Sitting reading in the garden this afternoon, I noticed a red petal among the sapphire blue of the Agapanthus.It’s a stray blossom from the Crocosmia called Lucifer.
Lovely contrast
Sunset highlighted the shapes of the grasses at Godrevy this evening.
Grasses against the sunset
We love this series of YouTube videos, Playing for Change, Songs around the World. It is such a delight to see so many musicians from all over the world playing the same piece with such joy. I hope you enjoy it too.
The scent of the Heliotrope is just wonderful, not for nothing is its nickname Cherry Pie. The bees love it too.
Heliotrope with Bee
They also love the Cosmos.
Cosmos
I saw this pretty
Petunia
Petunia at the garden centre and want to grow it ourselves next year.
I love BBC Radio 4! Today’s treat was Broadcasting House where cookbooks and recipes were discussed. Gillian Reynolds’ favourite cookbook was The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, a book I was given in 1979 by my Brother and SIL who were living in America and one which I still turn to for inspiration. G R’s favourite recipe was for Lemon Pudding, one I haven’t made for years and must do again before too long.
Fannie Farmer Cookbook
I had no idea what to do for lunch today but there was an Aubergine, some Spinach and some Chestnut Mushrooms in the fridge so I turned to BBC Good Food, put in the ingredients and the following came up: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2899/aubergines-filled-with-spinach-and-mushrooms
Aubergine filled with Spinach and Mushrooms
It was delicious!
Last night’s wild weather took down our Runner Beans (now recovered) and various flowers. This rather top-heavy Dahlia is now indoors.
White Dahlia
Walking home from town today, we suddenly caught an unusual view of Carn Brea Castle from just near our house.
Carn Brea Castle
Our Three Wise Monkeys are now in charge of a floriferous Begonia which was yellow when we bought it, changed to pink soon after and is now this lovely peachy colour.
Begonia
This morning on Radio 4, I heard this beautiful poem by John Clare being read but I missed the introduction so don’t know why it was chosen. The summer has not been ‘beaming forth’ today as temperatures have plunged from 30C to 15C and the skies have stayed grey though the last many weeks past, we have had the most glorious sunshine.
Sonnet by John Clare
I love to see the summer beaming forth
And white wool sack clouds sailing to the north
I love to see the wild flowers come again
And mare blobs stain with gold the meadow drain
And water lillies whiten on the floods
Where reed clumps rustle like a wind shook wood
Where from her hiding place the Moor Hen pushes
And seeks her flag nest floating in bull rushes
I like the willow leaning half way o’er
The clear deep lake to stand upon its shore
I love the hay grass when the flower head swings
To summer winds and insects happy wings
That sport about the meadow the bright day
And see bright beetles in the clear lake play
Looking it up, I discovered that ‘mare blobs’ are marigolds – what a delightful name!
After three months of clear skies, tonight it is raining and cloudy, just the night when I had hoped to see the Full Moon and the Lunar Eclipse. If the skies clear, I will post photos tomorrow. However, last night, I did get a picture of the almost full moon and, if you look very carefully in the bottom left hand corner, Mars, the red planet!
Nearly full Moon and Mars
This came my way earlier today.
Libraries
Our town is full of beautiful flowering baskets hanging from lamp posts and brackets above shops.
Beautiful baskets in Redruth, this one outside our favourite coffee shop, Home Ground.
I promised you a photo of the Pomegranate Passion cake and here it is. It tastes as good as it looks. The topping is Mascarpone with Greek yogurt and macerated Pomegranate seeds.
Pomegranate Passion Cake by Yasmin Khan
The evening light on the grass seed heads was lovely.
Quaking Grass seed heads
It lit up the Everlasting Cornflower too.
Everlasting Cornflower
The temperature reached 30.2C today – unheard of in Cornwall.
I followed this bee around the Garden Centre this afternoon and after many photo attempts, it stayed still long enough for this one.
Bee
Another new recipe came my way – for a Pomegranate Passion Cake. I have made the cake this afternoon and will top it tomorrow and show you then. I love the whizzy, whirly motion of the mixer creaming the butter and sugar.
Creaming the butter and sugar to start a cake
We were at a the Garden Centre to find some Pak Choi, Winter salad leaves and Everlasting Spinach to replace the salads and the Carrots which were in the edible garden. Despite all the carrots being wonky, the colours are very pleasing. I roasted them this evening.
Crazy carrots
Off to our favourite place for a celebratory meal tonight – where the food is scrumptious, the atmosphere warm and friendly and the service impeccable.
The Royal Oak at Perranwell
My glass of Prosecco
In the ladies loo there is a gallery of gorgeous men – double Steve McQueen along with Cary Grant, Robert Redford, Paul Newman and others! Apparently, David Beckham recently fell off the wall and is awaiting a new frame!
Steve McQueen on the wall and in the mirror
The long view from Godolphin Hill with golden fields in the sunshine
Bronzing bracken
A fragile door at Godolphin House
Seventy two years ago my cousin, David, and I were christened at the same ceremony by our Grandfather, Rev W Richards, Vicar of Cockerham Church, Lancashire. Today we met again after all these years as David and his wife now living in Australia, are visiting the homeland.
Granny holding David, Grandpa with me and my big brother outside the Vicarage at Cockerham
We met for lunch in a village in Devon that was about equidistant from our place and where D and T were staying – the delightfully picturesque Kings Nympton.
The drive home through Devon’s lovely lanes took us past some golden fields of corn. Here I have Sting in my head!
Stooks
Golden corn
If you’d like to read more about the Church and the village, click this red link.
Commentator Award
