The View from Here: Cranking Up…

Fewer words, fewer photos;  keep it simple

Well, here we are with January in full flow; the new year bedding in and a Corner of Cornwall still languishing – lonely and unloved.  It’s been on my mind a lot, my blog.  Or rather my lack of blog.  I’m not one for New Year Resolutions anymore, but I do feel that I need to make an effort here and get into some kind of rhythm.  Either that or retire gracefully – at least for a while.  So the time has come to test the waters once more and see if I can re-establish the blogging habit.  It’s not that I have nothing to write about; I just seemed to have lost momentum.  I suspect there will be an eclectic timeline: there are things I’d like held here from the past few months so I’ll be jumping about a bit.  And couple of changes, I think: fewer words, fewer photos.  Keep it simple.  And we’ll see what happens.

fireworks at Looe

Happy New Year everyone!

The view from here: a Tuesday in October

In a world of bustle and change there is always stillness

WP_20160709_013Outside, it has been a mild day: mild but moist.  The air scarcely breathes: a stark contrast to yesterday’s winds.  But whilst yesterday was wild and spirited, today seems damp and tired.  Listless.

As I approached the post box at the top of the hill this morning, I met Peter, our farming neighbour, and his son, Edward.  There was clear evidence on the road of their most recent task: the cows had been brought in.  Were they coming in for the winter?

Out of sight a cow bellowed mournfully.  If she has begun her winter incarceration, it will be many months before she and her sisters are once again on the valley slopes.  The view from here will have emptied.  Our view is never quite in harmony when the cows have gone.   Continue reading “The view from here: a Tuesday in October”

An A – Z of those I don’t

Part 1: A to C

The choice is limited for my parallel series of posts: An A – Z of those I own.  I really don’t have that many books sitting unread on the shelves so there’s not that many to choose between for each letter.  The choice for An A – Z of those I don’t own but would like to read is a little more daunting.  There is a such a thing as too much choice.  But here we go… Continue reading “An A – Z of those I don’t”

The View from Here: when life doesn’t quite go as planned

After all, I only get one crack at this next decade!

I’ve been in a dilemma.  I want to write a birthday blog yet why would anyone want to read it?  I remind myself that essentially one blogs for oneself.  But the purpose of publishing is that others should read what is published, and if there is an audience, then surely the audience deserves consideration.  And really – can I expect anyone to want to read about my birthday?  So with the subject matter made clear, feel free to move along if birthdays aren’t your thing.  Continue reading “The View from Here: when life doesn’t quite go as planned”

Hirundine Diaries

Swallows gathering in a group for a gossip is new to me.  It makes me smile. 

54a1cfc41fb2462530c2404f48c3ddc1--bird-silhouette-swallowSeptember has gone and with it go the swallows.  I last saw them on September 15th, strung along the telephone wires, motionless against the wind and the rain.  With windscreen wipers beating a steady rhythm under sullen skies, I drove beside chains of swallow-shaped silhouettes hung like cut-out paper dolls. Continue reading “Hirundine Diaries”

The View from Here – April to August.  Focusing on the Good Things

The cycles of life don’t change; they continue to turn steadily.

Four months to the day since my last post!  For the past little while it has been exceedingly quiet in my corner of the blogging world.  But just recently, for the first time in weeks, I’ve felt the stirrings of an urge to write and the brainpower to follow it through.  That has to be a good thing. Continue reading “The View from Here – April to August.  Focusing on the Good Things”

The View from Here: the rhythms of life

What will be the colour of April that I’ll remember when this month wanes?

“Oh to be in England now that April’s there… “

I think Browning would have yearned particularly for April in England year: in this corner of England at least. Continue reading “The View from Here: the rhythms of life”

Reading Rambles: Eowyn Ivey’s Alaska

Much as I enjoy reading other people’s book blogs, and much as admire their reading stamina, memory for detail and ability to present synopsis and opinion succinctly and in an entertaining fashion, I’m rather enjoying putting together my long-winded rambles which seem to say a great deal less in a great many more words.  I’ll add the occasional review, especially of a classic, but rambling, rather than reviewing, suits me better.  I enjoy the journey, though for anyone with the time and stamina to indulge me and follow along, a cup of tea or beverage of choice might be fortifying…

10. snowflake Continue reading “Reading Rambles: Eowyn Ivey’s Alaska”

The View from Here: from winters past to winters present

The view from here in the present gives no clue to the drama in its past

The beaches are not the only places to be deserted in Cornwall in the winter.  We visited Cawsand and Kingsand, two small villages joined at the hip, which at one time straddled the Cornwall/Devon border. (The border has now been shifted further east and follows the course of the River Tamar.)  Had I known of the old border when we were in the villages, I would have looked out for the actual house which perches astride it and proclaims its unique position in its house name.  Continue reading “The View from Here: from winters past to winters present”