1 We went to Truro today.
2 Dad’s Cornish Daffs are grown in St Keverne and smell divine.
3 We have a few flowers on our Clematis Cirrohsa Balearica but you have to get right underneath them to see inside.
Look inside
My lovely neighbour, Sue Hill, and her brother Pete are in Bhutan, having been invited to make new artwork and provide art direction for a brand new festival – the First Bhutan International Arts Festival (www.bhif.org) Feb 14th – 24th. They are working with a little gang of Cornish artists and local Bhutanese artists to decorate the site for the festival and to make a lantern wind-horse and ……
Sue has sent along the following photographs of their work, both in progress and made. Click on any photo for an enlargement and the caption.It looks like a wonderful place to be!
Thank you for the photos, Sue. Have a wonderful time for the rest of the festival.
Bhutan measures prosperity by gauging its citizens’ happiness levels, not the GDP. What a wonderful idea! I read that “A series of hand-painted signs dot the side of the winding mountain road that runs between the airport and the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu. Instead of commands to cut speed or check mirrors, they offer the traveller a series of life-affirming mantras. “Life is a journey! Complete it!” says one, while another urges drivers to, “Let nature be your guide”. Another, standing on the edge of a perilous curve, simply says: “Inconvenience regretted.” Fancy being greeted like that as you drive around your home town!
“It’s easy to mine the land and fish the seas and get rich,” says Thakur Singh Powdyel, Bhutan’s minister of education, who has become one of the most eloquent spokespeople for GNH. “Yet we believe you cannot have a prosperous nation in the long run that does not conserve its natural environment or take care of the wellbeing of its people, which is being borne out by what is happening to the outside world.”
Powdyel believes the world has misinterpreted Bhutan’s quest. “People always ask how can you possibly have a nation of happy people? But this is missing the point,” he says. “GNH is an aspiration, a set of guiding principles through which we are navigating our path towards a sustainable and equitable society. We believe the world needs to do the same before it is too late.”
You can read more by clicking on the red link.
1 What good advice this is and today we have taken it!
Spend your days with those who love you
2 We all had lunch in Porthleven and this was our dessert, Chocolate Brownie with Cherries and Pistachio Ice-cream. It was utterly delicious as was the rest of the meal.
Dessert at The Square, Porthleven
3 Driving home through Cornish lanes with the sun streaming through the tress was another delight.
Cornish lane
1 I was reminded by talking of childhood reading yesterday of my first poetry book, ‘For Your Delight’ which I read cover to cover over and over again as a ten year old. These poems really did delight me. I made up tunes to sing them all to!
For Your Delight
2 Here is one that is appropriate for now. When we were driving home the other day I noticed lots of catkins blowing.
February
Today I saw the catkins blow
Altho’ the winds are white with snow;While throstles sang, “The sun is good”
They waved their banners in the wood.They come to greet the lurking Spring
As messengers from Winter’s King.And thus they wave while Winter reigns,
While his cold grip still holds the plains.Oh, tho’ the hills are white with snow,
Today I saw the catkins blow!by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe
3 When I made the Choux Hearts for Valentine’s Day, I made four and since I had forgotten the sugar, decided that the spare two would make a lovely supper of Gougère – and they were delicious!
Cheese filled choux hearts
1 I love bookshops!
2 I came across another quotation the other day and loved it too:
“What I love most about libraries is that the books can only be borrowed, but the knowledge and inspiration they contain are yours to keep.” Anthony Breznican
I was an avid reader as a child and read so quickly my parents sometimes quizzed me to see if I really had read the whole book! I had the kind of memory that if I wanted to check a fact, I could picture whereabouts in the book and whereabouts on the page that piece of information could be found. I read everything available in the Children’s library and had to get special permission to get books from the adult library and there I discovered Dorothy L Sayers’ thrillers, Emma Orczy’s Scarlet Pimpernel and Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers! If only I could read as fast now – my pile of ‘to-reads’ is getting higher and higher. I wonder if you, dear reader, also have piles to go before you sleep!
3 Watching Daughter No 3 read to her daughter, Grandbaby B, on Skype, reminds me of my Dad reading to me, us reading to our four and the joy of story. I give you again, my special bookshelf of all the books for children (and some for adults) that my lovely Dad, David Wiseman, wrote, a legacy indeed.
I shall have to take a better photo tomorrow so that you can read all the titles.
1 Yesterday, friends delivered a lovely bunch of Daffodils in the bud from my beautiful choir leader, Claire. Today they are open and very lovely. Thank you so much, Claire!
Claire’s daffodils
2 Last night we went to see Ballet Rambert performing one of our favourite ballets, Rooster, to the music of the Rolling Stones. It was brilliant as was the rest of the show.
3 It being Valentine’s Day, we have had a special meal tonight, the dessert being Choux pastry Hearts filled with Vanilla cream and topped with a chocolate ganache. They went down well!
Choux heart
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers!
1 There was rain overnight and then sun so I went out to get a photo of our snowdrops.
Snowdrop
2 You’ll have to search for this!
3 I did my first baking since the op! Gingerbread and it is delicious! Recipe etc to follow. Off to the ballet tonight! Ballet Rambert! Yippee!
Glazing the Gingerbread
1 I went back to sing with The Suitcases this morning, only for an hour but, oh my, it did me good, though I was very tired by the end of the session. It was lovely to be so warmly welcomed back by my singing friends and a delight to see our choir babies again.
Choir baby E
2 Outside Miss Peapod’s Cafe we noticed this delightful use of teapots, all beautifully planted.
Teapot garden
3 This one speaks for itself.
Choose kindness
Today, I remember my beautiful friend Kath, in whose memory I write this blog. It is her birthday.
1 We went to friends for coffee this morning – what a treat! I am itching now to get back to our lives as they were not only pre-op but pre-pain!
2 Afterwards we went to the garden centre to get some Snowdrops ‘in the green’ which is the best time to plant them. We have 50 extra now that the lovely Mr S will plant tomorrow.
Snowdrops in the green
3 Beautifully simple supper of Salmon Fishcakes made with salmon leftovers from the other night and mashed potatoes, also leftovers. I recently discovered Panko breadcrumbs which I had thought to be a bit of an expensive con but they really create a lovely crispy crust! I served them with Braised Baby Gem Lettuce, Petit Pois and Shallotts and some delicious Chilli Jam made by good friends.
Crispy Salmon Fishcakes
1 This first photo may not look so beautiful but it represents me getting out into the garden for an hour and doing some tidy-up gardening so to me, it is beautiful!
Clearing the daisy over-growth
2 There is lots of growth happening in the garden, from Snow-drops to green manure and daffodil shoots.
Over wintered green manure in the vegetable boxes
Our snowdrops
New daffodil shoots
3 The Viburnum flowers have been there all winter and so have the little crab apples, just one un-withered left behind. The birds come to feed at this tree so I don’t suppose it will last much longer.
Viburnum blossom
A lone crab apple on the Malus Everest
For a few days there has been hope that Kayla Muella might still be alive but today, confirmation of her death in Syria has come through. My heart goes out to all her family. Kayla was friends with my niece in Prescott, Arizona and my sister has written very movingly about her here. Click on the red link to read Daisy’s tribute and to see her painting in honour of Kayla.
Commentator Award
