Blushes : Thank you for my award

Deirdra from over at A Storybook World, visited the blog and awarded me the Creative Blog award for the A-Z challenge. I have had fun doing the challenge and I hope everyone has enjoyed it as much as I have.

It was difficult coming up with a concept, and I feel that I had an easy run in choosing to use the Cornish Language as my choice, but I have learnt new things and enjoy doing so and wanted to pass it onto my readers as well.

Thank you Deirdra, it was a lovely surprise.

And then this morning, I get another one, from Elizabeth Mueller, who is an Author, and a talented one at that has given me the surviving the A-Z challenge award.

Thank you and I have enjoyed visiting your blog and the others in the challenge to see what everyone has written about.

Z is for

Zennor is both a village and a Parish, located on the rugged north Cornish coast, 14 miles from Land's End and 4 miles west of St. Ives. Cornish granite hedges cover the land, and support an abundance of wildlife. These field systems date back to the Bronze Age  and are the oldest living artefacts in the world.

At the height of the tin mining industry over 1000 people lived and worked in Zennor. Today, the Parish has a population of around 200. Most of the land is owned by traditional Cornish farming families, who have farmed in Zennor for generations.

Zennor is designated as an Environmentally Sensitive Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and some of the land is owned and managed by the National Trust.

Zennor is steeped in myth, legend and history. 

The name Zennor is Cornish and is thought to derive from St. Senara, the Breton Princess Azenor who was falsely accused by her husband, and thrown into the sea in a barrel. She is said to have floated to Ireland founding Zennor along the way. 

Zennor is one of the last bastions of the Cornish language - the native speaker John Davey of Boswednack died in 1891. Many of the settlements and houses have Cornish names: Treveglos, Trewey, Porthmeor, Pennance, Boswednack, Bosporthennis, Foage, Treen, Tremedda, Tregerthen, Treveal, and Chy Kembro. 

This is the last day of the A-Z challenge, and I hope you have enjoyed the journey through Cornwall and Cornish along the way.

Y is for

endings of letters, yours sincerely is dhiso yn lel in Cornish, and in Welsh yn ddiffuant 

How to end a letter, was something I learnt quickly when I started writing letters; not surprising as my Mum used to teach typewriting and office skills to a Malayan School and occasionally I was allowed to go if I behaved myself.

I don't have any photos of the school, I have vague memories of a corrugated tin roof which when it rained sounded so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think. The walls were open but there was a large veranda surrounding the building so it was very much an outside building which benefitted from the air flow (when it flowed). The typewriters were old fashioned, 6 years later I was doing Business studies at school on an Imperial 66 which seemed similar but I am not sure.

I can still remember being amazed at the sheer speed of typing that Mum managed to demonstrate and the local ladies would smile politely when she announced that with practice they would also be able to attain such speeds.

As a child, we would always write thank you letters to relatives for presents, or in the case of grandparents just keeping in touch and it is nice to receive a handwritten letter but this days it happens less and less. 

Even with the modern equivalent of e-mail's it is important to recognise they can be seen as official  business communication and therefore some rules need to apply such as formal endings but regretfully it seems that even this is being eroded and the standard of some e-mails leave a lot to be desired.

So today, if you email someone or write to someone in an official capacity think about the content and format as it might make someone's day.

X is for

Of course there are no Cornish words beginning with X, however I had a clever plan and Baldrick fans will be pleased it doesn't involve a Wurzel (Turnips to non-South Westers).

Many illiterate people who could not read or write, were able to sign for wages, employment etc by writing an X on the paper and historic papers exist including some of my grandparents on Marriage certificates.

