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Category Archives: Tin mining history

Diaspora Gardens, Mural and Good People

Daughter No 3 visited today for just a few hours so we went out for lunch at the Red River Cafe and then took a stroll around the Diaspora Gardens at Heartlands. From their website: “In the 19th Century, thousands of pioneering Cornish people emigrated across the world taking with them their culture, mining skills and technologies.
Through exquisite planting and fascinating interpretation, the Diaspora (meaning ‘dispersion’) Gardens within Heartlands tell the poignant story of the Cornish people and their influence on the lands to which they travelled. The gardens feature plants from Cornwall that rooted happily in foreign lands, as well as exotics brought back to Cornwall that took to the rich local soil, ” including Agapanthus and Crocosmia.

One of the stones

Agapanthus, from the Heartlands web site

Beautiful Eucalyptus bark

Mural in the gardens

This piece came my way today so I thought I would share it with you all.

Lots of lovely people in the world

9 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 15, 2018 in art, Cornwall, garden, Postaday2018, Tin mining history, Uncategorized

Tags: Heartlands

Last Night, Feather and A New Book

12 Aug

The concert last night was fabulous! St Euny Church was packed and the audience were so appreciative – standing ovations indeed! Being involved, I couldn’t take many photos but here is a moment of our joint rehearsal of Calon Lan with Cor Serenata, taken by our choir leader, Claire. (Sadly her battery ran out.). I just have to say, that during the concert, standing among the Welsh singers as they sang the verses of Canon Lan, was a beautiful experience. We joined in the choruses and that was lovely too. If you want to find me, I am back left at the top of the picture as the video plays. Our concert was in aid of ShelterBox and the music department of Troon Primary School, where we rehearse each week.

The shared meal, all made by The Ingleheart Singers was also much appreciated.

Pudding time – a small selection!

I found a rain-dropped feather in our drive.

Feather with raindrops

A friend of mine, Lesley Trotter, whom I first met while researching for last year’s production by Perthi Kov, ‘Until the Day Break’, has written a book , “The Married Widows of Cornwall” and I am privileged to have received the first advance copy. I started reading this morning and have been unable to put it down as Lesley begins to trace the histories of the women ‘left behind’ in Cornwall when their tin mining husbands went to work overseas.

‘The Married Widows of Cornwall’ by Lesley Trotter

I am posting early today as one of our beautiful daughters is arriving later with her two beautiful LiveWires and their Daddy is joining us all after finishing filming the cricket at Lords. I also have to stop reading to get things ready!

4 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 12, 2018 in friendship, nature, Photography, Postaday2018, ShelterBox, singing, Tin mining history

Tags: Lesley Trotter, the forgotten history of women, The Married Widows of Cornwall, Troon primary School, women in history

The Man Engine, Embroidery Silks and Haberdashery

05 Mar

Those of you who are regular readers will know how I love to sing and that I sing with two choirs. Soon I am to sing with a third and I am very excited! It is to be the choir especially brought together for The Man Engine Resurrection Tour that begins at Easter and we start rehearsals next week. There has been a very special bus going around Cornwall advertising the tour. I haven’t managed to see it but here is a photo taken by Chris of the bus. You may have seen my posts about this remarkable mechanical puppet in the Summer of 2016. You can check them out here and here. I urge you to do so as he is splendiferous! The tour this time is going around the country so, please don’t miss it! Here is where you can get tickets for Wales, Yorkshire and more!

“The largest mechanical puppet ever constructed in Britain (powered by Volvo) and winner of the ‘Best Arts Project’ in the National Lottery Awards 2017, returns this Easter for his much-anticipated Resurrection Tour. ” manenginetickets.com

The Man Engine Bus

LiveWire No 3 has requested a sewing box for her 7th birthday soon so I have had lots of fun deciding what to put in her box. That has been ordered online (our local shop didn’t have what we wanted) and here are some of the bits. I shall add more fro my own stock before we post it all off. I am delighted that I have inspired her as my Granny inspired me!

Embroidery silks

T enjoyed doing some free design embroidery when last with us so I think will enjoy having her own embroidery hoop and coloured silks.

Embroidery hoop, pins and special scissors

13 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on March 5, 2018 in art, Beauty, Cornwall, Photography, Postaday2018, sculpture, Tin mining history

Tags: #ManEngine

Cherry Blossom, TED talk and Resurrection

10 Feb

The Cherry tree down the road is just coming into blossom and it is delicate and gorgeous.

First Cherry blossom

You may remember us seeing the magnificent Man Engine in 2016. I posted about it here and here. Here is a brilliant TED talk by Will Coleman who was the driving force behind the project. His talk is both fascinating and moving. Do click and watch.

I am thrilled to have been invited, along with both the choirs I sing with, to be a singer in the local Resurrection Tour when the Man Engine will again rise up and tour, not just Cornwall but into Wales and up to Yorkshire. (Wentworth Woodhouse for my friends in the North – don’t miss it!). To be a part of that will be such a privilege.

