1 I took the bus into Truro this morning and was delighted to find it was a double decker so I was able to get some pleasing shots of the countryside we went through.
The sea from the bus
I love the green of Spring leaves, from the bus
Truro Cathedral from the bus
2 I spent most of the day volunteering at the Royal Cornwall Museum helping with the Wildworks project, The Museum of Us. The fabulous Cabinet of Curiosities is filled with treasures from Cornwall, most collected by Jane Darke, from Porthcothan and other beaches in North Cornwall. If you are reading this and live anywhere near Truro, do come and marvel at the stuff inside the cupboards and drawers and bring in an object that means Cornwall to you. The project aims to collect objects that will be displayed in the cabinet and become The Museum of Us. Do click on the photos to see the detail and to read the labels.
The Cabinet
Drawer in the Cabinet, all items found on Cornish beaches
Driftwood from all over the world washed up onto North Cornish beaches
Mum and the two girls at the Cabinet with Jane Darke
3 Two lovely little girls, aged about 6 and 4, came in with their Mum and their shoebox of treasures collected on Treyarno Beach and showed them to me explaining why they loved them. I loved the piece of Cornish stone that Poppy had embellished so prettily and she was happy for me to take photos of her special beach-found treasures.
Poppy’s treasure box
Poppy’s beautifully decorated stone
Corn husk, found by Poppy, possibly come over on the seas from America
Storm Trooper’s hat, found by Poppy on Treyarno Beach
Favourite little treasures
Tags: Cabinet of Curiosities, cornish beaches, double-decker bus, driftwood from around the world, Jane Darke, Porthcothan Beach, The Museum of Us, washed up
Opening Fb this morning I found the very sad news that the lovely young woman who organised Voluntours and through whom we did our Volunteering in Mapoch,S.A. died last night after a long illness. The very next thing I saw was Eleanor Roosevelt’s reminder to live our lives the best we can.
“The purpose of life, after all, is to love it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”
This is how Marnie lived her too-short life and what she encouraged everyone else to do. Meeting Marnie and her family and working in the community of Mapoch was one of the richest experiences of my life so far.
Last year we also lost the wonderful Pastor Peter Mbasa from the Mapoch community. Here’s what he said about Marnie and the Volunteers she organised.
” I personally believe that your continuous involvement in the upliftment of the people has finally come to fruition. It has sparked some sense of self worth in the people. It makes me think of an avocado seedling. It takes from five years to thirteen years to bear fruit. But once it starts to bear fruit, it’s good nutrition for the body. And you will want to plant more because you are proud of the fruit. Some people never live long enough to eat the fruit, but people will always remember who planted the tree. Sometimes it does not even matter who planted the tree, as long as it will feed others. And its shade is the best to rest under in sunny days. Thank you my friends.”
Here, you can see the always smiling Marnie in the middle. Sibongile, the teacher, is to the left and to the left of her, is the classroom we helped to build. The fence, funds raised by the pupils at the school I had just retired from, is here in the process of being erected by another volunteer.
‘Sisters under the skin.’ The sisters with whom I worked in the classroom took me to their hearts and called me their sister.
Tags: death, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mapoch, rich life, sadness, Voluntours
1 From the window of the Zed Shed while other parts were being learned, I was looking at the beautiful yacht, the mast of which I showed you a few weeks ago. The beautiful graining on this wooden pulley block caught my eye.
Pulley block
2 Every week, some friends in the choir bring their fresh eggs to sell. These ones were particularly beautiful in their variety of colours and are now sitting in our old wooden egg holder in the bottom row.
Pulley block
3 Some years ago I ‘wrote’ another blog and today found a comment saying how inspirational it is! The words in the blog were not mine. Let me explain by giving you some of the first post here:
July 11th 2009
Today, while sorting some of my late Father’s papers, I came across an envelope marked Suffragette’s Diary and I began to read. Serendipity indeed – the entries begin on July 12th 1909, one hundred years ago come tomorrow. What follows is a transcript of the Diary, written by an unknown Suffragette, who was imprisoned in Holloway , along with a number of other window breakers. I have used only initials for the other prisoners though they are in the Diary in full. The only name we don’t know is that of the author.
