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
1 To London on the train, masses of white May blossom in the hedgerows. Reminded me of Mum and Dad who used to drive around the Cornish lanes at this time of year to note where the blossom was so that they could go back later to collect the sloes to make sloe gin.
Hedgerows of May blossom
2 I used the time on the train to sew up the shrug I have knitted for Tabitha and sewed in the label I ordered online on which is written, “Handmade with love especially for you :)”
Shrug for Tabitha
3 I’m not a fan of the underground – crowded, noisy, impersonal – but I spotted this poster from the escalator and then witnessed just such ‘an act of kindness’. A man left the tube train as we did but left his glasses in their case on the seat. A young woman noticed, called him and through the closing doors, just managed to pass them to him. Brilliant!
Acts of Kindness Poster
1 My lovely sister-in-law, Victoia, in Atlanta, emailed me to remind me about the Poem-a-day throughout April and the next email was the first poem! If you, too, are a lover of poetry, as I know several of my lovely followers are, you might like to subscribe free at http://poem-a-day.knopfdoubleday.com/ You never know what’s going to come into your inbox!
2 The sky today has been the vividest blue and the lovely Mr S fixed up our new weather vane.
3 We also planted something rather special though not conventionally beautiful, more a kitchen sculpture, my Mum’s old panstand! Each year we grow our runner beans up it and I know my Mum and Dad would have been tickled pink to know how we are putting it to use, there being no space in our kitchen for its proper use.
1 We’ve spent the day at Lanhydrock on a brilliant course on Camera Basics with Helen Morcom and Andrew Rowe, patient and skilled teachers. The morning was in class and the afternoon was spent ‘in the field’. I can now take photos without using the Auto setting! I feel confident using the other settings and some of my photos are quite pleasing but I’ll have to keep practising.
2 We had chips for lunch!
3 John Betjeman on Cornwall -thanks to my singing pal, Sally B. Mum and Dad gave me his collection of poems, ‘A Ring of Bells’ many years ago and, of course, I still treasure it.
John Betjeman
1 For Mum and Dad’s Golden Wedding, in 1989, we made some beautiful golden crackers. We, my siblings and their spice who had all come over from America and Germany for the two week long event, had a brilliant evening with Mum and Dad, laughing, sharing stories and making the crackers. I was reminded of this today when, in my perennial sorting of family stuff, I found two packets of the gunpowder strips that make the bang – and they still work! The sound, the smell, both so evocative…….
The Wiseman clan on Perranporth Beach for the Golden Wedding, in our special design t-shirts
2 Tonight , with The Inglehearts, we learnt ‘Cornish Lads’ by Roger Bryant with beautiful harmonies. It’s been one of my favourites since I heard it sung at The Countryman months ago and now we can sing it too. Thanks, Claire.
3 Lucy is now at Lubuje at 18,500ft, having trekked today from Dingboche. I love these names! It’s a splendid vicarious thrill to ‘trek’ with her via the map.
Commentator Award
