Author: crowlasludgvanwi

Christmas Doings

crowlasludgvanwi

We’ve all been having a very jolly Christmas season – so jolly that there hasn’t been much time to update this site!

First was our wonderful annual Christmas meal out. This year we were at the Godolphin Arms in Marazion and it was absolutely fantastic! The food was perfect, the staff was friendly and warm and the whole atmosphere was as festive as we could ever have hoped for.

Most of us were all too busy enjoying ourselves to remember to take any pictures, but Ruth did snap this lovely one of Ali, Ann and Karen. How many bottles did you get through, ladies?

01

Next was Shirley’s fabulous wreath-making workshop in the Murley Hall. As always, some beautiful masterpieces were created and I’m sure there are a lot of front doors being admired in Crowlas and Ludgvan this season!

Last, but certainly, not least, was a celebratory Christmas afteroon at Julia’s house. As well as the obligatory mulled wine and mince pies, there were also sausage rolls and some delicious spiced cider. Friends and family came along and everyone had a jolly time.

Jane admires Julia's Christmas tree
Jane admires Julia’s Christmas tree

Thank you so much to Kathy for organising our meal at the Godolphin, Shirley for her patience in teaching us how to make Christmas wreaths and Julia for welcoming us all into her lovely home.

Happy Christmas to everyone!

What we’ve read this year

crowlasludgvanwi

If you’re unsure about whether or not to join our book group, have a look at the list of wonderful and diverse books the ladies have read during the past year:

Stars and Bars by William Boyd
Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
Gold by Chris Cleave
The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Bella Cora by Phillip Margulies
The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble
The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop

And click here for a full list of everything the group has read since 2004!

If you think this sounds right up your street, have a word with Colleen, our book group organiser, at our next meeting – or send us an email on crowlasludgvanwi@gmail.com and we’ll make sure Colleen gets your message.

Tea and Tinsel at Chy Noweth

crowlasludgvanwi

Seven of us had a wonderful time yesterday afternoon at Chy Noweth at ‘Tea & Tinsel’.

02

03

There was a Christmas-themed quiz and some delicious refreshments. After we were all full, there was some hysterically funny entertainment involving some dodgy elf ears.

Sue, Mary and Val were very serious about their quiz.
Sue, Mary and Val were very serious about their quiz.

And, to top it all off, we had a visit from Father Christmas himself, who brought a present for each of us. He seemed to take a real shine to County Chair Barbara Corbett!

04

It was such a jolly afternoon and put us all in the mood for Christmas! Thanks to the Board of Trustees for entertaining us all so well.

Christmas shopping in Exeter!

crowlasludgvanwi

(Gail’s report on the shopping trip to Exeter)

Yesterday’s ‘not-just-Christmas-shopping’ trip to Exeter was a great day out.

01

We had an easy trip up and arrived earlier than expected. The weather was extremely kind to us and in between shopping we were able to sit around the cathedral green and do some people-watching.

Look at all those full shopping bags!
Look at all those full shopping bags!

The Christmas market was as enticing as ever, with the cooking smells of a world of foods wafting in the air.

04

Even if you aren’t a keen shopper, you’d enjoy Exeter. The city is steeped in history and you can discover all sorts of interesting buildings.

We were able to meet up with former member Maureen Fordham who was on good form and who sends her best wishes to all the Crowlas & Ludgvan members.

03

A good day was had by all!

(Thanks for the photos as well, Gail!)

Sugarcraft workshop with Gill

crowlasludgvanwi

Yesterday, nine of us had a fantastic day learning some sugarcrafting skills with Gill O’Connor.

Gill led the group in making sugar past Christmas cake decorations, and the results were quite brilliant!

02

The ladies were energised by Pat’s homemade mince pies and, later on, with lemon curd cake.

01

Gail Allen, who participated (and who was kind enough to take some photos for us) says that everyone had a fabulous day. Thanks to Gill for her time and talent, and to Val P for arranging the day.

November’s Walk

crowlasludgvanwi

Shirley’s last walk of 2015 was a nice easy and short one. The weather very mild but there was a blustery breeze.

01

The ladies’ route took them from Halsetown to Knill’s Monument from where they enjoyed spectacular panoramic views of St Ives, Carbis Bay, Godrevy Light House and Hayle, with Mount’s Bay in the distance.

03

Surprisingly enough although this spot is right on our doorstep, most of the walkers had never visited before!

If you’d like to start walking in January, please see Shirley at our next meeting and see what she has in store for 2016!

Reclaim the Night!

crowlasludgvanwi

Come on ladies!

Let’s hit Penzance on the evening of Friday 27 November – lets dance, sing, blow whistles or any other noisy item, lets wave flags or banners, lets join women all over the world to show that we are proud to be women and that we claim freedom to be out after dark without fear. Lets do it to show support for women who have been, or are being, subjected to domestic and/or sexual abuse or violence.

Meet at St John’s Hall at 7pm – see posters for full details or speak to Pam Smith.

RECLAIM THE NIGHT

Paper Flower Workshop

crowlasludgvanwi

04It was a very floral affair on Friday as a group of us learned the art of paper flower making.

 

Our instructor, Pam Booth of Paper Gardens, led us through the steps required to make a perfect paper rose. Not all of ours were as perfect as Pam’s, but we had a great time!

01

As we got the hang of the process, we found we could easily snip away and glue while chatting and even while eating cake. Who knew?

We chose polystyrene forms – some cones, some wreaths and some balls – which we plan to cover with our paper flowers. Mine’s still a work in progress, but I am determined to finish it!

02

Thanks to Pam for being so patient with us, and to Val for organising the day and providing the cake.

A Visit to the Newlyn Copper Works

crowlasludgvanwi

On Thursday, 10 of us visited Mike Johnson’s Copper Works in Newlyn.

Tucked away not far from Newlyn Harbour is Mike’s fascinating studio. The business was established in 2005, appropriately in the same workshop space as the original copper works set up in 1890!

01

Mike talked to us about copper’s important role in Newlyn’s artistic heritage, along with painting, pottery and textiles. Unfortunately, many of the skills, tools and facilities associated with a coppersmith’s workshop have been lost over the years. Mike and his colleage Shelley are now working to revive this wonderful craft.

08

The Copper Works has created pieces for Hampton Court Flower Show, Harrod’s, Claridge’s and, recently, Eton College. The project at Eton is an acroterion (a large roof ornament) at the College’s new lecture theatre, and has received quite a bit of press lately. Mike has also done work for film – the copper-studded belts worn by Johnny Depp et al in the Pirates of the Caribbean films were created in the Newlyn workshop!

06Mike showed us some of his smaller pieces – beautiful copper leaves, little dishes, etc. – as well as some more sizeable projects – the beginnings of a water feature for a recent private commission.

ruth_01

We all left the workshop with an appreciation for the beauty of copper and a renewed respect for the skill and artistry of the coppersmith. And Val already has her ‘workshop organiser’ hat on and is planning to arrange some hands-on copper work for us!

Thank you so much to Kathy for setting up this wonderful day. You can some more photos here.