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Category Archives: family

Seville Orange Marmalade and A Poster

It’s that time of year again and today we have made the first two batches of the best marmalade in the world! I love making marmalade as I learned the skill from my Dad when I was about 10 years old and whenever we make it now, my Dad is in the kitchen with me encouraging the finest slicing of the oranges and careful watching of the boiling mixture.

A beautiful poster of this year’s Full Moons came my way yesterday, the day of the Cold Full Moon, otherwise called the Stay Home Moon and I have been given permission by the artist to share it with you.

by Seren Elise Rivers. Thank you.

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 7, 2023 in family, Food, Happiness, photography, Postaday2022

Tags: marmalade making

A Poem and My Dad

17 Dec

My poet friend, Kim Ridgeon, has given permission to share this beautiful poem with you today.

It is a day of reflection for me today as my Dear Dad died on this day in 2004 after a very hard year and his last seventeen days in a wonderful hospice. They let us make his room so personal with his bookcase, Des Amis Silencieux, and all the books he had written, a favourite painting on the wall and flowers that I took in daily. If you’d like to read a bit more about the bookcase, click here.

The photo used on his book jackets with his beloved Burmese cat, Shoshone

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 17, 2022 in family, photography, poetry, Postaday2022

Freddie and Thanksgiving Love

24 Nov

It’s 31 years since Freddie Mercury died – what a loss but it’s pretty magical that we can continue to enjoy his wonderful performances. Here is a mix video from YouTube. Do click on the link.

It’s Thanksgiving in America and usually we make a turkey dinner to ‘share’ with family and friends in the USA. Somehow this has not been possible this year but we send special love to family in Atlanta, Flagstaff, Hawaii, Jerome, Phoenix and Seattle and to friends in Arizona, California and Vermont and to all my lovely Blogging Pals in states too many to mention.

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 24, 2022 in America, Arizona, Celebration, family, friendship, New England, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Singing, Beach and Sculpture

27 Oct

LiveWire 3 joined us singing this morning and it was a brilliant session. It was raining and the tide was going out…….

Later we met the rest of the family at Porthtowan for lunch at the Blue Bar and a walk on the beach.

LiveWire 3 (11) spent time in the garden creating some natural sculptures in the style of Andy Goldsworthy.

The one on the left represents Fire, the middle one Peace and the third Freedom. What a thoughtful and creative young woman she is.

A Gallery of Family Fun

24 Oct

We’ve had the best day ever – baking, playing Top Trumps, colouring in, walking in the woods and making up stories.

Baking

Choc chip cookies

Climbing

Torchlight behind a leaf

Which fungi?

Feather in the leaves

Dusk

Twisted beech

The Ancient Twisted Beech

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 24, 2022 in art, baking, Cornwall, family, Happiness, nature, photography, Postaday2022, Uncategorized

Tags: Tehidy Woods, The Ancient Twisted Beech

Visit, Lunch and Family History

12 Oct

My cousin and her husband, who live in Australia, have been with us today and what a catch up that was! We think we last met in person when I was 16 and W a little younger. We have kept in touch by email and through this blog. I had made Eccles cakes in her honour as I know how she loves them.

We went to Gylly Beach Cafe for lunch having driven around Castle Drive to see the fine view around the Carrick Roads across to St Mawes and into Falmouth Bay. I took a photo of the Specials board to share and the battery in my camera announced that it was “exhausted.” Hence no more photos of our day together…..

W brought me some treasures – some lovely photos of our shared Grandparents and a photocopy of a page of her father’s autobiography with references to my Mum, here known as Twm, the name her Father gave her that stayed as a nickname. It means Gift from God. The extract describes my Mum’s inventiveness and her delightful sense of mischief. I had never heard this tale from her!

Granny

Grandpa on the left

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 12, 2022 in baking, Cornwall, environment, family, family history, friendship, Gyllyngvase, nature, photography, Postaday2022

Tags: Eccles cakes

Busy Day – Beach, Lunch and Farewell Party

09 Oct

more tomorrow! 🙂

A wonderful day was had by all – walking on Chapelporth Beach, cave exploring, swimming for the brave, and general rejuvenation of the spirit.

The director’s nephew and niece visited too

The lovely people at the Chapelporth Beach Cafe very kindly treated our Ukrainian friends to a delicious lunch of Croques Monsieur followed by the inimitable and scrumptious ice cream, Robin’s Hedgehog. If you have never had one of these wicked treats, they are made up of Cornish ice cream slathered in Cornish cream and dipped in roasted hazlenuts. You can see by their faces how much these were appreciated.

Our farewell party was full of good company, a wonderful shared feast, lots of wine and even more singing. Our Ukrainians sang for us and we for them and together we all sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’ which they had learned last week when they visited my choir. That, and the last twelve days, have filled us all with love and beautiful memories.

Claire learning correct pronounciation of a Ukrainian song that we sing at choir

National Elephant Appreciation Day

22 Sep

NATIONAL ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY – September 22

I have loved elephants for as long as I can remember and have a large collection of carved elephants. We’ve seen herds of beautiful live ones on our many visits to South Africa. I shared this love with my Dear Friend Angie who died last year just before her birthday, a day we also shared. I really miss her.

My tiniest elephant, carved into a glass cube

My biggest elephant, bought at an antiques fair many years ago. He is as tall as my knees.

My Elephant family, representing me and the lovely Mr S, our eldest daughter, our second daughter and our twins, a son and a daughter. The tiny one is the little person we never met but who will always be one of us.

And I wear the ring that Angie left me every day.