CORNWALL
Saturday 30th of October 2010
I have finally got my web site back, the problem was that it was
updated and moved to a new server and apparently I was sent the updated
addresses in an email but I do not remember receiving it. But hey last year was a
little unusual for me and the web site was not a priority. I now have a job driving children to school and I am enjoying it
mostly, except for getting up at 5.30am 5days a week.
Ann and I have taken the motorhome
over to France, Belgium and Germany for thee weeks and had a great time especially
the Mosel. The Rhine and Alsace. Today we have put the cover on the motorhome
for the winter, well at least until the Christmas holidays. Ann and I now have
a conflict when it comes to our holidays because I am now bound by school
holidays and this is when is busiest at the pub but I am sure we will work
something out. The clocks alter tonight and tomorrow it will be dark around
5pm. Tomorrow is also St Just feast Sunday singing so I shall be down at the
Kings Arms for around 1pm and look forward to meeting friends old and new.
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Thursday 4th February 2010
We have had a cold wet and sometimes snowy time of it through
December / January. I am continuing to get better (health wise) but not
smarter, my taste is slowly returning and I am used to this new kind of way of
breathing. I am walking and cycling to help to get some weight of and to get
fit again as I have had too much cosseting and sitting around. We have a motorhome and have been up to North and South Devon,
Barnstable and Bideford in the North and Teignmouth
and Dawlish in the South, both were stunning and that
is high praise indeed from a Cornishman.
Thursday 3rd of December 2009
My laryngectomy started with me losing my voice at the end of
the 2008 season. After tests in the early part of the year 2009 I was diagnosed
with paralysis in the right hand vocal chord and sent to see a speech
therapist. Things did not improve, in fact got worse and in the middle of
August I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at Truro and a biopsy was
taken, this showed abnormal cells so another biopsy was done and a larger piece
taken, this showed there was definitely cancer in the vocal chord. I was
admitted into the hospital at Truro on the evening of 24th of September, my birthday, the
operation to remove the voice box was done the following day. This operation is
called a Laryngectomy, which entails separating the throat from the windpipe. I
now breathe though a hole at the base of my neck, this is called a stoma. For
the next ten days I was fed through a tube, on the eleventh day I was given a
test which is to determine that there are no leaks into the surrounding tissue.
Passing this test is crucial for if you do not pass you continue to be tube fed
for another week. After a couple of days on solid food the speech valve was
fitted. This valve goes between the windpipe and the throat and to speak you
block the air going out of the hole in the neck and force it to pass through
the valve giving a voice. The stay in hospital was 16 days and I am now well on
the way to recovery, fit and healthy. Conversation on a one to one basis pretty
good but sadly the voice is not strong enough to be able to carry on doing the
tours. What shall I do, well at the moment I do not know as I am limited by not
being allowed in dusty or dirty conditions and I do not have the breath to walk
too far or lift anything heavy, I am not old enough or rich enough to retire. My mother always said “the Lord will provide, if he
don't send, it will come anyway”
Harry
Monday, 30 March 2009
Many of my visitors have a
fascination with graveyards or as one little girl called them "bury
gardens" (a much better way of putting it). I can understand why people
find them such an interesting place to look around because I like nothing
better than to walk around a cemetery reading dates and epitaphs. The cemetery
is a great place to find family history or connections but they can be
deceived. Visitors from Cornish communities scattered around the mining
districts of the world often come looking for family graves but find none. The
main reason for this is that for the most part, those who emigrated from here
were the poorer people that could not afford headstones. Most likely, they
would have erected some kind of wooden marker, which with time would have rotted
away. In some cases, these wooden markers were replaced with stone if the
family came into money. Often the names of family members who died abroad were
added to the family graves. In graveyards throughout Cornwall you will find on headstones, died in California, South
Africa, South Australia,
Mexico or some other far flung part of the
mining world.
Our weather has improved somewhat in the last week or so although we have had showers and some coastal mist or fog, at least it is warmer. It has been a busy few weeks with the tours and it is great to catch up with old friends and make new ones. The kitchen is still not finished, we have the floor to put down a door or two to fit and the painting still to do, we will do it dreckly
(a Cornish word that is slower than Manana)
Up
on the moors we have has the pleasure of hearing the Sky Lark. This fairly small and drab looking bird has the
most wonderful song. It rises into the sky as it sings
and the higher it goes the louder and sweeter its song seems to become. If you
have the chance to sit awhile at Lanyon or Treen common perhaps on a warm morning you may hear several
larks all trying to out sing one another and the air around you will vibrate
with their song.