So today, back to basics and counting

Number	Cornish	Pronunciation
One	Onan, Un	Onan, Oon
Two	Dew	Dhew
Three	Tri	Tree
Four	Peswar	Pez-warr
Five	Pymp	Pimp
Six	Hwegh	Hwhech
Seven	Seyth	Sayth
Eight	Eth	Eth
Nine	Naw	Nor
Ten	Deg	Deg
Eleven	Unnek	Oon-neck
Twelve	Dewdhek	Dhow-deck
Thirteen	Trydhek	Trid-deck
Fourteen	Peswardhek	Pez-warr-deck
Fifteen	Pymthek	Pim-tek
Sixteen	Hwetek	Hwet-ek
Seventeen	Seytek	Say-tek
Eighteen	Etek	Ettek
Nineteen	Nownsek	Noun-sek
Twenty	Ugens	Oo-Genz

Now I also found a website where you can learn to swear in Cornish, though other than Hogday, I haven't found any takers.. but please check it out. I won't put it here as it could be considered offensive. Still if you swore in Cornish, who would know?

W is for

The weather, dominating our thoughts and no.. not for the wedding


The hot sunny weather we have experienced, has been brilliantly gorgeous... long may it continue although the gardens need watering, the reservoir stocks are running low it was just weeks of lovely sunny weather that makes the world seem a little brighter and cheerier than normal.

So the cornish for weather is An gewer while the welsh equivalent is tywydd

Some more Cornish words for you relating to the weather are

Howl - Sun
Yrgh - Snow
An dhargan - The forecast
Gwynek - Windy
Glaw - Rain

An dhargan Y fydh Howl = The forecast will be Sun

V is for

plen an varghas which is Cornish for Market Place, Lle'r Farchnad is the welsh equivalent.

Down here in Redruth, the plen an varghas  is at Pool, as Redruth doesn't really have one of its own, instead it does street markets on special occasions like Murdoch Day in September and of course getting close to Christmas attracts plenty of street traders. It does have an indoor market but it is on the small side.

Pool is not a huge market, comprises of an indoor market which has the usual tat you find, cheap bags, dvds, books, furniture etc. Outside is an open space that in summer can be crowded with traders or people having a clearout. Past purchases have included two black and gold goblets with ERII on the front, they cost a total of £5 for the pair and as black and gold are cornish colours it wasn't a hard decision. The other purchase was a saddleback pig which cost £3 but I have seen similar for sale for three or four times the price.

There are other market places, but these are the ones I frequent, and enjoy doing so.

U is for

U is for uskis or fast, which in Welsh is ympryd.

This month is going by so quickly, and soon it will be over like the A-Z challenge. The weather has been glorious, but the water supplies need replenishing, still the holiday makers have enjoyed a nice dry settled Easter and that has to be a good thing.

Jasper enjoyed a run off the lead this morning, over the farm and boy is he fast compared to Murphy.. who had to resort to mugging Jasper for the ball. Sorry I didn't have the camera with me to take photo's of the boys in action, but you will have to trust me about the speed of the youngster.

I moved the red bush yesterday afternoon, it was being blown around in its original location at the front of the house and didn't seem to like it. So we have put it in a corner of the garden, which was not being used for anything and being near the wall meant it was a slightly rocky area.

T is for

Today's word is time which the cornish is termyn, while the welsh equivalent is gwaith

Time is precious, no more than in Cornwall, everyone wants to get to a place in plenty of time. Especially the holiday makers, and we have a fair amount of accidents on the narrow lanes (which believe me get quite narrow at times, even have grass growing up the centre line).

Time becomes important when there is none left, but better to arrive late than not to arrive at all. Ask yourself whether it is important to rush everywhere and see everything quickly, or to take your time and enjoy the views.

Today is Easter Sunday, time to spend with family, time to watch the plants grow, time to just be you..

For me it is time to partake of chocolate again.. yes I succeeded in my task of giving it up and whilst I have been tempted to eat it, I have managed to resist. Something I never though I would be able to do in a month of Sundays although at times I could have done with a hot chocolate of a cold evening but I do feel that I have gained from my experience and that is all that I asked of myself.

Saturday Satire : The Wife

When I had been married 25 years, I took a look at my wife one day and said, "Sweetheart, 25 years ago, we had a cheap flat, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10 inch black and white TV, but I got to sleep every night with a hot 25 year old blonde.

