Memories.

Today has been a hot sunny day. In the morning I walked into town to meet up with three friends for coffee and cake at the Fortescue Hotel. It's lovely to get together with friends  and hear each other's news. Afterwards I called in to a few charity shops and treated myself to this blue globe which looks lovely with the sun shining through it. In the afternoon I drove to the supermarkets to pick up fresh vegetables and a few other bits. Then I went back to Bensons Beds and after trying their foam mattress again paid for two. They cost £175 each, they were the cheapest option, but should give any guests a decent night's sleep. 

Back home to spend time sitting out in the sun with Peter. There was loud music filling the air again but this time it came from the posh house behind us and was a tenor singing arias. A pleasant change.

Today's St Ives photos relate to my childhood- 

On our way in to St Ives the Satnav took us round the back of the town avoiding the traffic snarl-ups. I got excited when I recognised the group of houses as a hamlet called Cripplesease (presumably the original name of the pub). This was the first home of our Bohemian/artist friends with whom I spent a lot of time. My mother would put me, aged 4 or 5, on the bus in the care of the conductor and I would be met at Cripplesease about 5 miles away. Can you imagine this nowadays? This family went through a series of ill-planned schemes the first of which was keeping chickens. I can remember plucking hens and seeing a headless chicken running around. Amazingly the two green sheds on the piece of moor behind the ponies' field were part of their encampment, could have been for the hens or for living in almost 60 years ago! As children we roamed on the moors behind including the open mineshafts with no phones or adult supervision. I think that's where my love of wild spaces with rocks visible and wide open views originated. (This wasn't the family of our friends Andrew and Jacqui, Andrew's father was the artist Peter Lanyon.)

Here I am trying to replicate the photo of my mother sitting outside her gallery which she opened in 1960 (ish). Even when we went there during our honeymoon the gallery had been turned into lucrative holiday accommodation.

Most of the homes in Downalong had no outside space but from a toddler I played with other children in the lanes or down on the beaches. This rock with a metal mooring ring below was  one of my favourite places to climb. In reality it's only about 2 ft. high but it seemed so much bigger then.

I learnt to read very early at about 4 and was given a book token for a birthday or Christmas present. I still have the natural world encyclopaedia I bought at the bookshop that used to be in the building with three windows on the first floor.

This is the Catholic church almost opposite the bookshop where I was baptised (in the church not the bookshop). That I don't remember but I do recall going to mass there and because my very poor eyesight hadn't been picked up the candles and lights all looking very starry.

More of St Ives to follow.