1 Lovely cards and phone calls today for Mr S and my dear Dad (1916-2004) in my head all day.
2 Purple is one of my favourite colours (along with green – which with white, makes up the Suffragette colours, of which more in another post) Do click on the photo to see the furriness of the centre section, it’s so beautiful!
What’s left when the poppy petals have all dropped
Beautiful French Lavender
I wish you could smell this as well as see it – so lovely.
3 Singing tonight with the Treggies blew a touch of the blues away! We laugh, we sing and we sometimes cry! One song, ‘The Soldier’s Farewell’ is particularly moving and was, apparently, also sung by Cornish tin miners on the station as they were about to emigrate and leave their families far behind.
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Tags: 'The Soldiers' Farewell', cornish, cornish tin, Dad, dear dad, emigrate, families, Father's Day, french lavender, green, lavender, lovely cards, poppy, Postaday, purple, Suffragette, The Treggies, tin miners, touch of the blues, white
1 These delightful little fishermen, less than 2″ tall, were brought home for me by my Dad when I was about seven years old, when he first discovered the beauty of Cornwall and the decision was made to move the family here a.s.a.p.
Mevagissey Fishermen
2 This is the screen in our utility room, used to hide the washing machine etc so that we can call it our sun-room! I’m beginning to decorate it with plant labels, bay leaves and stuff so it is becoming beautiful!
Live life, love food
3 Singing with Claire and the Inglehearts was lovely, of course. It’s good to have her back after her 7 week spell in London. Tonight our last song was “Keep You In Peace” sung especially for the three choir members who have died in the last two months. It was quite hard to sing as we all had loved ones in our minds as well as our choir friends – but we did it and it was beautiful.
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Tags: 'Keep You in Peace', Bank Holidays, bay leaves, community, culture, Dad, Fal, King Harry Ferry, Mevagissey Fisherman, Screen, singing, sun room, The Ingleheart Singers, Three Choirs and a Ferry
1 We’ve been watching this poppy and today it began to open.
Early morning poppy
Early afternoon poppy
2 We planted the runner bean plants today. We have no greenhouse so have to wait to buy the little plants and then hope for the best – middle of May is usually okay but does feel a bit risky this year.
Runner beans planted, hopefully to grow up the old pan-stand
3 I love these photos of me and my siblings that our Mum and Dad always had on display.
Four siblings
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Tags: brothers, Dad, Mum, mum and dad, nature, people, photos, plants, poppy, runner beans, siblings, sister
1 A lovely long email from my sister-in-law in Atlanta giving me all their news.
2 I love it how gardening makes me remember people. Today it’s the very small crinodendron hookerianum, with so many amazing lanterns this year, only three last year (Mum and Dad and their good friend Eddie), planting Cosmos (Bill’s Dad who gave me plugs the year he died and they kept flowering until the first frosts), night scented stocks, just tiny seedlings at the moment, ( KJ as a very little girl of 3 or 4 who used to wake up at about 10pm night after night. We used to take her out into the garden on summer nights to smell ‘the night flowers’ and then she would happily go back to bed.) And now, seeing the uncurling fern, my lovely sister Daisy who emailed to say that she too loves to see the uncurling ferns but in Hawaii they are 30′ tall!
Crinodendron Hookerianum
3 A delightful little snail – I know they eat my plants but just look at him on the edge of the ice cream tub!
Small Cornish snail
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Tags: Atlanta, Cornish snail, cosmos, Crinodendron Hookerianum, Dad, Daisy, email, Georgia, Hawaii, KJ, Mum, nature, night scented stocks, plants
1. After a hectic few days, some resting time. I love the multi-coloured water containers, not kettles as I first thought as they could not stand heat underneath. I’ve brought two home to use for watering window boxes etc!
Multi-coloured kettle
2. Meals are served in one very big dish for all to share. Should anyone arrive while the family are eating, they will always be invited to join in the meal. Senegalese hospitality is all-embracing.
Rice and beans with fried fish
3. We Skyped home to KJ and family and Jake said ‘ Bonjour’ to Ndeye Marie and ‘You are my cousin!” That was a beautiful moment that was appreciated by all.
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Tags: community, Dad, Daniel, food, French, Jake, kettle, Multi-coloured, Senegal, Senegalese hospitality, Skype, travel, vacation
1 Joined a Facebook conversation with L, a lovely ex-pupil of mine, today about the loss of our Mums and how we still miss them, however long it’s been and how they still influence our lives. Then I remembered this quotation I once found and kept – I think we each have our own stars.
