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Monthly Archives: August 2018

Feather, Clematis and A Welsh Dragon

A delicate white feather became caught on the seed pods of a Crocosmia.

Feather

Lady Betty Balfour Clematis is one of my favourites. It is flowering rather early this year as it is supposed to bloom in September.

Lady Betty Balfour

A number of The Ingleheart Singers have been to meet the two Welsh choirs who are visiting us from Port Talbot for our Grand Annual Concert tomorrow. As I was leaving the car park of their hotel, I noticed the sunset reflection in their coach window above the magnificent Welsh Dragon.

Welsh dragon

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 10, 2018 in environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Bel Canto, Cor Serenata, Lady Betty Balfour, The Ingleheart Singers

Sunset, Granny’s Bowl and Eton Mess

09 Aug

Last night’s sunset was lovely and peachy and reflected in my car window.

Sunset

Our lovely neighbour came in for supper tonight and after Caponata with Chicken, I served up Eton mess in a beautiful pale blue glass bowl that was my Granny’s. It was a Wedding present for her and Grandpa in June 1913! Isn’t it amazing that this glass bowl is still in use 105 years later? I just love that she used it, my Mum always served the Christmas Sherry Trifle in this bowl and now I, too, can use it and I love it.

Granny’s bowl

Eton Mess in Granny’s beautiful bowl

Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, broken meringue, and whipped double cream. First mentioned in print in 1893, it is commonly believed to originate from EtonCollege and is served at the annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School. As the lovely Mr S says, the boys from Eton are still making a mess.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 9, 2018 in friendship, glass, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: antique cut glass, English dessert

Chaffinch, Clematis and Evening Sky

08 Aug

Breakfast outside again and the birds are become used to us so still come to the feeders.

Chaffinch

Our Suffragette Garden now has Purple Clematis and white Japanese Anemones.

Purple Clematis

Supper in Porthtowan and the evening sky was lovely.

Evening at Porthtowan

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 8, 2018 in Cornwall, environment, nature, Photography, Postaday2018, Uncategorized

Tags: Porthtowan

Spider’s Web, Nasturtium and Millet

07 Aug

It rained overnight and left our garden covered in diamonds. My turn to make the tea, I was down very early and went out in my pjs to take these photos. As soon as the sun came up the diamonds disappeared.

It was the Web between the Agapanthus buds that first caught my eye.

Raindrops 1

Next, I noticed the Nasturtiums, themselves already jewel coloured and then embellished with diamond drops.

Raindrops 2

And then the Millet, encrusted with the same shiny beauties.

Raindrops 3

I was very glad to have been the early bird this morning, starting my day with such soul-pleasing beauty.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 7, 2018 in Beauty, environment, garden, Happiness, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Agapanthus, Millet, nasturtium

The Right Word, Cornish Lane and A Cat

06 Aug

As we listen to the news around the world of wars and oppression, a poem I read once by Imtiaz Dharker came to mind, “The Right Word” and I thought again as I have before of how important the ‘right word’ is. The women fighting for the vote a hundred years ago, including my Great Granny, were sometimes described as terrorists. Imtiaz Dharker puts her finger on it perfectly here as she so often does and makes me think of the children who are sometimes used in wars.

The Right Word

Outside the door,
lurking in the shadows,
is a terrorist.

Is that the wrong description?
Outside that door,
taking shelter in the shadows,
is a freedom fighter.

I haven’t got this right .
Outside, waiting in the shadows,
is a hostile militant.

Are words no more
than waving, wavering flags?
Outside your door,
watchful in the shadows,
is a guerrilla warrior.

God help me.
Outside, defying every shadow,
stands a martyr.
I saw his face.

No words can help me now.
Just outside the door,
lost in shadows,
is a child who looks like mine.

One word for you.
Outside my door,
his hand too steady,
his eyes too hard
is a boy who looks like your son, too.

I open the door.
Come in, I say.
Come in and eat with us.

The child steps in
and carefully, at my door,
takes off his shoes.

I love the dappled sunlight that scatters its glow around our Cornish lanes.

