Redruth was buzzing today, all in town for the St Piran’s day celebrations. I especially loved the stilt walkers.
Later, on my way to sing in the Market Hall, one of the stilt people called to me, “Hello, lovely lady! Would you like a daffodil?” Of course, I said that I’d love one but please would he hold it for a moment while I took his photo for my blog!
Singing Cornish songs in the Market Hall with The Ingleheart Singers, and with an enormous, enthusiastic audience, was an absolute delight. Thanks to Sue for the video. You can see I am holding my daffodil.
Last Monday, at choir, was our first singing of this beautiful song learnt from a video by Anni Zylstra. It’s a Ukrainian blessing meaning, ‘Many Years’ or the implied meaning “wishing you many years of life” – a traditional Ukrainian celebratory song and is sung at weddings, namings and other celebrations. We sing it here in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.
We still, just, have white tulips.
Our edible trough has lots of seeds planted and, so far, just a few edible flowers which I like to use on cakes and in salads.
We made a birthday bouquet from our garden for a friend who shares her birthday with Shakespeare.
A week or so ago my choir recorded a beautiful piece to be played at a funeral of a Mum who had been one of our stalwarts in the audience. It is such a lovely piece I thought you might like to hear it here – The Shoshone Love Song. Please press play even thought it seems to show 00.00. It does play! This is for Helen.
Supper tonight was delicious – a new recipe for Cod and Chorizo Stew.
It was so good to be singing again in the barn with The Ingleheart Singers this afternoon. We learned a wonderful African piece and I’ll send you the recording as soon as I can.
No cake in the house! That’s not good so I planned on making a favourite Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake only we didn’t have enough blueberries and no lemon. So, here we have a very pretty mixture and, later, Blueberry and Raspberry with Lime cake.
A week ago, just 15 of us gathered at the Eco Park to sing Cornish Christmas carols in a safe and socially distanced way. Enjoy listening to us. For this who wanted to know, I’m right at the end singing “Thy beloved name!” I’m elsewhere too so you can watch again from the start if you like, even perhaps contribute to one of our charities. Nadelik Lowen is Happy Christmas in Cornish.
Photographer Tobias Baumgaertner captured this image of two widowed fairy penguins looking over the Melbourne skyline. It has won an award in Oceanographic magazine’s Ocean Photography Awards 2020.
The backstory is so heartwarming. The lighter penguin is an elderly female whose partner died this year. The darker one is a younger male who lost his partner two years ago. Biologists have followed them as they meet every night to comfort each other. They stand for hours together watching the city lights.
I made our Chocolate Amaretti Torte this afternoon, one for us and one for our daughter who is visiting for an outdoor pasty lunch tomorrow, looking forward to eating it soon!
Mixing the cream and the chocolate mixture
P.S. We saw the Great Conjunction tonight for a few moments when the clouds parted!
We were briefly in Truro this morning to find a particular book for the lovely Mr S (with success) and when finished called in at a well spaced and airy cafe for toast and coffee!
My choirs have been unable to sing together this Christmas but a very tech savvy member of our gang has put together a video of us singing in previous years with some stills. Here it is.
Our first Christmas present was delivered today, a gorgeous bunch of autumnal coloured flowers already in their glass so no chasing around trying to find one. I love the bright red berries in the water too.
Our Sweet Peas in one pot are glorious. The other pot is finished. 🙁
Sweet Peas
Serendipity again as the bright orange Montbretia/ Crocosmia has popped up with the purple Tom Thumb Pittosporum hedge.
Montbretia against the dark Tom Thumb Pittosporum
A couple of months ago , I was asked to take part in a Birthday video for an ex pupil of mine. The idea was to screw up some paper with a Happy Birthday message on it. Have it thrown to you from the left, unscrew it, show the message to the camera and throw it off to the right. It made for a very special and individual birthday present.
It occurred to me that it would be a lovely thing to do for our dear choir leader, Claire, with whom we have been unable to sing in person for 5 months because of the Covid situation. Fortunately we have in one of our choirs a brilliantly talented individual who agreed to put together the 60+ videos valiantly made by our community of choir members! Thanks so much, Kenn! What a success it has been! Here it is for your delectation. The setting is the Penryn River, our view from the rehearsal room and the music is sung by the choirs.
I fitted the repaired wings to two of my Fairies today and am delighted with how they now look and that now they will be able to fly, albeit that they are learners!
We are delighted with the serendipitous odd pops of colour in our garden. Both the Poppy and the Crocosmia are self-sown.
In the last few days, members of The Inglehearts’ Singers have recorded themselves at home singing new words to Trelawny, the Cornish anthem, words designed to encourage people in Camborne to wear their masks and to help each other in these uncertain Covid times.
Glass all day ready for the market tomorrow – I now have a beautiful choir of angels – and then, this evening, I went singing with my beautiful choirs at Krowji for the start of the Christmas season. We can only sing in groups of ten so that we don’t block the corridors for all the people who have come to visit the artists’ studios. It’s quite a challenge with only two or three in each part.
