It was our last session for singing with The Suitcase Singers until September and next week is our lovely choir leader’s half century birthday. To make it special each member of the choir was asked to bring a couple of blooms or greenery from their garden so that we could put together a more personal bunch than one from a shop. The resulting bouquet was absolutely amazing, full of colour and scent and most of all, full of our love for Claire
Thanks to Mandy Rolleston for this photo. There’s a new shed at the allotment and it is gorgeous!
Coming back up Church Lane after watering and harvesting this evening, we met a new cat. Just look at its eyes!
We met friends for a very sociable and tasty breakfast this morning and afterwards had a very brief and very hot walk on the beach.
On the way back to the car park these beauties caught my eye.
Our beautiful little guest, Fern, has settled in already, is loving being stroked and has a mighty purr – just delightful. What lovely and unusual markings she has. .
A quiet walk early this morning and beautiful views along the North coast. We spotted six different kinds of butterfly, a good record for Butterfly Watch Week.
There were various varieties of lichen on the rocks. I like the profile of this one against the blues of the sea.
A gift of four lovely looking baking potatoes was waiting for us when we went down to water my seeds at the allotment tonight. They will make splendid dinners. Thank you S&M. (I put M&S first but then, dear Reader, you might have thought that they came from the store!)
I was talking to a fellow allotmenteer this afternoon about the importance of kindness, triggered by their kindness in giving us some shallots, our crop being a complete disaster. I was reminded of the following that came my way some time ago.
I have my sister to thank for the following delightful video of some amazing dancing. I think I can guarantee that it will make you smile.
I love the delicacy of the blossoms on our Hydrangea Petiolaris in the front garden.
In 2013 some of our choir walked from Lands End to St Just, inspired by the March of the Women, 100 years before, who walked from Land’s End to London demanding Votes for Women. Tonight, in the atrium of the Eco Park we sang March of the Women, conducted by our leader, Claire, using a toothbrush.
Ethel Smyth’s rousing March of the Women was composed in 1910 to words by Cicely Hamilton, with a tune adapted from a traditional Italian melody. Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928) introduced it as the official anthem of the Women’s Social and Political Union and it became associated with the suffrage movement more generally. Info from the British Library
In 1911 it was sung on Pall Mall in celebration of the release from prison of a number of activists. The following year, the conductor Thomas Beecham (1879–1961) apparently heard it sung in Holloway Prison, where Smyth and Pankhurst were imprisoned and it is said that Ethel Smyth conducted the imprisoned women singing at their windows, using her toothbrush as a baton. Some of you know that my Great Granny was a Suffragette imprisoned and force fed in Holloway. I like to think she may have known and sung this song.
Two of our lovely choir members with whom I sing in the tenor section. I have permission to use their photos in my blog post.
There was a rueful smile when I saw this cartoon.
Covid rules in England say choirs can only sing outdoors in groups of no more than 30, all socially distanced. Have you seen/heard any football matches recently? 🙂
Walking up from town in the rain today, we were stopped in our tracks by this beautiful Rhododenron in a neighbour’s garden.
I picked this little bouquet in our Suffragette garden this afternoon to take to friends where we were planning on tea and cake in the garden. The rain drove us indoors yet again but we had a lovely time together. It’s so good to be able to spend happy times with friends again.
We’ve found a new place for one of our Kachina dolls. This one is a Cricket and we bought it in the Heard Museum in Phoenix in 2016. For more information on Kachinas, check out this post.
Some of you, Dear Readers, may remember that I was selling my glass pieces in a small gallery in Penryn – Fannie and Fox. Since the pandemic we have not met and the Gallery has closed. Today, some of us did meet for a G7 workshop. The theme was Behind The Postcards, showing what Cornwall means to those of us who live here. I wasn’t sure what to make but after L introduced the afternoon and seeing that P had brought some clay, a whole new idea popped into my head.
What does Cornwall mean to me apart from its beauty of sea and sands and sky and fields? It means community. It means our street, the allotment, the Fannies, and, most of all, my choirs so I made a choir out of clay. My clay pal, A, made a series of beautiful pinch pots. Our host, P, in whose workspace we were, made a beautiful female figure. Others were sewing, sketching or simply being there, with everyone again. Some of our session was filmed to be a part of a short film about the real Cornwall to be shown at the G7 conference next month.
Here are some of our creations.
My choir – I hadn’t realised there was such a cross chorister until I uploaded the photos!
We’ve been on holiday! We have just had three nights away in a very lovely converted barn in the most beautiful of places only about six miles away. That’s where we saw the very special sheep, the Blue Texels and did the magical walk. It’s where some weeks ago, going to Ti’s 102nd birthday, we saw the sign warning of ducks crossing the road and yesterday we met them.
The place we stayed belongs to dear friends and is where we helped to plant 800 trees just over a year ago and where they have a wonderful pond that is teeming with wildlife. The Lily pads and the clouds reflection in the water were looking lovely and G discovered an empty dragonfly case that was truly beautiful.
Coming home, we were amazed by the amount of growth that had happened in just three days both in the garden – Lily of the Valley in full flower – and in the poly tunnel at the allotment where the leeks are suddenly several centimetres tall. I love the way they come up bent in half and then suddenly straighten up and double in size.
It’s International Dylan Thomas Day and Daughter no 2 thoughtfully sent me this video, knowing how I love the works of Dylan Thomas. I also love Michael Sheen’s work so it couldn’t be better. What a delivery!
We had another lovely outdoor breakfast with friends this morning with warm sunshine and a beautiful view – such a tonic – and on the way back to our cars saw this fabulous Wisteria.
Malpas River
Wisteria round the gateway
We stopped briefly In Truro to do some more book shopping and were amused by this parked car.
There’s a new shed at the allotment and it is gorgeous!
