The Calm before The Storm

Today was gray and gloomy;
with not even a whisper from the wind.

". . . these are the times of dreamy quietude, when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw but conceals a remorseless fang."

~ from Moby Dick (by Herman Melville)

St. Ives Bay in a Mist...

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

- Henry Miller

Natural Beauty

Rocky path ahead
Treading lightly on soft sand
Distant house of light

"Today is going to be a good day..."~ice_molly

A Piece of Land's End...

Land's End is one of the most popular outdoor attractions in Cornwall
and a 20 minute drive from Hayle. It is situated on the westerly most point of mainland Britain and is surrounded by some of the most spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, and also, breathtaking scenery. Also famous for its "End to Enders",
you can hear the extraordinary tales of the people who have traveled from
Land's End to John o'Groats (the northerly most point of mainland Britain).
The distance from one to the other totaling 874 miles.

See more info here on, Walking Land's End to John o'Groats, with Mark Moxon

Looks like Snow and Ice!

Following my latest obsession of classic literature, here is something from The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, by ~George Gissing

"For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously."

Out of the Storm...

After days of constant rainstorm, the sun finally had its moment and the rest of the day... Wednesday, we are expecting thunder & lightning - hopefully tomorrow we'll see the sun shining before more of the rainstorm!

~It's been a busy last few weeks, but I hope to resume postings this week~

The following is from a classic, a personal favorite, 'Nicholas Nickleby' ~by Charles Dickens:
"If our affections be tried, our affections are our consolation and comfort; and memory, however sad, is the best and purest link between this world and a better."

White Wash...

“Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.”

Clouds of Love

"Floating together through the open sky...
Flowing with the rhythm of the sea...
Love, a constant beacon"

Sat up against the side of a cliff...

“This severe, ascetic music, calm and horizontal as the line of the ocean, monotonous by virtue of its serenity, anti-sensuous, and yet so intense in its contemplativeness that it verges sometimes on ecstasy”

For you and the ocean you love so well...

“I shall go the way of the open sea,
To the lands I knew before you came,
And the cool ocean breezes shall blow from me,
The memory of your name”

~Laurence Hope

Looking Out From Godrevy Cliffs

There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man.
The true nobility is being superior to your previous self.
Hindu Proverb

Secret Surf Cove...

The best places to surf, are the secret spots. Here is a good secret surf cove, which my husband likes to frequent - when the wind is in a certain direction, coupled with the right swell and a particular state of tide. This cove spot, can generate one of the best waves around - with none of the usual crowds!

Obviously, the hard part is getting down to it, barefoot, with your board + a camera ;-)

Low Tide...

This was taken last summer. It was the end of day, as the crowds began to leave. Few stragglers about, and I just sat and watched. The sea went calm, as the tide began to head back to sea.

A moody seaview...

Observing with a quiet mind...

You are my beacon, my lighthouse

Sometimes life is as rough as the uncaring sea
It causes panic, frustration, and despair
But you are there for me
A quiet entity on the edge of a rugged cliff.


(The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes~ Marcel Proust)

Ebb and Flow!

Consider the ebb and flow of the tide. When waves come to strike the shore, they crest and fall, creating a sound. Your breath following the same pattern, absorbing the entire universe with each inhalation. Know that we all have access to four treasures: the energy of the sun and moon, the breath of heaven, the breath of earth, and the ebb and flow of the tide.

The Art of Peace...

Sittin' on some rocks...

After a chaotic day, looking out as the ocean crashes onto the rocks, help nicely to calm my mood...

"Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision—
it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so. The world is waiting
for men and women with vision—it is not interested in mere pictures.
What people subconsciously are interested in is the expression of beauty,
something that helps them through the humdrum day,
something that shocks them out of themselves and
something that makes them believe in the beauty and the glory of human existence"

Sun Breaking through the Storm...

"Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm"

St. Michael's Mount, Marazion

This photo is of St. Michael's Mount in the little village of Marazion, just several miles from Hayle. Like Porthleven, Marazion offers south facing shores.

Come Easter day, dog owners will have to wait till 1st October until they can walk their dogs on this beach and many other beaches on Cornwall. Thank goodness there is no shortage in places for dog walking... The South West have some of the most beautiful coastline walks in England.

Absorbed in the moment....

“An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.”-- Washington Irving (American Writer called the first American man of letters. Best known for the short stories, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. 1783-1859)

As much as I love days when the Sun is beaming and the air is warm, I can't help but feel a calmness when I see the sky like this. Sitting in the car park, with our thermos filled with hot chocolate, accompanied with maybe ginger snaps or a box of Hawaiian Host Macadamia Nut Chocolates.... or (what do you see yourself doing?)

On Mothering Sunday... 2007

For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously.-- George Gissing

This was a stormy day! Extremely strong winds and heavy rain, but all I could think was how beautiful it all looked!