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Category Archives: Photography

Sea, Staircases and Grand Mothers

After singing today at the Eco Park, I turned right rather than going straight home and went to see the sea, to smell the sea and to get the sea air into my lungs. It was glorious!

Porthtowan

I read about the staircases in Lima today. Peruvian artist Xomatok worked with community members to transform the hills of Lima, Peru’s Alisos de Amauta neighborhood with 13 staircases filled with patterns inspired by traditional Andean textiles. Aren’t they gorgeous? I’m glad I don’t have to climb them though!

Staircase in Lima

I think this poem by Alice Walker is speaking to all us Grandmothers right now

Calling All Grandmothers – a poem by Alice Walker

We have to live

differently.

or we

will die

in the same

old ways.

Therefore

I call on all Grand Mothers

everywhere

on the planet

to rise

and take your place

in the leadership

of the world.

Come out

of the kitchen

out of the

fields

out of the beauty parlors

out of the television

Step forward

and assume

the role

for which

you were

created:

to lead humanity

to health, happiness

and sanity.

I call on

all the

Grand Mothers

of Earth

and every person

who possesses

the Grand Mother

Spirit

of respect for

life

and

protection of

the young

to rise

and lead.

The life of

our species

depends

on it.

& I call on all men

of Earth

to gracefully

and

gratefully

stand aside

& let them

(let us)

do so.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 14, 2022 in art, Cornwall, Photography, poetry, Porthtowan, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Knitting, Narcissi and A Poem

13 Mar

Our niece had a baby recently so I’ve made some Sally-boots for our Grand niece, her big brother having had some a couple of years ago.

Yesterday’s wild wind blew some of our front garden narcissi off their stalks.

The poet laureate, Simon Armitage has written about the Ukraine invasion. The link is an article in The Guardian about him.

Resistance
It’s war again: a family
carries its family out of a pranged house
under a burning thatch.

The next scene smacks
of archive newsreel: platforms and trains
(never again, never again),

toddlers passed
over heads and shoulders, lifetimes stowed
in luggage racks.

It’s war again: unmistakable smoke
on the near horizon mistaken
for thick fog. Fingers crossed.

An old blue tractor
tows an armoured tank
into no-man’s land.

It’s the ceasefire hour: godspeed the columns
of winter coats and fur-lined hoods,
the high-wire walk

over buckled bridges
managing cases and bags,
balancing west and east – godspeed.

It’s war again: the woman in black
gives sunflower seeds to the soldier, insists
his marrow will nourish

the national flower. In dreams
let bullets be birds, let cluster bombs
burst into flocks.

False news is news
with the pity
edited out. It’s war again:

an air-raid siren can’t fully mute
the cathedral bells –
let’s call that hope.

Simon Armitage

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 13, 2022 in craft, nature, Peace, Photography, poetry

Tags: Simon Armitage, Ukraine

Spring Posy, Music and Street Art

11 Mar

I visited friends this afternoon and took a little posy of Spring flowers picked from our front garden.

Music restores the soul.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 11, 2022 in friendship, Peace, Photography, Postaday2022, quotations, Uncategorized

Tags: Aaron Copland, Ukraine

Women, March Mindfulness and Two Posies

08 Mar

It’s International Women’s Day today and in honour of all women, everywhere, let’s celebrate friendships.A bit of history for you: 1917
“On the last Sunday of February, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace” in response to the death of over 2 million Russian soldiers in World War 1. Opposed by political leaders, the women continued to strike until four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The date the women’s strike commenced was Sunday February 23 on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia. This day on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere was March 8.”
To strong women everywhere and as a friend put it today, “to the stoic women of Ukraine who are suffering the ravages of war, those brave women in Russia who protest at Putin’s barbaric behaviour, and the women of bordering Europe, the UK and the world who have risen up to assist Ukraine. ”

Today is also a special one for our dear neighbour and I have taken a small posy round for her.Somehow I didn’t pass on the Happiness calendar on March 1st. Here it is now!