An odd thought – As I was checking the preview, suddenly Cherry Blossom meant shoe polish to me and may do to others of my generation. I was taken back in time to the tin and the smell and to my dear Dad polishing the family’s shoes for the next day, different brushes for applying the different colours, yet more brushes for the shine up and a soft velvet pad for the final immaculate finish. A lovely memory of a lovely man.

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 10, 2018 in Beauty, Celebration, community, Cornwall, nature, Postaday2018, sculpture, Tin mining history

Tags: Cherry Blossom shoe polish, Man Engine Resurrection Tour 2018, UK's largest mechanical puppet, Will Coleman

Narcissi, Botallack and Lamp-posts

01 Feb

There were some beautiful locally grown flowers on our breakfast table before our drive down the coast towards St Just-in-Penwith via several old tin workings with their iconic buildings that scatter these moors and much of Cornwall’s landscape. It was a bright but bitterly cold and windy day with the odd rainbow and hail shower to keep us on our toes! We had lunch in the Cook Bookshop in St Just and were very taken with the delightful flower painted lamp posts in the small town.

The Crowns at Botallack

Breakfast flowers

Sea rainbow

Buddleia

Agapanthus

Tulip

Daffodil

Poppies

Diary entry dated Saturday July 17th , three days into our Suffragette’s Hunger Strike, has been published. She is becoming weak and weepy but will not be deterred.

https://suffragettediary.wordpress.com/2018/02/01/saturday-17th-july/

12 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on February 1, 2018 in art, Beauty, Cornwall, environment, History, nature, painting, Photography, Postaday2018, Tin mining history

Singing, A Bird and A Horse at Sunset

08 Nov

After singing in the hall for Cornwall this morning we did half an hour busking outside and enjoyed the apricity (another lovely word recently learned and meaning the warmth of the sun in winter.) The sculpture in the background is The Naked Drummer, a bronze sculpture by Tim Shaw which was unveiled in 2011 by Queen drummer Roger Taylor, who was educated at Truro School.

The Ingleheart Singers with The Suitcase Singers on Lemon Quay

Which Bird?

A sunset walk on the cliff tops above Wheal Coates this evening brought beautiful golden light and a horse and rider galloping by.

Wheal Coates

Galloping by

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Posted by mybeautfulthings on November 8, 2017 in Beauty, Cornwall, environment, nature, Photography, postaday2017, Tin mining history

Tags: The Naked Drummer, Tim Shaw, Wheal Coates

Mining Memorial Sunday and A Cosy Afternoon

10 Sep

We didn’t do the Pilgrimage from Wheal Bassett Stamp House to Wheal Euny and down to the Church but waited in the mizzle at St Euny Church for the singers and walkers. The rain was such that the rest of the event, some scheduled for outdoors, was all moved into the Church. Mining Memorial Sunday is to recognise the history and the importance of our town and surrounding areas in the mining of tin and copper and to give thanks. Perthi Kov, our small theatre company who put together ‘Until the Day Break’ (lots of information elsewhere in my blog) were asked if any of our characters would like to reprise their story telling to help bring the history alive. Three of those stories which involved miners taking their skills abroad were retold and were very well received: Mary Angove Gill whose story I researched and wrote, J W Goldsworthy, whose story I researched and a colleague wrote and Catherine Tonkin Burrowes and one of our singers reprised the final song which the congregation joined in with. It was a very moving service followed by Cornish Pasties and a Cream Tea!

Jeannette, Mandy, Florence and Keith

We liked the final hymn which we hadn’t heard before, the last verse in Cornish being sung with particular gusto!

The final hymn

After getting thoroughly wet, though not as wet as the walkers, and then chilled in the Church, we have spent the afternoon cosied up in the sitting room, stuck into our books. I am re-reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley – just as good this time around.

2 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on September 10, 2017 in Beauty, Celebration, community, Cornwall, History, postaday2017, Tin mining history, Uncategorized

Tags: Perthi Kov, St Euny the Miners' Church, Until the Day Break

Pednandrea Chimney, Hollyhocks and Autumn Leaves

31 Aug

A pretty peachy cloud was hovering over Pednandrea Chimney as we walked down to buy some milk.

Pednandrea chimney stack (the Cornish name means ‘At the head of the town’) can be seen for miles around

Coming back up the lane we saw pink Hollyhocks over a neighbours fence and burnished golden leaves along the path.

Hollyhocks in the evening light

Wet Autumn leaves on the last day of August

Fountain, Feeding and Engine Houses

05 Aug

Our copper fountain has been installed at last. It is in the last patch of the garden to be sorted and I have all the ferns and shade lovers ready to plant around it. I love the sound of the trickling water. We put the pebbles into each cup to enhance the trickle sound.

Fountain trickles

We walked up the back around The Great Flat Lode tonight and were amused by the cows eating in tandem and the calf having a good feed. We are so lucky to be able to walk out of the front door and into such spaces.

Calf having supper

Munching grass in unison

Along the trail is Wheal Uny and another engine house. From one angle they looked very like the ones Dad had sketched many years ago (see yesterday’s post) but aren’t quite right. The mast would have gone up much later and the bushes have grown but we think we have to keep looking.