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Category Archives: senses

Edibles, Colour and Scent

1 We have a new raised bed just outside the kitchen where I am growing edible flowers and small salad leaves. So far the Rocket and Pak Choi have sprouted, the Nasturtiums are doing well and the Violas are pretty – I did buy them as flowering plants..

The new raised bed for edibles

2 The front garden is full of colour and is lovely as you approach the house……….

Colourful patch in the front garden

3 ………… and the best thing is that it all smells divine too. The Wallflowers are really strong, the Bluebells have a quite heady scent when all together and the Clematis Montana Elizabeth smells a bit vanillary. I wish you could share in the sensory delight!

Clematis Montana Elizabeth

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 11, 2015 in Beauty, environment, Food, garden, growing, nature, photography, Postaday 2015, senses

Tags: edible flowers, sensory garden

Sensing Spaces, Macarons and Poem on the Underground

26 Feb

1. The Sensing Spaces exhibition at The Royal Academy is fabulous! If you are in London, don’t miss it. Come on a brief tour with me.

All the exhibits are interactive. The towers can be climbed up inside on spiral staircases and the golden angels can be seen in close up. The straw construction is being made by the visitors who are encouraged to add to the display. My offering was of plaited purple and green straws in a circle. The big wooden maze is entrancing and mind blowing as one encounters the mirrors and the noise of the pebbles underfoot. The smell of the wood reminds one of cut wood, a lovely smell.

2. Near the Royal Academy there is a beautiful shop that sells Les Macarons a la Ganache and I treated us all to a few for dessert tonight. Delicious!

3 Travelling home on the underground we were treated to one of the series of Poems on the Underground. I just love this one which is new to me. I hope you like it too. To me, it conjures up supper in the warmth of a Greek Island…..

Poems on the Underground is such a delightful idea. Well done to somebody!

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 26, 2014 in architecture, art, Beauty, driftwood, Food, photography, poetry, Postaday 2014, sculpture, senses

Tags: architectural design, Macarons a la ganache, Poems on the underground, Royal Academy, Sensing Spaces

Day 13 – The McGranaghans, A Lobster Roll and Nantucket Sound

13 Oct

Having spent the last two weeks enjoying beautiful countryside all over New England, it was as we arrived at West Harwich, Cape Cod, that we both realised how much we were missing the sea. We walked to the beach from our delightful small hotel, The Platinum Pebble, and met a lovely family with whom we shared some good laughs as they redirected us to find our lunch.

Another walk and we found the lobster shack, Arnie’s, and had a Lobster Roll with fries, sitting looking out over the Atlantic Ocean at Nantucket Sound, listening to the gentle soughing of the waves onto the sand, hearing the gulls, smelling the ozone and enjoying the Autumn sunshine.

16 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 13, 2013 in America, Beauty, photography, Postaday2013, Sea, senses, travel

Tags: Cape Cod, Lobster, Nantucket Sound, The Platinum Pebble Boutique Hotel

Gladioli, Beach Walk and An Engine House

22 Sep

1 Last night, the friends who came to dinner brought us some beautiful Gladioli in purple, white and green as they know what these colours mean to me. Thank you P&A!

Gladioli, in purple, white and green

2 It’s officially the first day of Autumn today and in temperatures of 22C, we walked from Porthtowan along the beach at low tide to Chapelporth. Surfers surfed, children played, dogs paddled, girls rode by on their horses and people, like us, walked the length of the beach in the Autumn sunshine. I love the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. It’s a sound I grew up with and I relish every moment I can be by the sea and listen to the soughing of the waves onto the beach………

Dog playing in the pools; I love the movement in this one

Rock pool

Horses and a surfer

Sand, Sea and Sky; beautiful colours

3 Seeing Towanroath Shaft Pumping Engine House at Wheal Coates from the beach shows just how much on the edge of the cliff the mine was. I posted two photos of the engine house from the top of the cliffs here if you missed them. One is mine of sunset at the engine house and the other, by Tim Martindale, is of the Milky Way behind the engine house and is just awesome!

Wheal Coates from the beach below

We are getting very excited about our New England in the Fall holiday!

5 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 22, 2013 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday2013, Sea, senses, sound, Uncategorized

Tags: Chapelporth, first day of Autumn, Gladioli, Porthtowan, Tim Martindale, Towanroath Shaft Pumping Engine House, Wheal Coates

Clover, Colour and Clouds

05 Jul

1 Walking through the park into town this morning, the honey scent of the clover was quite heady.

Clover in the park

2 I am delighted with how my Three Wise Monkeys planter is filling with Summer colour.

Three wise monkeys planted up with fuchsias

3 It’s been so warm today we were able to have our evening meal outside and to appreciate the beautiful evening clouds together.

Evening clouds

As I’m writing this I’m looking out of the window into the field at the back and there’s a young fox chasing magpies, rabbits and his own tail!

