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Category Archives: Postaday 2023

Letter, Posy and A Song

On this International Women’s Day, I had a brief letter in The Guardian where every letter and opinion piece today had been written by a woman.

“Re messages on vehicles, here in Cornwall, you’ll see, “No pasties left in this van overnight” on bakery delivery vans. We value our proper Cornish pasties very highly.”

I took a little posy next door today, with rosemary to remember our lovely neighbour’s wedding anniversary.

I’ve been listening to Dreadnought South West on Phonic fm today as they take over the airwaves for International Women’s Day. Claire, our choir leader, was being interviewed and singing one of her songs about a Cornish woman, live in the studio with her daughter Ruby. Ten years ago, Claire wrote the music for a production of Oxygen written by Natalie McGrath of Dreadnought and on Monday The Ingleheart Singers recorded the song to be used in today’s programme. You can hear the song by clicking on the red link above.

Poly Tunnel, Volunteers and Pooh Bear

07 Mar

After my writing workshop this morning, I called in at Community Roots to say hello and was amazed at the progress made – seedlings up, new herb garden prepped and some wonderful hanging trays for seedlings to keep them off the workbench.

A photo was taken of the happy gang of volunteers after lunch of a wonderful soup made of vegetable harvested this morning. You can see the new herb beds behind the people on both sides.

Thanks to Matty for the photo

I love this quotation from Hans Christian Andersen and, of course, the wonderful E H Shephard drawing.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 7, 2023 in community, Cornwall, environment, friendship, nature, photography, Postaday 2023

Tags: community roots

Longfellow, Wren and Catkins

06 Mar

I love these words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as it is what is happening all around us.
“The Spring came suddenly bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room,
with a laugh and a shout and hands full of flowers.”

It’s lovely to see the little Wren and even better when one of the photos catches it still for a moment.

There are catkins in abundance all along the hedgerows.

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 6, 2023 in environment, nature, photography, Postaday 2023

Reflection, Surfers and A Number Plate

05 Mar

Daughter No 1 has been with us today to celebrate her birthday so we’ve been to the beach, watched the surfers and the incoming tide for over an hour, called in at The Blue Bar for hot chocolates and cake, talked and talked and talked and had a delicious birthday dinner. She travelled in her favourite car which has a new personalised number plate, part of her birthday present. I love it!.

Audi S8

St Piran’s Day, Daffodil and Singing

04 Mar

Redruth was buzzing today, all in town for the St Piran’s day celebrations. I especially loved the stilt walkers.

Later, on my way to sing in the Market Hall, one of the stilt people called to me, “Hello, lovely lady! Would you like a daffodil?” Of course, I said that I’d love one but please would he hold it for a moment while I took his photo for my blog!

Singing Cornish songs in the Market Hall with The Ingleheart Singers, and with an enormous, enthusiastic audience, was an absolute delight. Thanks to Sue for the video. You can see I am holding my daffodil.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 4, 2023 in Cornwall, music, photography, Postaday 2023, Redruth

Tags: 'Cornish Lads' by Roger Bryant, Claire Ingleheart, The Ingleheart Singers

A Storybook, A Cat and A Basket

03 Mar

One of our children’s favourite books was My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes and the LiveWires have all enjoyed it too

My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes

We gave our lovely neighbour a basket we no longer need to keep her kindling in, and before she could load it up, Zorro had claimed it. Thanks for the photo, S..

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 3, 2023 in friendship, Postaday 2023

Tags: Eve Sutton, Lynley Dodd, My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes

Charities, Posy and A Beach

02 Mar

The river this morning when we started singing was very calm and the masts reflected almost perfectly. After singing we had two visitors from the charities we have supported over the last year, Penhaligon’s Friends and ShelterBox, £400 to each, thanks to our generous audiences. Here we are presenting the cheques to their representatives.

Photo thanks to Mandy Rolleston

This afternoon we visited our dear friend, Ti and took her a little bouquet of flowers from our garden.

Afterwards we went to Godrevy for a walk in the chilly air with the glorious warmth of the sun on our backs – a day of apricity!

