Tuesday 31 August 2010

A Day with Diana.



The holidays are almost over and finally the sun has returned. It usually does for September doesn't it? Hopefully plenty of after-school trips to the beach will be the pattern of our days, a time to enjoy the quiet of the autumn sun with the beautiful backdrop of sparkling sea. In the meantime, a visit from our lovely friend Diana who arrived bearing the most amazing gifts: bags of gorgeous fabrics (woohoo!!) and these beautiful Rip City dahlias grown in her own garden.



I am a huge fan of dahlias, increasingly so as the years roll by. The beauty of the velvety petals and the depth of that saturated colour just take my breath away. Don't you just want to sink into those sumptuous petals?



In the afternoon we headed off to Coombe in search for Kea plums



and there they were heaped in all their blue-black gorgeousness by the riverside.



Now, I know I have frequently waxed lyrical about the loveliness of Coombe so please feel free to fast-forward as i do so again for I cannot possibly tell you just how beautiful this place is with the monbretia banks by quaint sheds



tiny orchards of heavily laden fruit trees



tidal river which both Isabella and Walter decided to wade into. Isabella walked for ages with her wellies full of water and lent a peculiar squelching sound to those of the river birds calling hauntingly in the background.



Everywhere overhead were boughs of Kea plums, the ground below positively littered with them as we gathered (and ate) as many as we could carry.



One totally blissed out dog!



It really is



so very



very beautiful isn't it? A huge meal later and much chat and Diana headed home for Penwith once more. Such a perfect day and hopefully not too long till the next, dear Diana x



Before I go, this was the result of Isabella's butterfly cakes made the other day and eaten within minutes it seemed.



Not much left on the cake stand for a photograph as they were very delicious.



Have a happy day x

17 comments:

  1. It is very beautiful and your words make it sound so much more so. What very nice butterfly cakes. I've never seen that before!

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  2. Lovely Pipany. That first photo is absolutely stunning - love it.

    Lovely little cakes - took me back to the days when my daughter used to like baking with me a long long time ago!

    Jane

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  3. Hi Pippany,

    Coombe sounds very inviting. Oh you are lucky to have all those plums. Will you be making jam or chutney out of them?

    Please tell your daughter that the butterfly cakes look great!

    Lieve groet, Madelief

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  4. Pipany, please do return to Coombe as often as you like. What a gorgeous place ... and those plums are so abundant and tempting!

    Do congratulate that little Isabella on her butterfly cakes!

    Best wishes.

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  5. Loved your pictures, it looked like a perfect day, thanks for taking us along.

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  6. I loved this post - the pictures are so beautiful and evocative. You live in a lovely place and always capture it beautifully for others to enjoy. Thank you for visitng my blog, too, Pipany, and for leaving a lovely comment.
    Helen x

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  7. Pipany what a lovely blog. I love the rich colour of the dahlias

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  8. I know what you mean about dahlias, I like them more, the older I get. Your days out look so magical Pip, enhanced by your photography and words. Are you going to make Jam with the plums? Those butterfly cakes look yummy, well done Isabella. x

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  9. If I lived near a place as lovely as Coombe, I'd frequently be waxing lyrical about it as well. Such lovely photos and the butterfly cakes look amazing. :)

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  10. Hello Pip,
    Didn't we have a wonderful time? Loved Coombe - would like to go back for a longer walk some time. And I feel honoured to have my name in the post title!!
    Much love,
    Walter and Me xxx

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  11. Absolutely gorgeous Pipany. Walter looks so like Mallie, a pet dog from my childhood. Loved the squelching wellies.
    Posie

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  12. What a beautiful post - wild harvest, the seashore, baking and most importantly, friends meeting. Lovely lovely x

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  13. That looks like the most tranquil and beautiful spot...I can almost smell the tangy salt air and the rich sweetness of those glorious plums! What a great day, and finished off with those tasty looking buns too!!
    By the way, such a pretty cake stand - would love one like that!

    Sending love
    Julia x x x

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  14. I can't believe the coincidence about the Ponkies!

    Well, it's all looking as lovely as ever over here - I've had a really pleasant browse at your photos and feel soothed after the ag of house buying/selling!

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  15. I went with a good friend to Old Kea today and looking at your post just now evoked such happy reflections of a lovely afternoon. The bonus was that I finally got my hands on some Kea plums and oh my! what wonderful jam they have been transformed into this evening. We had the scrapings from the saucepan on toast for supper!

    Thanks for sharing such lovely images - the boat pictures are gorgeous.
    Jo (Mullion) x

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  16. Hi, Pipany! Thanks so much for stopping by my place... I'm way behind on visits for closing my Etsy shop this week. Just loved catching up with you here--and not least the taste of the sea and butterfly cakes here... and a hint of autumn too... LOVELY! :o) Happy Days to you all ((HUGS))

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  17. Gosh, what totally gorgeous pictures.

    Isabella could sell those cakes. They look scrumptious.
    xx

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