RSS

Monthly Archives: April 2019

Six on Saturday – At the Allotment

I was invited for an Allotment Lunch today so I baked some Daisy Bread and off I went to the local allotments where our lovely neighbour and her sister have a double plot – a great opportunity for photos. At the end you will find the link to The Propagator’s blog where, in the comments, you will find lots of other Six on Saturday blogs from all over the world which are always fun to visit.

1. Looking out of the shed across the other plots.

2. Stir fry of lots of delicious fresh produce

3. Fresh wild garlic about to be chopped up and added to the mix

4. Stewed rhubarb with strawberries for dessert

5. Rainbow Chard – beautiful bright colours

6. Marigolds and Forget-me-nots – a beautiful colour combination.

7. The being-renovated shed

The Propagator

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 20, 2019 in Beauty, community, Cornwall, Food, friendship, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: Coach Lane Allotments

Primroses, Eggs and Solemn Intention Statement

19 Apr

Today is Primrose day and I have taken photos of many of the primroses in our garden. They are my favourite flower, delicate in colour but tough little plants that flower for months. Ours were in flower at Christmas and have grown better and better over the last weeks.

Primrose Day is the anniversary of the death of British statesman and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, on 19 April 1881. The primrose was his favourite flower and Queen Victoria would often send him bunches of them from Windsor and Osborne House.

We love getting fresh eggs from friends’ chickens.

Fresh eggs and a glass chicken

The peaceful demonstrations being held by Extinction Rebellion have a Solemn Intention Statement which is read out morning and evening at each site. Beautiful – one mind, one heart, calm, focused.

Extinction Rebellion Intention Statement.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 19, 2019 in environment, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: #Extinction Rebellion, Extinction Rebellion Intention Statement, Intention Statement

Little Hands, Easter Nails and Shop Window

18 Apr

As I was driving to buy some more special boxes suitable for posting my glass pieces, I heard a quotation from Samuel Beckett which touched me deeply. One of the loveliest things about having Grandchildren is that moment when you are walking along together and a little hand slips into yours. Even the ten year old still does this and I just love it!

“The child hand raised to reach the holding hand. Hold the old holding hand. Hold and be held.” Samuel Beckett Worstward Ho

I called in for our favourite bread today and the lovely lady who looks after us has had her nails painted for Easter. They look just like little sparkly Easter eggs and I asked if I could take a photo which amused her greatly.

J’s beautiful nails

I had a message today asking me to re-stock my space in The Craft Collective as two more pieces have sold, much to my delight. It was very pleasing too to see one of my pieces in the window.

A bit skew wiff but lovely to see just the same.

Blossom, Nesting and A Bluebell

17 Apr

The pink of the blossom against the blue of the sky this morning was very lovely.

Cherry blossom

We have been watching a pair of Sparrows showing an interest in the lighthouse nesting box. They’ve been around for a couple of weeks. Their behaviour today was interesting. Hover over each photo for the caption.

Checking out the nesting box

Now her mate has turned up

She has popped inside

Now she’s coming out with some of the nesting material she took in yesterday. Has he found her somewhere better?

Going out late this afternoon, I spotted a lone Bluebell growing in the gravel of the drive.

Lone Bluebell

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 17, 2019 in environment, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: nesting sparrows

Purple, White and Green

16 Apr

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Scented Narcissi

Fritillaria Meleagris, been in flower for weeks!

A purple, white and green day, keeping in touch with friends on Waterloo Bridge at the Extinction Rebellion protests, getting up-dates and hoping they keep safe. They speak up and sing for us. I wish we could be there too.

Old Earrings, Knitting and Owl Wisdom

15 Apr

I put out a call at Suitcase Singers for any old earrings that are no longer wanted and I have been given lots of beauties. These I was given last week and am delighted with them. I take my inspiration for my pieces from the bits of jewellery I am given and just want to find time to get on with these!

Our local hospital uses a traffic light system in the NICU (Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit) to show which new-borns need the most support with feeding. They have run out of orange/amber hats and have asked local knitters to get busy. I’ve made three so far and a fourth on the way. When I have made five, I shall post them off. If you are local and want to join in, I’ll send you the pattern.

