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Category Archives: books

Posy, Poetry and Produce

We visited our dear friend T today and took a spring posy from the garden, narcissi and a hyacinth, all of which are highly scented and much appreciated.

Sharing poems is one of the joys of our visit and today was the turn of T S Elliot’s cats. Later the following quotation came my way and seemed just perfect for the day.

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T S Elliot, bought in 1965

“I’ll tell you a secret: we don’t read and write poetry because it’s pretty. We read and write poetry because we belong to the human race; and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, Law, Commerce, Engineering… they are noble and necessary races to dignify human life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love are things that keep us alive” – Dead Poets Society (1989)

Last week I told you about making a veg bag for Community Roots. As a thank you they have given us a bag of this week’s vegetables – what a beautiful bagful!

and more….. potatoes, mushrooms, salad leaves and onions!

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 29, 2023 in art, books, community, friendship, garden, photography, Postaday 2023, Uncategorized

Tags: Dead Poet's Society, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, T S Elliot

After the last session of my writing course – which was both challenging and enjoyably satisfying – I went to meet a friend for lunch (an excellent red pepper soup.)
After a long catch-up, we strolled over to Kresen Kernow (Cornwall Centre, home to the world’s largest collection of documents, books, maps and photographs related to Cornwall’s history) where there is an exhibition about Cornish women. It was absolutely fascinating. My favourite story was of Mary Kelynack whom you can read about in this work by Michael Tangye, a local historian, In brief, she walked form Newlyn to London to visit The Great Exhibition, yes, she walked! And she was 76!

Thank you C for the photo

Just watched a very moving programme Channel 4 Bear Grylls meets Volodymyr Zelensky. If you get the chance, do watch it.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 28, 2023 in art, community, Cornwall, friendship, picture story books, Redruth, Uncategorized

Tags: Kresen Kernow

Stories, Strong Women and Love

12 Mar

I’ve been ‘watching’ the rugby over this gloomy weekend and at the same time, I have read almost all of a fascinating new book, “Cornwall Herstory” a collection of stories of Cornish women in history, edited by Lesley Trotter, a friend from choir. It is utterly compelling and I am loving it.

The following picture came my way last week for International Women’s Day and seems right for today too.

And this one is always good to share.

Sorry, don’t know the designer here. Do tell me if you do.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 12, 2023 in books, Cornwall, painting, Postaday 2023, Uncategorized

Tags: cornish history, Cornish women, Herstory, Herstory by Lesley Trotter, John Lennon

A Good Read, Weather Vane and Daffodils

25 Feb

I’m quite surprised that the book I have just finished was first published twenty years ago and it passed me by. “The Secret Life of Bees” has also been made into a film and that passed me by too. A good friend brought the book around for me to read a few weeks ago and I am so glad she did as I have loved it. It’s described as a ‘coming of age’ story but don’t let that put you off. It’s more about strength of character, standing up for what you believe in, perhaps about motherhood and I loved the way it was written and constructed. And you do learn about bees!

On our walk the other day, I spotted a weather vane that I like.

Ukraine is in our hearts and minds much of the time. `I love the colours here.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 25, 2023 in books, nature, photography, Postaday 2023

Tags: Slava Ukraini, Sue Monk Kidd

Beauty, Snowdrops and Three Wise Monkeys

08 Feb

I was lending some books to a friend yesterday when a marker fell out and I was reminded of a paragraph that I liked very much. Here it is.

Excerpt from Still Life by Sarah Winman

There is beauty in our garden at the moment, lovely Snowdrops, more and more appearing……..

and more Iris Reticulata, this time in our Three Wise Monkeys planter, made many years ago for me by a local artist,Jeremy Beswick.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 8, 2023 in Beauty, books, Cornwall, environment, garden, nature, photography, Postaday 2023, quotations, Uncategorized

Tags: Jeremy Beswick artist, Sarah Winman

The Writers’ Block Arrives in Redruth

28 Jan

The Writers’ Block has moved to Redruth and is in the old Library, the building now known as The Ladder. Today was their opening day and lived up to expectations. It really is “an inspirational space with events and activities for all ages and abilities cultivating writing confidence, creativity and enjoyment.”
Enjoy the gallery and click on photos to read the explanatory captions. Do click on the website to read about Simon Armitage.

Bench outside celebrating people from Redruth

Keith Sparrow, actor, story teller and artist asking everyone for the name of a favourite book so that he could add it to the ‘bookshelf.’ Look carefully, the door has an adult opening and a small one for children. It’s a very beautiful thing.

My choice of book was one of my Dad’s, The Fate of Jeremy Visick. Hasn’t Keith made a lovely job!

Poster Neil Gaiman’s words

Word game being played by a family

Word posy

Amontillado – bottle of special Laureate sherry donated to Amanda and Anna by Simon Armitage

The back of the bottle. The poem can be read properly in the next photo

https://www.sherry.wine/news/poet-laureate-simon-armitage-receives-first-bottles-his-own-specially-labelled-sherry

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 28, 2023 in art, books, Celebration, community, Cornwall, craft, photography, poetry, Postaday 2023, Uncategorized, Words

Tags: Keith Sparrow, Laureate's Choice, The Phoenix by Simon Armitage

Woodpecker, Flowers and A Poem

04 Nov

What a delightful visitor came to our bird feeder this morning! The photo is taken from the kitchen, through the utility room and another six meters up the garden so is on max zoom and a little blurry.

We took some of our last flowers to Ti today – Alstroemeria, Dahlia, Cosmos, Hesperantha and Verbena Bonariensis – all in flower in November!

Ti has a poetry book, a poem for every day of the year. She was delighted when I read today’s poem to her. I also read the poems for all our birthdays which I will share on those days.

Horton, Hearts and A Baby Blanket

05 Oct

Last time we visited our lovely 103 year old friend she asked where my love of elephants had begun. I said my Daddy reading Rudyard Kipling’s story of How the Elephant Got His Trunk might well be part of it. Later that evening I remembered Horton the Elephant, a book by Dr Seuss first published in 1940 which formed an important part of story time when I was little. Not having a copy any longer, I bought a used one from Ebay and it was delivered today. I realise that some of my personal philosophy also came from Horton – to be kind, to be true to my word and, with our children and with those I taught, that I only said what I meant.

“I meant what I said
And I said what I meant….”

The low Autumn sun made a shadow on the ceiling of the glass heart that we have hanging in our front window. I made it in March to show love and support for Ukraine.

We’ve had a quiet afternoon and I finished off the baby rug for the Grandbaby of a friend, in fact the new daughter of the young couple whose wedding ceremony I performed at the beach last year.

Almanac, Biscuits and Planter

23 Jun

We have a delightful little book. Every month has information about the moon and the tides, bird of the month, what to plant and what to harvest , a recipe and a folk song for the month. It is really lovely. I looked ahead to July and found a recipe for Flower Biscuits..

So, I made some! They are a bit shortbready and have the edible flowers pressed into the biscuit before baking and a lemony glaze when they come out of the oven.

I planted up a tub with purple, white and petunias this afternoon once it was cool enough to work outside.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 23, 2022 in baking, books, garden, nature, photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Lia Leendertz

Eid and Two Novels

02 May

Happy Eid to all our family and friends and to everyone celebrating Eid today.

A dear friend lent me a novel by Mary Lawson, The Other Side of the Bridge and I loved it so much I looked for her first, Crow Lake, also set in the wilds of Ontario, and am now halfway through that one. I love the stories of family life, its tensions and its joys and the descriptions of the world they live it. Her writing is utterly compelling. If you haven’t read any of hers yet, do.I think you might enjoy them too.