RSS

Monthly Archives: February 2014

Paper Chains, Pastel de Nata and Periwinkle

1 The Grandchildren have made paper chains to decorate their parents’ room for when they return today. They wanted them hung around this beautiful painting done by my very talented sister, Daisy, who lives in Hawaii.

Paper chains

2 A new coffee shop opened in Redruth a while ago and I’ve been meaning to call in. Today we did and had the most delicious freshly home baked Pastel de Nata in The Spot, Portuguese Cafe. We’ll be back!

Pastel de Nata

The Spot

3 On the way up from town we found some beautiful white Periwinkles which had been enticed out by yesterday’s sunshine but which were now drenched.

Periwinkle

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 19, 2014 in Beauty, Food, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Pastel de Nata, Portuguese Cafe, The Spot

Making, Playing and Kindness

18 Feb

1 We had some lovely making sessions today, first some arty plates and later some star flapjacks, lots of singing, especially Skinnymarinka and lots of stories including ‘The Dogs’ Bottoms’ and ‘My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes.’ Recipe for best-ever flapjacks to be found here.

Star flapjacks

Crafty plates

2 The soft-play, Bombadinga’s was great fun, charging around in safety.

Sliding at speed

3 On our walk this afternoon we saw these mugs on a wall. There have been workmen in our street all day and one of our kind neighbours gave them coffee.

Coffee for the water workmen

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 18, 2014 in baking, Beauty, family, Grandchildren, Kindness, photography, picture story books, Postaday 2014

Tags: Bombadinga's, flapjack, My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes, Skinnymarinka, The Dogs' Bottoms

Maritime Museum, Baking and The Park

17 Feb

1 Our morning was well spent in the Maritime Museum in Falmouth and by the time we came out the rain had stopped.

Sailing the yachts

Watching the boats in the marina

2 All the buns made the other day have been eaten so another batch was called for – two very helpful little chefs knocked up a dozen in no time!

Scraping out the bowl

Our cup cakes

3 A walk to the park was next with climbing and clambering being the best fun.

Climbing

I can climb in here!

And now there’s peace as the Grandchildren are tucked up for the night! ! Just look at what one of my good blogger friends was inspired to do with one of my photographs from this post

Peace droplets

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 17, 2014 in baking, Beauty, family, Peace, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Maritime Museum in Falmouth

Frost, Crocus and The Beach

16 Feb

1 We woke to a clear, bright and frosty morning – no rain!

Frost patterns

Sunlit frost droplets on the grass

2 In fact, it has been a glorious day with sun that warmed us up, encouraged the crocuses to open right up and encouraged lots of families to go to the beach to play. Our closest beach and one of our favourites has been stripped of its sand by the relentless storms of this winter. I have known this beach for over forty years and have never seen it like this before. We hope that over the next few months the tides bring back all our soft, golden sand. However, the Grandchildren dug channels and redirected the streams and made dams and were happiness personified in the delight they showed playing by the sea!

Off to explore

Digging

Where has all the sand gone?

Crocus wide open in the sun

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 16, 2014 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, Happiness, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: frosty morning, Porthtowan

Winter Walk, Baking and ‘Pankhurst Row’

15 Feb

1 What a non-stop day now that the Grandchildren are here for half term – walking, playing card games, out with the scooters, playing hide and seek, investigating everything and then….

Winter Sky trail

2 ….. baking buns, icing and eating!

White chocolate buns waiting for their lemon icing

3 A beautiful piece of commissioned art-work arrived in the post today, ‘Pankhurst Row’, made by Drawn to Stitch, a very talented artist whose work I saw a little while ago and fell in love with! The piece I saw was called Gardeners’ Row and when I asked if a similar piece could be made for me but with more purple and dark green, Suffragette colours, the answer was yes and it arrived today, so well packed and beautifully mounted. I am utterly delighted with it! Louise O’Hara is a mixed media artist from Cheshire, England who uses the name Drawn to Stitch and I adore her work. Click on this link to go to her website and see more of her delightful creations.

Pankhurst Row by Louise O’Hara

16 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 15, 2014 in art, Beauty, embroidery, Grandchildren, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Drawntostitch, half term activities, Louise O'Hara, Pankhurst Row

A Love Poem, Flowers and Another Love Poem

14 Feb

It’s Valentine’s Day so here, for you all, are two poems and some flowers to share.

