We're getting the map out today ...
so dust off your walking boots
go and get your comfy fluffy socks on
I'm going to take you for a walk and
show you another side of Cornwall that I love
In May the Cornish countryside around here is stunning
with yellow gorse and broom dusting the landscape with gold
from St. Ives to St. Just
so dust off your walking bootsgo and get your comfy fluffy socks on
I'm going to take you for a walk and
show you another side of Cornwall that I love
In May the Cornish countryside around here is stunning
with yellow gorse and broom dusting the landscape with gold
from St. Ives to St. Just
St. Just Summer by Ginny Harrison
a card I bought at an exhibition in St. Ives Arts Club on May Day
a card I bought at an exhibition in St. Ives Arts Club on May Day
I love this painting by Ginny Harrisonit epitomises the colours of the Penwith countryside
when my sister was down at the beginning of May
I took her out on the coast road between St. Ives and St. Just
She had a new camera to test so I knew she would love that
the whole of this part of Cornwall is littered with bronze age settlements,
disused mines, shafts, engine houses with crumbling chimneys,
ancient stone piles, circles of stones, quoits and medieval churches
Coupled with breathtaking scenery it is a beautiful day out,
especially when the skies are dramatic and heavy with storm
I took her out on the coast road between St. Ives and St. Just
She had a new camera to test so I knew she would love that
the whole of this part of Cornwall is littered with bronze age settlements,
disused mines, shafts, engine houses with crumbling chimneys,
ancient stone piles, circles of stones, quoits and medieval churches
Coupled with breathtaking scenery it is a beautiful day out,
especially when the skies are dramatic and heavy with storm
gorse at Morvah
The cows in the field are content to munch daisiesand spend all day admiring their sea views
a moo from Morvah
I wonder if Cornish cows know how lucky they are?
do you like butter?mmm ... let me see ... hold your chin up
Our first stop was at Yew Tree Gallerya favourite of mine just outside of Morvah
where we enjoyed seeing the paintings of Rod Walker and
awesome tapestry weavings by Kirsten Glasbrook
Trewidden Spring - Rod Walker
this painting is "so spring"I had to go and find some textile bits to handle ...
I found inspiring spring colours in threads from Chris Gray
my friend Chris has a stall at this year's Festival of Quilts
you will find her on stand E52
threads from The Textile Butterfly
with interesting textures
back to MorvahMorvah it is one of the smallest parishes in Cornwall,
with just a handful of cottages, farms, the 13th century church
and the gallery and coffee shop at Morvah Schoolhouse
the cows in the field across the tiny lane
are always interested in who goes in the Schoolhouse
it's the highlight of their day!
we enjoyed tea and crumpets in the cafe downstairsbefore viewing the ceramics by members of the
Cornwall Ceramics and Glass Group on display upstairs
the yellow broom in the jar had the fresh scent of lemonsLemon - Rod Walker
the landscape in this part of Cornwall is scattered with stonesand the skyline broken frequently by the granite remains of many
tin mines and engine houses and on the coast road (B3306)
on the outskirts of Morvah can be seen Carn Galver tin mine
and engine houses with their crumbling chimney stacks
the day we chose to visit these ruins the sky was heavydark and moody with threatened rain
which made for a more dramatic atmosphere
eery skies on the road from Morvah to Madron
every now and then you happen upon a pile of stones on the roadsidemost probably marking the site of an ancient burial chamber
this small one is marked on the map as
"pile of stones"
it reminds me of the miniature stonehenge in Spinal Tap :o)
but a little further along on the Madron roadyou will come upon the real thing
Lanyon Quoit
Lanyon Quoit is a neolithic monument marking a tomband the stones were so aligned for ancient ritual purposes
In 1815, Lanyon Quoit was torn down by a storm
Nine years later enough money was raised by local inhabitants
to re-erect the structure. During the storm one of the uprights was broken in half. Thus, there are only three uprights today
and the structure does not stand as high as it once did
Before the storm, the capstone was raised at 7 feet high
and a man on horseback would have been able to ride under it
Nine years later enough money was raised by local inhabitants
to re-erect the structure. During the storm one of the uprights was broken in half. Thus, there are only three uprights today
and the structure does not stand as high as it once did
Before the storm, the capstone was raised at 7 feet high
and a man on horseback would have been able to ride under it
click here for a virtual tour
and see the landscape with Ding Dong mine in the background
and now we are going to walk the mile or so(a Cornish half mile) to Men an Tol
don't worry ... that sky is a bit dark and threatening
but you won't get wet stick with me and you'll be fine
it feels like a long way because it's out in the middle of nowherebut there are interesting things to see along the way
beautiful countryside as far as you can see in all directionsand little fields separated by dry granite stone walls
and always on the horizon are these farm buildingswith this gorgeous bright orange rusty tin roof
you can't miss that shock of orange against the dark, stormy sky
the landscape has white grasses just like the painting... now ... whose that lagging at the back there?
come on ... keep up ...
just over this stile and a few more yards more
and we are nearly at Men an Tol
Men an Tol means ... stone with a holeit's thought to be a bronze age monument possibly once
the entrance to a burial chamber or part of a stone circle
you can just see Ding Dong mine on the horizon
According to folklore ...the stone was believed to have ritual healing powers
with the most popular story being that children
were passed through the stone to cure them of ricketts
When you are there it's incredibly beautiful and very peacefulWe heard the sound of a cuckoo for the first time this year
The landscape is an interesting one with these dried grassesI picked some to weave with ... but haven't got round to it yet
I took the photo below because it reminds me of my childhood with my cousins. We would take old blankets and make dens in the hollowed out ditch at the side of the field. It would have trees overhead that we would tie the blanket to (for a roof) and we had a blanket on the ground for a carpet. We would picnic there with our tea set until it started to get dark
The past two weeks have been busy as usualI've made a start on my entry for Festival of Quilts and also The Brooklyn Sketchbook Project for 2012. I chose the theme of "in 10 minutes" and I've set up a blog dedicated to my pages to keep it all tidy and together. I've managed seven pages so far
I've also kept up going to art classes at St. Ives Arts Club on a Monday afternoon. It means a lot to me to have some time to play with new painting techniques and fill up a sketchbook with samples
and I've been busy making more beads for my Etsy shop
and I've been busy making more beads for my Etsy shop
yes ... I finally got around to opening my shop and I'm pleased to say that since the weekend I have had 15 lovely sales and been featured in two treasuries, and now I am working on some of my hearts and other textile pieces which will be in the shop soon and more of my beads in different colour combinationsCarolyn Saxby Textiles on Etsy
Today I'm off out photographing some details for my FOQ art quilt to transfer to fabric and then Saturday we have the start of Open Studios Cornwall for a week and I shall be popping in to see Sandra Hardy and Vivien Staunton (both textiles) so that's a good start to the weekendHope you have a wonderful weekend too
I think we all deserve a nice cup of tea now!
(hope your feet aren't aching too much with all that walking we did!)
creative wishes
Carolyn ♥