Now, we have a nice house, nice car, big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 50 year old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things."

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out and find a hot 25 year old blonde, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap flat, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed and watching a 10 inch black and white TV.

Aren't older women great. They really know how to solve your mid-life crisis....

S is for

Today's word is to write or skrifa in Cornish, while the Welsh equivalent is sgrifennu

I enjoy writing, hence the blog, I also keep a paper journal which is completely private and allows me the freedom to say and write anything which I couldn't necessarily do on the blog. I rarely go anywhere without a notebook and pen, to make notes although these days it is less about writing stories, more about academic ideas for teaching or for lesson plans and assignments.

I used to write with a small group of people, from Canada, USA, Australia and the UK, sadly we disbanded as our original idea came from a tv series that ended and eventually we simply ran out of road as our ideas started to go in different directions. During our busiest period of posting it was no problem to write 3-4000 words for a story line that left a cliff hanger for the next writer to take on.

When I proposed that writers should be allowed to do a solo storyline, seeing it through from beginning to end. Others had tried but had given up half way; I was pleased to finish but I also knew that as we changed the format of the group, we also changed the dynamics and it was then that the dynamics of the group had changed as had our real lives and from that point onwards there was more solo writing rather than group writing.

I am still in contact with members of the group, and have such happy memories of our time together. I sometimes read the stories we came up with and am amazed at the detail that people came up with.

R is for

R is for Redruth or Resrudh in Cornish

The name Redruth (pronounced 'Re-drooth') derives from its Cornish name, Rhyd-ruth. Rhyd an older form of 'Res', which is a Cornish equivalent to a ford (across a river). It is the 'ruth' (and not the 'Red' part of the name) which means the colour red.

The town has developed away from the original settlement, which was near where the present Churchtown (around St. Euny church) district of Redruth stands today. This location is a steeply wooded valley, with Carn Brea on one side and the now-called Bullers Hill on the other. The presence of shallow lodes of tin and copper lying east to west made it an advantageous site for extracting metals, including, tin, lead and copper. The first settlers stayed by a crossing in the river and started extracting metal ores, and this process turned the colour of the river red.

Historically, Redruth was a small market town overshadowed by its neighbours until a boom in the demand for copper ore during the 18th century. Copper ore had mostly been discarded by the Cornish tin-mining industry but was now needed to make brass, an essential metal in the Industrial Revolution. Surrounded by copper ore deposits, Redruth quickly became one of the largest and richest mining areas in Britain and the town's population grew markedly, although most miners' families remained poor.

In the 1880s and 1890s the town end of Clinton Road gained a number of institutions, notably a School of Mines and Art School in 1882–83, St. Andrews Church (replacing the chapel in Chapel Street) in 1883 and, opposite, the Free Library, built in 1895. The Mining Exchange was built in 1880 as a place for the trading of mineral stock. By the turn of the century, Victoria Park had been laid out to commemorate the Golden Jubilee and this part of town had taken on its present appearance — a far cry from the jumble of mining activity that had taken place there in the early 19th century. Redruth was making its transition from a market town dominated by mines and industry to a residential centre.

By the end of the 19th century, the Cornish mining industry was in decline and Britain was importing most of its copper ore. To find employment, many miners emigrated to the newer mining industries in the Americas, Australasia and South Africa. Cornwall's last fully operational mine, South Crofty at Pool between Redruth and Camborne, closed in March 1998 but reopened a few years back when valuable minerals were found.. currently they employ a small number of men around about 30.

Q is for

Now despite my best efforts, I failed to find a word in Cornish starting with Q so instead today I am taking your on a tour of Cornwall to a little place near Liskeard.

Quethiock (Cornish: Gwydhek) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, roughly five miles east of Liskeard. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 429.The ancient parish church of St Hugh is one of the most notable in Cornwall. The placename derives from the Old Cornish cuidoc meaning wooded place. In 1871 the population was 661 and the area 4,351 acres (17.61 km2).

