Happy days everyone as the darkest and shortest day draws to a close and the days will begin to get longer.
Monthly Archives: December 2022
Winter Solstice
Cake, Tree and Supper
I made a Beetroot and Chocolate cake for the Volunteers at Community Roots today. It went so quickly I hardly had time to get a photo. 
I love the way almost every house through the village of Chacewater has a small Christmas tree outside.
I served our Pork Balls in Tarragon Sauce with some Tree Cabbage harvested from Roots this morning. Find out more about Tree Cabbage here.
Christmas Wrapping and A Magpie
I’ve been saving the wrappers from loo rolls to use at Christmas – don’t be horrified! They are really rather special
The magpies love leftover bread pieces!
A Poem
When we visit our lovely 103 year old friend, we ofter talk about and read poems. Last time we were there we were both trying to remember this poem by Robert Frost…. We talked about the different lives we might have had, had we taken different paths and about the many choices there had been in a life of over 100 years.
The Road Not Taken
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
So here it is for Ti – and for you Dear Readers. What different paths might you have taken?
A Poem and My Dad
My poet friend, Kim Ridgeon, has given permission to share this beautiful poem with you today.
It is a day of reflection for me today as my Dear Dad died on this day in 2004 after a very hard year and his last seventeen days in a wonderful hospice. They let us make his room so personal with his bookcase, Des Amis Silencieux, and all the books he had written, a favourite painting on the wall and flowers that I took in daily. If you’d like to read a bit more about the bookcase, click here.
The photo used on his book jackets with his beloved Burmese cat, Shoshone
Frozen Cornwall
A friend sent me this beautiful piece of Nature’s art from inside his conservatory window.
John’s window
Walking on the frozen sand today was a new experience. It made walking on the beach much easier than normal!
Frosted sand
Ice in the stream
The video shows water flowing under the ice on Porthtowan Beach – listen to the waves behind me rolling onto the beach
A local creek was frozen over too.
Mylor Creek, frozen. Photo by Jan
Across, Up and Refugees
Singing by the river in Penryn on Thursday mornings is always a joy and today the views were especially glorious.
View across from the Zed Shed
Looking up the river, for Paddy
I was looking for poems about refugees this evening and remembered one by the very talented Brian Bilston. Read it down and then start at the bottom and read up – and weep.
REFUGEES
They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way
(now read from bottom to top)
Christmas Shopping in Truro
We started very early this morning as last week we couldn’t park in Truro and today we were able to wander and appreciate Truro’s loveliness before it became too busy. Our coffee break was in Charlotte’s Tea House which is a delight. Join us on our wander.
The beautiful door to the tea room
About the Tea House
About Charlotte
The Christmas tree of love and memories in the Cathedral
Looking down the nave in Truro Cathedral
Walsingham Place, check out its history here
A Cat, A Dog and A Cake
We called at the station this morning to check on an upcoming journey and found Hector, the station cat, sitting all alone in the lounge. There’s a notice on the door asking passengers not to let him in as he has a kennel on the platform but I wasn’t about to sprag on him on such a bitter morning – if ever!
We only lasted at Roots for a couple of hours today as it was bone chillingly cold. We worked together on clearing old nasturtiums from the poly tunnels and generally tidying up in there. At coffee time, a charming little dog sat looking longingly at the cake that the lovely Mr S was consuming.
M had made a most delicious Orange and Almond cake and shared the recipe so, of course, I just had to try it this afternoon. It’s a really quick and truly scrumptious recipe.
Frost, Face and Stuffing Balls
Such a heavy frost this morning and beautiful patterns on the car reminiscent of the ice patterns on the inside of the bedroom windows when I was growing up.
After wiping the hob, the lovely Mr S drew a smiley face for me.
I have made our contribution to Christmas dinner, very delicious Sausage, Chestnut and Cranberry Stuffing using Nigel Slater’s recipe. They are now in the freezer ready for transporting.
