SEEKING COLOUR AND FLOWERS

It was yet another dismal day so I decided to try and seek out some floral colour, to lift the spirits.

The first two flowers are from our garden. I've no idea what the flower above is called*. A neighbour gave us this, as a small cutting last year. He told us it was something very exotic! But, whatever, it has wintered well and is now in flower.

Our azalea has a few flowers and normally, given time,  will soon be fully covered with flowers.

So let's see what else we can find on a short walk. First a few snowdrops by the roadside, always a welcome sight.

Next seen climbing over a neighbours wall.

We wandered into a local park - a very Spring like display.

There were a few crocuses trying to hide in the grass - and would have been easy to miss.

A small coffee shop in the park - with pineapples on the door!

Still in the park. A few white flowers trying to escape from the lawn bowls greens.

Now a couple of early, shy daffs hiding away. Not quite Wordsworth's host of golden Daffodils but still pleasant to see.

Okay, not flowers, in the next photo, but the St. Austell Brewery is a pleasant, interesting building and has been around since 1893.

Back to flowers, these were in my son's garden.

Next, one of my favourites: primroses in our garden. They make me feel that Spring is around the corner, even though it's a while until the 20th of March.

And finally, a display seen in St. Austell town square, perhaps a little too gaudy for my personal taste.

Thanks for visiting my blog,

 have a happy, colourful week ~ Mike.

* The flower in the first photo is a hellebore.

A SURPRISING SNOWFALL IN CORNWALL

As I stumbled downstairs, bleary eyed, to make the first pot of tea for the day I noticed the early daffodils on the kitchen windowsill.

As my eyes adjusted to the light I looked out of the window and there it was: snow! Who'd have thought it? We rarely get the white stuff in the part of Cornwall where I live. I grabbed my camera, crept out into the garden, and took a few quick photos. It was a decidedly  chilly.

Snow always reminds me of my mum and dad, now sadly departed. I can remember, as a child the excitement as the first snowflakes started to fall. This was way back in West London, where  the snow seemed to be a regular visitor.

My Cornish snow soon became quite watery ...

... and gradually faded away.

The previous time we had snow locally it was quite a grey day, with a pleasant crunch of snow underfoot.

There was snow alongside the local stream. I remember how quiet and peaceful everywhere seemed. The world was at peace.

Hope the weather has been kind to you.

Good wishes ~ Mike.

A Walk Along Spit Beach, Cornwall

You never know what to expect on a walk in Cornwall. My first two photos were snapped about 30 minutes apart.

We were out and about and noticed the Spit Beach car park was empty - so we decided a walk on the beach would in order.

The walk to the beach isn't that special as it is a pathway without any decent views. Oh, and the path is often used by dog walkers. Unfortunately some of them don't pick up what they should pick up.

All is not lost though, as when nearing the beach, there are views across a golf course. If you change your mind about walking on the beach the coastal path, seen above, will take you to Carlyon Bay.

Below is today's first glimpse of Spit Beach with nobody else about - Perfect! 

The beach is sandy and is often described as a locals' beach. Not too many visitors find their way to Spit.

While on the beach the wind started to blow and the sea got quite rough.

I like to see the waves crashing onto the rocks as per the photo at the top of this post and below.

I also like cliffs ...

One of the cliffs is now a natural archway. I always feel compelled to walk through the arch.

After seeing the cliffs we made our way back via the beach.

Quite a few stones and pebbles on the sand - brought in by the waves.

Below, looking back to where we had walked. As I mentioned earlier the coastal path runs along the sea side of the golf course. There are some pleasant views from on high.

And that was the end of our walk.

So much of the rest of the week was rain, but seeing daffodils everywhere lifts the spirits.

The daffs I like most locally are in the arc of flowers which return every year. The daffodils were planted to remember the Marie Curie cancer charity Having gone through kidney cancer I can appreciate the good work they do. 

That's all for now, enjoy your week ~ Mike.