They nest in April and May and their
nests are built on the ground, usually a hollow lined with grass on open moor
or grass land. The reason I tell you this is because these little birds are
really very sneaky. If you approach their nests they will feign injury and lead
you away from the nest site. I've been inveigled into believing that I have
found an injured bird only to have it fly away in perfect health when it
considered the nest was safe. Sorry to be so brief but there are not enough
hours in a day anymore.
Harry
It seems I always start with the weather (I guess it’s a British thing) but we have had a most unusual few weeks. April and the first week in May were like June or July warm (sometimes positively hot) and sunny. The last few days have been like November cold, wet and windy. Today (the 8th of May) luckily was dry, cloudy but fairly warm, I say luckily because today was Flora Day in Helston. This is the day when they dance through the streets to celebrate the coming of summer and it would have been such a shame to have had it rain after the lovely weather we have had. Last week I went up to Padstow on the second day of May (the day after the Hobby Hoss) as the singers go around the town singing Cornish and the old pub songs. It was a wonderful day, great weather, good beer, inspired singing and a camaraderie that could not be bettered. It has been a busy few weeks as the tours have picked up considerably (I am out almost every day) and the kitchen is almost done, just a few cabinet doors and the floor to go. It is difficult to fit everything in (not enough hours in a day) but I would not have any other way while I am still fit enough to cope.
It is said that “where there is a hole in the World you will find a Cornishman at the bottom of it and this is close to the truth as Cornishmen, especially miners emigrated in vast numbers to the mineral districts of the World.
All togetherCornwall lost over a quarter of a million people between 1841 and 1901. These were mainly miners although some farmers and tradesmen were among them.
For instance in of the parish
of Crowan where I was born, the population in 1861 was
4,131, and in 1871 was 3,464, which means that 667 had left the parish in that
10 year period. This was happening all over Cornwall. It is said that in the
first six months of 1876 that 10,560 people left Cornwall for overseas destinations. From 1861 to 1901, all
most 20% of Cornish men migrated abroad – three times the average for England and Wales.
At that time the Cornish were
at the forefront of mining technology and their knowledge and skills were very
much in demand throughout the mining world. For as the copper industry declined
here in Cornwall it was ever-increasing in places like South Australia,
Arizona, Utah, Montana and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Zinc and lead
were being mined in Wisconsin and Colorado.
Silver in Mexico, Peru, Colorado and Nevada. Gold in California, Montana, South
Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Australia and South Africa. Tin was being mined in Bolivia. The mining world was
booming and the Cornish miners were in great demand on a worldwide basis. There
was to some degree a snowball effect, as the more people who left to make a new
life, there were more people to write back to encourage others to follow.
Agents were engaged to recruit for specific mines or areas, meetings were held
where the men were told of the good jobs they could expect with steady work and
good pay. It was usually the men who would go to the new life in the
first instance, either sending money home or sending home for the family to
follow. Young couples would marry and leave, starting a new life in more ways
than one. There are now Cornish societies all over the world why not find one
in your area and sing up!
Harry
Oh what beautiful weather we have been having all over Easter (wall to wall sunshine) so we have not had any rain to test my new roof. We have now started to put in a new kitchen and the place is in uproar, the lounge is full of boxes and bowls, the kitchen full of dust and Ann has been cooking in the garden. We hope to be straight in a week or so, just waiting on the tiles and worktops. Spring is evident everywhere with new flowers poking through every day, the birds are busy singing to their mates and building nests. Last week (April the 3rd) I saw two Swallows flying over Pendeen Watch, the saying is that one Swallow does not make a summer, so surely two do? The colour of the sea this week is beyond description, looking down from Rosemergy Head on Friday, Bruce (from San Francisco) commented that it must be one of the top ten scenic sights in the world and I would not disagree with him. It is a wonderful sight at any time but with the light we have been having lately is enhanced tenfold. Ann and I were down on the beach at Trenow on Saturday it was so warm I came home and fetched the barbeque and a bottle of wine. We stayed there until after six then it started to cool and we had to go to a party anyway at 7.30. As the tide started to drop the Curlews came in to feed and I cannot think of a more evocative sound than Curlews by the sea with their cries echoing of the cliffs.
