Walking at Carlyon Bay, Truro Harbour and Three Wise monkeys

My dear old dad would have said that it was definitely brass monkey* weather. It was cold but we ventured out to Carlyon Bay for a walk along the beach. 

There were only a few people about. Hope the couple below weren't having a paddle, brave if they were.

The sun was doing its best to make it through the cloud cover.

Just the one boat to be seen, which stayed close to the shore.

A problem with the beach is that there is Sandy River cutting through the sand, the water comes from the cliffs.

Towards the end of the beach grasses grow and in the summer a few naturists may also be on display.

At the far end of the beach the river makes its way into the sea - though the river often changes its course.

I guess the beach, in the photos above, look reasonably pleasant. One of the problems though is the fence you can see in the photo below. Behind the fence is where, in 2003, plans were made to build apartments and shops here. This never came to fruition.

So what is left behind the fence are rocks and other debris.  It's all a bit of a mess.

The cliffs are quite high in places as the next two photos show.

Good to see some gorse in flower at the foot of the cliffs.

Moving on - another day.

I had to visit my dentist in Truro for a routine check-up. Afterwards I had a quick look around Truro Harbour. The water is tidal so it often looks a bit muddy. Today though, the water was nicely polished and shiny.

From here it is possible to see the Truro Cathedral spires in the distance.

From the harbour, during the summer, there are boat trips to Falmouth. It's a lovely way to spend some time, especially on a sunshine day.

On one occassion, while on the trip, we were lucky enough to encounter a race for working boats.

They are known as Truro River Oyster Dredging Boats - the name describes their purpose. Traditionally they were made of wood. They are also referred to as Falmouth Working Boats. It's quite a sight to behold. 

There are a few more photos on my post:The Race Is On For The Working Boats 

*Mentioning my father's saying about brass monkeys reminded me that my Grandmother always had three brass wise monkeys on her fireplace. These were a reminder that we should hear no evil, see no evil or speak no evil. 

I guess though, more importantly,  we should also do no evil.

That's all for today, thanks for your visit, have a happy week ahead ~ Mike

A Wander Around Charlestown on a Blue Sky Day

A chilly, but beautiful winter's day with a blue sky, so we headed to one of our favourites : Charlestown.

I noticed later that there was a brave soul swimming in the sea - see above to right of the photo.

Quite a few boats on view in the dock /port.

It was good to see that the bridge is back in use to cross the water to the main harbour. It looks a bit wibbly wobbly but it's quite safe.

The couple below made it across the bridge and lived to tell the tale.

Looking up at the cottages looking down on us, very popular with holidaymakers.

A few people roaming about on the edge of the harbour.

And looking across to the cliffs. Have to be a bit careful on the stoney beach as there have been a few cliff falls.

A view of the old cottages and the chimney, which is a listed building.

The tide was out in the main harbour.

A closer look at the chimney and cottages. 

Steady if you go below - the cannons are at the ready.

The remains of an old boat, keeping a watchful eye of what is happening.

Finally another look at the cliffs and the blue sky. Looks more like summer than winter - other than people are wearing heavy coats.

Moving on, I found another chimney, also once used in the China Clay Industry. This one is in the Gover Valley.

Also in the valley there is a pleasant small river, with a white tinge from china clay in the local soil.

It's a bit damp in the valley and this makes for some interesting rocks covered in green moss.

A final photo for today, the river and some more greenery.

That's all for today, enjoy your week, all good wishes ~ Mike.

Seeking the Winter Colours of Cornwall

Brrrrr! It was freezing at Pentewan, even if there were shades of blue in the sky.

As I returned home I wondered if there was any colour in our garden on such a chilly, January day.

Couldn't see a lot - other than some interesting shades of brown in the hydrangea raised bed - with the green leaves of a primula showing through.

A reddish leaf under another another hydrangea.

By the house wall a brave geranium flower survived with a small head of flowers.

No flowers on this invading green nasturtium though, just raindrops.

Looking upwards into a colourless sky, there's a hint of colour.

A quick detour into our front porch where a Christmas Cacti  (Schlumbergera bridgessii)  lingers on ...

...as does our money plant

The next day, as we were passing Truro's Boscawen Park, we popped in for a walk and hopefully to spot some colour. I liked this tree.

Spotted a cyclamen tucked away in remarkably good condition ... 

... and some more colour.

It started to rain but snapped two more flowers. 

Another day and moving on to a quick visit to Cornwall's Eden Project.

The next four plants I spotted in the Mediterranean Biome.

We then moved on to the Rainforest  Biome, which is usually more interesting (in my opinion).

We arrived at the Baka Basecamp - photo as below!

Baka people live in Mongolu huts while out hunting. It's the men who do the actual hunting and food gathering, while the women build the huts, covering them with Nyongo leaves.

They eat forest fruits, nuts, bush meat and fish killed with plant poisons.

The Baka women sing and make music the night prior to a hunt. They believe this enchants the animals and ensures a successful hunt.

Moving on, there is a wobbly rope bridge high amongst the trees.

Three more photos from Eden's Rainforest Biome.

Now we are homeward bound. The display below is on the route out of the Eden Project.

I then noticed the early daffodils (12th January).

Yes, definitely daffodils, quite made my day.

Thanks for visiting my blog, hope you have an interesting week ahead. Good wishes ~ Mike.