St Ives 2

the narrow cobbled streets lend a sense of timelessness to the otherwise bustling town. The beautiful hanging baskets make it feel like somewhere in Provence.

St Ives 1

we spent a pleasant day in St Ives, the light has a beautiful, clear quality, laying bare the cluttered, hemmed in streets leading down to and surrounding the harbour. Below is a little pastel of St Ives by Bryan Pearce. One can begin to understand his unusual use of perspective when one sees the gentle curve of the rows of houses as they run towards the harbour (this is not the best example of this effect in his work but it is very characteristic of his idiosyncratic style. For more see link).


or in celebration of our transatlantic links, this painting by Effie Fortune in 1923 (see link and comment)

goldfinch flock

a flock of goldfinches. These little birds tend to flock together in autumn and winter. We also saw a grass snake (distinctive yellow collar on a grey green body, see link) on the river bank. They are good swimmers. Unfortunately, we were too slow to photograph it as it sped off into the undergrowth to escape canine attentions.

the bad news

is that I came second in my class (rough coated dogs), and Harriet came first in her class (smooth coated bitches). This cannot possibly be right, and reflects deep seated prejudice against me, personally. I am going to hold a poll on the whole world wide web about who is the handsomest best dog and it is clearly me. Here I am giving H some advice about ringcraft, don't bite the judges, don't snap at the other contestants, don't sit down and refuse to walk around, that sort of thing. I would like to point out that she came nowhere in the champions' class.


Just to help I have uploaded a picture of us both, showing me in front.

down at Morewellham 3

This is a small darter dragonfly, resting on some cotoneaster berries, although I am not sure what it is doing (they don't eat berries).

down at Morewellham 2

This is the Tamar, flowing down towards Plymouth, the house is in Devon, and the other bank is Cornwall; these wooded valleys are a remnant of the much more extensive broad leafed woods that covered this part of the world after the last ice age.