“There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.” Hannah Senesh, poet, playwright, and paratrooper (1921-1944) It’s worth looking her up – a quite amazing young woman.
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Hannah Senesh 1921-1944
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Hannah Senesh
2 M brought back the tapes of my Dad’s life stories which she has digitised for me. I’m both excited and nervous about listening to them. She has very kindly made copies for my two brothers and my sister.
3 Delightful Skype with KJ and the Grandbabies, lots of chuckles and happiness.
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Tags: brothers, Dad, death, Earth, giggles, grandbabies, Hannah Senesh 1921-1944, humankind, life stories, Mum, paratrooper, playwright, poet, sister, Skype, stars
1 Today I have handed over all Dad’s tapes to a beautiful Spanish lady who came all the way from St Germans. She is going to digitise them for me prior to them being transcribed. It will be strange and rather wonderful to be able to hear Dad telling us his army life stories again.
2. I’ve spent the afternoon tucked up, nursing a cold but the beauty of that was that I had several hours to read. I am reading carefully through a manuscript of Dad’s, ‘The Boy with Red Fingers’ which was never published but which he had commissioned a young artist to illustrate, and I am deciding what the picture for each chapter should consist of. What a privilege! Meanwhile, the wonderful Mr S was out in the rain clearing the back corner ready for a sun terrace to be laid very soon.
3 Some more of the brass bits went today, via Freegle, to a lovely man from Falmouth Model Boat Club. He was so chuffed with everything and told me what each bit would be used for which was really pleasing. We had given him an old drill once before, again through Freegle, and he told me that it now powers one of the boats.
Falmouth Model Boat Club
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Tags: army life, Dad, Falmouth Model Boat Club, Freegle, model boat club, st germans, young artist
1 Been listening to my lovely Dad’s beautiful voice today! When, in 2004, he was given a terminal diagnosis, we spent time together recording some of the life stories he used to tell us. I haven’t listened to them before and I have now asked for help on Network Cornwall to get them transcribed. As usual, NC has come up trumps. Thank you.
2 In our garden today – miniature daffodils, tiny iris, delicate snowdrops and beautiful blue rosemary already in flower.
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3 Lucy’s itinerary tells us that today she will have trekked from Namche Bazaar to Khumjung and they are now at 12,434ft .
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Tags: cornwall, Dad, Iris Reticulata, itinerary, life stories, Lucy, miniature daffodils, Namche Bazaar to Khumjung, Network Cornwall, rosemary, snowdrops, Spring Flowers, terminal diagnosis
1 Having been away for 5 days I’ve been missing my piano practice. Today I did an hour, getting to grips with my three First Grade pieces and really feeling good about it.
2 I heard Bizet’s Toreador’s Song from Carmen on the radio and it brought my lovely Dad straight into the kitchen. Dad was always whistling or singing and this was one he really enjoyed – and so did I.
3 I’ve been singing tonight with the Inglehearts. We went back to an old favourite tonight, La Serena, a beautiful haunting song with only two harmonies but spine chilling nevertheless, which we are going to sing in Truro Cathedral in our concert in February.
Evening sunshine on Truro rooftops
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Tags: Bizet, Carmen, Dad, Inglehearts, La Serena, piano, piano practice, rooftops, Toreador's Song, Truro Cathedral
1 We spent the day with P, my favourite brother-in-law, who was over from Poland for yesterday’s funeral. We see him so infrequently; it was lovely to be able to have the day together.
2 The Natural History Museum has an exhibition of photographs. What a fabulous and inspiring collection! I’ll post some photos when we get home.I want a really good camera and some lessons in how to make really good photos.
Gargoyle on The Natural History Museum
3 Our next visit was to the British Library. I love that place! We saw the Dickens exhibition, the Ritblat collection and it gave me such a thrill to know that every one of Dad’s books is in there. It is Dad’s birthday today so it seem most appropriate to be thinking of him and his writing today.
4 Cherry blossom, the Natural History Museum building itself, the busker in the tunnel from the tube to the museum, coming home to the delightful Grandbabies – all in all brilliant day.
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Tags: books, brother-in-law, cherry blossom, Dad, grandbabies, Natural History Museum, Poland, writing
