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Category Archives: charity

Derry Temple, KniTZTanzania and Quinoa Salad

1 A most beautiful thing has been happening in Derry, Northern Ireland. A wonderfully intricate 75′ timber Temple has been created by the renowned American artist, David Best, whose creations are set alight during Nevada’s annual Burning Man festival. The remarkable structure was made by Catholics and Protestants working together in peace to honour those who died in the Troubles and was set alight last night.
Do watch the remarkably moving video. I promise you, the time will be worth it. Please, let me know what you think. It moved me to tears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe8gvbAitfU The link seems not to be working for everyone. If you find that, please copy and paste to try

2 Sometime ago a friend sent me a pattern for a tiny jumper for a new-born and a Beanie hat to match. The charity who were collecting to send these where they were needed has closed but I have found another, KnitzTanzania who replied to me yesterday to say a consignment is just about to leave so if I post tomorrow my little outfits tomorrow, they will go to help save the lives of new-borns in Tanzania where Hypothermia can seriously damage the health of premature and newborn babies in the Tanzanian Highlands. If any of you would like to join me I can post the pattern in my Recipe pages! They are very easy and quick to knit. I made the multi-coloured one with the present of some wool from Larissa when I was recuperating.

Thank you, Larissa for the wool!

Jumper and beanie hat for a new-born

3 I was reminded about quinoa by Marilyn the other day and decided to make us a delicious salad for lunch today. I served it with a delicious honey, mustard and soy dressing.

Quinoa salad and dressing

I love this intricate detail from the Temple. Namaste, my dear Readers.

Detail from the temple in Derry

17 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 22, 2015 in architecture, art, Beauty, charity, Food, knitting, Peace, photography, Postaday 2015, sculpture

Tags: David Best, Derry Temple, KnitzTanzania, Nevada's annual Burning Man festival

My Dad, Generosity and Kaffir Lily

17 Dec

1 It is ten years today since my lovely Dad died and, of course, he still leaves a hole in my life. This morning in our newspaper was a lovely piece by Lindy West about losing her Dad three years ago. I found it heart warming. Click on the red link to read it.

2 In the midst of some horrific news this week comes a beautiful reminder on the inherent goodness and humanity of people. I loved this story of a student in Preston who slept rough herself to repay a homeless man’s kindness to her. Another heart-warming story for you.

3 We have some colour in the garden as the Kaffir Lilies begin their winter show.

Kaffir Lily

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 17, 2014 in Beauty, charity, Kindness, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: heart warming story, humanity, Kaffir lily, Lindy West

Pirates on Penzance Prom – World Record Attempt

26 May

We joined dozens of Pirates on Redruth station platform this afternoon and by the time the train arrived in Penzance it was packed with Pirates of all ages, all going to try to regain the Guinness Book of Records World Record which we held in 2011 but which Hastings took in 2012. We had to beat 14,231. Very sadly we missed this by only 77, being a gathering of 14,155. However, despite the heavy showers and not quite making the record, a fantastic day was had by all and at least £14,155 was raised for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute who do such a wonderful job around our coasts. The whole day was one of jollity and good humour and the costumes were brilliant. Click on any photo for detail.

Family fun

St Michael’s Mount from Penzance

Brilliant skiffle band that had everyone dancing

I did the Humanist Wedding Ceremony for this beautiful couple in 2010. They now have two beautiful children.

Watching the fun

Lowering clouds

Crowds gathering

Thousands and more

Lovely couple

Pirate family and pirate dog

Young Pirate

Sheltering from the rain

Sword dancing

Determined little Pirate

Pirates and their Pirate dogs

Sheltering the little ones

Waving the flag

Three young pirates

Sleepy Pirate

RNLI display

Waving Pirate

Cheerful Pirates

Handsome couple

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 26, 2014 in Beauty, charity, community, Cornwall, Penzance, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Guinness Book of Records, Pirates on Penzance Prom, RNLI, Royal National Lifeboat Institute, World Record Attempt

Carl Sandburg, Mist and Heroes

19 May

1 This beautiful little poem, ‘Fog’ by Carl Sandburg, which we both love, was on BBC Radio 4 today and brought back lots of lovely memories. What a fabulous metaphor.

The fog comes

on little cat feet.

