THURSDAY 9TH JULY - KNEEHIGH

Last Thursday evening P and I went to see Kneehigh Theatre's production of

BRIEF ENCOUNTER.

Cameras were not allowed in the auditorium so the best I can do is give you a link. www.kneehigh.co.uk

This is a Cornish Theatre company who have been in existence for over 25 years. Each production they present is assured of being an exciting and innovative performance and Brief Encounter was no different.

I knew the outline of the story from the Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson film however in Emma Rice' 's hands this Brief Encounter was a clever, gimmicky production that had lots of humour yet the passion, tenderness and sensitivity was in abundance all done through amazingly, beautifully and convincing characterisation.

We had a great night out and we have spoken to quite a few friends who had also seen the play in Truro in Cornwall, the home county of Kneehigh and the general consensus was that yet again Kneehigh have come up trumps.

MONDAY 22ND JUNE -one Saturday afternoon

Saturday afternoon found me with my husband in Pydar Street near Boots just up the pedestrian street from the Cathedral rattling our collecting tins on behalf of AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL. It was quite fun watching all humanity go by and quite a few stopping to pop coins into our tins and have a few words. I do get pleasure from this type of activity both the people watching and also interacting with fellow inhabitants of this our mostly beautiful planet.

THURSDAY 18TH JUNE - I'm back!

Hi folks.

I seem to have been a bit busy lately but now I am ready to get back to blogging.

I've been to The Royal Kingdom of Fife recently to stay with my daughter. We explored an area of Scotland we have never given much time to and found some lovely corners.




The broom was in flower which gave a bright yellow back drop to the whole county.

MONDAY 30TH MARCH - Cornish evening

CORNISH LADS.

Last evening we went 3 miles to a neighbouring village to see a performance by these people.
This was billed as a Musical Drama. A True Story. A World Heritage Landscape.

This was in the style of a 'radio ballad' first pioneered by Ewan McColl and Charles Parker in the 1970's.

This was the story of Cornwall from the heyday of mining through to today with the high days of wealth to the low days of mine closures the diaspora of Cornish miners all over the world from North America, Australia, Brazil and Mexico to mention a few in fact anywhere there was tin to be mined. The characters are Mary Moses - Mother of Cornwall( representing the spirit of the men,women, children and the landscape itself). Mine Captain, Young miner, Old Miner, Maggie Curnow (Bal maiden) and the Eternal mineral ( represents the spirit of an industry that thrived for over 3000 years). These were all wound into the story by the storyteller.

It was a most enjoyable evening part of the Carne to Cove programme which brings live entertainment to the small communities all around this most rural of counties.

FRIDAY 13TH MARCH - red nose day!

We have just been to Scotland again to stay with our daughter. This is a part of Scotland we are not so familiar with i.e. Perthshire. We know so very well the Highlands and Islands of the West Coast but are having fun exploring and discovering the treasures that are hidden in these glens and forests.

We went to the crest of the hill at the top of Glen Quaich and this is the view that opened out in front of us across to the Cairngorm Range. It really was this good.

Having eaten our butties we retreated back the way we had come as we were warned of the hill in front of us being blocked with snow and two cars being stuck!
Not far back along the road this was the view that opened out so I just had to take a photo.

Then came Loch Freuchie with this delightful island which I felt absolutely sure was a crannog. Here is the story to go with it which I discovered when I got home.

The crannog (man made island) on Loch Freuchie (Fraochie) has an interesting dragon legend?.. the story goes that a young man named Fraoch, at the request of the lady Maidh, went to the dragon inhabited island to gather rowan berries. He completed the task and evaded the dragon but the lady insisted that nothing would please her except that he return to her with the uprooted rowan tree. On his second visit he got the tree but awoke the dragon?. who, in mortal combat, gnawed off Fraoch's arms and legs?..

Then at the entrance to the glen we found this absolutely lovely little church.

Amulree was at the junction of three major droves. It formed part of the route Highland drovers would use to bring their livestock to the cattle market at Crieff and Falkirk. Amulree Church was built between 1743 and 1752 and remodelled in 1882. Built to a simple design it has both a bellcote and wethervane. The architect was a John Douglas of Edinburgh. The Amulree church bell was cast in 1519. Amulree parish church contains copies of records of the large number of people who stayed in the area prior to mass emigration, mostly to North Easthope, Canada, in the early 19th Century. The Celtic place name was Ath Maol Ruibhe meaning Maol Rubha's ford.

This was a wonderful place, beautiful and lonely with a rich tapestry of history which contributes to it being a little gem. I intend to go there again.

