blue sky here.

Rainbow from Miss Peapod’s cafe

2 Along the road near where I had parked one of the shops had put out balloons. I loved how their colours were caught in their shadows on the wall and in the puddles. Click on any photo for a bigger picture.

Balloon shadows

Reflections

More shadows

3 I just managed to catch tonight’s full moon in the stormy sky before the rain hurtled down again.

Full moon in a stormy sky

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 16, 2014 in Beauty, environment, nature, Penryn, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: balloon shadows, full moon, rainbow

Bliss, Free Coffee and Laughter

15 Jan

1 Oh, bliss! I’ve been to the Osteopath whose magic hands have made walking and standing without pain possible again!

2 We went shopping in Truro before going to the theatre tonight. One of my favourite shops kindly had coffee and biscuits on the house for all shoppers on this cold, wet afternoon. Just look at the beautiful china cups and saucers with which they trust their customers!

Help yourself!

3 At The Hall for Cornwall, we saw Dr Phil Hammond who had his audience in stitches! If you get the chance to go to one of his shows, take it. You’ll come away all the better for the laughter! Click on the red link if you’d like to know more.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 15, 2014 in Beauty, Hall for Cornwall, Humour, Kindness, Postaday 2014, Uncategorized

Tags: comedy, free stuff, http://drphilhammond.com/, laughter, osteopath, Phil Hammond

Singing, Walk Treasures and Staircase

14 Jan

1 I really missed singing yesterday- so good for us all in so many ways.

Health benefits of singing

2 We walked early today as we had been promised an hour or two free of rain and found a tiny white feather on some beautiful bronze leaves, a Lesser Celandine in flower and a variety of mosses on a lump of granite. Click on any photo to get the full picture.

Feather

Lesser Celandine

3 Last year I posted a long staircase painted with book titles. Here’s the link, and today I was sent a school staircase painted in the same way. How inspiring!