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Monthly Archives: January 2018

Seagull, Cows and Sea Views

31 Jan

A seagull looked quizzically at me as we looked at St Michael’s Mount in the distance.

Seagull with St Michael’s Mount behind

We watched as a herd of cows made their way from field to farm to be milked.

Friesian cows going for milking

Such a blustery day, there were white horses as far as we could see either way along the coast. It has also been very cold here in West Penwith.

View from Gurnard’s Head Hotel

View from behind Gurnard’s Head Hotel

The next episode of the Suffragette Diary is published –

https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/31/friday-16th-july/

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 31, 2018 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2018, St Michael's Mount

Tags: Gurnard's Head, West Penwith

Peter Rabbit, Rougemont Gardens and A Mural

30 Jan

We’ve been up to Exeter today to meet Daughters 1 and 3 and LiveWire No 4 for a couple of hours of joy. We had a brief walk in Rougemont Gardens and then lunch before a little book shopping and all on our way. All too brief. I had been saving a special 50p piece for LiveWire B, one of the Peter Rabbit issue, and here it is in her little hand.

Peter Rabbit

Rougemont Gardens was new to us and deserves more time on our next visit. The gate is gorgeous, there were lots of Spring flowers and the Tower looks as if we need to explore some more.

Beautiful gate to Rougemont Gardens

Tower

On the way to our lunch we came across an interesting mural.

Mural

I have published the next instalment of Suffragette Diary to be found by clicking on the red link. If you haven’t read any of it yet, please do. It is the transcript of a real Diary that I found among my Father’s things. It describes the treatment of women in Holloway Jail who were there because they had broken windows ‘for the cause’, that of gaining the Vote for women. I have transcribed it to coincide with the Centenary of some women gaining the Vote in 1918. It is a very moving read and shows the courage of those women to whom we owe so much.

https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/30/thursday-15th-july-1909/

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 30, 2018 in Uncategorized

Bullfinches, Leaves and A Page Turner

29 Jan

We are enjoying the birds at the feeders. They don’t seem to be put off by the constant mizzle and wind. I took this photo on a long zoom from inside the kitchen.

Two male Bullfinches

I lent some books to a singing friend the other days and had to remove some lovely dried leaves from one of the. I’m not sure where I collected them!

Leaves

I have just finished reading ‘Truly, Madly,Guilty’ by Liane Moriarty and my goodness, it was a page turner. I was even glad of the rotten weather so that I could sit and turn pages! Another one for you, J, as soon as you want it.

A cracking good read

The next part of Suffragette Diary has been posted.

https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/wednesday-14th-july-contd/

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 29, 2018 in Beauty, birds, books, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Autumn Leaves, Liane Moriarty, Truly Madly Guilty

Hellebores, Iain Crichton Smith and A Thank You

28 Jan

In a neighbour’s garden we saw more signs of Spring, Hellebores, delicate and lovely.

Hellebore flower

I discovered another poem that appealed to me today – the last two lines sum up the way I ‘look about me and about me without end’ finding the beautiful things that are all around us.

THE WORLD’S A MINEFIELD
—Iain Crichton Smith

The world’s a minefield when I think of you.
I must walk carefully in case I touch
some irretrievable and secret switch
that blows the old world back into the new.

How careless I once was about this ground
with the negligence of ignorance. Now I take
the smallest delicate steps and now I look
about me and about me without end.

You may remember that I sent some SallyBoots to Germany a couple of weeks ago for our new Grand Niece. Today we received a photo of her looking lovely in her new boots.

Sally-boots

The next episode of the Suffragette Diary is posted. https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/28/wednesday-14th-july/

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 28, 2018 in Beauty, environment, knitting, nature, poetry, Postaday2018

Tags: Sally-boots, THE WORLD'S A MINEFIELD

Lovers’ Lane, Iris and A Poem

27 Jan

We had the shortest walk today in the gathering gloom, just around the block but Lovers’ Lane looked lovely despite, or maybe because of, the mistiness.

Lovers’ Lane

A splash of purple caught my eye on our return and, yes, there was another sign of Spring, the first Iris Reticulata in flower.

