Save our Forests

Hi everyone, please read an excerpt below from a message sent by the Save Our Forests campaign which arrived today:

This Wednesday there is a crunch vote in Parliament. MPs will vote on a motion demanding a rethink of plans to sell our national forests. The fact this vote is happening shows that MPs have noticed our campaign.


Right now, the petition is nearly 330,000 strong, and every name counts. So we’re setting a bold new target of half a million people by 5pm on Tuesday in time for Wednesday’s hugely important vote.


http://www.38degrees.org.uk/save-our-forests

So many of us have joined this campaign because we all understand something the government doesn’t seem to get yet: that our woodlands and forests are priceless, and once they’re gone they’re gone forever.


We know that places like the Forest of Dean, the New Forest, Grizedale, Thetford, and Alice Holt are national treasures. We know that they belong to all of us, and we will do whatever we can to keep them in public hands and protect them for future generations.

Click the link above if you would like to add your name to the petition.

Paintings and the coast road from Portreath

This first artwork is entitled 'Porthmeor Sunset 2010' a reworked abstract which only suggested sunset - and was a little too subtle - it's a much better painting now!  Acrylic & oil on deep edge canvas, framed, 35.5 x 35.5 cm.  Click to enlarge.  SOLD

'Distant Surf 2010' acrylic & oil on primed board, mounted, 61 x 52 cm.  SOLD

'Gwithian Dark Cloud' acrylic & oil on primed board, unmounted/unframed (so far) 46 x 37 cm.  SOLD

The picture below was taken at around 8.15 am today and shows the moon about to drop below the horizon in the West.

By the time we ventured onto the coast road from Portreath at around 3.30 pm, clouds had begun to pile up and the welcome sunshine of the past three days started to disappear.

Headland and beach at Portreath.  The large rock is part of a formation known as the Cow & Calf, the smaller being hidden from this angle.

The sea wall.

 Further along the coast and the Cow & Calf can be seen in the distance - click to enlarge.  Does it look cold?  There was a bitter North Easter blowing.

Heading back along the coastal path.

Looking down at the caves, Hell's Mouth.

The coast road passes very close to Hell's Mouth.

Gwithian Beach ahead - not looking anywhere as dramatic as last week, quite impressive though.

Trencrom Hill in the distance, overlooking St Ives Bay.

  Have a good weekend everyone. x

January Sunshine

A beautiful day here in St Ives, from start to finish, the moon shining brightly as it set in the West before dawn this morning until rising again, bold and full, early this evening, and barely a cloud to be seen in between.  Yet this is January, mid-winter in the UK - and roads just a little way inland began the same day frozen, fringed with trees whitened by a blanket of frost.

Click the pics to enlarge for a better view of the moonlight reflected in St Ives Bay below.

My day at Art Space Gallery, no hardship at all spending time in the sunniest, warmest spot in St Ives!

I didn't spend all day in the sun honest!

My wall at Art Space.  We'll close for a couple of weeks from Sunday, to clean and decorate, before opening again in early February, 2011.

Late developer

Dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century I have nevertheless embraced new technology a nano step at a time - way behind everyone (and I mean everyone) else of course, so humour me and sympathise!


Anyway, too 'tight' to buy an Apple ipod - I first bought a Sony Walkman MP3, then a 'dock' (because those headphones really hurt) and more and more adventurous, daring even, decided to bite the bullet and download Apple iTunes, which I love!!


I still marvel at how easy it is to buy favourite pieces, classics, from way back, right up to the present day, single tracks not a complete album, which often includes music unwanted or downright depressing.


Latest downloads have included the wonderful track entitled 'Nothing Ever Hurt Like You' by James Morrison, click the YouTube video in the previous post.  Great voice, great blues, somehow redolent of 'Heard it through the Grapevine'.  What do you think?


Think I'll have to ration iTunes usage!!!  

James Morrison - Nothing Ever Hurt Like You

Wet & Windy Thursday

Wet and windy today in this part of the world.  I had cause to pay a visit to Porthtowan Ecopark and chose to return via the coast road to Hayle because, even though the conditions were dark and wet, everything looked so dramatic and elemental! Note to self:  Always take the camera!!!


We passed through Portreath and glimpsed turbulent seas under the dark, imposing headland before dropping a gear and climbing up to the straight stretch of road above North cliffs, where the clouds were low, the puddles reflected the sky, bracken glowed deep, rich, red-brown and low trees on the edge of Tehidy woods bent away from the sea. On past a deserted Hell's Mouth, the cafe closed and car park empty and then the panoramic view of Gwithian beach from above, the long line of surf providing a gleaming brightness.  Wow!


Wish that you could have been there and I'm sorry that there are no photos!  Please accept the (slightly shaky) pic below as a substitute - it shows Porthmeor Beach in the teeth of a Northerly gale, sometime in November, 2010.

Click to enlarge - I'm off to bed.......night.

Better Late than........

I'm shamed into publishing today having seen Carolyn's most recent post on her beautiful textile blog, click here to view.  Being lucky enough to possess two of Carolyn's handmade Christmas cards and two of her tree ornaments, I really must share these pictures with you - taken this evening.

First here's this year's card - look above to see Carolyn's handmade crystal snowflake ornament.

This is the card that Carolyn sent last year, complete with newly added beading.

And below is the decoration originally placed on last year's card, it's so pretty - apologies for the quality of the photo.

  
Click to enlarge.  Time to go now to do the job I hate, taking down the Christmas Tree - everything looks so bare afterwards.  Have a lovely evening. x