“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver
I breathed silent a prayer of thanks… For of course, that lady could so easily have been me
“The roads are empty around here. I’ve lost my fear of meeting a car on these narrow lanes because it so rarely happens.” Oh, famous last words… Continue reading “The View from Here: chaos in the lanes”
Once I’d stopped to think about a rainforest I recalled that under the canopy there is little light and relatively little colour. There was a lot of green
It was raining and distinctly cool. The paths would be wet and slippery; the views veiled by mist. Walking was off the agenda. We opted instead for a local attraction which offered at least some shelter and some more attractive temperatures: we had a day at the Eden Project. Continue reading “Singing in the Rain at the Eden Project”
Everywhere we looked offered a view and the vistas crackled with energy
If the first half of our walk can be defined as steeped in history, the second half can be defined as awash with nature. Both halves gave us views: the first of woodlands and settlements; the second of coastal grandeur. There’s no need to make comparisons: they combined to give us a wonderful day. A good walk with a dear friend, at a leisurely pace through magical scenery. What could be better! Continue reading “The View from Here: conquering the cliffs”
I wonder what thoughts were passing through her mind: what hopes, dreams and expectations. She probably didn’t huff and puff as much as I did
Karina arrived last night. A whirlwind of enthusiasm and energy, ours is a friendship of opposites. We met when she enrolled her son at the school where I taught; and in time she became a member of staff herself. When the school closed our friendship continued to blossom. I like and admire her for her forthrightness, her spirited independence and her passion. Where I am reticent in revealing my feelings, Karina wears her heart on her sleeve and can be no other way. It was a joy to welcome her to Highfield. Continue reading “Half of the Hall Walk”
I felt that my man on a bicycle deserved some seriously good chocolate
The rain continues unabated and my patience has begun to wear thin. Perhaps I can cite that as my excuse for being somewhat impatient when I set off on the 3-mile trip to Pelynt one morning. All of the journey is along single-track roads, which is not a big problem as there is very little traffic. But on this occasion I met a bicycle. Continue reading “A Man on a Bicycle and Cornish Chocolate”
it is on the sailing cloud and in the invisible wind
With the run of warm dry weather broken, we moved from gentle rain to heavy rain to thick cloud. A brooding, oppressive sort of day. The colour of this day was gunmetal grey. Continue reading “Birds on the Balcony: silhouettes in symphony”
… hopefully by then I shall have read at least fifty more classics than I’ve read right now
I have had so much fun with this list. I could go on tweaking it forever but the longer I delay, the longer the list becomes. So it’s time to post it and move along; time to stop tweaking and begin reading. Continue reading “At Last: The List”
Perhaps some water here; and maybe a naturalistic statue
The secret garden lies behind the enormous conifer to the west of the house.
For me this unobtrusive area of lawn has a very female aura. Continue reading “June in the Garden: the secret garden”
Just thinking about books is exciting
After at least a fortnight, today we have rain. Soft, gentle, Cornish rain which had obviously been with us for some hours before I smelt it through the open window. Isn’t the smell of rain wonderful? And the senses detect things differently. Sounds seem muted, yet colours are the opposite: many of the wild flowers seem at their brightest in the sullen light that accompanies rain. Continue reading “The Classics Club”
Regardless … will somebody please make a Cornish version?
One day this week there was an unusual degree of noise from the crows. Investigation with the binoculars revealed a tractor working in a field on the skyline across the valley, and behind it, crows clamoured in large numbers. Continue reading “Birds on the Balcony: Hitchcock vs Daphne”
A Corner of Cornwall 