In Truro today the bunting in Victoria Square was bright against the beautiful blue sky.
A pink Geranium has come through the white Hebe and is looking lovely.
I love the tunnels of trees all over our lanes at the moment and these always make me smile as they are so square, made so by the double decker buses that pass through.
The LiveWires cooked their own breakfast this morning – chocolate croissants.
Milking the chocolate croissants
Golden and ready
Our young activists spent the morning making placards for the Climate Emergency School Strike in Truro today.
LiveWire No 2 preparing his placard
On the Demo!
Very proud of our two LiveWires!
A delightful surprise today when a friend rang to say that she had seen a poster for a musical play of one of my Dad’s books! The Fate of Jeremy Visick is to be performed in a couple of weeks and of course, we now have tickets. The book was first adapted by Judith Cook and we all came down from Yorkshire to see the Premiere at The Barbican Theatre in Plymouth in 1990! It is so lovely to know that my Dad’s work is still being appreciated. We love the poster and think Dad would have approved.
Stage Struck and The Fate of Jeremy Visick
Thirteen singers from my two choirs met at the building site that is The Hall for Cornwall to entertain the dignitaries who were being shown around. We sang in the stair-well and the acoustics were brilliant. The audience in their hard hats and hi-vis jackets were very appreciative.
Ingleheart Singers and Suitcase Singers
In the process of the building works, a beautiful gate has been discovered. It was buried inside a wall and dates from before 1914 so is well over 100 years old. The plans have been altered a little to make sure this discovery is integrated into the new building.
Delightful discovery
I discovered a wonderful shop in Hayle today, especially for people like me who love to make. The sign outside first caught my eye, then the shop itself and inside was a treasure trove with rainbows of colour everywhere. I shall be back.
I was lucky today to see a working replica of Trevithick’s Puffing Devil.
It was Truro’s City of Lights celebration tonight and the lanterns were better than ever. The theme was story characters. I wonder how many you recognise.
Singing in the Zed Shed in Penryn this morning with The Suitcase Singers, I was able to zoom in on the lovely Mr S who was working on our boat in nearby Freeman’s Wharf while I was having fun!
Just look at this shaggy hairdo! In fact it is a Clematis seed head outside our kitchen window and I love it!
In Truro this afternoon I looked up and saw this beautiful architectural detail around these windows.
There is a beautiful lone rose on our climber, really delicate with the sun shining through.
We visited Truro Cathedral today to see the March of Hope for Peace stand. It wasn’t inside but as we were walking through we heard The Celtic Benediction being said, a beautiful wish for peace. Both my choirs sing a version of this and it is very lovely.
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
And deep peace of the sun of peace to you.
Inside Truro Cathedral.
The map shows where events have been taking place over the last two weeks, people coming together to show solidarity and to march for an agreement. Enough is enough.
Waiting for the lovely Mr S and Nick the Sailman to take down the Genoa for repair of the sacrificial strip, I took photos of the reflections in the wet mud as the tide was out. Even mud can be beautiful!
We went into Truro in the afternoon and had a cup of coffee in the art shop where the supplies for artists are just wonderful. I love the colours of these pastels and still have a yen for creating a scene in water colours. My sister is an artist, my Dad also, as well as being a novelist and I still wish I had this talent. Maybe I just have to try to know if I can or not.
There are some lovely Spring planters in Truro.
Is this a pony and trap? Whatever, it was fun to watch the pattern of the hooves change as we followed this vehicle on the road to Truro.I’m hoping that those who know will tell me about the foot pattern and if it is a pony or a horse!
All feet off the ground
Opposite feet off the ground
We went to visit some very old friends this afternoon. They have known me since I was a little girl and were very good friends of my parents. We love hearing their stories, this time of C’s early life in America and on the farm in Townshend. We took along some cheery Tete a Tete bulbs in flower and some of my mini mince pies.
A gift on my knees
Truro’s lights are simple and lovely as always.
Lights in Truro
1 The curved herb wall is full of tiny bulbs which are bursting with Spring colour. The crocus which has died and fallen from its stem has the most vibrant and wonderful colours.
Purple and orange
Curved herb wall with Spring bulbs
Crocuses
Beautiful red stems on the Cornus Controversa
Tete a Tete daffodils
2 We took this little Spring bouquet to very old friends in Truro today, one of whom is very poorly. They looked after my Dad when he first moved to Cornwall in 1953, took me in for a holiday when I was 14. My family had moved North for a brief time and I was so desperately unhappy to have been taken away from Cornwall and they had me, a tricky teenager, to stay for two weeks! They have been such lovely loyal friends for such a long time.
Small garden bouquet for a friend, Pittosporum and Tete a Tete
3 Truro was lovely as always
Clock Tower on Truro City Hall
Planter on the way into Truro
Clock Tower on the former West Briton Offices, Truro
Flowers in a half-barrel on top of a pole
1 Birthday breakfast for the lovely Mr S with our croissants kept warm in the beautiful Tree of Life bread-warmer.
Birthday breakfast
2 Thence to Truro for some bookshop browsing and dinner at ‘Gravy’ where we had the most delicious pre-theatre dinner. We hadn’t been there before but we’ll certainly go again. It is a very welcoming place with imaginative and well cooked food, ‘deliciously uncomplicated’ as they say themselves.
Mr S started with crab cakes with a watercress salad and I had meltingly soft gnocchi tossed with spinach, and chili oil, topped with tomato concasse and parmesan shavings – both starters beautifully presented and truly scrumptious.
Mr S then had Sea Bass served on oven roasted vegetables and new potatoes with a romesco sauce which he found very tasty. I had the Supreme of Cornish chicken which was stuffed with wild mushrooms, onion and thyme, oven baked and served with dauphinoise potato, chantenay carrots and a red wine and shallot sauce. That, too, looked a picture and was delicious with every flavour discernible, truly a treat, which, since it was for a birthday, was most appropriate! We had a very good bottle of Merlot with all this, were served beautifully in lovely surroundings and would highly recommend a vist to any of my readers who live in Cornwall!
Truro Cathedral
3 We followed dinner with an amazing concert – Courtney Pine on the saxophone and playing a new instrument he called a Ewi – and Electronic Wind Instrument which he had just been given by the makers on his tour of Japan and with which he was experimenting. Its range was unbelievable and the sound amazing! I have to confess that some of the wackier pieces didn’t appeal but overall it was a very enjoyable evening. Courtney Pine is such a genuine and warm individual who really appreciates his audience.
Courtney Pine amongst the audience
Commentator Award