This one by e e cummings has been one of our favourites since we met 48 years ago.

i carry your heart

Here are our daffodils, opening beautifully this morning.

Valentine’s Day Daffodils

This poem by Wendy Cope has been published for the first time in The Guardian today. I think it is very beautiful. It reminds me of something my Mum used to say, “Every goodbye, even if you are only going shopping should be a proper good one!”

To My Husband

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 14, 2014 in Beauty, flowers, Happiness, literature, photography, poetry, Postaday 2014

Tags: e.e.cummings, i carry your heart, love poetry, To My Husband, Valentine's Day, Wendy Cope

February Tree, Bunk Beds and The Hungry Bookworm

13 Feb

1 The sun shone for a while today and I managed to get this month’s photograph of my tree. It is still standing in a big puddle of water but it is still standing. Nearby now there is a bubbling spring which wasn’t here before all the rains. Next month I hope there will be some sign of greenery on the branches and the ground will be drier.

February tree 13.2.14

A new spring

January tree 7.1.14

2 I do enjoy getting the bunks beds ready for the Grandchildren. They are coming to stay over half term, some of the time without their parents for the first time. These duvet covers were on the spare beds in my parents’ home so are really rather special. They only come out for special people!

Shanticot as bunk beds

3 I’m off to the first meeting of a new Bookgroup tonight, The Hungry Bookworm in Falmouth – all about cookery books and recipes and tasting food – sounds right up my street! We were served these delicious tapas: Hummus, Dukkah and Burekas.

Tapas

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 13, 2014 in Beauty, Food, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: cookery books, Shanticot, tapas, The Hungry Bookworm

Truro, Owls and Flower Stall

12 Feb

1 We went shopping in Truro this afternoon after one storm had passed and just before the next one came in. This very beautiful curved street, Walsingham Place in Truro, dates back to the Georgian period.

Walsingham Place

2 Owls were a kind of family emblem and these two are lovely. I was very tempted but resisted!

Delightful owls

3 What a lovely flower display this is, in the equally lovely little indoor market in Lemon Street, Truro.

Flower stall in Lemon Market

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 12, 2014 in Beauty, Cornwall, photography, postaday2012, Truro

Tags: Lemon Street, Lemon Street Market, owls, Walsingham Place

Hellebore, Crocus and Raindrops

11 Feb

1 There is a garden near us that always has a lovely display of Hellebores at this time of year but it is hard getting underneath them to get a photo! I must find somewhere high up to plant some for myself – the purple, white and green would be perfect for my Suffragette garden. Click on any photo and zoom in for the detail.

Hellebore

2 Our crocuses are having a hard time – no sooner are they up then along comes another storm and beats them down.

Crocus

3 The leaves on next-door’s Clematis are getting blown off too but I love how the raindrops collect and act as mini magnifying glasses on the veins on the back of the leaf.

Mini magnifying glasses

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 11, 2014 in Beauty, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Hellebores, raindrops

Flushing, Lost Jacket and Gyllyngvase Beach

10 Feb

1 I wandered around a favourite village this morning as the lovely Mr S had other things to do. Please take a walk around Flushing with me, enjoying the beautiful things that I found. Click on any photo for a bigger picture and photo details.

View from the hill approaching Flushing

On a gate post. I love how the lion’s tongue seems to be hanging out.

Planted outside a cottage

Come through the arch with me….

View through the arch

Chimney and goose

Dress blowing in the wind

Idyllic cottage by the water

Beautiful slate hung wall -often found in Cornwall in positions of very severe exposure to wind driven rain, as on high open ground facing the prevailing wind and on the coast facing open sea

Just the best road sign ever!

Beautiful house sign

Little harbour opposite the house

The swans

Across to Falmouth

Delightfully painted terrace of houses

Lovely front doors

Victorian letter box

The creek from the car park

2 We then went on to Gyllyngvase for lunch and on the way spotted this lovely little lost jacket hung up on the workmen’s railings.

Hope this little jacket is claimed

Tractor detail

After another dramatic hailstorm, the sun came out again at Gylly and we had a lovely walk with the sun warm on our backs and then, on returning, warm on our faces. Joy!