Formerly part of the Pentillie Estate and owned by Squire Coryton most of the properties passed into owner occupation after a forced sale to meet Estate Duty in the early 1920s. The village hasn't had a public house since the closure of the Mason's Arms in the 1920s. There was a post office at Ivydene until the 1960s not long before the closure of the village General Supply Stores which not only sold everything from groceries to petrol and organs but also delivered weekly groceries to farms, mills and cottages throughout a radius of 15 miles (24 km). There was a village shop which closed in the 1980's.

Quethiock's economy is centred principally around nearby Liskeard and Plymouth. The vast majority of the village's population is either retired or in full-time work. It is estimated that 0.29% of the population is employed in the postal sector. There is a very good local Church of England primary school, which boasts an all-encompassing, family feel atmosphere, whilst striving for academic excellence.

Besides the church and school, three other public services are available in Quethiock: the post box, the phone box and the bus shelter. Internal village matters are communicated by means of the parish noticeboard, located at the centre of the village.

Parish Church of St Hugh (Church of England)

The original church was cruciform in plan but a tower was added (probably in the 13th century) and then the aisle. There are old wagon roofs and a funeral recess (14th century). The stained glass and some other ornamental work is the handiwork of the late 19th century vicar, William Willimott , and there are three brasses (1471 to Roger Kyngdon, and 1631 to Richard Chiverton, d. 1617, and his wife). The church was restored in the 1880s after becoming virtually ruinous in the 1870s. Willimott's predecessor as vicar was the Rev Dr John Rooke Fletcher (d. 1878) who was vicar for 61 years. There were Methodist chapels and almshouses (Directory for 1873).

P is for

Cornish Phrases.. for when you come here on holidays... lol not just about pasties and cream teas

• Hello                            Dydh da
• Good                            Morning Myttin da
  Please                          Mar Plek
  Thank You                    Meur Ras
  Cheers!                        Sowyn!
  Can you speak Cornish? A wre'ta kewsel Kernewek?
  A little                          Nebes
  Where do you come from?A bleth os ta devedhys?
  I come from Wales         Devedhys ov a Kembra
  I live in Redruth            Trigys ov yn Resrudh
  Why?                            Prog?
  Yes, I do                       Gwrav
  Why Not?                      Prog na?
  Good Night                    Nos dha
  Goodbye                        Dyw genes
  See you!                        Dha weles!
  I am pleased to see you  Da yu genef dha weles
  How are you?                 Fatla genes?
  OK, and you?                  Da lowr, ha ty?
  In good health                Yn poynt da
  Very Good!                     Pur Dha!
  Okay                              Da lowr
  My name is Sage            Ow hanow yw Sage
  He is my friend               Ev yw ow howeth
  What is this?                  Pyth yw hemma?
  What is that?                 Pyth yw henna?
  Lovely pint this, mate!    Pinta hweg yw hemma, Pard!

So when you are down here next time, please feel free to use one of the above phrases to help you integrate into our little Cornish Community and feel at home. Life can be a little slower down here, because we do things dreckly... similar to manana in Spanish... it will happen when it happens so while you are waiting enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

O is for

A different take on the O today ... I am .. in Cornish ov vy, while in Welsh it is rwyf i

ov vy ...

• over half way in the A-Z challenge,
• loving the sunshine today
• enjoying the time I have with the boy dogs
• enjoying being warm and dry
• enjoying visiting other blogs on my random wanderings on the web 
• avoiding doing my college work.. nag me please lol 
• busy watching items for sale on ebay.. mine not others lol

N is for

Today's word is Christmas which in Cornish is Nadelik while the Welsh equivalent is Nadolig.

Here we are in April, I am am talking about Christmas, which is probably way to early but sometimes it is worth doing.. to say Happy Christmas in Cornish is Nadelik Lowe.

