A dear choir friend sent me this beautiful piece sung by my choir this morning. I’ll be back singing with everyone next week.
Thanks M.
Monthly Archives: November 2025
On This Day……
On this day in 1937, two young students’ eyes met across a crowded cafeteria at Manchester University as my Mum noted in her diary. She was doing a special qualification in the teaching of deaf children and Dad was, that year, President of the Student Union and her diary records their meeting almost every day for months. They married on September 2nd 1939 and their four children had 12 children between them who have gone on to have another four, That’s twenty humans on this planet as a result of that chance meeting – love at first sight! The diary is, of course, a family treasure.
Blue Sky and A Poem
We’ve had an unusually warm start to November, blue skies and bright sun, but tonight’s weather forecast for the next few days includes a warning for snow and ice even here in Cornwall. 
This poem by Theodore Roethke seemed a good choice for tonight.
The Coming of The Cold – Theodore RoethkeÂ
The ribs of leaves lie in the dust,
The beak of frost has pecked the bough,
The briar bears its thorn, and drought
Has left its ravage on the field.
The season’s wreckage lies about,
Late autumn fruit is rotted now.
All shade is lean, the antic branch
Jerks skyward at the touch of wind,
Dense trees no longer hold the light,
The hedge and orchard grove are thinned.
The dank bark dries beneath the sun,
The last of harvesting is done.All things are brought to barn and fold.
The oak leaves strain to be unbound,
The sky turns dark, the year grows old,
The buds draw in before the cold.The small brook dies within its bed;
The stem that holds the bee is prone;
Old hedgerows keep the leaves; the phlox,
That late autumnal bloom, is dead.All summer green is now undone:
The hills are grey, the trees are bare,
The mould upon the branch is dry,
The fields are harsh and bare, the rocks
Gleam sharply on the narrow sight.
The land is desolate, the sun
No longer gilds the scene at noon;
Winds gather in the north and blow
Bleak clouds across the heavy sky,
And frost is marrow-cold, and soon
Winds bring a fine and bitter snow.
No Roots for me today, still under par, but I did send along the lemon cake I made last week which has been in the freezer waiting. A lovely volunteer kindly came to collect the cake this morning on his way to Community Roots. Thanks, M.
Planting for Spring Colour
It’s been a gloriously blue sky, bright sun day but very cold – perfect winter weather. My lovely Mr S went out and planted the last of our bulbs, two packs of each, for colour in the Spring while I stayed indoors, kept warm and nursed this infuriating virus.
Purple, White and An Etching
My suffragette garde, all purple, white and green has just a touch of coulour left, a couple of blossoms on the Choisya, just one japanese Anemone and some fading purple Hebe flowers
and an etching that pleases me.
Roses, Leaves and A Book
Friends I’ve know since teenage years and whom we haven’t seen for a while as they now live in Wales, popped in this afternoon and we had a lovely couple of hours catching up and laughing. They brought us some beautifully sunny roses.
The colour on the Amanagowa Cherry tree is bright and autumnal.
I’ve had a lot of time to read this last week and have just finished a remarkable and beautiful book, one of those where the characters stay in your head and you continue to think about them and their futures. All the characters are so well drawn, the plotting is intriguing and the descriptions of the natural world are lyrical and evocative – really a beautiful read.
Thank you M for lending me this treasure of a read.
Note books, Marina Lewycka and A Poem
In 2008 my lovely SIL gave me a beautiful box of twelve little note books. I was known for always carrying a notebook and they had become known as SallyBooks. I am coming to the end of the set having just started no 11.
I was looking at the first book today and the first notes I was taking were at a book event, Readers’ Day at Falmouth University, where Marina Lewycka was talking about her first novel, “A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian,” recently serialised on BBC Radio 4. I was reminded by my detailed notes, of her warmth and easy discussion style while talking with Mac Dunlop, and was sorry to hear that she had died yesterday. I also made notes of some of her comments – “Humour is the gift that lifts you out of the sh!t. It enables us to keep our humanity.” We need to remember that in these difficult times.
I’ve shared poems by the American poet, Billy Collins before and here’s another for you, taken from his collection, Questions About Angels.. I just love the ‘glass bottomed boats.’
Kindness Really Matters
It’s World Kindness Day today and doesn’t the world need it?
Kind words can make someone’s day.
Kind deeds likewise and today two of my choir friends very kindly sent me video clips of my choir singing “Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie’ as once again. I couldn’t go to choir. Thank you very much, S and M.
Another Quiet Day
Still taking things easy so here are some photos from 11th November 2018 when my choir went to St Ives to sing around some very special sand art.
To see the whole post click on the red link here.
