There was glorious sunshine for TheĀ Ladder opening party in the garden we helped to create last Saturday. The old library is coming back to life and in the most imaginative and exciting way. Click on any photo for a larger view and the caption.
Beautifully restored windows with clouds
The cloud motif in the entrance hall
Leading to the map room
Leaving messages in little bottles to be planted with the Rowan tree.
My wish in a bottle
The band setting up on the stage with the newly planted garden behind
A view from one of the windows of Carn Brea, the castle and the monument.
This evening we have been to listen to Angeline Morrison who was playing in the amphitheatre at the Eco park – a beautiful voice and person in a beautiful setting.
“Guest blogger here again!
It was our last day in Cornwall so we had to go to Truro. We went to Waterstones to mooch around and we got some delicious Cornish pasties. We also bought some new shirts for LiveWire2 which was very successful!
Later on I went to choir with Granny! I was so excited as I have been goingĀ since I was very young and whenever I get the chance to join in, I always take it! We sang a beautiful (and fun) Roma Gypsy song, Sao Roma arranged by Stephen Taberner, a song about May and one called Voice of Change about the Earth, about how we need to save it! I love the energy in the room and everyone is so enthusiastic and welcoming!
As we drove back home, there was so much rain! And it was really fun because there were loads of massive puddles that splashed so high and made such a loud noise. Every time we splashed through one, Granny and I both went ‘WOAH’!
I was very sad for it to be the end of our trip but I’m sure we’ll see each other again very soon! And I’m sure I’ll be coming back here again in the summer!”
Voice of Change follows,Ā sung by The Suitcase Singers with the thanks to Jamie for the lyrics. Claire Ingleheart composed the music.This song is now sung all over the country at Climate protests.
Our Dear Friend, Ti, is 104 years old today and we visited to take her a card, a posy of Lily of the Valley from the gardenĀ and some Butterfly Buns in her choice of flavour, Victoria Sponge.Ā We also took a recording made by the choir yesterday of ‘Voice of Change,’Ā a song written by our choir leader and sung by the choir on the beach for Ti’s 100th birthday. Listen to the words – they become more important as every day goes by.
Click here to see the post of the party on the beach. .Ā Click on this link to see the BBC report on her beach birthday. Do check them out. She’s a wonderful climate activist and is an example to us all. .
Happy 104th birthday to Ti who reads my blog every day on her iPad. xxx
It was great fun shopping in town this morning as so many people were enjoying the lovely singing and piano playing outside our excellent Greengrocery/Butcher and Deli.Ā Ā We loved that ChloeMarie had cycled into town!
ChloeMarie Aston
TheĀ sign below was in the chiropractor’s window (hence the skeleton!) and rings a bell with me.
We walked in Trelissick Gardens this afternoon, enjoying the bird song, the Spring flowers and the excitement of children on their nature/egg hunts.Ā The stone pattern is in one of the shelters.
I loved today’s writing workshop and especially the activity that came in little eggs! Each egg contained the traditional words for starting a story from various countries around the world – ours being “Once upon a time…….”Ā From that start we each wrote a story for 10 mins and I have never known time fly by quite so quickly. Mine was the Irish beginning. I shall ask our Ukrainian friends for the story beginning they use.
A List of Beginnings
Arabic: āThere was, oh what there was (or there wasnāt) in the oldest of days and ages and
timesā¦ā
Armenian: āThere was, there was notā¦ā
āThree apples fall from the sky/heaven. One for the writer, one for the storyteller, one for the
listenerā¦ā
Czech: āBeyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven riversā¦ā
Esperanto: āIn a time already long past, when it was still of use to cast a spellā¦ā
Estonian: āBeyond seven lands and seas, there lived aā¦ā
Filipino: āAt the beginning of timeā, or āAt the first timeā¦ā
German: āBack in the days when it was still of help to wish for a thingā¦ā
Gujarati: āThis is an old story.ā
Hungarian: āOnce there was, where there wasnāt, there was aā¦ā
Irish: āA long, long, long time ago it was (and there was a king in Galway)ā
Japanese: āLong ago, long agoā¦ā
Korean: āIn the time when a tiger used to smokeā¦ā
Koti (Mozambique): āOnce upon a time, there was a truly great friendshipā¦ā
Lithuanian: āBeyond nine seas, beyond nine lagoonsā¦ā
Persian: āSomeone was, someone wasnātā¦ā
Romanian: āThere once was, (as never before), because if there wasnāt, it wouldnāt have been
toldā¦ā
Russian: āIn some kingdom, in some land, there lived/there wasā¦ā
Slovak: āWhen the water was being strewn and the sand pouredā¦ā
Tanzania: āI remember something that our father told me, and that is this:ā
Turkish: āThere was/lived in an exotic land far, far away, a/anā¦ā
Walking through town later, I came across two sign-writers, very carefully repainting our direction signs. They were happy for me to take their photo, found it a very funny request and I could hear them laughing all the way down the street!
Just back from a brilliant evening of remembering the amazing protest camp at Greenham Common, hearing from someĀ women who were actually there and singing some of their songs. Here’s one. ‘Hey Sister, Don’t You Weep.’
Singing at the Zed Shed where this vision of peace greets us in the morning, is very soul restoring.
Choir this morning have recorded a short piece for the ShelterBox Auction. The top bidder for us will win an hour’s concert! Ā Here is a YouTube video for you of The Suitcase Singers singing Anne Glanville
When our Ukrainians were with us, I contacted Spotlight South West to encourage them to see the show and do interviews with the Hooligan Art Community. Here is the interview for you to see. It takes a while to load.
We’ve been out and it’s very late so please call back tomorrow for photos and words. š
That was a very busy day. First we went to help paint the old Redruth Library which has been abandoned for sometime but is now undergoing change. It is to become a community space for The Writers’ Block, for creativity, for story telling and writing workshops, for drama and performance. A call was put out for volunteers to help paint the first story telling room so off we went. The pictures tell the start of the restoration of this room, preparation and starting to paint. I did work as well as taking photos! Permission was given for all photos to be shared.
Scraping
Scraping
Preparing
Father and daughter painting
Mother and daughter painting
Wonderful colour was to be found at the National Dahlia Collection where we went late afternoon.
My favourite with a bee
5′ tall!
Display
The garden
The compost heap
The best was yet to come. Ā We went to St Ives to see the wonderful Peggy Seeger. What a woman she is, still performing at 87, still the fierce feminist and activist. She was supported by her singer songwriter son, Neil and their last song which she said was her goodbye to us all, was her beloved Ewan MacColl’s goodbye to her and his family, “The Joy of Living.” I suspect there were few dry eyes in the house.
I bought a tea towel from her ‘merch’ table – I already had the other stuff!