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Category Archives: charity

Christmas – A Concert, A Poem and Our Tree

Tomorrow evening, both my choirs are singing in the ShelterBox Christmas concert and although, Dear Readers, you are all over the world, you can still join the festivities from the comfort of your own home by watching live at shelterbox.org/ChristmasConcert. I hope you’ll be able to join us. If you do, please add a like or a comment tomorrow evening. We’d love to know where in the world the concert was watched.

The lovely poet, Brian Bilston, has very kindly said I can share another of his poems with you all. For me, it sums things up very well indeed – if only we still had a cat. We have tickets for his gig in Falmouth next May!Our tree is covered in angels. They have been bought over many years and all around the world where we have visited. (Still need to go to Vietnam, Cambodia and Australia!) There are angels from Warsaw, Volcano in Hawaii, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Denver and Seattle, from Munich, Salzburg, Sheffield and Truro, from Mapoch in South Africa, Nepal and more! The fluffy ones were my Mum’s.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 18, 2023 in America, Celebration, Cornwall, music, poetry, Postaday 2023, ShelterBox, travel, Truro

Christmas Carols and Glass Angels

04 Dec

Yesterday my choir, The Ingleheart Singers, sang Christmas Carols to entertain the visitors to the Eco Park Christmas Market. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon despite the rain and today, our leader sent us the following photo and some wonderful comments that have pleased us all.

I was there but I’m behind our esteemed leader!

Eco Park: “Thank you so much for the wonderful singing. I’ve come here from Germany to stay with my daughter for Christmas. Your choir just opened my heart”

“As I walked towards the market, it looked so atmospheric and beautiful with the lights and everything, then I heard this incredible singing and saw you all in your reds stood there, it really was the cherry on the cake! It was the best Christmas singing I’ve ever heard in my life!”

Chef from the cafe: “You must be very pleased with yourselves, I’ve just had some people come in and say they were moved to tears by the singing.”

I’m working hard to get my last few angels finished. I’m incorporating more of the sea glass I have been given. Here are the last few in various stages of being done.

Thanks to Judith for the sea glass xx

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 4, 2023 in art, Christmas decorations, Food Bank, gigs, glass, Happiness, music, Postaday 2023, ShelterBox

Truro Cathedral, ShelterBox and A Poem

15 Nov

I was in Truro Cathedral this afternoon with both my choirs as we rehearsed for a very special Carol Service, the ShelterBox Carol Service on December 19th.

The poet, Brian Bilston, has very generously given me permission to share this excellent poem with you. I hope, as I progress through these decades, I can stick to this resolution. We will be at a demo on Saturday, marching ‘with the kids’ and ‘brandishing homemade placards.’

AS I GROW OLD I WILL MARCH NOT SHUFFLE

As I grow old
Iwill not shuffle to the beat
of self-interest
and make that slow retreat
to the right.

I will be a septuagenarian insurrectionist
marching with the kids. I shall sing
‘La Marseillaise’, whilst brandishing
homemade placards that proclaim
‘DOWN WITH THIS SORT OF THING’.

I will be an octogenarian obstructionist,
and build unscalable barricades
from bottles of flat lemonade,
tartan blankets and chicken wire.
I will hurl prejudice upon the brazier’s fire.

I will be a nonagenarian nonconformist,
armed with a ballpoint pen
and a hand that shakes with rage not age
at politicians’ latest crimes,
in strongly-worded letters to The Times.

I will be a centenarian centurion
and allow injustice no admittance.
I will stage longstanding sit-ins.
My mobility scooter and I
will move for no-one.

And when I die
I will be the scattered ashes
that attach themselves to the lashes
and blind the eyes
of racists and fascists.

Brian Bilston

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 15, 2023 in architecture, charity, Cornwall, photography, Postaday 2023, ShelterBox, Truro, Uncategorized

Tags: Brian Bilston

Signs, Soup and Seed Bombs

14 Nov

Another very productive and happy day spent at Community Roots,

My job, making signs for the crops of salad leaves

Learning how to make seed bombs

Delicious soup made by S, a volunteer

Signs in place

Seed bombs made by the girls and others

Throwing the seed bombs onto the bund

Post Box Topper

16 Oct

The most delightful topper has been put on our local post box. I love the detail , especially the tiny shoelaces, and the humour in this one. I wish I knew the crafter.

At choir rehearsal this afternoon, we were told that last night’s concert raised an amazing £675 for our two charities – the wonderful ShelterBox that responds to disasters of all kinds around the world and our local charity, the Camborne, Pool and Redruth food bank which looks after local people, including nurses and teachers, who need help in these hard times to feed their families.
Thank you to our lovely generous audience.