And while I was picking the primroses and rosemary for S, she was down at the allotment picking some purply stocks for me for International Women’s Day. I’ve put the in my green glass with some white flowers to show the suffragette and I.W.D. colours of purple, white and green.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 8, 2022 in friendship, garden, nature, Peace, Photography, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Tags: action for happiness, International Women's Day, purple white green

Cake Tin, Scones and Glass

07 Mar

I came home from choir this afternoon to find a lovely old cake tin on the doorstep, full of freshly baked cheese scones! There was also some arnica balm for Mr S – what thoughtful and welcome gifts – but who left them there? We are wondering who our guardian angel might be. We’d love to say thank you properly…..

I managed to find some time for the first time in six weeks to work on my glass. I cut these two and will copper foil them tomorrow.

P.S. Thank you N, the scones are truly delicious. 🙂

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 7, 2022 in baking, friendship, Kindness, Photography, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Tags: Ukraine

Flashmob, Birthday Card and A Flower

06 Mar

A call out went out last week:

I was unable to be there but my neighbour made the following short recording which I can share with you: The scratch orchestra in Truro this afternoon playing Mussorgsky’s Great Gate of Kiev and the Ukrainian National Anthem in tribute and solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Thank you, S.

What a delightful birthday card came for the lovely Mr S.

Fold out card

Anemone Blanda in the wall garden

Colours of Ukraine

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 6, 2022 in community, Cornwall, music, Peace, Photography, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Tags: Anemone Blanda, Mussorgsky, paper cut out, Ukraine

Circles, Gorse and Cake

04 Mar

After 5 weeks, we had our first walk by the sea in glorious sunshine and on the same flat area where I practised walking after my new hips. It was a brilliant success for the lovely Mr S, his new knee and his crutches. I was intrigued by someone snorkelling in the rock pools and creating ever increasing wavelet circles. When he came out of the water we could see that he had been using a very big underwater camera.

I loved how the glorious yellow of the gorse and the blue of the sea caught the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

It’s St Piran’s day tomorrow and there will be a big market in town as well as lots of entertainment. I made a coffee cake for the cake stall.

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 4, 2022 in baking, Cornwall, environment, Falmouth, Gyllyngvase, Happiness, nature, Photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Ukraine

Welsh Cakes, St David’s Day and Street Art

01 Mar

It’s St David’s Day and to celebrate my heritage, I made Welsh Cakes as my Mum used to do. I still have the griddle that I inherited, that Mum used to use on the Aga but, sadly, it cannot be used on an induction hob.

Warm Welsh cake with butter and Blackberry and Apple jam

This beautiful artwork in Cardiff has been painted by leading street artist My Dog Sighs (Credit: Lee Smith)

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 1, 2022 in art, baking, Celebration, mural, painting, Peace, Photography, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Tags: Dylan Thomas, griddle, My Dog Sighs (Credit: Lee Smith)

Singing, A Visitor and Peace

28 Feb

What a joy! I went back to choir today and, of course it was wonderful to be singing in harmony with The Ingleheart Singers again. Here is Daisies White, a beautiful lullaby, recorded for you this afternoon. We are told that the song came to us ‘as taught by Suzannah Park who learned the song from her mother.’

While we were singing the rain was hammering down and a small dog came in to join us in the Eco Barn. I missed him while he seemed to be listening to Claire but he posed in the doorway just long enough for me.

Little visitor

I long for peace as do so many in this disturbed world.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 28, 2022 in friendship, Happiness, music, Photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Bloggers for Peace, Daisies White, Imagine, John Lennon, Suzannah Park

Sunflowers, Posters and A Song

27 Feb

Sunflowers are the National Flowers of Ukraine.

This story is being told now in Ukraine and around the world.

. . . Since Russia first unleashed undeserved war on Ukraine this week, remarkably brave elderly Ukrainian women have been watching for invading soldiers on foot in their villages and are offering each of these (mostly young) Russian soldiers handfuls of Sunflower Seeds ~ saying,

“Here Russian Soldier! Put these sunflower seeds in your pockets so that when you die here in our invaded land more of our beautiful sunflowers will grow where you lie.”

For Ukraine

Seeds of life and hope

Our town is brightening up all the time and in preparation for St Piran’s Day next week these posters have filled up a wall.

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum died last week. A Whiter Shade of Pale is an anthem of our time and was written in 1967 the year the lovely Mr S and I were married, just 10 months after meeting. We wanted the piece played for us to walk out after the ceremony but the organist refused!