Wheal Coates

The Wheal Coates mining site is probably the most famous in Cornwall. It sits on one of the most beautiful cliff tops and the Towanroath shaft is very much a Cornish icon. We are most definitely in Poldark country. [click link for more Poldark locations in Cornwall] I have yet to get a ‘proper’ photo…

Looking Good in the Garden

Generally speaking I do not go out a lot during the summer holidays as the roads are jammed, car parks full and places crowded. All things that do not appeal to me. But there are exceptions and given the autumnal weather we are currently experiencing I thought it would be nice to visit Trebah garden…

listen…

I am sitting on the Zen patio trying to read a book, but I am finding myself easily distracted. It’s hot. Though probably nothing like the recent heatwave temperatures suffered throughout Europe and most of the UK. Here the temperature is probably no more than 20°C but for some reason it always feels hotter than…

Finding Magic

“Finding Trewyn Studio was a sort of magic’, wrote Barbara Hepworth. “Here was a studio, a yard and garden where I could work in open air and space.” We had to go into St Ives in May as I had an appointment with the GP about my sciatica. We hummed and hawed as to whether…

Winter in St Ives

I love St Ives. It is such a pretty little harbour-side town with three fabulous sandy beaches and exquisite turquoise water. Unfortunately I am not the only one to love it and most months of the year it is virtually impossible to move along the narrow winding streets  – and forget about parking your car…

Summertime Memories

I am sitting on a wooden slatted bench complete with lichens; in the shade today as it is 26.5°C and that’s warm for Cornwall. The wind is sloughing through the trees above and opposite me, pigeons cooing. I have a book with me for a change and I will read in a moment or two, but…

On the Lizard

Although these photos were taken a week ago, I thought they would be nice to feature on the longest day of the year for all of us in the northern hemisphere. The Lizard peninsula is a very special region of mainland Britain with diverse flora and fauna and as you can see from these images,…

The Rites of Dionysus

From the first time I saw this back in 2006 I have been somewhat underwhelmed by it. Situated in the Mediterranean biome at the Eden Project, the ‘Rites of Dionysus’ is a sculpture by Tim Shaw, a sculptor from Cornwall who was born in Belfast. The installation draws inspiration from the accounts of the Bacchanal…