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Category Archives: Weddings

Houseboats, Clock Tower and A Grove

1 Today the wind was still and the water on the river was like a mirror reflecting the houseboats beautifully.

Houseboats on the Penryn River

2 This delightful Clock Tower in Grampound dates back to 1894. We see it every time we drive through and today I managed to get a photo. I love the blue sky behind with the threatening dark cloud hovering nearby. That cloud threw hailstones on us a little later on!

Grampound Clock Tower

3 I met my couple for the run-through for their Humanist Wedding Ceremony on Saturday. The Grove where the ceremony will take place is so beautiful and lined with fallen petals looking quite magical. The whole grove is surrounded by moss and fern covered rocks with glorious rhododendron and azalea plants overhanging the whole. There is a trickle fountain coming through the rocks and it will be the most romantic of settings for a wedding.

The Grove

Steps out of the grove

Fiddlehead ferns

White rhododendron

18 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 16, 2013 in environment, flowers, garden, Humanist ceremony, nature, photography, Postaday2013, Weddings

Tags: Clock Tower, fiddlehead ferns, houseboats, romantic grove

Humanist Wedding, More Marmalade and The Gig

09 Feb

! A lovely happy meeting this morning with a delightful couple planning their Wedding for June.

2 We’ve made our final batch of marmalade for this year, another 9lbs, enough for us and plenty to give away to friends.

February’s Marmalade

3 The gig at the Poly tonight is in aid of keeping that venue open. Let’s hope there’s a generous audience in!

Poly gig

PS And this photo is us at the gig where we raised £600 for the Poly.

The Suitcases Singers at The Poly, Falmouth

12 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 9, 2013 in charity, community, Falmouth, Food, gigs, Humanist ceremony, music, Postaday2013, singing, Uncategorized, Weddings

Tags: Duchy Opera, homemade marmalade, Humanist Wedding, making marmalade, marmalade, Postaday, postaday2013, The Men of Good Fortune, The Suitcase Singers, wedding planning

Stained Glass, Eulogy and Wedding Plans

26 Jan

1 A beautiful sunny day today gave us a new shadow, this time of our little replica of a funny little wren from a stained glass window in York Minster. It dates from the 15th Century and can be found in the Zouche Chapel.

Shadow of the little wren

Replica stained glass

2 Yesterday’s WordPress writing prompt invited the writing of one’s own eulogy. That reminded me of something I used to work on with my 13 year old pupils as the last chapter of their autobiography. I invited them to write a pastiche of the following poem, ‘Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep’ changing the items to reflect their own personality. There were so many amazing and moving poems from them. My pastiche follows the original. You may like to write your own and put it as a comment. I’d really love to read yours.

‘Do Not Stand’ by Mary Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die

.‘Do not Stand’ by MBT

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am primroses in the sun,

I am the waves that run and run,

I am seagulls on the wing,

I am in choruses that sing.

When you awaken in the dead of night

I am in stars that bring you light

Of peace and love and life and hope.

I am the bubbles in your soap.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

3 In my role as a Humanist celebrant, I met with a lovely couple today and we began to plan their Wedding Ceremony for the end of May. It’s such a delightful, happy job to have!

19 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on January 26, 2013 in glass, Humanist ceremony, painting, pastiche, pastiche, poetry, Postaday2013, Uncategorized, Wedding, Weddings

Tags: 'Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep, 15th century window, Humanist Wedding, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, Mary Frye, Postaday, postaday2013, wren, York Minster, Zouche Chpel

Garden Sculpture, Birthday Lunch and Carol Singing

01 Dec

1 The hare in our garden looked suitably unimpressed with the frosty start to this morning.

Garden Sculpture

2 Enjoying a Birthday lunch with a good friend we noticed a horse-drawn wedding carriage draw up at the beach.

Horse-drawn Wedding carriage

3 People from all of Claire’s choirs turned up to sing at the Christmas Parade in Redruth tonight. We sang after the parade as the children queued to see Father Christmas, who, I was very pleased to see, was wearing a green outfit which was what he wore in Tudor and Victorian times before Clement Clarke Moore (1779 – 1863) wrote ‘Twas the night before Christmas!

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on December 1, 2012 in art, Cornwall, garden, music, nature, photography, postaday2012, sculpture, singing, Weddings

Tags: 'Twas the night before Christmas!, Birthday Lunch, Carol Singing, Christmas Parade, Clement Clarke Moore, Father Christmas, Garden Sculpture, horse-drawn wedding carriage, Postaday, postaday2012, Redruth, Tudor and Victorian times

Beach Wedding, Sweet Pea Posy and Potatoes

29 Sep

1 The Wedding was absolutely beautiful! The sun shone, the couple were radiant and the tide stayed out! After the very moving Ceremony, I managed to snatch a couple of photos.

The newly married couple

Called for the formal photos

Dress from behind

These lovely words were read by the Groom’s Mum. It is called ‘Beauty of Love’

The question is asked: ‘Is there anything more beautiful in life than a young couple clasping hands and pure hearts in the path of marriage? Can there be anything more beautiful than young love?’ And the answer is given: ‘Yes, there is a more beautiful thing. It is the spectacle of an old man and an old woman finishing their journey together on that path. Their hands are gnarled but still clasped; their faces are seamed but still radiant; their hearts are physically bowed and tired but still strong with love and devotion. Yes, there is a more beautiful thing than young love. Old love.

2 Last night I was given this highly scented and very pretty posy of sweet peas. Thank you, Brenda! (and also for the pheasant which we will so enjoy on our return from babysitting in London.)

Present of a Posy

3 This afternoon has been spent in the beautifully sunny garden doing tidying up Autumny jobs – another picking of beans and the container grown Christmas Day potatoes needed earthing up.

