A lovely peaceful scene outside the Zed Shed made the singing even more lovely.
The Penryn River
The nearly moon here shone out in contrast with the evergreen and the winter branches.
Moon
There were more pretty clouds on the horizon this evening.I always wonder where a plane is going when I see a vapour trail.
Pink and grey
What a beautiful place St Michael’s Mount is! This is the view from Penzance where we had a windy walk along the prom.
St Michael’s Mount from Penzance
Fish’n’chips for lunch! It was delicious crispy batter and beautifully fresh, local caught fish.
Fish’n’chips
The clouds today have been very dramatic starting with the ones as the sun rose this morning.
Dawn clouds from the back window
Dark clouds from the shelter of the pub where we had lunch. These clouds brought a hefty hail-storm!
St Michael’s Mount and a huge anvil shaped cloud
One hundred years ago today my lovely Dad was born. “Let’s look it up!” were some of his most used words and have become something of a family motto as here on my birthday poster made by our four. Even when he had gone blind (the last two years of his life) he would say “Let’s look it up!” and could tell me just where the reference book was on his shelves. What kind of moth? The green book on the left hand book shelves, third shelf down, about six in from the left! What year was a piece of music written that he had heard on the radio that day? Bottom shelf of the book case next to the bureau, dark blue cover and right in the middle. He was right every time.
Birthday poster of the ‘Things Mum says!’
“If you are sad today, just remember the world is over 4 billion years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie” – Dean Podesta. Thank you to my lovely SIL for sending me this today.
Sung by David Bowie, written by Eden Ahbez
We stopped at the lovely market in Chacewater today. The vegetables there are so beautiful.
We also bought a delicious Pain au Raisin to share.
Pain au Raisin
There is a beautiful new cat in the neighbourhood! There was quite a face-off in the garden this afternoon as Zorro from next door was defending his territory.
A new cat in the garden
The new cake required a grapefruit syrup and I loved the gloss of the bubbles with the flecks of Grapefruit in it.
Syrup bubbles
Grapefruit and Blueberry Polenta Cake – scrumptious! It went down very well at the meeting I made it for.
Grapefruit and Polenta cake
Two Jackdaws sit in the Ash tree outside our bedroom every morning, chatting to each other, preening and keeping an eye out for any activity. Jackdaws pairs stay together for life and we have been watching these two since we came back home in January 2008. A long zoom through the window caught them this morning.
Loving pair
We see this Cherry Tree in blossom every Spring, February/March, but this is the earliest we have seen it. It still isn’t properly Winter cold yet though we are told it is coming. We have three Snowdrops in bud, Daffodils almost open and quite a lot of Primroses already. I hope the cold when it comes doesn’t damage the plants already showing through.
Cherry blossom
There were lots of these yellow flowers, bright in the cloudy afternoon just before another cloud burst.
Yellow
I inherited my Granny’s chair many years ago and it has become more and more faded and shabby. It is at least 100 years old so that is not so surprising. In December, I decided that I really needed to have it re-upholstered. Last year neighbour gave us a recommendation for an upholsterer to recover all the cushions in our boat and such a lovely job was done that we went back to Perham Upholsterers. This morning my little nursing chair was brought home looking so beautiful! We matched the colour of the original fabric and Matthew has totally revived it in exactly the right way, simply and cleanly as it was and I am so delighted! Granny would be pleased too.
My Granny’s Nursing chair
Truro called again today and we went shopping, stopping for lunch in Charlotte’s Tea House again. From the window I could see a seagull on top of the bank, zoomed in and caught it before it flew off.
A seagull on the top of the dome on the top of the bank in Truro
The entrance to Charlotte’s is rather grand!
The mirror in the hallway leading up the stairs to Charlotte’s Tea House
One of our favourite walks is from Chapel Porth up the cliffs to Wheal Coates. It was so wild and windy that we only made it to the top and down again. The waves were wonderful, crashing and crossing in the bay. As the sun began going down, the effects were quite spectacular. The paths up had been made into gullies by the month’s torrential rain and new stones were exposed. Click on any photo for more detail. I think the effect in the last photo is called Bokeh but I don’t know how I achieved it! Perhaps it was the salt spray getting on the lens.
Sun
In the distance on the drive home is an old engine house (I’m not sure which one. I will look it up and come back) and the sky behind made it a ‘must stop the car and take a photo’ moment!
Wheal ? with setting sun clouds
I collected all my angels together as I cleared the decorations this morning. They are reminders of so many happy times as I have been buying a new one every year for many years. Click any photo to see more angels and the detail.
The rain stopped for a little while today and I caught this photo of raindrops.
Raindrops
I have another poem for you from my new book….
The Iceberg Theory by Gerald Locklin
all the food critics hate iceberg lettuce.
you’d think romaine was descended from
orpheus’s laurel wreath,
you’d think raw spinach had all the nutritional
benefits attributed to it by popeye,
not to mention aesthetic subtleties worthy of
veriaine and debussy.
they’ll even salivate over chopped red cabbage
just to disparage poor old mr. iceberg lettuce.I guess the problem is
it’s just too common for them.
It doesn’t matter that it tastes good,
has a satisfying crunchy texture,
holds its freshness
and has crevices for the dressing,
whereas the darker, leafier varieties
are often bitter, gritty, and flat.
It just isn’t different enough and
it’s too goddamn american.of course a critic has to criticize;
a critic has to have something to say
perhaps that’s why literary critics
purport to find interesting
so much contemporary poetry
that just bores the shit out of me.at any rate, I really enjoy a salad
with plenty of chunky iceberg lettuce,
the more the merrier,
drenched in an Italian or roquefort dressing.
and the poems I enjoy are those I don’t have
to pretend that I’m enjoying.
I spotted the white bench first on our walk today, then the daffodils in flower so early and then, when I loaded the photos, the Gnome!
and a Gnome!
Green moss, green ivy and a tree trunk….
Tree trunk
It has been a day of very heavy showers and some blue skies. We had both on our walk.
I love winter branches
We saw the last of our brood off early this morning and have spent the day being busy with the humdrum things to cover up the silence. The drive is almost empty now.
Cars in the drive
Singing this evening was wonderful.
‘This Poem” is the first one in my new book and I offer it to you. The poet, Elma Mitchell is new to me. She died in December 2000 aged 81 and I shall be seeking out more of her writing.
This poem is dangerous: It should not be left
Within the reach of children, or even adults
Who might swallow it whole, with possibly
Undesirable side-effects. If you come across
An unattended, unidentified poem
In a public place, do not attempt to tackle it
Yourself. Send it (preferably, in a sealed container)
To the nearest centre of learning, where it will be rendered
Harmless, by experts. Even the simplest poem
May destroy your immunity to human emotions.
All poems must carry a Government warning. Words
Can seriously affect your heart.
I am sad that she felt that the nearest ‘centre of learning’ would ‘render it harmless’ but sometimes that is what the demands of a syllabus can do. I hope my pupils found a love of poetry with me, some of them at least!
Commentator Award
