An accident on the A30 and a road closure meant that Daughter No3 and her Daughter, LiveWire No4, returned after saying goodbye two hours previously so we managed an extra afternoon on the beach which was a special delight, being so unexpected.
B helped to harvest our first carrot, somewhat curly and very tasty.
First carrot!
For many years, when we lived in Yorkshire, I worked for two weekends in June as the ‘cash and wrap’ lady for Jane and Ted Hamlyn’s selling weekend. As payment, I always received beautiful pieces of Jane Hamlyn’s salt glazed pottery and I have the loveliest collection of her pots and some of Ted’s paintings. One year, she made a tea set for a customer and then one for me for Grandchildren that we hoped to have but of whom there was as yet no sign. Now we have some and this week we have given the tea-set to B, LiveWire No 4. She has played with it every day and is delighted with it.
Jane Hamlyn Tea-set
We had lunch today at The Blue Bar with B, LiveWire No 4 and her Mum, Daughter No 3, my beloved Brother and his wife. Here is B, looking for her little cousins on the beach.
LiveWire No4 at the window of the Blue Bar
We have said Goodbye to my kid Brother and my beloved SiL today who leave on the train tomorrow morning and I am very sad. We have had a brilliant time and very soon I will be able to focus on that. Right now I am sad.
A beautiful poem came my way today and in these days of terrible stories of how refugees are being treated around the world, gives us all pause for thought. It is Red Brocade by Naomi Shihab Nye, 1952. I have shown others of her poems here and have loved each one of hers that I have read. Thanks, P.
The Arabs used to say,
When a stranger appears at your door,
feed him for three days
before asking who he is,
where he’s come from,
where he’s headed.
That way, he’ll have strength
enough to answer.
Or, by then you’ll be
such good friends
you don’t care.Let’s go back to that.
Rice? Pine nuts?
Here, take the red brocade pillow.
My child will serve water
to your horse.No, I was not busy when you came!
I was not preparing to be busy.
That’s the armor everyone put on
to pretend they had a purpose
in the world.I refuse to be claimed.
Your plate is waiting.
We will snip fresh mint
into your tea.
We took Cornish Cream Tea to our German family who are staying in Porthtowan this afternoon. It was the first time the children had had such a treat and they loved it – splits, homemade Strawberry Freezer jam and Cornish clotted cream!
Split with jam and cream
This delightful sign was on the beach today. Thanks, S, for the photo.
LiveWire No 4 came home with us for tea and bedtime to give her Mum a break. Before tea, she helped me with the deadheading, loving to collect all the colours together. She then started to add their colours to her drawing and we were all delighted with the resultant colours.
Painting with flower petals
Oh, these family days are fun! Today was spent very happily with Daughter No 3 and her LiveWire with all manner of imaginative games and dinner tonight was with my kid brother and SiL at a local hostelry where the food is excellent and the atmosphere friendly and welcoming.
Playing jump up and down the steps
Good wine
Pavlova to share!
Yesterday, after posting the beautifully decorated Singer sewing machine, someone commented about the lack of decoration on white goods in general. I thought I would show you our fridge which we decorate with words and pictures that please us – remind us of somewhere or someone, or which are statements that we agree with. There’s a LiveWire handprint, a tiny piece of pottery from the wedding of friends, the photo of mine which was printed in the Guardian, a Suffragette poster and bits of art that we like…….
Magnets on our fridge
Every year the Primroses on top of a Cornish hedge on my walk up from town please me – so many and so delicate.
Primroses
A bit further up the lane these two beauties were waving in the wind.
Shelagh knows the name of these Narcissi! Pheasant Eye?
I’ve had such an enjoyable time today equipping the sewing box, which arrived very late this afternoon, with lovely bits and pieces for LiveWire No 3’s 7th birthday. We just managed to get to the post so that it will arrive on Monday.
The Sewing Box
Inside the box, lots of little parcels to open
Felt shapes to sew together and stuff
There are so many little daffodils in our wall border, all brightening up a very grey day.
Tete a Tete borders
The Crocuses are almost done but these two, in their last moments of glory, are just gorgeous covered in raindrops. Zoom in if you can for an even more glorious view!
I love this one! Crocuses with raindrops.
I learned a new word today – spathe. It is the papery covering on a Daffodil bud and I looked up the name as I had taken a photo of the raindrops caught under the spathe.
Spathe
science-gcse-biology
Our usual visitors have been at the feeders this morning. It is a great joy to watch them and I read the other day that doing so is good for one’s mental health. I can believe that.
Goldfinches
Greenfinch
We have had blue skies today!
Blue skies
Another joy today was a call with our family in Granollers and hearing our LiveWires having fun. LiveWire M, the older of the twin Grandbabies started walking yesterday and LiveWire S, the younger of the two, is full of baby chatter. Our oldest Grandchild, LiveWire NM is excelling at school, in English, it being her second language after Wolof.
The last Diary entry has been published. Click on the red link below. Tomorrow I will share my research , trying to find out the name of our Suffragette.
https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/02/04/and-so-the-diary-ends/
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