Iris Reticulata

I came across this charming poem this afternoon and though there has been no hail today, the poem certainly catches the essence of the hailstorm I drove through last Thursday on my way to singing. You can imagine the noise on the top of my very old and much loved little soft top Beetle – a ‘storm of hornets’ indeed!

Hailstorm – Kay Ryan

Like a storm
of hornets, the
little white planets
layer and relayer
as they whip around
in their high orbits,
getting more and
more dense before
they crash against
our crust. A maelstrom
of ferocious little
fists and punches,
so hard to believe
once it’s past.

The next episode of SuffragetteDiary is published. https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/27/tuesday-13th-july-contd/

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 27, 2018 in Uncategorized

Sunshine, Celandine and Our Daffodils

26 Jan

The sun has been shining today, shafts coming through the vine next door and lighting up the leaves.

Sunshine on leaves

Our walk was lovely today, very cold on our faces but apricity on our backs and then the reverse on our way up from town. Another shaft of sunlight lit up a Celandine along Lovers’ Lane.

Celandine

We had Daffodils flowering in the front garden but the wild winds have beaten several of them to the ground so I cut them and brought them indoors to be appreciated.

Daffodils

I have published the next episode of Suffragette Diary . Here is the link

https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/01/26/tuesday-13-7-09/

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 26, 2018 in Beauty, environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2018, Uncategorized

Tags: Cornish Daffodils, SuffragetteDiary

Penryn River, Flowers and Reflection

25 Jan

Singing this morning was quite challenging and great fun! It is always beautiful singing with a view such as this.

Penryn River

The Muddy Beach cafe had fresh flowers on every table today – just delightful.

Mixed flowers in Muddy Beach

At one point the river was very still and the reflections almost perfect.

Reflection

Strange irony yesterday – I posted a poem about insomnia and last night, I slept the whole night through! 🙂

I have posted the first of the Suffragette Diary Suffragette Diary 1

Do have a look. The episodes, handwritten by an unknown Suffragette, will follow day by day, transcribed as they were written, finishing on 6th February, the Centenary of (some) women gaining the vote.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 25, 2018 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, nature, Penryn, Photography, Postaday2018

May Sarton, Reindeer and Suffragettes

24 Jan

This poem came my way recently and struck me as a very positive and lovely way to celebrate sleeplessness. Oh, the ‘bliss of being alive.’ This poem is for my SIL, V, and my dear friends M and J and I am sure, many more of my dear Readers will appreciate it too.

Bliss – May Sarton

In the middle of the night,
My bedroom washed in moonlight
And outside
The faint hush-hushing
Of an ebbing tide,
I see Venus
Close to
The waning moon.
I hear the bubbling hoot
Of a playful owl.
Pierrot’s purrs
Ripple under my hand,
And all this is bathed
In the scent of roses
By my bed
Where there are always
Books and flowers.

In the middle of the night
The bliss of being alive!

As it is almost the Centenary of (some) women first getting the vote in Britain, I am republishing the Suffragette Diary, a copy of which I found in my late Father’s papers. I will let you know as soon as it goes live.

My facsimile scarf given to me by my Mum

Walking into town today, a neighbour’s gates were open and I spotted their wonderful, quirky reindeer in the front garden. Aren’t they a delight?

Wood and stick reindeer

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 24, 2018 in Beauty, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: bliss, insomnia, sleeplessness, Suffragettes, Votes for Women

Face, Heather and Camellia

23 Jan

Today’s relentless rain stopped at about 3.30pm and we set off for our walk around the back onto The Flat Lode Trail. We are so lucky being able to leave the house and within moments are away from houses and up along the track. I was amused by the face on the stone – hope you can make it out too.

Stone face

I love the raindrops on the Heather.

Raindrops on Heather

There are camellias in flower all round the neighbourhood. My favourites are the white ones.

White Camellia

I am loving my new Nikon Coolpix A900!

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 23, 2018 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, Humour, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: The Flat Lode Trail

Golden Dawn, Snowdrops and Winter Beach

22 Jan

We can feel the Spring arriving! There was a beautiful golden dawn this morning and tonight, at 5pm, I drove to choir in day light for the first time for many weeks.