A seal also put in an appearance, with his whiskery snout not twenty feet from us (perhaps it was the smell of the sausages on the barbqueue)
Happy Easter everyone.
Harry
This last two or three weeks have been such a contrast weather wise, we have had some days where it has been cold, windy with wintry showers (hail sleet and in some places like at Redruth, Lizard and Chiverton snow!. Last week was almost like summer, real T shirt weather, with temperatures up into the sixties. Yesterday the 21st of March was officially the first day of spring, it was sunny but with a cold north wind. In sheltered places we have found some Bluebells already, along with Primroses and the Tricorn Leek (onion flower) the gorse is looking wonderful (especially when the sun shines) there is also blackthorn in flower and the leaves are just coming out on the Sycamore trees. Birds are starting to pair up as the sky over the moors above Zennor seem to be full of Buzzards wheeling and mewing and the sky larks are also starting to fill the air with their sweet song.
I spent part of last week
painting anything that did not move around the outside of our cottage and
re-pointing the chimney, I found muscles I never knew I had, until they started
to ache. It is finished now so hopefully it won’t have to be done again for a
year or two. I went to the Penzance tourist association meeting last night and
we had a presentation on the work and funding of our beaches here locally (we
do not really appreciate how much work goes into keeping these functioning so
well and cost of doing so. We were also shown the new tourist guide book which
will soon be available from the tourist offices at Penzance and St Ives.
There is also a wonderful DVD
which I think is also available from the above tourist offices.
Harry
What a wet time we are having at the moment, day in day out showers with longer
spells of rain. I need at least three dry days, as I need to re-roof our
kitchen. When the sun does shine, as it did yesterday for a while, you can
really feel that spring is on the way. With all this rain now, hopefully we
will have a drier summer.
The Rooks and Jackdaws in the trees opposite our cottage are busy building nests and it gives us great amusement to watch them picking up sticks to construct their nests with.
Some of the sticks are so big that, especially the Rooks seem to redefine the laws of aerodynamics. Tomorrow is St Pirians day and I hope the Cornish everywhere will be celebrating their patron saints day somehow, Kernow bys vyken. And fly the flag.
We have had a few early
visitors and luckily the tours I have done have missed the worst of the rain.
The fields are full of daffodils at the moment and the pickers are everywhere
trying to keep up with the influx. There are banks of primroses out in
sheltered places (Bone
Valley and Lamorna) there is also blackthorn in flower in some
sheltered places, especially along the Marazion
bypass, I wonder if this is because of the carbon monoxide or warmth from the
many cars and trucks that use the road. Anyway spring is on the way and I am
looking forward to it with a passion.
Harry
Well we are into February and
the best that can be said is that the days a definitely longer (it is now
daylight until 6pm most days). January was as most
January’s are, windy, wet, dark and dull. I think people make so much of
Christmas it is not until February they think about stirring out into the fresh
air again. There has been a big fall of snow right across the middle of Britain (8 inches in London) but down here we have not seen very much,
actually we have had a fairly warm and sunny day. Ann and I went for a walk
through the Marazion Marshes this afternoon and apart
from a cool breeze when in an exposed part of the marsh it was warm and very
pleasant. We were watching the Herons and Mallard duck from Kingfisher hide
deep in the reed beds. The marsh in run by the Royal Society for the protection
of birds or RSPB for short and is a great place for
the bird watcher.
Harry
It’s the end of January now and
we are well past Christmas, New year and up until now
the weather has done its best to blow and wash us away. The winds most days
have been breezy with periods of gale to severe gale force accompanied by
squally showers or prolonged periods of rain. Ah but! Today although breezy and
cool was bright and sunny, which had the effect of making the day seem
appreciatively longer. I have done a few tours since the beginning of the
year and I must say that the coastal scenes have been spectacular, although at
times just standing on the cliff top was difficult. Below is the legend of how Lamorna, a small cove just to the west of
Penzance got its name.