As my Great Grandmother was a Suffragette, also imprisoned in Holloway, I have a particular interest and intend to read, transcribe and publish each day so don’t yet know how the story will unfold.
If you have time and interest, do go along and have a read. It is utterly fascinating! Please comment and let me know how it affects you.
http://suffragette12709.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/july-11th-2009/
Suffragette
P.S. I promised to let you know how much The Suitcase Singers raised for Comic Relief with our Goodbye Gig last Saturday – £111.41 from ticket sales,a small auction and contributions. Brilliant! That’s £161.41 altogether with the cake sales. Thank you so much to all concerned.
Tags: fresh eggs, photography, Postaday, postaday2013, sailing ship, Suffragettes
1 My piano teacher had had to have a tree felled as it had been almost toppled by the wild weather. The logs looked so beautiful on her lawn so I asked if I could take a photo and I was given some to bring home!
Fifteen years old?
2 The wet weather over the last four years has wreaked havoc with my potting-up table. Once upon a time, it was a beautiful coffee table made by an ex-boyfriend and given to us as a wedding present 47 years ago. It is still well loved but, truth be told, it is beginning to rot. However, these beautiful fungi and lichen are growing on it and I’m sure it will last at least another season. I’d love it to get to 50 years old!
Beautiful fungus
Golden fungus heart and lichen
3 I’d forgotten I’d planted these very delicately mauve and purple crocuses so their appearance has been a lovely surprise.
Delicate crocus
The Goodbye Gig last night was enormous fun. We sang the best we ever had; the cabaret acts were brilliant and we will have raised a goodly amount for Comic Relief but we won’t know exactly how much until singing next Thursday.
The Suitcase Singers at Miss Peapod’s
I try not to be a stats junkie but these today please me : 451 followers, 36,651 hits and read in 131 countries. Thank you all for taking the time to read my posts. Every visit pleases me!
Tags: Comic Relief, fungi, gig, lichen, log rings, Miss Peapod's, photography, Postaday, postaday 2013, singing, stats junkie, The Suitcase Singers
1 Coming home from town this morning, I walked on the other side of the road to be in the sun, which was warm, and noticed this lovely twisted tree trunk in the midst of the bright green new growth of Crocosmia.
Twisted tree trunk
2 These two are often in the tree outside our bedroom window. I like to think that they are a couple much in love! Does anyone know if they do, indeed, mate for life as swans do?
Jackdaws
3 The Gig tonight is to say Goodbye to one of our lovely choir members who is off to Glasgow. She will be taking her special Choir-baby, T, with her of course and we will miss them both so much. We’ll also be raising money for Red Nose Day.
Poster for 15th March
I’m posting early because of the Gig which I will report on tomorrow.
Tags: Choir-baby, Comic Relief, gig, Jackdaws, mate for life, Miss Peapod's, photography, Postaday, postaday2013, Red Nose Day, swans
1 Walking into town about lunchtime today, I was delighted to hear the sounds of the nearby primary school children at play – such happy squeals and shrieks and laughter, sounds that we have heard all our working lives and since, in our travels around the world. All children at play, wherever they are, make the same happy sounds and we heard it in Mapoch, South Africa where we went to build a classroom the year after we retired.
Children on the climbing frame in Mapoch
2 I love the yellowness of this time of year but I also find the delicacy of this pale daffodil very beautiful. The specialness of this daffodil is for two very good friends who have each lost a parent in the last couple of weeks. This is just to tell them they are loved.
Pale daffodil
3 We Skyped with T for her 2nd birthday today as she opened her presents. How lucky we are with current technology that allows us to share such events from hundreds of miles away.
For those who would like the Nutella Cookies recipe, I’ve put it on my Recipe pages today. Enjoy!