It sits looking

over harbor and city

on silent haunches

and then moves on.

2 Coming home from a fabulous singing session tonight, heavy rain was falling onto hot roads and a fine mist was rising all along my route home. It was very beautiful and reminded me again of the poem we heard this morning.

3 Two very good friends have completed the Three Peaks Challenge over the weekend and have been raising funds for Prostate Cancer Research. How brilliant is that!? Here they are at Sunrise, 6am, Summit of Pen y Fan. Well done both of you. I am in awe!

G and J on the Three Peaks Challenge done for Prostate Cancer Research

Three Peaks Challenge done!

Update 10/6/2014 Between them, they have raised just on £1000! That’s amazing! Well done again.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 19, 2014 in awards, charity, photography, poetry

Tags: 'Fog' by Carl Sandburg, Pen Y Fan, Prostate Cancer Research, Three Peaks Challenge

World Food Night, Spring Posy and Flowers

05 Mar

1 It was World Food Night last Saturday but we were busy so we have hosted our charity night tonight. Everyone has brought a dish to share and is paying for the privilege as we raise money for asylum seekers and refugees.

Donate

We have feasted on Cullen Skink from Scotland, Vegetable Curry from Bangladesh, Thiou from Senegal, Tarte au Citron, Turkish Hawlet and Tunisian Almond and Orange cake. Thank you so much to all our lovely friends for their generosity and their delicious offerings and for making the evening such a success. We raised £150.00 between us and we’ve had a ball! Click on any photo for the detail.

Cullen Skink, smoked haddock and potato soup from Scotland

Vegetable curry from Bangladesh

Senegalese Thiou, recipe and method will be posted soon

Tarte au Citron, France

Turkish Hawlet, a very light cake with sultanas and pistachios

Gluten free Tunisian orange and almond cake

2 I have picked a rather weather-beaten posy from the garden for the table.

Spring posy

3 Our beautiful Three Wise Monkeys planter is in flower.

Three Wise Monkeys, made by artist Jez Beswick, and flowers

7 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 5, 2014 in Beauty, charity, Food, nature, photography, Postaday 2014

Tags: Cullen Skink from Scotland, Tarte au Citron, Thiou from Senegal, Tunisian Almond and Orange cake, Turkish Hawlet, Vegetable Curry from Bangladesh, World Food Night

Special Message, Decorations and Thomas Merritt

16 Dec

1 Sorting the bookshelves today, this precious piece of paper fell out. It is a beautiful note given to us as we left the village of Mapoch where we had been volunteering in 2007.

Message from Thabang

2 We used to keep in touch with the village through Voluntours, getting beaded decorations to sell each Christmas to help raise funds for the village. Very sadly, we have lost both Marnie of Voluntours and Pastor Peter to cancer in the last 15 months. They were each instrumental in making our time there a success and both must be sorely missed by the village. Now we have no contact, these are my last three decorations for sale.

Beaded decorations made by the Gogos of the village

3 At singing tonight, we learned a new Thomas Merritt carol, in one session! It is a wonderful one with the various parts coming in at intervals and sounding like peals of bells. I’ll try to get a recording of it to add here.

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 16, 2013 in photography, Postaday2013, South Africa, Uncategorized, volunteering, Voluntouring

Tags: Christmas carols, Mapoch, Thomas Merritt, Voluntours

World Kindness Day, The Golden Rule and ShelterBox

13 Nov

1 Today is World Kindness Day. Being kind to each other must be one of the most important attributes of the human.

World Kindness Day

2 I wrote a few weeks ago here of the Golden Rule, treat others as you wish to be treated. These words of Arthur Dunn ask an important question and one that is partly answered in the work of ShelterBox below. If only we all (including our governments) could live by this philosophy, the world would indeed be a kinder place.

Why should the Golden Rule be so difficult in business and foreign relations? The happily married treat each other as they wish to be treated. They treat their children better than they wish to be treated themselves. Unless we do unto a friend as we do unto ourselves, we lose a friend. In an emergency we rush to the aid of our neighbour. Is it so great a step to realise that all people everywhere are neighbours?