Baby beanie hats for The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust NICU

My lovely SIL sent me this gem of Owl Wisdom.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 15, 2019 in knitting, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: Baby beanie hats, Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit, RCHT, The Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust

Being Granny, A Poem and Wise Words

14 Apr

Our LiveWires have gone home and it is very quiet today. They had a good time as did we and I was very touched when T, LiveWire no 3 said, “I really want to be a Granny when I’m old enough. It’s fun being a Granny!” Yes, it is!

Climbing on Carn Brea

Swinging at Heartlands

This poem came my way today and touched a chord. I have a favourite walk that I take my mind on when I can’t sleep, around St Anthony Head. Happily, I need this less than when I was working and now , of course, we are close enough to do the walk for real. Then I was in South Yorkshire.

Association by Franz Wright

Dawns when I can’t sleep I walk,
in thought, all the way
around Walden.

My father loved Thoreau, I wish
he could have walked there
with me once,

my hungover Virgil. Lying in bed
with a big ax
lodged in my head, I still hear him

as if from the next room
bumping into things and cursing.
Give us this day, he mutters,

our daily stone. Nice.
Can’t blame him, though. This morning
can’t sleep for missing him.

It’s two years since our lovely neighbour, Bill Mitchell, died and he is missed and remembered with great love by so many. This description of grief from a child whose Grandfather had died, I found very touching.

Wisdom of a child

For newer readers, here is the post I wrote about Bill two years ago.

https://mybeautfulthings.com/2017/05/03/bill-mitchell-our-friend-next-door-2121951-1442017/

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 14, 2019 in Carn Brea, Grandchildren, Photography, Uncategorized

Tags: Bill Mitchell, Bill Mitchell artistic director, Franz Wright, grief

Six on Saturday – A Windy April Afternoon

13 Apr

It’s wild out there today – and cold! I had planned to pot up a couple of Lavender plants for the top of the steps into the garden but that will have to wait! We’ve had help this week with some of the heavier, non-plant, tasks. The arbour has been renovated with a new roof and a new back. Now I have to paint it. The veggie boxes have begun to rot. They were made 10 years ago using the beams from the huge workshop that took up half of our garden. Dan has repaired those too so now we can get planting. We have no greenhouse and buy the little plants from our local nursery in Chacewater and had hoped to buy and plant this weekend but it seems another frost is promised so that job will have to wait too……

1. The Arbour

Repaired back and roof. Wheels added so that we can always turn it to the sun.

2. Veggie box, running repairs done on two of the four.

Repaired

3 New Growth. It’s lovely to see the blossom on the Amelanchier that we planted last year. It’s going to be very pretty.

Amelanchier Lamarckii

4. Fiddlehead Fern I love the early growth of ferns. This one is in my shady garden and planted in one of our many chimney pots. I’m told that they are edible but haven’t ever tried them mostly because I want the whole fern fronds in my garden!

Fiddlehead

5. Granny’s Bonnets, Aquilegea, Columbine. I love these pretty purple flowers, remembering them from my childhood. They seem to me to be flowering rather earlier than in previous years but I haven’t been back to check that out as fact! These flowers are edible too and are very pretty in a salad or decorating a cake. The leaves should NOT be eaten. The other varieties that we have, the yellow, the red and whites are not flowering yet. They self-seed with abandon.

Granny’s Bonnets, Aquilegea, Columbine with Snowflakes behind

6. More bulb beauties. The purple Tulips have taken over from the yellow Daffodils and join the white Narcissi in the pots up the steps. The white Tulips are a bit behind the white ones.

Tulips

If you have enjoyed my Six on Saturday, pop over to The Propagator’s blog. He started this brilliant idea and by reading the comments there you can visit gardeners and their gardeners all over the world.

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 13, 2019 in Cornwall, environment, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: #SixOnSaturday, Aquilegea, Columbine, gardening in Cornwall, Granny's Bonnets

Croissants, Placards and The Climate Emergency

12 Apr

The LiveWires cooked their own breakfast this morning – chocolate croissants.

Milking the chocolate croissants

Golden and ready

Our young activists spent the morning making placards for the Climate Emergency School Strike in Truro today.

LiveWire No 2 preparing his placard

On the Demo!

Very proud of our two LiveWires!

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 12, 2019 in art, baking, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: #Extinction Rebellion, Chocolate Croissants, Climate Emergency, Truro, YouthStrike4Climate

Garden, Glass and the Beach

11 Apr

After coming to singing with me this morning, I let LiveWire No 3 loose with my camera in the garden and she took some beauties. This is my favourite.