Summer and Autumn reflections in Newquay and Cornwall

July 18th Saturday 2010 - After the rain

a sunny day in Newquay

And the place is in full swing…..almost. The following two weeks will see the height of the tourist season and with it comes a whole array of fascinating people with an equally whole array of fascinating things to do, a lot of which are not available in the winter months.

Summer heralds the abundance of strong light here in Newquay; there is no other place in the British Isles that has the quality of natural sunlight as does Cornwall. Being a thin peninsular protruding from the far South West of Great Britain into the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the English Channel, the extraordinary light occurs as the rays of the sun are reflected over the whole county. It has the same quality of light as you will find in such places as Miami and California.

Combine the light with the sea and the rugged coastline on the north coast and the gently sheltered fishing villages on the south coast and you have a mecca for artists of all kinds. Painters in particular are attracted to the county as they love to try and capture that special quality of light on canvas.

Then there are the writers; (perhaps the most famous of all was Daphne Du Maurier), who in past times loved to spin tales about the old days of smuggling; heady days when pirates defied duty laws and smuggled such items as rum, brandy, silk, tea and tobacco up the beaches, into the coves and caves and into the county. Situated high on Bodmin Moor is the Inn made famous by Daphne du Maurier - Jamaica Inn, originally a coaching house and Inn, and now a haunted Inn with it's own museum paying tribute to all those fascinating smugglers of yesteryear who used it to conceal and then smuggle their contraband goods out of the county and onwards up country . It's a fascinating place to stay and to visit and a great stop off spot for anyone driving in to Cornwall from the M30, the main highway that takes you through the south west of England and into Cornwall.

But here in 'modern Cornwall' in the 21st century, summer becomes a playground for the surfers particularly in Newquay. Along with the tourists, they throng the crowded streets; strolling along to the soundtrack from the street musicians who provide a backdrop to the impromptu outdoor entertainment. In late July, early August, Newquay plays host to the Board Masters - a well know surfing festival. Take a walk down to Fistral Beach at this time of the year and you will see and hear, and can be a part of Radio One's beach party with it's variety of DJs all assembling down at the famous stretch of sands - a great place for serious surfing, roller blade sports, summer entertainment, late night BBQs, beach parties or just chilling out with buddies and a beer.

And then, suddenly the summer will be gone. Quickly fading as all summers seem to do, each one more quickly that the one before. Even so, the great beach parties will still swing into Autumn. Into the slightly cooler September air, when the days are shorter and the earlier descending evenings become filled with the cries of the circling seagulls as the noise from the previously crowded beaches has subsided. This time of the year awakens an anticipation in the local resident that at last they are able to get some peaceful recreation times with the beaches less crowded and the sunshine now more mellow. It's actually easier to get a Mediterranean type sun tan in Cornwall in the autumn months.

And so I personally am hoping that the sun will be shining constantly from hereon in…to the end of October at least. There's nothing quite as lovely as the Cornish coast in the autumn when the sun is shining on the sea. Sparkling like diamonds. The wet beaches reflecting the high cliffs and buildings that tower above them. And reflecting the Seagull as they pad along the wave kissed shores looking for sand eels, a tasty dish no doubt and according to the multitude of birds with their beaks full of morsels that go zooming past my window, there is no short supply of them. Of course as you may have guessed there my well be a tasty chip or two given by, or snatched from a lingering tourist.

The changeable weather that often persists throughout the summer months in Cornwall will usually stabilise come September and October and we can look forward to quite a few warm sunny days in succession for both of these months.

And it is in the Autumn and Winter that I usually take my holidays. We temporarily leave behind the rugged beaches that I look upon each day and jet off to even sunnier climes to have fun and chill with some great friends I have made here in the south west.

Newquay and the Helicopters that cicle overhead

Just heard the loud buzz of a chopper circling over Newquay Bay. I thought it might be the air ambulance, as in summer there are lots of accidents. Young people having too much alcohol and falling over cliffs, either to their deaths or sustaining terrible injuries.

Last summer no less than six people fell to their deaths from the high cliffs surrounding the bay. The council have put railings up in some of the most dangerous places, but it would be impossible and not very practical to completely line the coastal area with railings.

True, there are arguments for and arguments against, and at the moment the arguments against are winning the day. It is thought that youngster should be better behaved when they come down here to Newquay on "holiday."

What they really come for are the stag and hen parties. Or they come just to get blind drunk. More often than not they are under age and in many cases their parents just 'drop them off' and leave them to their own devices here in Newquay.

The town has got rather a bad name over the last few years as a drink and drug and sex mecca. Consequently the council are trying to address the matter, and just the other week, some youths were - for want of a better word, "kicked out" of a well known camp site, put in the cells for the night and then sent home.

So just a few minutes ago when I looked out of my kitchen window, I fully expected to see the air ambulance in the sky, but happily this one was a Royal Navy police helicopter. Nothing bad happening at this particular time as far as I know. Anything any different and I will update by posting another blog.

Of Art Groups and Divas

What a carry on! The art group and the Diva is what I am talking about. It goes like this.

