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Category Archives: ShelterBox

Truro Cathedral, ShelterBox and A Poem

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

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/

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

Charities, Posy and A Beach

02 Mar

The river this morning when we started singing was very calm and the masts reflected almost perfectly. After singing we had two visitors from the charities we have supported over the last year, Penhaligon’s Friends and ShelterBox, £400 to each, thanks to our generous audiences. Here we are presenting the cheques to their representatives.

Photo thanks to Mandy Rolleston

This afternoon we visited our dear friend, Ti and took her a little bouquet of flowers from our garden.

Afterwards we went to Godrevy for a walk in the chilly air with the glorious warmth of the sun on our backs – a day of apricity!

Peace and Charity Auction

13 Oct

Singing at the Zed Shed where this vision of peace greets us in the morning, is very soul restoring.

Choir this morning have recorded a short piece for the ShelterBox Auction. The top bidder for us will win an hour’s concert! Here is a YouTube video for you of The Suitcase Singers singing Anne Glanville

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnXNwa5XTVA

When our Ukrainians were with us, I contacted Spotlight South West to encourage them to see the show and do interviews with the Hooligan Art Community. Here is the interview for you to see. It takes a while to load.

Singing, Penguins and Chocolate Torte

22 Dec

A week ago, just 15 of us gathered at the Eco Park to sing Cornish Christmas carols in a safe and socially distanced way. Enjoy listening to us. For this who wanted to know, I’m right at the end singing “Thy beloved name!” I’m elsewhere too so you can watch again from the start if you like, even perhaps contribute to one of our charities. Nadelik Lowen is Happy Christmas in Cornish.

Photographer Tobias Baumgaertner captured this image of two widowed fairy penguins looking over the Melbourne skyline. It has won an award in Oceanographic magazine’s Ocean Photography Awards 2020.
The backstory is so heartwarming. The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died this year. The darker one is a younger male who lost his partner two years ago. Biologists have followed them as they meet every night to comfort each other. They stand for hours together watching the city lights.

I made our Chocolate Amaretti Torte this afternoon, one for us and one for our daughter who is visiting for an outdoor pasty lunch tomorrow, looking forward to eating it soon!

Mixing the cream and the chocolate mixture

P.S. We saw the Great Conjunction tonight for a few moments when the clouds parted!

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 22, 2020 in nature, Penhaligon's Friends, Photography, Postaday2020, ShelterBox

Tags: Chocolate Amaretti Torte, Cornish language, Oceanographic magazine’s Ocean Photography Awards 2020., The Ingleheart Singers, The Suitcase Singers, Thomas Merritt, Tobias Baumgaertner

Concert, Flushing and Last Night’s Full Moon

19 May

Fabulous concert and Cornish Cream Tea this afternoon with The Suitcase Singers, singing our hearts out and raising money for our two charities, ShelterBox and The Invictus Trust.

The view across to Flushing from that side of the river is so very lovely and there were swans on the water.

Last night’s full moon was gorgeous, seen through the trees and with an orange glow all around.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 19, 2019 in Beauty, charity, community, Cornwall, nature, Photography, Postaday 2019, ShelterBox, The Invictus Trust, Uncategorized

Tags: The Suitcase Singers

ShelterBox Visit and Singing

30 Oct

Both my choirs collect for charities at our gigs and one we have supported this year has been ShelterBox. Click on the red link to find out what they do and to hear more of what they do, you can watch their Facebook Live that went out today.
Some of The Ingleheart Singers came this afternoon for a tour and to hear what the charity does, to give them our contribution and to sing live! Check it out here and take a look around the gallery.

Being shown the contents of a box, here the solar powered lamp that also contains USB ports

Some of the areas where ShelterBoxes have been deployed

Teddies to go in the boxes

A cold weather tent where the doors are deliberately offset

A cold weather tent – Information

Visiting children are asked what they would try to save if disaster struck

One of the comments

Children’s comments

JR trying on an (empty) box

If you would like to read other posts I have written about this splendid charity, put ShelterBox into my search and several posts will come up.

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 30, 2018 in charity, community, Kindness, Photography, Postaday2018, ShelterBox

Tags: The Ingleheart Singers

Ghost Ships, Busking and Sweet Chestnut

23 Oct

Ghost Ships featuring The Suitcase Singers

The show by Yskynna started yesterday and I was part of it today – three 20 minute shows a day and free for anyone already in the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth. If you live nearby and have children to entertain this half term, the museum is fabulous and the production a treat!

After the second show, we went out busking for a while, collecting for our charities – ShelterBox and St Petroc’s.