Tags: bereavement, happy children, love, Mapoch, Nutella Cookies, photography, playground, Postaday, postaday 2013, South Africa, volunteering, Voluntouring
1 First it was singing which was wonderful! Beautiful choir-babies, all buns sold, I met A, the baby I showed you yesterday and we learned Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’ a capella (as all our singing is) in four parts – hard work, great fun and very satisfying indeed and afterwards……
2 We danced! We were some of the One Billion Rising protest that invited women all over the world to dance today to highlight violence against women and we danced in the Jubilee Wharf Courtyard outside Miss Peapod’s Cafe.
Choir baby T exploring while we sing
Choir-baby E
A and his Mum
We danced today!
The main cake for my Valentine
For our lovely neighbours and I’ve put two in the freezer for G&N for when she returns from NZ
3 This afternoon I’ve baked the most amazing cakes using fresh eggs, brought to choir this morning by G, as he does each week. He also brought, especially for me, some beetroot which he pulled up only this morning as I had mentioned last night that I wanted to try making a Chocolate and Beetroot Cake for Valentine’s Day. How much fresher a cake could you have? I’ll put the recipe up later if anyone would like it. It’s so delicious and moist and very chocolatey! If I hadn’t told about the beetroot, no one would guess!
Les Miserables was brilliant! We all enjoyed the film enormously.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers!
Tags: a capella, Chasing Cars, Chocolate and Beetroot Cake, Jubilee Wharf Courtyard, Miss Peapod's cafe, One Billion Rising, Postaday, postaday2013, Snow Patrol, The Suitcase Singers, Valentine's Day
1 The good thing about the almost incessant rain is that I can take some of my favourite shots -macro raindrops!
Raindrops on grass
2 I’ve been baking for Comic Relief again. As it will be Valentine’s Day tomorrow I’ve made some heart shaped cup cakes. I’m not sure I like the deeper pink! I’m not really a pink sort of person!
A plateful of heart buns to sell at choir tomorrow for Comic Relief
3 Posting early today as we’re meeting a friend to see Les Miserables tonight. (N, we are looking after G as promised while you gad about NZ!)
Tags: Comic Relief, Comic Relief baking, Les Miserables, Postaday, postaday2013
! A lovely happy meeting this morning with a delightful couple planning their Wedding for June.
2 We’ve made our final batch of marmalade for this year, another 9lbs, enough for us and plenty to give away to friends.
February’s Marmalade
3 The gig at the Poly tonight is in aid of keeping that venue open. Let’s hope there’s a generous audience in!
Poly gig
PS And this photo is us at the gig where we raised £600 for the Poly.
The Suitcases Singers at The Poly, Falmouth
Tags: Duchy Opera, homemade marmalade, Humanist Wedding, making marmalade, marmalade, Postaday, postaday2013, The Men of Good Fortune, The Suitcase Singers, wedding planning
1 Portreath in wild winds today. My photos don’t do the force of the wind or the wildness of the waves proper justice so I’ve posted a couple of photos of the same place from a sunny day last July. They might show you the contrast and help you imagine the gusts that almost blew us over, the salt in our mouths and the spray with which we were doused!
Wild waves at the opening of Portreath Harbour
Portreath Harbour July 2012
The inner harbour today
Inner harbour July 2012, the splash is of a boy who has just jumped in
2 I learned this today from a comment on Penny’s blog “The quieting reflex: Take a deep breath in, and when you exhale, smile! This not only relieves stress, but if you are feeling negative yourself, it makes it disappear!” I tried it and it works.
3 I’m baking in good time to make funds for Comic Relief on 15th March. These Double Chocolate Mini Muffins with Red Noses are to sell to The Suitcases at singing tomorrow.
50 Double Chocolate Mini Muffins for Comic Relief
PS Is there someone out there who can tell me how I stamp my name onto a photo to mark it as mine? I’ve been made aware today that Google just help themselves to any image we post on our blogs (See Teepee’s post here) and I would like my photos at least to be identified as mine!
Tags: Comic Relief, Comic Relief baking, de-stress, Double Chocolate Mini Muffins, Postaday, postaday2013, Red noses, salt spray, The Suitcases, wild waves