Cornish lane

Walking back from our rehearsal at St Euny Church tonight, we were accompanied by this pretty cat who wouldn’t keep still for a photo!

The cat who followed us almost home

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 6, 2018 in Cornwall, nature, Photography, poetry, Postaday2018, Uncategorized

Tags: Imtiaz Dharker, The right word

Sign, Clear Water and House Boat

05 Aug

We had a lovely walk today through amazing gardens down to the beach where so many people were swimming in the clear waters. We sat on the cliffs reading and watching the world go by on the water.

Delightful sign

Ferns

Path through the gardens

Gateway

Clear waters

House shaped boat!

Closer view

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 5, 2018 in Cornwall, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Bream Cove, The Meudon Hotel

Fused Glass, Wasp and A Duck Dinner

04 Aug

I’ve been on another glass workshop run by Lisa MacFarlane right here in our little town. Today it was fused glass and was both fun and challenging. We have to wait a couple of weeks to see how our bowls will turn out as they need two firings to be complete. Here is mine as it sets off for the kiln. I’ll show you the end result in a couple of weeks.

Hope this will turn out looking like a sunset over the sea!

I found a small creature on the Lobelia today but can’t identify it. I’m thinking it’s a wasp of some kind but the id charts don’t have this one. Perhaps someone can help.

Waiting for a name

The Confit Duck turned out well after its next stage of a long slow cook in duck fat then the pieces were drained and reheated when needed to crisp up the skin. We had it here with a mash of Sweet Potato and ornery potato, French Peas with Lettuce and Garlic and a red wine sauce (which I forgot to photograph) –

Home made confit duck

scrumptious!

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 4, 2018 in art, Food, glass, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Confit duck leg, French peas with lettuce and garlic, Lisa Macfarlane

Confit Duck, Successful Soup and A Little Bouquet

03 Aug

One of our favourite meals is Confit Duck but we only have it when we eat out and that is not that often so I decided to have a go at doing it myself. I found the recipe and discovered that the preparation starts 24 hours before you want to eat! Here are the prepared legs which are now sitting in the fridge for their ‘at least 12 hours’ chilling, looking rather pretty with the herbs and orange zest, salt and peppercorns.

Prepared Confit Duck

We have eaten lots of our home-grown Runner Beans, frozen even more away and today I have made the first batch of my Runner Bean Soup, which gets more hits than any other post and which, if you Google Runner Bean Soup, comes quite high on the page!

Runner Bean Soup

Yesterday, two of my lovely friends gave me a little bouquet of Sweet Peas, picked out for me because they are purple. I put them with some white Daisies which we brought in after they had been brought down by wind.

Sweet Peas and Daisies

Eggs, Seals and A VW Beetle

02 Aug

Our lovely friends who keep chickens keep us supplied with beautiful fresh eggs. These came with a feather!

Very fresh eggs

Our walk today took us along the cliffs to Mutton Cove where seals hang out.

Seals at Mutton Cove

In the car park was a lovely old VW Beetle, much older than my fifteen year old beauty, and immaculately kept.

An old VW Beetle

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 2, 2018 in Cornwall, environment, Godrevy, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Mutton Cove

Singing, Eco Park and Pesto

01 Aug

This morning was the monthly Sing for your Heart session at Porthtowan Eco Park and it was fabulous as always – truly uplifting. It is wonderful to look around the room and see so many people smiling with pleasure at the harmonies they have just achieved under Claire’s magical tutelage. If you are reading this and you live in Cornwall…….

Sing for your Heart poster

After a delicious brunch, I walked over to the secluded fire pit area and sat in Nature’s silence to read my book for a couple of hours. I’m sure you can imagine the peace. The gallery will give you a flavour of this lovely place and so will this earlier post and this one,

A pair of totem poles

Through the window

Where I sat for two hours

Looking across the fire pit to the window

A dream catcher on one of the trees in the orchard

I have made my own Pesto for the first time today. Instead of mixing Basil into the tomato sauce for Mozzarella Pasta, I served a dollop of the Pesto on top and it was delicious! I also used Pea pasta which gives us another of our 5-a-day!