Ivana is our art teacher. Ivana is a Diva. A flambouantly dressed person. A lovely person but a Diva never-the-less. Let me give you a some examples.

A few week ago she had conjunctivitis. She arrived at class wearing a very large pair of sun glasses. "Oh," she says, "I am wearing my shades because I have conjunctivitis and I have to keep my eyes sheltered from the light." Fair enough. No problem.

As each student arrives at he class." Oh I am wearing my shades as I have to shield my eyes from the light." Okay. Fine. But this went on and on to everyone who entered the building. It was becoming a source of amusement.

So to recap if any recap is needed, Ivana has conjunctivitis and has to wear shades indoors. Well after three weeks of being reminded of this temporary affliction and why she was wearing shades; the aforementioned shades suddenly were no longer necessary as Ivana now no longer had conjunctivitis. I'll leave you to fill in the blanks.

Okay. Fair play. We can all put up with that. We all know Ivana and her quirks, so no-one had too much of a problem with the shades. No not at all, just a bit of a giggle.

But…and it's a big BUT, you never know quite what you are doing when Ivana's around. When she is teaching she turns into 'Mega Diva.' That's right. She either deliberately changes her mind …..or else she doesn't know what the hell she is doing. Let me enlighten you. She tells us to do one thing one week and then the next week she has completely changed her mind and tells you to do something else. Usually something entirely different. Which to say is at least somewhat confusing if not outright frustrating.

To illustrate. The lady who sits next to me, Molly I will call her her, was told by Ivana to do a painting of a sunset with dark silhouettes of trees in the foreground. Right. Well Molly started her painting and did a lovely sunset background. Ivana then comes along and tells Molly that it's time to start putting in the silhouetted trees in the foreground. So Molly painted the trees in.

The following week Ivana appears, looks at Molly's painting and says "Oh, you have put the trees in too soon you have ruined it. You will have to scrub the whole painting out, then paint the whole canvas white and start all over again from scratch." OMG.

Anyway between them they tried to scrub the painting and remove the black silhouetted trees. But alas, the trees had other ideas and were not budging. No matter how and with what Ivana and Molly tried tried to get rid of them, the trees simply held their ground and refused to be uprooted as it were.

I have never found out what happened to Molly's canvas which at the end of all the scrubbing and scratching, really was totally ruined. I must remember to ask her when I next go to the class.

And that's not all. Similar things happen to me all the time. One instance is the painting i'm working on at the moment.

Here's how that story goes. I took a few photographs in to class to give myself some inspiration for a new painting. Like the dumb person I can be sometimes, I showed them to Ivana. I did have my mind set on one particular photograph. But Ivana thought that the one I had chosen "may confuse" me. (That was rich). And so she suggested that I do another one. She suggested a seascape with little else in it apart from the sea rushing in between some rocks and a meagre sunset on the distant horizon.

Okay I started it. I had a feeling from the outset that I was in for a bit of a struggle with it. The following week Ivana came around to have a look. "Hmmmm," she said. "Hmmm….you are walking a tightrope with that one. You are going to have to be very careful." Great, I thought. How true Ivana. How you Ivana.

Anyway I'm still working on this picture which does not lend itself very well to being transformed from a photograph to a painting. I have had to alter quite a lot of it, and it is still not how I want it to be. Doh!

It is not just myself and Molly who feel aggrieved by these 'problems'. One lady commented just yesterday "you come in full of the joys of spring and leave depressed." Yes indeed you do.

Painting is supposed to be a relaxing therapeutic pastime, not a source of aggravation and anxiety. Anyway, whatever you are feeling at the time shows in your painting. Therefore it can all go very wrong very easily.

To be fair, teaching art must be difficult, but at least stick to some basic guidelines and let the student get on with their own interpretation of what you have taught them gently guiding them through it as they go along. Changing your mind every week is not learning the students anything in my opinion.

What d'ya say???

FOOTNOTE: The painting illustrated here is one of my first. It's a Swallow Tailed Gull form the Galapagos Islands.

A thought on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

This ghastly BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is giving me nightmares along with everyone else.

How much longer can we bear to look at the pictures of the oil saturated wildlife suffering so badly. The pelicans, the sea birds, the turtles. The total wipe out of the shrimps and the fish, not to mention the disastrous effect on the beautiful coastline and the people who work there and make their livelihood from the natural richness of the area - a richness with is now left in virtual rags. Everything is lost. It will take decades to recover.

Why is it taking so long to stem the incessant flow of oil? Before they were allowed deep sea drilling didn't BP have a contingent plan in place for quick action in the event of a tragedy on this scale? Did try think they were infallible?

That it begs the question as to whether we should be so reliant on the oil industry for our day to day living is a given. Surely now western societies will think again before they become so willing to pillage the oceans and the natural beauty of the planet.

If no one learns a lesson from this calamity, then surely they don't deserve to have the relative riches that the wealth of oilfields, both in the oceans and on land affords them.