Christmas potatoes ready for earthing up

12 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 29, 2012 in Cornwall, flowers, Food, garden, growing, Humanist ceremony, Wedding, Weddings, Words

Tags: Beach wedding, Christmas potatoes, Humanist Wedding, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, Postaday, postaday2012, sweet peas

Wedding Rehearsal, Cornish Ice-cream and Email

28 Sep

1 The rehearsal for tomorrow’s Wedding Ceremony went off really well. We are planning for it to be on the beach even if it rains! We did the run-through indoors today as the tide was too far up!

The beautiful beach where the Wedding will take place.

2 There was a Kelly’s Ice-cream van on the cliffs when I went back to check out access to the beach later. I can never resist one of their ice-creams, one of the best in Cornwall!

Kelly’s Cornish ice-cream

3 Since meeting the poet, John Siddique, a few years ago at a local Readers’ Day, I’ve been getting his newsletter so I though I’d tell him about yesterday’s post. He wrote back a lovely email today, thanking me.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 28, 2012 in Humanist ceremony, postaday2012, Uncategorized, Weddings

Tags: beautiful beach, Humanist Wedding, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, John Siddique, Postaday, postaday2012, wedding, wedding ceremony

Together, Rain Resilient Flowers and Wedding Words

26 Sep

1 A beautiful quiet day at home together, catching up with ourselves after a hectic few weeks!

2 A look around the garden shows some flowers which have just about managed to survive the stormy rain that fell while we were away.

Calianthus Gladiolus

Gladiolus

Japanese Anenome

3 I’ve printed out the Wedding Ceremony that I’m conducting on Saturday. The whole ceremony, to be held on the beach if the weather allows, is going to be so beautiful.

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 26, 2012 in family, flowers, garden, Humanist ceremony, postaday2012, Uncategorized, Wedding, Weddings

Tags: Calianthus gladiolus, gladiolus, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, Japanese Anenome, nature, plants, Postaday, postaday2012, quiet day, weather, wedding ceremony

1904 Etched Window, Nest, Two Humanist Weddings and a Bit More Babel

15 May

1 Something quite magical happened today that has not happened in the four years we’ve been here. There was a reflection from the windscreen of the car on the drive through the etched window of the inner front door and up onto the stair carpet at the top of the stairs – beautiful!

Etched window from 1904

Reflections

2 We went to Hardy Exotics this afternoon, in Whitecross, on the A30, to find a tree to survive the wind in our garden. We didn’t get a tree today but were shown this scruffy and very beautiful nest with the mother bird sitting in one of the staff-only greenhouses! What a sensible bird! It’s warm, dry, only Di goes in there to pot up new plants and she can listen to Radio 4!

Mother on nest

3 Had two meetings today with couples wanting non-religious Wedding Ceremonies, one to be on Little Fistral Beach (Carnmarth Hotel if the weather is bad), in Newquay in September and the other at Trevenna Barns, Bodmin in May next year. Both lovely couples with whom it was fun to start the planning.

4 An added extra for today – There’s a fabulous review of Babel here – this reviewer totally gets it, at last! http://teatimeinwonderland.co.uk/lang/en/2012/05/12/babel/

14 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 15, 2012 in art, birds, Cornwall, environment, Humanist ceremony, nature, theatre, Wedding, Weddings, Wildworks

Tags: 1904, A30, Babel, Carnmarth Hotel, etched window, etchings, Hardy Exotics Plant nursery, Humanist, Humanist Wedding Ceremony, Little Fistral Beach, mother bird, nest, Radio 4, reflections, review of Babel, Trevenna Barns, wedding ceremony

Fountain Pen, Happy Couple, Love and No 4

06 May

1 Half way through my printing of today’s Wedding Ceremony, the black ink ran out! Possible disaster but no! I found my beautiful fountain pen and in my best handwriting ( which I have been complimented upon in the past) I copied out the first three pages from the draft (the rest was printed). It took a while but it looks lovely and it was easy to read for the Ceremony this afternoon….

2 ……..and that was so beautiful! There was a very cold wind blowing through the arch I showed you on Friday but the couple were so happy and just grinned at each other the whole time! They’ve been together for 16 years and have two children and are still so much in love – now that really is beautiful to see! Like our own wedding, almost 45 years ago, lots of things were homemade and quite delightful.

3 This Clematis was pointed out to me by Mr S this evening as I’ve been out most of the day. I just have to say here – I am so loved and very lucky to have this lovely man in my life.

Clematis in our garden

: The same clematis from underneath, quite gorgeous

and I have to add No 4 tonight because as I was writing this my lovely friend John phoned me from the pub where a Cornish Shout is happening but I can’t be there as we’re away to London very early in the morning. Over the phone I have just listened to one of my favourites, ‘Estren’ and my eyes have been full of tears at the sound and at his kindness.

8 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 6, 2012 in flowers, garden, Humanist ceremony, music, nature, singing, Wedding, Weddings

Tags: black ink, clematis, cold wind, Cornish Shout, Estren, Fountain Pen, friend, friend john, handwriting, Happy Couple, homemade, kindness, London, love, man in my life, Mr S, wedding ceremony

Wedding Run-through, Planting Courgettes and A New Wall

04 May

1 I spent the morning at a run-through of the Humanist Wedding I’m doing on Sunday. The whole Ceremony is going to be so beautiful – the vows written by the couple themselves, the readings they’ve chosen and the song, “Make you Feel my Love” – recently sung by Adele, but originally a Bob Dylan song – that a friend is singing for them and all in the most beautiful setting, Treassowe Manor, one of Cornwall’s Listed Buildings.