St Michael's Mount

The tide was out and mist completely obscured the castle when we first arrived in Marazion. But by the time we had parked the car the mist was clearing and people were walking across the sand and along the causeway to reach the mount.

A watery sky for Skywatch Friday.

This old painting shows that the mount has always been an intriguing place.

Information at the entry to the gardens 

with photos showing how magical it must have looked in the snow.

Looking down from the castle walls.

We had plenty of time to stroll around before walking back along the causeway without getting our feet wet. (Sometimes we've had to paddle back to the shore!) Then we drove to the graveyard where our friend, the artist David Ferguson is buried. It's very strange to be in this part of Cornwall without his company. The graveyard is full and David's was the last plot in this lovely old place. 

His headstone, suitably of Cornish granite, has been erected since our last visit. 

The ground is covered in wild flowers.

The old headstones are fascinating, not only are they beautifully carved but they also tell the history of the area. Young Cornish men traveled all over the world, digging the tunnels for the subways of New York and working in many other countries, wherever their mining skills could be used. This fine headstone records such journeys. One son, Thomas, lost his life aged 26 in Johannesburg and another, William, died in his early 40's in America. Times were hard. Their sister had already died, aged just fourteen, in England.

 

In the evenings during our stay we ate at our favourite place in St Ives, overlooking Porthmeor Beach as the sun went down. Delicious tapas!

Barbara Hepworth's garden

The morning mist was clearing as we arrived at the garden that had belonged to the artist Barbara Hepworth. It is now managed by Tate St Ives.

Barbara in her garden.

THERE ARE

SO

MANY

DIFFERENT

WAYS

TO

LOOK

AT

ONE

 PIECE OF SCULPTURE!

I love the way that the church tower and the roofs of houses are visible beyond the privacy of the garden. 

The light was good for taking photos. The spring trees, not yet in leaf, cast delicate shadows.

Studio space at the top end of the garden

with plenty of carborundum tools!

Work on display in the studio.

A trip to St Ives

A Travelzoo offer took us to St Ives this week where I was anxious to see the current exhibition at the Tate before it closes at the end of the month.

 

I wasn't disappointed, it was an excellent and very comprehensive show. These are the postcards that I bought in the gallery shop. (I had wanted Laura Knight's fabulous pool image but they either hadn't made a postcard of it or else everyone had got there before me.)

We went straight to the Tate from the hotel as soon as we had checked in our bags. We were staying at the Tregenna Castle which sits high above the town. I was very pleased that the Travelzoo b&b offer included tickets to the exhibition as well as to Barbara Hepworth's garden.

We walked through the hotel grounds to get to the sea,

first looking round the walled garden

then following a small stream downhill until we reached the road.

The following morning we woke up in the clouds!

The hotel was shrouded in a sea mist.

Rather different from the day before!

This creeping sea mist is called a 'haar' in North Yorkshire. I think it's a wonderfully descriptive word, a soft, long exhalation, rather like a rolling mist. I don't know if there is a Cornish word to describe this sort of weather. 

Happily the sun eventually shone through.

Surfers were enjoying the waves.

At last, a blue sky for Skywatch Friday!