Please say a pray that a solution will be found and implemented soon. The people who live and work in the affected region do not deserve this. The wildlife in the area does not deserve this. The planet which is home to millions of life forms as well as our own does not deserve this.

Please God let it be resolved soon……

A day in Padstow, Cornwall

A trip to Padstow for me today. Got on the bus with a dozen people, all of whom i know, and so we rattled along the narrow coastal lanes. Rattled? ….Yes, indeed. Ever tried public transport in Cornwall?…ouch my back….

Padstow is the quintessential picture post card Cornwall. Narrow winding streets. Quaint cottages and shops on each side bedecked with colourful hanging baskets. The shops are a delight. Pouring with gifts and all sorts of trinkets and memorabilia that you can find only here in Cornwall.

For a fishing resort on the rugged north coast of Cornwall, it is unusual. It is more like the fishing villages on the more gentle south coast.

Today the sun was shining. It was bright and it was windy, taking some of the heat from the sun. The harbour was full of boats of every shape and size and colour. Tourists flocked and sat everywhere.

Finding a restaurant with an empty table big enough to seat eight of us (the group had split up), was a problem, but eventually we ate outside at the Old Ship Inn. Charming. I had fish and chips, well I was a tourist! Seagulls glided overhead and eyed my plate with what seemed to be a combination of determination and sheer malice. Okay, I like seagulls but I was not about to give up my lunch to them. I was hungry. I'd travelled all the way from Newquay…..

After the meal, a leisurely browse around the fascinating shops. And finally a spot of sunbathing, all the while being serenaded by a street busker playing a guitar - and very nicely too.

Back on the old bone rattler and forty minutes later we were back in Newquay. A tad windswept but happy and ready for a nice cup of coffee.

Vuvuzela....Ella

ZZZzzzzzzzzz…..ZZZzzzzzz…ZZZZzzzzzzz

No it is not likely to get to number one in the charts, and no, it won't ever find itself in an orchestra outside of Africa. Played alone it maybe okay, relaxing even??? But blown by thousands simultaneously and droning on and on and on during the 2010 World Cup matches is, well, not on. At least that's my humble opinion.

When it is being blow by tens of thousands in this relatively confined space, the sound resonates at 144db. Louder than a jet engine at 137db. Experts have placed 137db as the limit to which the human ear should be exposed, or permanent deafness may result.

ZZZzzzzz…..ZZZZzzzzz…..ZZZzzzzzz

So pity if you will the poor player. France blamed their poor showing in their opening game as a lack of concentration due to the loudness of these horns, making it impossible for players to communicate with their managers sat on the benches, and vice versa. Still the horns go on….C'est la vie. La vie often sucks.

Green…and that slippery fingered goal that managed to oil (no pun here) it's way through his inept looking hands - the hands that made a unique gift to the USA…the dreaded equaliser - Vuvuzela stress? Hmm. Well maybe. If it was he aint admitting it yet.

ZZzzzzz……..ZZZzzzzzz…….ZZZZzzzzzzzz

The vuvuzela is part of the South African culture. I am informed that it had it's genesis in the kudu antelope's horns and was was originally used to summon the villagers to their regular meetings. So far so good….that was many years ago. Now it's made from plastic in Chinese factories. Welcome to the 21st century.

ZZZzzzzz….ZZZzzzzz…..ZZZZzzzzz……

To those in the stadium it's has to be deafening. Drowning out any singing coming from the terraces by the fans. A traditional feature of the World Cup which we have all come to ..er…love? Maybe the Australian team should send their Kangaroos to jump on all vuvuzelas and crush them into the ground. Harsh? you cry…Bliss I cry….

For us watching on our TVs it sounds like the droning buzz of a gigantic swarm of angry bees. On….and on…..and on….

Where's the fly swat ???

ZZZzzzz……ZZZZzzzz…..ZZZzzzz….SPLAT !!!!

World Cup Music

The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa kicked off last night (Friday 10th June 2010) with a superb concert. I watched it on my TV whilst sipping a glass of red wine.

After the great Black-eyed Peas opened the show with 'I gotta feeling' and Alicia Keys tinkled the ivories in great style and got us in the mood with her 'Empire State of Mind', - USA have a strong team here- Shakira arrived onstage to grace our TV screens accompanied by an elaborate rift on the piano keyboard.

What have these two great ladies in common? Rhetorical question - you guessed it, yes, a great sounding piano. Well maybe you didn't guess it. But seriously any female who's dominant in the pop world today seems to have a dramatic piano accompaniment.

Remember Lady GaGa at the Royal Variety Show last year? She sang 'Speechless' seated at a grand piano which had by far the longest legs in the entire history of the grand piano; almost upstaging herself in the process.

And so, pianos and all, although the concert last night was really dominated by US pop icons, African music also gave us an unforgettable sound throughout and happily the ambience of this great continent shone through. The World Cup opening concert belonged to Africa.

Africa has an abundance of unique music along with it's rich tapestry of culture, and I'm sure that we will all be entertained to the full during this month of sport, drama and colourful pageantry.