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 16, 2023 in art, charity, community, Cornwall, CPR Foodbank, craft, knitting, photography, ShelterBox

Tags: CPR Food Bank, generosity, Hallowe'en, ShelterBox, The Ingleheart Singers

Joy and Singing

15 Oct

One of my Blogger pals has given me permission to share this post of hers which I love. If you go along to her blog, https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/you can hear her singing and that is a delight. I recommend you do just that. As she says, “I have lost the source for this song. The words are uplifting no matter what one believes.”

Joyful joyful we are joyful
We have truth in nature found
Hearts unfold like flowers before us
Opening to the sun above
Melting clouds of ill and sadness
Driving the dark of doubt away
Knowledge is our source of gladness
Fills us with the light of day

All natures’ works with joy surround us
Earth and heaven’s distant rays
Stars and planets arch above us
The sun the center of our days
Field and forest vale and mountain
Flowery meadow flashing seas
Singing bird and flowing fountain
Call us to rejoice in peace

May we be giving and forgiving
Ever honest with respect
Wellspring of the joy of living
Ocean depth of happy rest
Father brother sister mother
Live in love and peace in time
Teach us how to love each other
Lift us to our joy’s desire

Friends we join the happy chorus
Which the morning stars began
Natures love is shining on us
Brother love binds man to man
Ever singing march we onward
Victors in the midst of strife
Joyful music leads us sun-ward
In the triumph song of life

I’ve been out tonight singing with my choir, raising money for our two charities and it was great fun. I meant to ask friends in the audience to take a photo but forgot but Ladysighs has stepped into the breach. Thank you!

One of my singing friends has sent me a photo of us all as were were warming up before the concert last night. Thanks L for D’s photo!

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 15, 2023 in CPR Foodbank, Postaday 2023, ShelterBox, singing, Uncategorized

Tags: https://ladysighs.wordpress.com/

Guest Blogger and A Beautiful Beach Trip!

25 Jul

LiveWire3 again! I’m so glad to be back in Cornwall for the summer; this trip has been especially special! My favourite part of our visit so far was the boat trip with Granny’s two choirs, the Suitcases and the Ingleheart singers. It was mainly the Inglehearts. We traveled over the sea on the boat eating and laughing then got off at a pub on the other side! There, we did some busking raising money for ShelterBox and the Redruth food bank! Everybody loved it and it was so much fun! On the way back, the ocean was dancing and everyone was singing in perfect harmony; it was like being in a dream and I wish I could relive it! Everywhere we passed had a beautiful view, it was magical!

In the morning, we went for what we thought was going to be a quick visit to Porthtowan and some brunch at the Blue Bar but we stayed there for ages! The longer we stayed, the bluer the sky, the warmer the air and the longer our chats! We arrived at the Blue Bar early so we could get a spot at one of the booths! We did! It was cosy and warm and we had a beautiful view to stare at after each bite of our delicious brunch! The booths glowed like the moon in the shadow of the Blue Bar and I was shocked how blue the view was!

We went for a little walk along the sand and watched the lapping waves judging if the waves would wash over my feet or if they would stop just before the sole of my shoe. It was like a noisy silence with an occasional chat. Afterwards, we got Moomaid’s ice cream which was absolute perfection! My Mum and dad were exchanging funny stories on the wet sand!

Thank you so much LiveWire 3 for another brilliant piece of writing in this blog.

14 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 25, 2023 in charity, community, Cornwall, Grandchildren, photography

Tags: St Mawes

Flags, St Mawes and A Lighthouse

24 Jul

It has been the night of the choir’s boat trip. We hire a leisure boat, take food to share and have that on the way from Falmouth to St Mawes where we get off and busk a while collecting for our two charities, ShelterBox and the local Food Bank. On the way home, as the sun is setting, we sing all the way back to Falmouth – a wonderfully happy evening made all the better because LiveWire 3 is with us and joined in all the singing. Just a few pictures as I spent all evening singing!

Flags over the pier where we boarded the boat.

Bread buns made by LiveWire 3 and me this morning. WE also made the Oat and Date Slice but forgot to take a photo.

What a wonderful spread!

St Mawes from the water as we were leaving, singing Goodbye Sweetheart!

St Anthony Lighthouse, seen on the way home across the water

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 24, 2023 in baking, charity, community, Cornwall, environment, Food Bank, friendship, photography, Postaday 2023, Sea, ShelterBox, singing

Rainy Day at Roots

04 Jul

Every 11th plot is for pollinating flowers

What a beauty!

Hard at work in the poly tunnel

Growth

Beans

Cucumbers

Youngest Roots volunteer munching happily on a cucumber

Click on any photo for a bigger version and the caption. We had a lovely day, potting on, sowing seeds and laughing with the gang at coffee time where we shared cake and pastries.