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Monthly Archives: May 2018

Cygnets, Cosmos and Pablo Neruda

What a delightful sight today as we were singing – cygnets on the river!  Aren’t they lovely?

Cygnets on the Penryn River

We have planted lots of Cosmos which we do every year. This year they are a special reminder of our holiday in South Africa though we didn’t see any yellow ones while away.

Yellow Cosmos

This poem from Pablo Neruda is new to me and I like it very much.

You start dying slowly
if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colours
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…

 

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Pigeon, Lighthouse and Golden Roses

A quiet day today keeping an eye on the birds in our back garden. The Pigeon likes perching on the curve of the Cedrus Atlantic Glauca.  The Crinodendron behind is becoming more scarlet by the day.

Pigeon

A Blue Tit family have set up home in our leaning lighthouse nesting box. This is the third year Blue tits  have chosen our garden and we are delighted.

Blue tit leaving his home

We are hoping that the Great Tit doesn’t have evil intentions as he hangs out on the bottom step.

Our Lighthouse Nesting box

Our climbing Golden Rose is flowering well. It has rained all day so I haven’t been out to smell them yet.

Golden roses in the rain, taken from indoors on a long zoom

 

 

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A Painting, A Poster and The Copse

My lovely Sister, an artist who lives in Hawaii, painted this beautiful, sunny piece and gave me permission to put it on here as one of my beautfulthings today.

One of my beautiful Sister’s beautiful paintings

We’ve been in Exeter today to have lunch with Daughter No1. This poster about migration was on a lamp-post in the city.

Paddington Bear was a refugee

The copse at Cookworthy Knapp means so much to people who have been away from Cornwall, their home, even if only for a day! They tell us that we are nearly home, hence their nickname. Photos are always taken from a moving car.

The Nearly Home Trees – for Anne

 

 

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White, Blue and A Flag

We awoke to find two beautiful White Poppies in bloom.

White Poppy

We have some more Blue Poppies and we love them too.

Blue Poppy

My choir, The Ingleheart Singers, sang at Open Studios at Krowji in Redruth today. The flags around the site were delightful.

Flag at Krowji

 
 

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A Visitor, Special Garden and Favourite Sweets

Opening the back door today, we found a very still Common Toad who had been hiding on the doorstep under the sill. The lovely Mr S took him carefully up the garden where we hope he is safe.

Common Toad

Our Boody Garden is looking good! I love the addition of the two pieces of a broken Jane Hamlyn pot that appears to have plants growing out of them. The ferns etc are all rooted in the Cornish wall. For an explanation of Boody Garden, please click on this link.

Boody garden

There are days when only Jelly Babies will do!

Favourite Jelly babies

 

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Humanist Wedding, Phillip Pullman and Blooms

It was overcast but the rain held off for the very beautiful Humanist Wedding held in the grounds of the Meudon Hotel, Falmouth.  The couple were very happy, of course, and the whole event full of love and joy.

Under the confetti arch

They chose some very interesting readings – this extract from The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman was particularly moving.

“I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I’ll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again… I’ll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we’ll cling together so tight that nothing and no one’ll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We’ll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won’t just be able to take one, they’ll have to take two, one of you and one of me.”

The gardens at The Meudon are glorious. We must visit again very soon.

I do love being the Celebrant at such happy occasions.

 

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Beetle, Clematis and A Poem

I found a little green beetle on my trousers as I was working in the garden this morning.

Green Shield Bug?

Our Clematis in the front garden is spectacular – this is only about half of it!

Clematis

Regular readers will have seen several of cummings’ poems on here,  another today that somehow suits the Spring and the blue skies we have been having until this afternoon.

o by the by – ee cummings
o by the by
has anybody seen
little you-i
who stood on a green
hill and threw
his wish at bluewith a swoop and a dart
out flew his wish
(it dived like a fish
but it climbed like a dream)
throbbing like a heart
singing like a flameblue took it my
far beyond far
and high beyond high
bluer took it your
but bluest took it our
away beyond wherewhat wonderful thing
is the end of a string
(murmers little you-i
as the hill becomes nil)
and will somebody tell
me why people let go

 

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A Planter, A Boot Scraper and A Survivor

After an uplifting singing session at the Zed Shed, I walked up through Penryn to get my hair cut. Firstly, I spotted a pretty planter with beautiful white poppies and just one orange one.

Pretty planter

Further up the road, there was a lovely old cast iron boot-scraper with a scallop shell and two fish. There were several more boot scrapers along the way which I shall collect in the future.

Boot scraper

Further still up the hill, on a window sill, was a Mexican Fleabane plant, surviving with little or no nourishment. These pretty little daisies seem to grow anywhere they can find a toe-hold. I love its Latin name too!

Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus)

 

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Bee, Bobotie and A Plaque

Collecting pollen and buzzing happily in a golden rose

Busy bee

I made Bobotie tonight, a delicious reminder of our South African holiday.

Bobotie

Just outside Falmouth Library, this plaque is set into the pavement. It pleases me.

Friendship

 
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Posted by on May 23, 2018 in Uncategorized

 

Cowl, Slogan and Naked Lady

From the car park at St Michael’s Hospital where we went to see the surgeon about my steroid injected ankles, we saw several small cowls and thought they must belong to some old farm buildings. Just for the record, the steroid injections have been amazing and I can ask for more in six months should I need them.

Cowl

After the visit we went to the local Garden Centre and spent some more money buying some beautiful plants. I loved these words on the back of one of the staff. My Mum, once retired from teaching deaf children, used to put Gardener as her profession on official forms.

In the garden centre

I visited a friend this afternoon for a Reflexology treatment and she showed me round her garden. I loved its quirkiness, especially her naked lady, known as Tallulah.

Beautiful naked lady

 

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