This one took my breath away. 
And here’s some Lemon and Demerara Cake to make you feel better. Perhaps that’s what I should take along when we meet at the corner, ready to sing the earth’s song. What will you bring?
Ready for Roots’ volunteers tomorrow
What joy! We met Daughter No 3 and family at St Agnes Head this morning for a very windy walk. They are with us just for the day from their holiday in Devon. 
LiveWire No 4 ran off down the path in the wind.
We spent some of the afternoon harvesting beans at the allotment and B picked a daisy which she later popped into the hedge along the lane as a “lovely surprise for someone to find!” 
Our lovely LiveWire had made me some Rose Petal Perfume and bottled it beautifully. Some blogger friends and I were just talking recently about doing just that when we were much the same age so it was especially sweet.
We’ve had a really lovely day but when they leave I feel bereft. Covid has made visits even fewer and briefer.
WordPress are telling me that I cannot upload any photos as there is no room. I don’t understand this as I have just renewed my Premium rate contract with them. I wanted to show you some of the artwork done by the young people who meet weekly with WILD, an amazing organisation who work with young parents all across Cornwall. I was invited to their 25th Birthday Party this afternoon and was moved and inspired by what they do – how they give young parents confidence, hope, strength, optimism and practical help. I can give you a link so that you can look them up and see what wonderful work they do.http://www.wildproject.org.uk/
When I hear from the WordPress Happiness Engineers, I’ll add the photos later.
I have had help and will sort the problem tomorrow.
There’s a brilliant play park near us at Heartlands, so much inventive play equipment and a lovely cafe where Littlest Live-Wire enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate.
While we were having our lunch so were the local birds, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker and a Chaffinch at our bird feeders.
P.S. I am finding a great need for my beautifulthings at the moment. I am so fearful of a Brexit vote, I am moved to tears by the plight of refugees and the horrific Orlando shootings of the LGBT community in a night club and now today’s dreadful news of one of our own MP’s being murdered in the street.
It is a such a joy to have our Littlest Live Wire here with her constant chatter and laughter and her delight in absolutely everything. Tonight I have finished her poncho and will show you tomorrow. Her reaction when she saw it with the braiding on was a huge grin and “I love it!”
1 This first photo may not look so beautiful but it represents me getting out into the garden for an hour and doing some tidy-up gardening so to me, it is beautiful!
Clearing the daisy over-growth
2 There is lots of growth happening in the garden, from Snow-drops to green manure and daffodil shoots.
Over wintered green manure in the vegetable boxes
Our snowdrops
New daffodil shoots
3 The Viburnum flowers have been there all winter and so have the little crab apples, just one un-withered left behind. The birds come to feed at this tree so I don’t suppose it will last much longer.
Viburnum blossom
A lone crab apple on the Malus Everest
For a few days there has been hope that Kayla Muella might still be alive but today, confirmation of her death in Syria has come through. My heart goes out to all her family. Kayla was friends with my niece in Prescott, Arizona and my sister has written very movingly about her here. Click on the red link to read Daisy’s tribute and to see her painting in honour of Kayla.
Opening Fb this morning I found the very sad news that the lovely young woman who organised Voluntours and through whom we did our Volunteering in Mapoch,S.A. died last night after a long illness. The very next thing I saw was Eleanor Roosevelt’s reminder to live our lives the best we can.
“The purpose of life, after all, is to love it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.”
This is how Marnie lived her too-short life and what she encouraged everyone else to do. Meeting Marnie and her family and working in the community of Mapoch was one of the richest experiences of my life so far.
Last year we also lost the wonderful Pastor Peter Mbasa from the Mapoch community. Here’s what he said about Marnie and the Volunteers she organised.
” I personally believe that your continuous involvement in the upliftment of the people has finally come to fruition. It has sparked some sense of self worth in the people. It makes me think of an avocado seedling. It takes from five years to thirteen years to bear fruit. But once it starts to bear fruit, it’s good nutrition for the body. And you will want to plant more because you are proud of the fruit. Some people never live long enough to eat the fruit, but people will always remember who planted the tree. Sometimes it does not even matter who planted the tree, as long as it will feed others. And its shade is the best to rest under in sunny days. Thank you my friends.”
Here, you can see the always smiling Marnie in the middle. Sibongile, the teacher, is to the left and to the left of her, is the classroom we helped to build. The fence, funds raised by the pupils at the school I had just retired from, is here in the process of being erected by another volunteer.
‘Sisters under the skin.’ The sisters with whom I worked in the classroom took me to their hearts and called me their sister.
Once upon a time there was a beautiful island inhabited only by birds……
This is not a beautiful video but one that should be seen by everyone in the world and so I have it here to share a bit further. Please click on the red link and share/ re-blog it as much as possible.
Commentator Award