Today is the 107th day of the year which leaves only another 251 days until Christmas... better get saving then :-)

Saturday Satire : The Baked Beans

Baked Beans

One day I met a sweet, lovely woman and fell in love. We spent most of our time together, and my life became wonderful as never before. When it became apparent that we would marry and set up home together, I made the supreme sacrifice and gave up baked beans. We married, and were so happy together.

Some months later, on my birthday, my car broke down on the way home from work. Since I lived a little way out in the countryside I called my wife and told her that I would be a little late, because I had to walk home. She said it was fine, because we were to eat a little later than usual that night. It was quite a pleasant evening, and I quite liked the idea of a walk.

On my way, I passed by a small roadside trucker's diner.... and the smell of baked beans was more than I could stand. With three or four miles to walk, I figured that I would work off any ill effects by the time I reached home, so I stopped at the diner and before I knew it, I had consumed not one, not even two, but three three large orders of baked beans! Absolute bliss!

All the way home, I made sure that I released all the gas. Upon my arrival, my wife seemed excited to see me and exclaimed delightedly: "Darling, I have a surprise for dinner tonight."

She insisted on blindfolding me, and led me to my chair at the dinner table. The anticipation was overwhelming!

I took a seat, and just as she was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone rang. She made me promise not to touch the blindfold until she returned, and went to answer the phone. The baked beans I had consumed were still affecting me and the pressure was becoming almost unbearable, so while my wife was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to one leg and..... well, I just had to let one go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a sewage works. I felt around, took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously. Then, shifting to the other cheek, I just could not help myself... I ripped off three more. My God, I tell you it was GHASTLY. It was worse than rotting cabbage.

Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the conversation in the other room, I went on like this for several more minutes. I just could not help it. The relief, however, was absolutely indescribable.

When eventually the telephone farewells signalled the end of my freedom, I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my lap and folded my hands back on it feeling so very relieved, and pleased with myself.

My face must have been the picture of innocence when my wife returned, apologizing for taking so long. She asked me if I had peeked through the blindfold, and I assured her I had not.

At this point, she removed the blindfold, and twelve dinner guests seated around the table chorused: "Happy Birthday!"

M is for

Today's word (or words is) Isle of Man which in Cornish is Enys Manow while in Welsh it is Ynys Manaw.

I have long wanted to visit the Isle of Man, not just because of the motor cycling racing or TT week as that always looks as though it is heaving. I think it appeals for a number of reasons like the fact that it is part of the British Isles, yet separate. It also had a mine for mining zinc ore of which Laxey Mines is perhaps the most famous, and has the the largest water wheel in the world - The Lady Isabella - stood over the mine continually pumping out the water. You can now retrace the steps the miners once took into the mouth of the mine when you visit Laxey, whilst the most adventurous even go caving deep down within the mine.

Even my fear of confined spaces could get me down this mine, similar to the Copper Mines on Great Orme.. I am fascinated rather than fearful.

And of course, we have lots of engine houses down here in Cornwall. Poldark Mine is a tourist attraction near Helston and Geevor is open to visitors while South Crofty has just been found to contain rare elements used in electronic equipment. I can see Carn Brae from the upstairs and down to Portreath at the front of the house. So all three places have mining in common.

L is for

Today's word is happy, which in Cornish is Lowen and the welsh equivalent is dedwydd.


In usage this would be


    ass yw dydh lowen = what a happy day it is!


Today in Cornwall, it is a happy day despite the rain and inclement weather. We have had the first rain in over a week and the garden will appreciate it even if we do not.

Jasper is settling in well and appears to be happy here at Tre Agan. He is learning that wait means sit at the side of a road before crossing it, that taking food from our fingers is given with the nicely command or the treat is held back from him.

More importantly he is learning that digging in the garden is not going to make me lowen, nor is chewing anything which is hard and plastic looking.

He desparately wants to please, and competes with Murphy over bringing something to you but this leaves the paper wet and slighly chewed. Ah well, the joys of being a dog owner are outwitting your dogs before they do the damage.

