We have lots of Cornflowers in bloom. I caught one with an unusual Bee on it. This afternoon I went to visit Sue at her allotment. Her Sunflowers are very lovely and this evening we walked to Wheal Coates watching the activity in the sky, hang gliders and Kestrels! Click on any photo in the gallery for more detail. The feathers on the Kestrels are just amazing!
1 It was a gloriously bright winter’s day and we took a walk up to Wheal Coates on the North Coast of Cornwall, starting from Chapel Porth. This is for Shelagh.
Wheal Coates
2 There was an off-shore wind catching the tops of the waves making long plumes of spray the length of each wave as it unfurled.
3 Our small town, Redruth, was absolutely stuffed with people this evening for the switching on of the Christmas lights, the children’s lantern parade and our singing of carols. It was so lovely to be part of community happiness. Click on any photo for detail.
Our eldest daughter who lives in Exeter is with us this weekend to see M and they have all spent all day catching up. We went off to Chapelporth for high tide this evening in the Cornish mist and had a good walk up to Wheal Coates. Sadly the cloud cover is too great for us to see tonight’s super moon. Click on any photo in the gallery for detail of the rocks that I found built into the wall of Wheal Coates or the sea.
1 I taught my Senegalese daughter-in-law how to make mince pies this morning. They turned out beautifully!
A’s first ever mince pies
2 Just as we were baking, a low winter sunbeam caught this painting by Sasha Harding. Serendipity!
Sasha Harding painting
3 We had sunshine most of today before the expected return of the storms so we all had a walk up to Wheal Coates. Many, many people had the same idea and A was delighted that everyone we met said Hello or Merry Christmas and one lovely walker offered to take a photo of us all. What special kindness to recognise our desire without a word being spoken!
Looking over to St Ives
Kind stranger
Wheal Coates
1 Last night, the friends who came to dinner brought us some beautiful Gladioli in purple, white and green as they know what these colours mean to me. Thank you P&A!
Gladioli, in purple, white and green
2 It’s officially the first day of Autumn today and in temperatures of 22C, we walked from Porthtowan along the beach at low tide to Chapelporth. Surfers surfed, children played, dogs paddled, girls rode by on their horses and people, like us, walked the length of the beach in the Autumn sunshine. I love the sound of the waves breaking on the beach. It’s a sound I grew up with and I relish every moment I can be by the sea and listen to the soughing of the waves onto the beach………
3 Seeing Towanroath Shaft Pumping Engine House at Wheal Coates from the beach shows just how much on the edge of the cliff the mine was. I posted two photos of the engine house from the top of the cliffs here if you missed them. One is mine of sunset at the engine house and the other, by Tim Martindale, is of the Milky Way behind the engine house and is just awesome!
Wheal Coates from the beach below
We are getting very excited about our New England in the Fall holiday!
1 Wheal Coates is on one of our favourite walks and some of you will have seen photos of it before. This wonderful photograph of Wheal Coates with The Milky Way behind it, was taken by a local photographer, Tim Martindale, and I have his permission to use it tonight. Isn’t it a stunning photograph? In my preview I have to click the title to see the photo. Please do – it is worth it!
Milky Way behind Wheal Coates
Wheal Coates from a similar spot, taken by me this summer at sunset
2 We have spoken to both our twins today as yesterday and today are their birthdays. L said the loveliest thing “Happy Birthing Day to you, Mum” No-one has ever said that to me before; I haven’t ever thought it. Now that L is a Mum herself, she knows!
3 I have made Lemon Marmalade this afternoon as L&T gave us 15 lemons yesterday. It is the most beautiful pale golden colour and carries the date of L’s birthday which I shall find a pleasure each time we open a new jar.
Beautiful Lemon Marmalade
17th September batch of Lemon Marmalade
1 Yesterday, after I had posted, we went to the North Coast at Chapelporth for a walk as the sun was setting. The colours were wonderful, the setting sun lighting up Wheal Coates with a glorious glow.
2 As the sun was slipping into the sea, the light was catching breaking waves, creating the illusion of the sea being on fire.
The sun lights up the sea
Fiery waves
3 Walking back from the cliff edges, the purple and pink heathers and the golden gorse were still lit by enough light to show their beautiful colours.
Flowers on the cliffs at Chapelporth
Heather necklace against a lichen covered rock
1 The American branch of the family, my younger brother and my sister-in-law, are staying in St Mawes and we’ve had fun today texting making arrangements to meet up tomorrow, the skies being leaden again today! I’d love to say it’s been beautiful being so quiet but the truth is it’s too quiet and I’m missing everybody so much! The house has been so full of laughter and chatter for a whole week!
2 Being so quiet and, truth to tell, not busy enough, we have had time to notice the birds and my favourites, the Long Tailed Tits, have turned up today. I love it that they live in several generational family groups and at one point we saw ten. At the same time, the Goldfinches, a Blue Tit and a Great Tit were at the feeder. Beautiful!
3 This afternoon I read on http://agujasblog.com/ about the tools we knitters carry about with us for knitting, was inspired to carry on with my current project (hoodies for both the Grandchildren) and to take a photo of my tool kit which was my Granny’s. It gives me enormous pleasure to know that she and my Mum both used these things before me. Thank you, Veronica.
4 Bonus Beautiful thing! The sun came out this evening and we went down to Chapelporth to blow away the cobwebs. It was so beautiful and did my spirit much good – lots of flowers, crashing waves in a turquoise sea and the magnificent Wheal Coates engine house on the cliff.
Click on any photo to see the detail.
1 The cream of tomato soup that Mr S made for our lunch looked so perfectly orange and beautiful.
2 We went for our favourite local walk from Chapel Porth up to Wheal Coates coming back to the beach cafe for a delicious hot chocolate and some homemade ginger cake (made by Rosie)
3 Singing with the Inglehearts for the first time in two weeks was overlaid with sadness as one of our singers, the much loved Mo, died last week and we were practising “You are my Sunshine” to sing tomorrow at her funeral. That was hard but it did us all good to sing and to remember her with some stories. We sang ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ in her honour as it was another of her favourites.
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