My homemade Christmas cards this year should have featured a handsome little bird who regularly appears on the wonderful Facebook page of the 'Friends of Portheras Cove' (read more below)
Lovely watercolours mixed
"People from the villages of Pendeen and Morvah have cherished this part of the wild Cornish coast for many generations. The Friends of Portheras Cove are regular users of the beach and sea in the cove, who wish to keep it safe and clean for locals,visitors, and wildlife.
Those who know Portheras cove not only appreciate its almost unspoilt beauty, but also respect its dangers. There are strong rip tides, and at times a fierce under-tow here, not to mention sharp metal fragments of the shipwrecked ship The Alacrity, which ran aground here in 1963. Please take care if visiting, check tide times, and be aware of heavy swells and strong currents.
The cove is inaccessible to vehicles, and can only be reached by those folk who are willing to amble along the coastal path from Pendeen watch, (or down through Rose Valley) and then navigate the rocky path which runs alongside Rose stream until it reaches the sands.
Families, ramblers, dog walkers, swimmers and surfers all value the wildness and remoteness of Portheras, and ask those who visit to please take away their litter and rubbish with them. The beach is not a Council owned one, in fact it belongs to several local farming families and the Duchy of Cornwall, and the only way it gets cleaned is by local people who regularly check for dangerous objects (broken glass, barbeque grills, and metal fragments)."
Those who know Portheras cove not only appreciate its almost unspoilt beauty, but also respect its dangers. There are strong rip tides, and at times a fierce under-tow here, not to mention sharp metal fragments of the shipwrecked ship The Alacrity, which ran aground here in 1963. Please take care if visiting, check tide times, and be aware of heavy swells and strong currents.
The cove is inaccessible to vehicles, and can only be reached by those folk who are willing to amble along the coastal path from Pendeen watch, (or down through Rose Valley) and then navigate the rocky path which runs alongside Rose stream until it reaches the sands.
Families, ramblers, dog walkers, swimmers and surfers all value the wildness and remoteness of Portheras, and ask those who visit to please take away their litter and rubbish with them. The beach is not a Council owned one, in fact it belongs to several local farming families and the Duchy of Cornwall, and the only way it gets cleaned is by local people who regularly check for dangerous objects (broken glass, barbeque grills, and metal fragments)."
I spent a happy hour or so one evening last week trying to capture the essence of Portheras Robin - savouring the distinctive smell of diluted paint gliding onto and sinking into various creamy watercolour paper samples from St Cuthbert's Mill - whilst also having to accept that he's going to take some work and time. The sort of time I don't have right now.....so um hopefully he'll make an appearance next Xmas!
Robin photograph credit: Friends of Portheras Cove
Plan B, Snowflakes
Paper snowflakes that is.....Fascinating to make, anyone can do it with a pair of scissors and sheet of white paper and there are masses of tutorials, videos and downloads all over the Internet. I like to suspend them near the Christmas tree, using cotton thread.
Snowflake Xmas cards
The snowflakes are easily attached to card using a small rectangle of double-side tape. Glitter is sprinkled generously on the exposed part of tape not adhering to the snowflake. I used gold but silver might look even better.
Another idea would be to use some snowflakes as stencils to create a subtle background shadow effect.
Click images to enlarge. Lesley Ninnes
St Ives, Cornwall.
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