3 Today from ShelterBox: “PHILIPPINES UPDATE: 504 ShelterBox tents have now arrived in Manila, Philippines. Distribution of this aid will begin as soon as it has cleared customs. A further 224 ShelterBoxes and 576 ShelterBox tents are currently en route to Cebu, Philippines with airfreight courtesy of DFID. This shipment is hoped to arrive in the Philippines 13 November. Nine SRT members are carrying out assessments in Cebu, Bohol and Tacloban. Additional team members are also on their way.

An extra 200 ShelterBoxes destined for the Philippines were packed by warehouse volunteers at ShelterBox HQ in Cornwall yesterday. ShelterBox are looking to help up to 4,000 families in the Philippines in the immediate future, with potential for more help if it’s needed. We couldn’t do any of this without your support and donations.” We are lucky enough to be both safe and able to have donated for a Shelterbox. What a beautiful idea it was that Tom Henderson, the Founder of this charity had all those years ago. Find out all about the charity and the boxes here.

ShelterBox in action

NaBloPoMo

20 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 13, 2013 in charity, philosophy, Postaday2013, quotations, ShelterBox

Tags: Arthur Dunn, NaBloPoMo, PHILIPPINES UPDATE, ShelterBox, The Golden Rule, Tom Henderson, Typhoon Haiyan, World Kindness Day

Carrots, Furniss Island and A New Wool Shop

24 Sep

1 Bright orange carrots with their frothy, green foliage always look so lovely on the Greengrocer’s stall.

Freshly picked carrots

2 On this beautifully warm Autumn day, we took our lunch to a little park we are fond of in Truro. We hadn’t been for some time and were delighted to discover a real treat. The Friends of Furniss Island had been busy planting a vegetable patch for the use of anyone who would like to harvest a few beans or courgettes or herbs or, as in our case, some baby tomatoes which we ate straight from the vine with our sandwiches! What a beautiful and generous idea.

The vegetable patch

Rhubarb

Tiny very sweet tomatoes which we had for our lunch

Information about the edible plot and the Friends of Furniss Island

3 Another discovery today was a new wool shop! Oh, joy! Just look at this delightful sign all knitted up and such a range of wonderful wools to choose from. I have several projects underway at the moment but will be back!

Truro Wool shop sign – who could resist?

Inside the wool shop

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 24, 2013 in Beauty, community, environment, growing, knitting, photography, Postaday2013, Truro, volunteering

Tags: Furniss Island, greengrocer, St Mary's Street Mews, The Friends of Furniss Island, The Vegetable Patch, Truro Wool

Weekly Photo Challenge – Inside

17 Sep

This is one of my favourite “Inside” photos. It shows the contents of the case that I took to South Africa when we went volunteering in a village called Mapoch. The stacking cups and the wooden beads were toys which our own children had played with many years ago.

Inside my case

The subsequent photos show some of the toys we took being played with by the children in the pre-school. We went to help build an extra classroom and to work with the teacher and the children. It remains one of the best things I have ever done. The village and the people will be a part of me forever.

Sadly I lost all my photos from the trip but I did keep a diary so these photos are from the diary and are therefore not the best quality.

Children playing

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/photo-challenge-inside/

11 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 17, 2013 in Beauty, charity, Mapoch, photography, Postaday2013, South Africa, travel, Voluntouring, Weekly photo challenge

Tags: volunteering, Weekly Photo Challenge: Inside

Well Dressing, Suspended Coffee and Shoes

02 Aug

1 My first find on the computer this morning was this beautiful photograph of a well dressing at St Anne’s Well in Buxton sent to me by a friend who knows that I love beautiful things! As she says, ” It’s the 200th anniversary of the first publication of Pride and Prejudice so that was the theme this year. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in recent years and made with all natural materials which is an added bonus, as always.” Thank you, GS! It really is a beautiful work of art.

Buxton Well Dressing 2013 Photo by G.S.

2 Our local coffee shop is

Our local Organic Coffee Shop.

I was in there yesterday asking them to put up a poster for a gig in August.(More about that later this month!) They have also agreed to sell tickets for us which is brilliant. While I was in there, I saw the sign for “Suspended Coffee”. This is a brilliant scheme where, when you buy a drink for yourself, you can also buy a ‘suspended coffee’, in other words you buy a coffee for someone who is finding life tough to claim at some later date. Read all about it on the poster.