K is for

Well this was an easy one to think of

K is for Cornwall, in Cornish  Kernow, in Welsh Cernyw

Kernewek is Cornish and it is clear just now closely the two languages merged at this juncture.

a little bit of Cornish history is printed below

Istori Kernow

Yth esa pobel ow pewa yn desedhans Kernow arnowydh a-dhia 10,000 vledhen kyns Krist. Leun a bobel o Kernow yn Oos Brons; i a wrug an niver meur a grugow, torrow ha donsow meyn y'n pow.

Kernow o an dallethvos chyf rag sten yn bys an Mor Kresdorel. Ena an yeth keltek o an taves unnik kewsys yn Breten Veur. Yth esa an looth "Dumnoniorum" ow triga yn Dewnans ha Kernow. Yn 43 a'n Oos Kemmyn, an Romanyon a dryghas Vreten Veur, mes ny varsons i vewnansow an Gernowyon nameur. Yn 410 OK y hasas an lyjyons an enys, ha wosa henna yth esa res dhe'n Geltyon rag ammok aga honan erbynn omsettyansow. Latin re gewsys gans an werin namoy, mes yeth vrythonek an dus a Vreten Veur a worta yn few. Lies Brython a asas an enys rag Breten nowyth a-dreus an Chanel, Breten Vyhan.

Wosa gasa an Romanyon, an Sowson skon a omsettyas Vreten Veur. Y'n keth termyn, an Wodhyli a drevesigas yn Alban, Enys Manow, ha Dehowbarth Kembra. Yth esa myghternedh Kernow (po myghternedh an Dhumnonii) ow reynya dres Dewnans ha Kernow. Yn 577 OK, kas orth Deorham, ogas dhe Vristol, a dhiberthas an Vrythonyon a-gledhbarth (an Gembroyon) a Vrythonyon a-dheghowbarth (an Gernowyon po West-Kembroyon). Yth esa an Sowson ow pyghanhe tiredh Kernow tamm ha tamm, bys 936 OK, pan dhesedhas an myghtern sowsnek Æðelstán an amal kernowek orth an Tamer. Yn 1337, Edward III a fondyas Dugeth Kernow rag pe rentow dh'y vap, an Pryns Du.

Yth esa rebellyans yn 1497 gans Mighal an Gov ha Tommas Flamank avel hembrenkysi. Hanter kansbledhen wosa, yth esa Rebellyans an Lyver Pysadow yn 1549 erbynn an lyvrow pysadow a esa nowyth, protestant hag yn yeth sowsnek. Brassa rann an Gernowyon a skoodhya an kaws ryal erbynn Senedh Westminster y'n 17ves kansbledhen. Teyr kas a veu omledhys yn Kernow yn 1642 ha 1644.

Tamm ha tamm, eglos an Vethodysi a dheuth ha bos eglos an niver vrassa a'n werin gernowek. Y'n 18ves ha 19ves kansbledhenyow, termyn Humphry Davy ha Richard Trevithick, yth esa hwel balyow ow tevi ha diwysyans kernowek ow tisplegya. Mes an diwysyans sten a veu gwannhes y'n 19ves kansbledhen, ha lies den bal a Gernow a waya dreus an mor dhe'n Statys Unys, Ostrali (yn arbennek Konna-tir Yorke yn Soth Ostrali), Afrika Dehow, Meksiko ha gwlasow erel.

An dasserhyans Kernowek a dhallathas yn 1904. Gorsedh Kernow ha Kuntellesow Kernow Goth res avonsyas gnas keltek a Gernow y'n termyn ma. Hwel sten, pyskessa, ha gonisogeth an tir re nahas a-dhia Nessa Bresel an Norvys. Ytho, erbysieth an pow yw pupprys moy serhek war dornyaseth, awos an tirwelyow arvorek bryntin usi omma. An Unyans Europek a aswonnis esow erbysiethek Kernow ow ri dhedhi savla Amkan Onan.