Story, Painting and Greenham Songs

28 Feb

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…….” 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: ‘There was, oh what there was (or there wasn’t) in the oldest of days and ages and
times…’
Armenian: ‘There was, there was not…’
‘Three apples fall from the sky/heaven. One for the writer, one for the storyteller, one for the
listener…’
Czech: ‘Beyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven rivers…’
Esperanto: ‘In a time already long past, when it was still of use to cast a spell…’
Estonian: ‘Beyond seven lands and seas, there lived a…’
Filipino: ‘At the beginning of time’, or ‘At the first time…’
German: ‘Back in the days when it was still of help to wish for a thing…’
Gujarati: ‘This is an old story.’
Hungarian: ‘Once there was, where there wasn’t, there was a…’
Irish: ‘A long, long, long time ago it was (and there was a king in Galway)’
Japanese: ‘Long ago, long ago…’
Korean: ‘In the time when a tiger used to smoke…’
Koti (Mozambique): ‘Once upon a time, there was a truly great friendship…’
Lithuanian: ‘Beyond nine seas, beyond nine lagoons…’
Persian: ‘Someone was, someone wasn’t…’
Romanian: ‘There once was, (as never before), because if there wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been
told…’
Russian: ‘In some kingdom, in some land, there lived/there was…’
Slovak: ‘When the water was being strewn and the sand poured…’
Tanzania: ‘I remember something that our father told me, and that is this:’
Turkish: ‘There was/lived in an exotic land far, far away, a/an…’

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 some women who were actually there and singing some of their songs. Here’s one. ‘Hey Sister, Don’t You Weep.’

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 28, 2023 in Celebration, community, friendship, music, photography, Postaday 2023, singing

Tags: writing workshop

Ingredients, Cake and Fruity Snack

27 Feb

I love baking as regular readers will know and when I read the recipe for Ginger and Parsnip Cake in the current National Trust magazine. I knew it would be my next bake.

This is the cake awaiting its cream cheese and ginger icing.

Sadly, my new diet means I shouldn’t eat cake so I’ve enjoyed a delicious fruit platter.

Plum, satsumas, ginger pieces and toasted cashews

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 27, 2023 in baking, photography, Postaday 2023

Tags: Ginger and Parsnip Cake

A Painting, A Poem and A Border

26 Feb

Poetry for Ukraine
Artwork is by Ukrainian artist Anastasia. Her work can be found in her Etsy shop called AyToysArt.

I have been given permission to share both the remarkable poem and the beautiful and moving artwork with you.

Poetry for Ukraine

A powerfully beautiful poem from on the ground: John Gordon Sennett is from the Jersey Shore and lives in Ukraine with his wife, Natasha and dog, Philly Cheesesteak.

Night in Chernivtsi

Street lights no longer shine on the backstreets of Chernivtsi

Stars twinkle in and out above the low ridge of a distant mountain

Random apartments give the blue light glow of TV from their windows

One dog barks, another one starts and soon after a cacophony of howls

Silver moonlight, shines off the shiny new rooftop across the street

The smoke of the cigar rises and fades lingering for only moments

Ukrainian cognac coats the lips, mingles with the cigar taste

Then mixes with it and brings out one of life’s simple treasures

And they are dancing in the streets now in liberated Kherson

Peace for now but all here know that it will not yet be a lasting one

We celebrate anyway, we go on, we fight, we write, we do what we have to

Defeat does not exist in our reality and neither does the offer of surrender

Who is foolish enough to negotiate with the devil?

Or even to speak with him as if he is a civilized being?

No, the troops of ours will roll on until he leaves this bountiful land

We will roll on doing the work it takes to win this awful, unfair war

Shevchenko on his hill will stand and salute all those who continue the fight

All the greats of Ukraine who told us that it was so will rise from the ashes

And dance when the victory of Ukraine finally comes and wraps us within

Our souls and spirits know it, feel it, smell it and taste it

Our bodies may be worn, hungry, tired, abused, injured and broken

But it is within that counts and together, we all know that

So we will light our candles in our churches and pray before icons

Some of us will fast for the coming Nativity season and St. Nicholas Day

We are used to giving up things so others may fight, may win and may continue

United no matter what our race, creed or identity in the battle with evil

All of us will stand against it in our own way, raise whatever weapons we may have at our disposal

We strike down that evil that has come from the ugly east

With pen, with sword, with voice, with guns, artillery and drones

Stand with us if you believe in freedom is all that we ask

There was work to do at the allotment this afternoon, just general tidying up ready for the start of the planting and sowing season. Our Tete a Tete border is lovely and bright.