MONDAY 9TH FEBRUARY - cosy

At long last we have a wood stove. We have been in this house for 18 months already and we don't like using gas - tank gas being the choice here as we are too far from the towns for mains gas - and that it is a fossil fuel that grates uncomfortably on the environmentally aware part of us. Wood being a sustainable fuel we feel happier. This was the first lighting hence the untidy box and stark surrounds. Now we have a beautiful withy basket filled with logs by the side.

We draw the curtains in the evening, watch a film or listen to music all snuggled up in our cosy little house feeling happy that we are not using a fossil fuel to keep warm! Simple things please simple minds! We are running this lovely stove all our waking hours after all it is winter!

This stove is a Bohemian 40 so now you know

TUESDAY 3RD FEBRUARY - unexpected beauty

SNOW.

Forget the woes of the world for just one day.

We awoke today to a beautiful white world.

It is very rare for Cornwall to have snow so I want to share it with you.

These photos were taken from my window.

View to the north.

View to the west.

This one was raken from my front door.
My palm tree never looked smarter or is it sillier?
Just reminds me of Dougal the dog in The Magic Rundabout.

WEDNESDAY 28TH JANUARY - a breath of fresh air literally

It was a cold damp windy day with no sign of the sun so we decided to go to the cliffs not so very far from here. This is St. Anthony Head well known around here for its fabulous vistas.
As we approached the sun began to break through the heavy layer of cloud so we sheltered in the bird hide and as there was no one else wanting to watch the birds we had a flask of hot chocolate in our snug little corner!

This hide really is just that cleverly positioned between cliff and space therefore giving a fantastic view of the cliffs and their inhabitants. There are many seabirds on these rocks but it was too windy and maybe a little early in the year to spot many. There were of course gulls being battered by the very strong gusts.

The gorse is in full flower with that heady scent of coconut filling the air.

All these nooks and crannys for the birds to rest and nest.

We leant out of the hide to see the beautiful surging sea with sounds so powerful that the caressing and soothing feeling they evoke erases all troubles for the moment.

Oh and the new me has been to an Amnesty meeting with P. We sent 3 cards in support of men where injustice is happening.

Oh and I sent an email to the BBC protesting about the not screening of an appeal on behalf of the people of Gaza by the DEC.

No phone calls but I am still smiling and saying hello to new people!!

It doesn't seem to take much effort I just hope I will still be doing these little things at the end of the year.

MONDAY 19TH JANUARY

I am trying to continue the self improvement regime I have set myself so here is the latest report.


On Tuesday I thought about another mutual colleague that the lady I 'phoned last week had mentioned. Daphne was the deputy head of my second school and to hear that she is nearly 80 and riddled with arthritis made me think about then happy times when I was a new girl at the school. bt.com enabled me to locate her number so I gave her a call and she was so pleased to have a chat. She remembered me and we laughed about some shared memories.



I went to the AMNESTY meeting. There were some very interesting topics covered and I signed a letter asking for release of an anthropologist being held without charge in Guatamala. I also took two info pages about two men who have disappeared one in Nepal and one in Gambia. I have sent postcards of support to people closely associated with these men.

When I went for a walk through the village I said 'hello' to a lady walking her dog and also to an old boy leaning on a wall! Two people I have never seen before and this isn't a very big village I wonder where they came from?!

Not one of these things took very long and they have got to be worthwhile. I feel good for having actually done these things rather than just thinking about them.

Then yesterday after a terrific storm over night on Saturday we went to Watergate Bay and watched two proficient Kite Surfers at Watergate Bay, Awesome!!

NOT MY PIC!

MONDAY 12TH JANUARY - self improvement!

Those of you have read my last posting will know to what I am referring now

I have telephoned someone I used to work with and left that place 24 years ago. We have exchanged Christmas cards every year so I decided to find her tel no and rang her she was so delighted she says she will try to get to Cornwall later this year! It was a good thing to do. Oh she lives in Ipswich which is quite a long way from here!

I am going to a meeting of the local AMNESTY group on Wednesday evening my first time..

I am learning Russian well I started this last September but this is one of my new things and it is stretching me.

This post is just about the 'things not resolutions' or self improvement?! package. Eek!

TUESDAY 6TH JANUARY 2009

Resolutions are made to be broken so I haven't made any however there are things which I will try to acheive which can only make me better person.

So here are few things but not resolutions just things ?! will try to do

Everyday I will exchange at least a few words with a new person. This can be anywhere and anyhow even a new person on the phone is ok as a last resort.

Send an email or support a cause that I have meant to do and just haven't got around to. Do this every month even if this just means signing a petition.

Pick up the phone to a friend I haven't spoken to for years and restablish contact with someone different every month!

Read books which will stretch me intellectually and broaden my range.

Of course do some new things - I am about to go and do some abstract painting which I have never tried and want to try. Enthusiasm always out does reality and who knows what will be the result?!

WATCH here for news of how I get on oh and by the way

HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR 2009!