An enthusiastic group of our green fingered members met at Trevena Cross for an extremely interesting talk and tour from Team Member Graham. Graham explained about the best time of year to take cuttings, and which compost and nutrients are required for successful growing. We also learned about the bore holes that the nursery use for drinking water and plant irrigation.
Everyone agreed that it was fascinating to see ‘behind the scenes’ of a very familiar local business, and will look at it with fresh insight when shopping there in the future.
Many thanks to Rosie for organising the trip, and to Graham and all at Trevena Cross for their time and sharing their knowledge.
Our walking group chose a beautiful spring morning for their April Walk. They chose to walk from the Penrose Estate, and the walk encompassed all the best that the area has to offer: parkland, woods, Loe lake and the sea. a late lunch rounded off the walk nicely. They were particularly pleased when they came across local wildlife expert, David Chapman, along the way, who was out photographing Common Sandpipers..
At our April Monthly Meeting we were excited to try on some beautiful Indian Saris brought in by our speaker Sandra Baxendale. Sandra told of how she became obsessed with the exquisite fabrics and takes every opportunity to wear them out and about.
Snappers, our photography group, visited Growing Links Community Garden this month, and worked on composition. Their challenge was to photograph the same subject three times, at three distances. There was so much variety in the garden that it was hard to choose what to take a picture of! You can read more about Growing Links, and find out how to get involved, here https://www.growinglinks.org.uk/the-community-garden.html
The Glass Castle is a 2005 memoir by American author Jeannette Walls.
She recounts her dysfunctional and nomadic yet vibrant upbringing, emphasizing her resilience and her father’s attempts towards redemption. Despite her family’s flaws, their love for each other, her unique perspective on life allowed her to create a successful life of her own, culminating in a career in journalism in New York City.
The book’s title refers to her father’s ultimate unfulfilled promise, to build his dream home for the family, a glass castle.
The story covers young Jeannette Walls living with her parents, Rex and Rose Mary, and her siblings Lori, Brian and Maureen in the “desert”. Her first memory, which takes place when she is three years old and is living in a trailer park in southern Arizona. She is engulfed in flames when attempting to make hot dogs over the stove, resulting in her going to the hospital and receiving skin grafts on her stomach, ribs and chest. Due to fear of the mounting medical bills as well as skepticism of modern medicine, Rex takes Jeannette out of the hospital without permission or paying. A few months later, the children are woken up in the middle of the night and are told they are “doing the skedaddle” leaving town.
Their parent’s nomadic lifestyle imposed by their avoidance of financial responsibilities results in the family frequently moving about to locations in various states including Nevada, Arizona and California. As Jeannette grows older, she is more aware of Rex’s alcoholism and its consequences. For her 10th birthday, she asks him to stop drinking, which he successfully does for a few months. Following his relapse, Rose Mary decides that since they have no money it is time to move again, and she takes the family to their paternal grandparents in Welch, West Virginia. This move proves dire, especially for the children as both grandparents have alcoholic tendencies. The fillings for their school box sandwiches, is lard.
Living in Welch covers approximately a 7-year period and documents Jeannette and her siblings’ shifting perspectives on life with their parents from being one of adventure and whimsy to abuse and brokenness. Whilst living in Welch, the Walls children face bullying, sexual abuse and hunger. Ultimately, Lori and Jeannette hatch a plan for Lori to move to New York City, Jeannette following shortly thereafter. Eventually, Lori moves and Jeannette joins her shortly before finishing high school.
In New York City after experiencing the freedom and safety gained from no longer living with her parents, sister Lori offers to help siblings Brian and Maureen move to New York City. Three years after all the children have left Welch, Rose Mary and Rex decide to move to New York City themselves. With little money, the parents fall behind on rent and become homeless. They find themselves at home amongst squatters in an abandoned apartment. Years later still living on the streets, Rex calls Jeannette and tells her that he is dying. A few weeks after they had met and talked about their adventures and struggles, he dies of a heart attack. Rose Mary decides to continue living the squatter’s life but in quite a reasonable block of apartments. Over the years the children had tried to help their parents but all their offers were refused.
Jeannette marries quite a wealthy young man but this marriage does not last. Later she meets John and this becomes a very happy and stable relationship – they marry and buy a homestead a few miles outside of the City. Five years after the death of Rex the remaining family gathers for Thanksgiving at Jeannette’s home where they toast Rex.
It was lovely to see so many members at our Annual Meeting. Our outgoing President Jackie Gotch (pictured above) was thanked for her tenure and presented with a beautiful floral arrangement. Following a ballot, new President Chris Phillips was welcomed to her role and the new committee assembled. The evening was rounded off with tea and biscuits and a game of Bingo.
Our Book Club met at The Queen’s Hotel in Penzance for their latest meeting, enjoying the delicious refreshments and unrivalled view, despite the gloomy weather.
The book for February was “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt – which is quite a lengthy story based on a boy, Theo Decker aged thirteen, son of a devoted mother and an absent father. He miraculously survives a catastrophe that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Theo is tormented by longing for his mother and down the years he clings to the thing that reminds him of her: a small captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld.
Martin Brockman, Heritage and Education Officer for the RNLI was the February speaker at The Murley Hall. Martin gave a detailed audio visual talk on the tragic 1967 Torrey Canyon disaster, with a moment by moment account of the fateful course, to it’s grounding on the Seven Stones reef. Personal photographs and recollections of the attempted rescue and subsequent oil spill brought back memories for many members who remember the incident well.
With the weather at it’s February worst, Snappers, our photography group, abandoned their coast path plans and headed inside for hot chocolate and a discussion on Black and White photography. Over the next few days, pets, household objects and local scenes were photographed in both colour and black and white to help explore texture ,and tone in a different way.
The Deli, Carbis Bay was the fantastic location for the February Meeting of our Meet and Eat subgroup. 15 members had a delicious lunch, taking advantage of the special ‘Winter Lunch’ menu with such delights as beer battered fish and chips or crispy pork belly. It was their first time visiting, but members agreed it was one to which they would like to return.
Crowlas & Ludgvan WI 