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Category Archives: Grandchildren

Spring – A Poem and A Song

Today is the 15th birthday of LiveWire no 3 and the poem for today in A Poet for Every Day of the Year is the delightful
“Spring Has Come back Again” by Rainer Maria Rilke. I hope T likes it. 

Translated from the German by Jessie Lamont.

At our rehearsal  with The Suitcase Singers this morning, we  sang one of my favourite songs, Call in the Spring by Rosie Sleightholme and here is a video made by S, a friend who sings in the sopranos across the room from me. Do click on the link.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2310567282763545

 

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SallyBoots, Fun and Storm Warning

I haven’t made SallyBoots for quite a while but started knitting today having heard of a new arrival yesterday. Mutual friends will be visiting this weekend so I had to get busy and here they are.  I’ve made the second size this time as the last baby I knitted for grew out of the little ones so quickly!

Here is our lovely friend, the new Father,  in 2012 in the Blue Bar, Porthtowan, with LiveWire no 2 who is now 17, playing together with the froth on the top of a hot chocolate.  Photo taken from the blog of that day.

Yet another storm is coming and our sailor’s barometer is overflowing again and splashing the tiles.

 

Jigsaws, Another Jigsaw and A Poem

We have had the most marvellous week having hired Hellfire Jack’s at Trengove Farm for the family to stay so we could celebrate my 80th birthday all together.  There have been treats and delights every day and one of those was the set of four beautiful Christmas Jigsaw crackers I bought from Wentworth Puzzles, one for each family. These are tiny wooden  jigsaws that each fit in a cracker and which are really quite hard to complete.   The competition to finish first was fierce!

 

Today we have started on of the three jigsaws we were given for Christmas.

I have shared poems from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer from whom I get a poem every day in my inbox. She gave me permission some time ago  to share whenever as long as you all know who the poet is. I love her work and would share even more but it seems greedy.
This one is very powerful recognising  that we all have power to build the good, that we can and must stand up for each other, even more important in America right now.

Building the World We Believe In

I haven’t given up on humans yet.
Though here in America where masked agents
pull women and men from their homes–
people who build our communities, our country–
we are so far from the goodness I imagine.
In second grade, I remember making forts
at recess with small snow balls we’d
squeeze in our hands. So carefully,
so gently, we would place them, one on top
of another to create a small home.
And then, maybe every time, when
the recess bell rang, a group of boys
would linger and at the last moment
they would kick our snow walls down.
It is in all of us, the bully, the one
who enjoys destruction, the one who
wants to feel powerful, strong.
But it is also in us all to speak out
for each other, to stand up for each other,
to say no, this is not okay. It is in us all of us
to gather the way we did in second grade
with our small mittened hands, going out
the next recess, and the next, and the next,
to build together again. Because we can.

—Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Thank you for all the comments while we have been ill. We are bettering but not yet better. I will reply to all comments in the next day or two.  To enjoy the family visit we slept most of the day and joined ithem for the evening meal and fun every evening.

 

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Colouring, Cake and Christmas Lights

We bought a delightful Advent calendar for one of our LiveWires, the Wild Advent Colouring Book – British Wildlife Edition, and she has been sending us the pictures as she colours them in. We love her precision and care.

 

Tomorrow’s cake for the volunteers is a lemon sponge in the shape of a Christmas tree.

I’m loving the effect of my trying to take Christmas lights from a moving car, being driven by my lovely Mr S.

 

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Kite, Candle Snuffer and Chocolates

We’ve been sorting out lots of the toys kept for LiveWires and have been deciding where they are all to go now everyone has grown out of them. The kite has been claimed by our son for his twins, LiveWires 5 and 6. It came to us many years ago from family in America and was much loved and well used. I even have the original instructions that came to us in about 1983, such an unusual personalised present that the kids all loved and which gave the whole family lots of fun.

Our old silver candle snuffer is being used every day when the advent candle has burned the day’s date away.

We have an advent calendar that gives us two little truffles each day – a calendar for couples!

P.S. The big storm that is battering Cornwall and much of the UK today has been named Bram.  In Cornish, Bram  means ‘fart’ which has amused many of us as we hear the howling winds.

 

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Bins, LiveWires and A CookBook

To recap – my blog isn’t always about conventionally beautiful things, more about things each day which have made me smile, made me happy, turned on the endorphins for whatever reason.
My first picture today, of the recycling  bins at the Eco Park where my choir meets every week, is one such thing. As I was taking the photo, another choir member asked, “Why, on earth, are you taking a photo of the bins?”  I was taking the photo because of the differently shaped holes for depositing the material to be recycled. It reminded me of the wooden box made for me by my Grandpa in 1946 into which I sorted wooden shapes. Our own children all played with it and in 2018 we took it to Barcelona for our Grandbaby twins, LiveWires 5 and 6, to play with. So, the most prosaic of things can stir a happy memory!

LiveWires playing with the sorting box

I saw the perfect cookbook, Recipes for Rogues, for our outdoorsy son-out-law a few weeks ago and ordered it for him. It arrived today and I am so delighted with it, I can’t wait for him to have it for his birthday so will be posting it on very soon.

 

 
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Posted by on September 22, 2025 in Grandchildren, Postaday2025, Uncategorized

 

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Flowers, Sunset and A New Word

LiveWire no 4 picked us a bunch of flowers on one of her walks and they are still lovely.

Three Cornered Leeks and a Bluebell

A couple of nights ago, this was the sunset we could see as we drew the curtains for the night.

I do love to learn new words. This one turned up today.

 

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Two Gifts and A Poem

Our daughter and LiveWire 4 left this afternoon after a brief and lively visit. Behind were left two special gifts made for us – a bracelet in Suffragette colours and a colourful Happy Easter card.
A Facebook friend posted the following poem yesterday and gave me permission to share. I found it very touching and love her play with words, ‘unsocial media,’ the ‘humane humans’ and especially her thanks to all creatives and activists.  The last two lines are a call to us all to remind us that we all rely on each other. Nourish each other, people, nourish!  Thanks to Deasy Bamford for this.
Most days i resist
Unsocial media.
Wishing a more humane human made system
Had manifested.
And then, by chance
Here i am
Seeing the posts
Of the remarkable humans
I have connected with
Over the years.
And I am inspired
Intrigued,
Informed,
Still connected
Through ideas and ideals
Visions for a just world
Achievements and insights.
Thank you all, poets, musicians
Activists, builders, critics, political wranglers, seekers of justice, seekers of wonder,
Like the trees in the forest,
We nourish each other.
 

Guest Blogger – Cat, Cathedral and Crazy Birds

 

Morning Manx cat on my Mummy morning walk

The Manx cat again

A seagull flew over Truro Cathedral

A flying Magpie

Goldfinch in the limelight

Triple Goldfinch saying Hi

Goldfinches feeding again, eating seeds

LiveWire 4 here again! All photos are hers.

 

Posy, Post Box Topper and Cake

Every year on this day, I take a tiny posy of whatever is flowering in our garden as a little gift to remember our lovely neighbour,  Bill-next-door whose birthday is today. This year there was a tiny violet, a primrose, alstroemeria and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance.

Thanks for the photo, Sue

At our sorting office where we we posting a 16th birthday card for Live Wire 2, there was this delightful post box topper.

Just tried a new recipe for tomorrow’s cake for the volunteers – Banana, Chocolate and Almond Loaf. The mixture on the beaters tasted delicious so I hope the cake does too!