12 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 5, 2013 in animals, flowers, nature, photography, Postaday2013, senses

Tags: clouds, clover, fox, Three Wise Monkeys

Honeysuckle Scent, Fresh Eggs and Live Music

28 Jun

1 Walking in Truro today, I first was struck by the overwhelming and sweet smell of honeysuckle and then saw this cheeky squirrel feeding from food left out for him or for birds – I wasn’t sure.

Honeysuckle

Squirrel

2 This week’s free range eggs, bought yesterday from friends at choir, are very beautiful.

Varieties of beautiful just-laid eggs

3 Tonight we have been to the Melting Pot to see a fabulous group – Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra – lively and very skilled musicians from Newcastle.

Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra

18 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 28, 2013 in Beauty, music, nature, photography, Postaday2013, senses

Tags: free range eggs, honeysuckle, Rob Heron and the Teapad Orchestra

Toast Racks, Lavender and Foxgloves

23 Jun

1 I found a pretty little toast rack at the car-boot sale this morning to add to my small collection. The white one was my Granny’s, the blue one was made by one of my favourite potters, Jane Hamlyn, the small cream one with the flowers once belonged to my very good friend, Kath, who is the inspiration behind this blog and the new one is the one with the red line all around.

Toast racks

2 We called in at a garden centre on our way home and the scent of massed Lavender was just lovely. If only we could have so many plants in the garden!

Lavender

3 There are several self-seeded foxgloves on our Cornish hedge at the back and they are magnificent, towering above everything else.

Foxgloves on the top of our wall

28 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on June 23, 2013 in flowers, garden, nature, photography, Postaday2013, senses

Tags: carboot sale, English Lavender, foxgloves, Jane Hamlyn, toast racks

Spring Greens, Robin and Mylor Harbour

10 May

1 The lanes around Cornwall are just bursting with that very special bright green of new leaves. Every corner turned brings new delights.

Lane through Kennal Vale

2 I always take a walk around Mylor graveyard while the lovely Mr S strolls around the boatyard. The Robin was keeping a close eye on me.

Robin on a gravestone

3 It has been a very grey, cold and windy afternoon but the wind meant that the rigging on the yachts was singing that special song that reminds one of being by the sea. The Myosotis blue was glowing despite the lack of sunshine.

The singing rigging

Forget-me-nots by the water

10 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 10, 2013 in birds, flowers, Mylor, nature, photography, Postaday2013, senses, sound, trees

Tags: forget-me-nots, harbour, rigging, Spring

Bluebells, Fern and Sculpture

07 May

1 Spring has sprung all of a sudden! In the days that I was away, the bluebells down the lanes are casting their beautiful blue haze and flowers in neighbours’ gardens are glowing. I wish I could send you the scent of the wallflowers.

Bluebells down the lane

Bluebells and primroses

Tulips and Forget-me-nots

Wallflowers

2 Ferns in the hedgerows are unfurling. I just love the furriness and the curliness of young ferns.

Unfurling fern

3 Everyone is enjoying the Spring sunshine, especially this old fellow in his cloth cap on the bench outside the garden centre.

Enjoying the sunshine – Sculpture by Richard Austin

17 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on May 7, 2013 in environment, flowers, garden, nature, photography, Postaday2013, sculpture, senses

Tags: bluebells, primroses, Richard Austin, sculptor, Spring Flowers, wallflowers

Rock Pool Treasures, Bluebells and A Cloudy Sky

12 Apr

1 Solace to be found in a walk by the sea was needed this afternoon and Falmouth was the place. Crunching through the shingle, listening to the susurration of the waves, breathing in the sea air and investigating the rock pools combined to be balm for the soul. Click on any photo for an enlargement.

Red seaweed

Beautiful striata in the rocks

Seaweed and sea snails in a rock pool

Heart shaped stone in the sand

Limpet

Seaweed

Stone sculpture

Bright yellow sea snail in a rock pool

Anenemone waving in the wind disturbed rock pool

Delicate pink seaweed

2 The bluebells are beginning to come into bloom and are quite beautiful.

Bluebells

3 The sky became overcast and quite moody, then as we were leaving I spotted this sign inside the street seller’s stall.

Dark and moody sky

Sign that made me smile

For those of you following for some time, you’ll know that we have been expecting our next Grandbaby. She arrived on Wednesday evening but is very poorly indeed. Finding beautiful things has always been part of my coping strategy from the time when we ourselves had a desperately ill baby needing three operations on his heart (he survived), the loss of dear ones including my beloved Mum and Dad and my friend of 30 years, Kath, to whom this blog is dedicated and whenever extra strength is needed. Somehow, I will continue to find the strength, the beauty and hope. Forgive me if I don’t get around to reading and commenting for a while.