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Category Archives: Grandchildren

Paddling, Painting and Sculpting

Off to St Mawes again today for lunch with my brother and his wife and our youngest daughter, her partner and LiveWire No 4. Paddling and ice creams were the things of choice in the heatwave that is now blowing across the UK.

I enjoyed watching an artist on the road with his palette, painting, I think, one of the pretty cottages but not the sea.

At the beginning of June it was Open Studios and we visited a Woodland Sculpture Garden where I fell in love with a beautiful piece, ‘Finger Labyrinth.’ It has not left my mind and I have pictured it in our garden. Today we went back and bought it and it is now exactly where I had envisioned it and it is perfect. The garden was great fun for LiveWire No 3 who made her own sculptures.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 27, 2019 in art, Cornwall, family, Grandchildren, Photography, Postaday 2019, sculpture

Tags: Peter Boex, St Mawes

Hop, Jewels and Loving Kindness

13 Jun

We met a friend for lunch today and I was amused by the loss of the ‘E’ in the sign above the bar.

On our way home from school we stopped at a secondhand shop and LiveWire No 3 chose some pretty jewels for my glass work.

This came my way today – kindness being the most important attribute we can help our LiveWires learn.

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 13, 2019 in Grandchildren, Happiness, Humour, Kindness, Photography, Postaday 2019

Little Hands, Easter Nails and Shop Window

18 Apr

As I was driving to buy some more special boxes suitable for posting my glass pieces, I heard a quotation from Samuel Beckett which touched me deeply. One of the loveliest things about having Grandchildren is that moment when you are walking along together and a little hand slips into yours. Even the ten year old still does this and I just love it!

“The child hand raised to reach the holding hand. Hold the old holding hand. Hold and be held.” Samuel Beckett Worstward Ho

I called in for our favourite bread today and the lovely lady who looks after us has had her nails painted for Easter. They look just like little sparkly Easter eggs and I asked if I could take a photo which amused her greatly.

J’s beautiful nails

I had a message today asking me to re-stock my space in The Craft Collective as two more pieces have sold, much to my delight. It was very pleasing too to see one of my pieces in the window.

A bit skew wiff but lovely to see just the same.

Being Granny, A Poem and Wise Words

14 Apr

Our LiveWires have gone home and it is very quiet today. They had a good time as did we and I was very touched when T, LiveWire no 3 said, “I really want to be a Granny when I’m old enough. It’s fun being a Granny!” Yes, it is!

Climbing on Carn Brea

Swinging at Heartlands

This poem came my way today and touched a chord. I have a favourite walk that I take my mind on when I can’t sleep, around St Anthony Head. Happily, I need this less than when I was working and now , of course, we are close enough to do the walk for real. Then I was in South Yorkshire.

Association by Franz Wright

Dawns when I can’t sleep I walk,
in thought, all the way
around Walden.

My father loved Thoreau, I wish
he could have walked there
with me once,

my hungover Virgil. Lying in bed
with a big ax
lodged in my head, I still hear him

as if from the next room
bumping into things and cursing.
Give us this day, he mutters,

our daily stone. Nice.
Can’t blame him, though. This morning
can’t sleep for missing him.

It’s two years since our lovely neighbour, Bill Mitchell, died and he is missed and remembered with great love by so many. This description of grief from a child whose Grandfather had died, I found very touching.

Wisdom of a child

For newer readers, here is the post I wrote about Bill two years ago.

https://mybeautfulthings.com/2017/05/03/bill-mitchell-our-friend-next-door-2121951-1442017/

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 14, 2019 in Carn Brea, Grandchildren, Photography, Uncategorized

Tags: Bill Mitchell, Bill Mitchell artistic director, Franz Wright, grief

Garden, Glass and the Beach

11 Apr

After coming to singing with me this morning, I let LiveWire No 3 loose with my camera in the garden and she took some beauties. This is my favourite.

Muker, the copper crow

Both youngsters finished off their glass shooting stars this afternoon.

Shooting stars

And, of course, we went to the beach later in the afternoon for another session of dam building and stream diverting.

Having fun

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 11, 2019 in art, Cornwall, environment, glass, Grandchildren, Photography, sculpture

Tags: Porthtowan Beach

Glass Class, Playing and The Beach

10 Apr

Another lovely LiveWire day starting with them wanting to learn how to make something in glass. I cut the pieces for shooting stars for them both, they foiled the pieces and we started the soldering . We will finish that tomorrow afternoon or Friday morning.They both worked so hard!

Foiling

Beginning to solder

We went off to Heartlands to have lunch and then to play on the brilliant equipment like many other families.

Balancing

Landing after balancing across the blocks

Later we took a trip to our nearest and favourite beach, Porthtowan, to play at damming up the stream, making pools and diverting the stream. I loved doing this as a kid, again with our four and now with the LiveWires. It isn’t something that you can grow out of – or would ever want to!

Collecting water

Diverting the stream

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on April 10, 2019 in Cornwall, environment, family, Grandchildren, Photography, Postaday 2019

Tags: Heartlands, Heartlands Cornwall, Porthtowan

Carn Brea, Secret Garden and Blossom

09 Apr

We have two LiveWires with us! This morning we went up to Carn Brea from where both the North and South coast seas can be seen. The youngsters love climbing on the (treacherous!) rocks and I have to bite my tongue. Their rock climbing and survival skills are impressive!

On top of Carn Brea

Rocks and Redruth

In the afternoon we took the children to the unique and wonderful Minack Theatre just above Porthcurno to see The Secret Garden which was an absolute delight.