The Legend of Lamorna
Once upon a time the Squire of Trewoofe was out hunting with his horse and hounds, when he
espied a white hare. He bid his hounds to give chase to the hare, which they
duly did all morning. Up and down the valley the chase went on until around
lunchtime when the hare ran underground into a cave (locally a fogou). The
hounds stood baying at the entrance but would not enter, so the Squire
dismounted from his horse and squeezed into the dark interior where upon he
discovered the cavern was filled with witches. The witches were hissing,
scratching and spitting at him, but being of a bold nature and coveting the
white hare he pushed his way through the cackle of old crones to find the white
hare cowering in the darkest corner of the cavern. He picked the hare from the
cavern floor and wrapping his cloak around it, made his way through the
hissing, spitting, scratching witches arriving safely at the mouth of the cave
and the blessed sunshine. Mounting his horse he laid the white hare across his
saddle to ride back to his farm, when in a flash of light the hare disappeared
to be replaced by a beautiful young woman named Lamorna, it was said that he
married her and named the valley after her. From that day on it is said that
witches have been banished from the valley.
Happy New Year.
Harry
Hello and welcome to another chat.
We have just had gales here over night (storm force10 to hurricane force 12) and the roads today were strewn with small branches, bushes and other debris. Also this week I have noticed many flocks of Lapwing, which normally means colder weather, not necessarily here but further north. The Lapwing is a very pretty bird; they are called Lapwing because of the way they fly, in a sort of haphazard way like paper bags blown on the wind. Lapwings are also known as Green Plover and Peewit's, because of their distinctive call of pee-wit, pee-wit, pee-wit, it is a haunting sound when heard in the dusk over the moors. Other feathered visitors who over winter here are the Snipe and Woodcock and are the mainstay of the rough shooting through the winter months.
Talking of gales, spare a thought for the fishermen at this time of year.
"Here's health to the Pope and may he repent
And add thirty days to the time of his Lent"
This was a toast made by the
Cornish fishermen in the halcyon days of the pilchard fishing, until the 1930's
when the pilchard deserted our coast for other climes. It was said that
visitors to the fishing villages needed a strong stomach to cope with the
powerful smell of over ripe fish. The pilchard were caught in their millions
and had to be salted in pilchard palaces (cellars) for there was no
refrigeration in those days. They would be started by a man called the Heur who was usually positioned high on the cliff top. From
his vantage point he could view the shoals of fish and signalling with a local
form of semaphore he would instruct the men in the boats to surround the shoal
of fish. There were three boats, two carrying nets and one the master seiner. When the shoal was spotted the boat with the main
net (400mtrs long) would start to surround the shoal, then if needed the second
boat would add it's net (200mtrs long) so that to the
existing one the fish were totally encircled. This operation was carried out
under the instructions of the Master Seiner in the
third boat. The net filled with fish was then towed towards the shore and
shallower water where the fish were removed from the net. This was known as
tucking the seine. The tucking could take days sometimes depending on just how
many fish were in the net. They then had to be salted as quickly as possible.
In the cellars a layer of salt was spread on the floor, then a layer of fish,
layer of salt, layer of fish and so on until the cellar could take no more,
this process was known as balking. The fish stayed in balk for a month or so,
they were then removed, washed and placed in barrels tails towards the centre
until the barrel was filled, a lid smaller than the barrel mouth was placed on
top of the fish and a weight added, this pressed the fish into the barrel and
would make room for more. When the fish could be pressed no more the lid was
fixed in place, the fish were now ready for export. A lot of Cornish salted
pilchard was exported to Italy hence the toast.(phew what a long winded explanation). Traditionally the
fish were caught around harvest time, From August onwards and lasted until
after Christmas. "When the corn is in the shock the fish are on the
rock".
If you do give Cornwall a
try during the winter there is no need to pack heavy winter clothes, instead
bring layers so that you can add or subtract as the weather permits. Something
you will need is a windproof jacket, our winds are lazy winds they blow through
you not around you, in fact the weather can be an
attraction in itself. It is amazing to stand on the cliff top and see the
showers racing towards Lands End from the Isles of Scilly, or from a sheltered
spot observe the immense power of the ocean in a westerly gale as at Pendeen
Watch. We get hardly any frost or snow here; I have not cancelled a tour
because of the weather in ten years. Have I whetted your appetite, I certainly
hope so.
Love from
Harry