A Touch of Cornish Magic, Animals and Birds

Sometimes there seems to be unexpected magical moments - perhaps time slips. I was at Charlestown and everything was so quiet, not a sound to be heard. I could only see two other people as I clicked my camera for the photo above. It felt as if I had stepped back in time.

Okay, perhaps this is a little fanciful but the next three photos, were snapped at the same place - Spit Beach.  The changing sky altered the appearance of the sea and beach.

Moving along the coast now to the village of Tywardreath the setting of Daphne du Maurier's book, The House on the Strand. Below is the church where some of the scenes are set. The story is about drug induced time travel - so there is a touch of magic lingering here.

Tywardreath, in the Cornish language is : Ti War Dreth. This means a house on a beach or strand. The village was recorded in the Domesday Book way back in 1o86.

Below are some of the village cottages.

And here is an unusual road sign which is no doubt necessary as the road narrows.

Daphne du Maurier moved to this area following the death of her husband in 1965. Her previous Cornish home was at Menabilly which was the inspiration for Manderley featured in her book Rebecca.

Returning to the House on the Strand this mentions the nearby green fields, as below, near Par.

There are Almshouses at Polmear, Par. The first of these houses was built in 18oo by William Rashleigh who, at the time, was the Sheriff of Cornwall.

Nearby Polkerris is also mentioned in the House on the Strand. The first photo is looking down from the cliffs and ...

... and then here we are at sea level as the tide arrives.

I think that's enough of The House on the Strand. So moving on to a happy pig!

A few photos of animals next which I have noticed when out and about.

What a wonderful horse - with his shadow. Where would mankind be without horses.

Of course even a robin can cast a shadow.

The little fellow below was searching for crumbs in a cafe.

A couple more birds I spotted.

Oh, and also a flashy pheasant.

That's about it for today's post, but first a warning - be aware of the Devil Cat when out and about at night!

And on that note I'll close today's post.

All good wishes, stay safe ~ Mike 

21 Bird Photos - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

The theme is birds today. Above is a pheasant and below ... ah, bless! Such a heart wrenching  bedraggled little fellow. Somehow though he hopped away and was soon out of sight

Another robin, they are one of my favourite birds, so friendly. We often get one or two in our garden and they seem fearless in a friendly way.

Next we have a fine gentleman, with such shiny feathers. He was quite friendly, as he rounded up his hens.

I'm not great at snapping bird photos, this one is a little hazy but I liked his determination to get a peanut. He swung too-and-fro for quite a while before he succeeded.

This photo was taken when the leaves were bare.

A couple of swallows - one swallow doesn't make a summer, as the saying goes.

Living in Cornwall we see lots of gulls. This one was by the bus station in Truro ready to pounce on anyone carrying chips, pasties or whatever. They can be quite scary when they swoop down to steal food.

Okay, it's not a real bird but is situated by the Fowey River, near to where Daphne du Maurier lived. She wrote the book which was turned into a classic Hitchcock film: Birds.

A duck on a rainy day, he seems captivated by his reflection, as if wondering 'who is the fairest of them all'.

Next, the part about birds which isn't so nice. This was what we saw in our garden. Sad to view, but it's the way nature works.

After seeing the previous two photos it's no wonder that some birds, such as this owl, prefer to be well camouflaged 

Another photo of one of my favourites.

I've often see this swan on guard duty by the slip way at Mevagissey harbour.

Next something a little more exotic, roul partridge, seen in the Rain Forest biome at Cornwall's Eden Project.

Another photo taken at the Eden Project, this time in the Mediterranean biome.

The next three photos were taken in the Canary Islands last year. The first two fascinate me. They are often called Upside Down birds. If you look at the second photo he does look like he's upside down. The real name is the Hoopoe bird.

Oh, and this was also snapped in the Canary Islands, taken from the balcony of the Hotel where we were staying.

And swiftly back to Cornwall. This beauty can be seen in a backstreet behind Fore Street in St. Austell. 

That's all for today, thanks for the visit. All good wishes.

You might also like:

A Peacock Seen While Walking - Are Peacock's Feathers Lucky or Unlucky?

Farm Animals Seen In Cornwall

Lost Gardens of Heligan - Voted UKs Top Visitor Garden

Walking Cornwall's Coastal Path From Polkerris

Following on from my previous post. After visiting Polkerris we decided to walk west along the coastal path.

The only snag in doing this is that it's all uphill from Polkerris to reach the path. There's a short flight of wooden steps, as below, and then the rest of the way to the top is via uneven stone steps. (I counted 124)

Anyway, once up the top it's quite pleasant with the sea and distant views.

The path is mostly easy walking, but some of the farmer's fields have barbed wire to keep walkers out.

Saw this boat making waves and showing off by making patterns in the sea. It looked fun.

A view looking back (east) along the coastal path.

And the path ahead.

Had a quick look at Booley beach. As usual not many people about.

A few sheep in the farmer's fields, some had been shorn.

We watched the sheep dog rounding up the sheep into a tight group. 

I love border collies, we had one for years, he was such a wonderful dog. If out walking with the family or friends, and a few were lingering behind, Toby would try to round them up - pure instinct.

In places, along the coastal path there are some quite steep drops, so have to show a certain amount of respect.

Shallow water near Par, where the tide goes out a long way. Fun for children though - and dogs!

And finally I was lucky enough to snap these two swallows sitting on the barbed wire fence. They seemed quite happy to have their photo taken. Made a nice end to our walk.

Other nearby walks: Walking From Ready Money Cove, Fowey to Gribbin Head, Cornwall

Walking to Black Head, Cornwall - With Magnificent Views of Coastline