J is for

The two boy dogs, black labradors 18 & 20 months old, are full of high jinks tonight and have the devil in them.. It may have to do with the fact that they both had a bath in the sunshine this morning and their coats are gleaming like glossy coal.

Jasper didn't seem to approve very much of his outdoor bath, but Murphy resigned himself to the process using a watering can to provide a shower effect before the shampoo was applied. I wish I could be in two places at once, because poor forlorn Jasper behaved as though his life was coming to an end.

Today's word then is the devil, which in Cornish is an jowl and the Welsh Equivalent is y diafol.

One cornish legend is that the devil hides in corners, so in Veryan which is a village on the Roseland peninsula, in a lush wooded hollow. Probably best known for its round houses , which were designed to keep the devil out as there were no corners for him to hide in. It is unclear as to why the devil was more likely to appear in Veryan than in other Cornish villages, but they were built in the 19th century, with the round houses topped with a conical thatched roof and a cross for extra protection.

I is for

One of my favourite things is having something nice to look forward to, a parcel arriving, an email from a friend (though not bills, can't think why lol).

Todays word (or two) is to open, in Cornish this is igeri while the Welsh equivalent is agor

One of my favourite joys at the moment, is to see what other people have been doing with their A-Z challenge and it is fun to see how creative other people are with their blogs.. I can really recommend having a wander around the blogosphere and meet new people and I know that I have some new followers through doing the challenge.

H is for

Every morning should start with breakfast.. or breaking the night fast as it would have been in the old days.

The Cornish for breakfast is hansel, while the Welsh equivalent is brecwast

Nowadays with fast food, and convenience food we have a wider choice of foods but one particular cornish treat served up for breakfast is Hogs Pudding; and this morning we will be having a full Cornish Breakfast.

Hog's Pudding is a type of sausage produced in Cornwall and Devon. Some versions of the recipe comprise pork meat and fat, suet, bread, and oatmeal or pearl barley formed into the shape of a large sausage - also known as 'Groats pudding' and are very similar to a White pudding, whereas others versions of the recipe contain a high percentage of offal such as lung and liver and can more accurately be described as a sort of West Country haggis. It is a lot spicier than white pudding as it contains black pepper, cumin, basil and garlic.

I will admit to preferring Black pudding to Hogs pudding, but I think it is mainly due to the texture.

Updated : Looking for Tim Gunn

Thankfully Tim has made contact with his family, he is safe and well and the family wanted to thank everyone who provided support and encouragement over the past two weeks.

From Cornwall Community News : "The distraught family of missing Redruth man Tim Gunn can finally get a good night’s sleep after their disabled relative was found thanks to a massive web search spearheaded by the News.
Tim has been missing from the home he shares with wife Ann in Montagu Avenue, Redruth for almost a fortnight.
Ann and her daughters, Morwenna, who’s from Camborne, Naomi, who lives in Redruth and Demelza, who lives in Launceston, turned straight to the web to find him.
And thanks to a Facebook campaign and regular updates on Cornwall Community News the family finally tracked the 57 year old down.

Tim is a severe haemophiliac, and behind the satisfaction of the family’s global internet campaign attracting tens of thousands of people, lay a real concern for him. Tim has to carry medication at all times in case of the slightest injury.

He’s now let his family now he’s safe and well – and his son-in-law Brett Murphy told the News Tim’s family are gratefully calling their hunt off. Brett explained: “Tim has been found and the family are all very relieved.“I’m heading off for what will hopefully be a great nights sleep and so are all of Tim’s relatives who looked for him for the last two weeks.
The BT engineer from Camborne added: “We do want to thank the News for all you have done to help us in our search and everyone in Britain who helped via the internet.
“We’re very glad Tim is safe and well.”

Saturday Satire : A shaggy dog story

I was on an aeroplane last week. A man sat next to me with a dog on his lap. I asked him about the dog and he replied that it was a sniffer dog. 

So the dog went off up the aisle, it soon returned and put one paw on the man's lap. The man said that meant somebody had heroin on the plane.
 
Off went the dog again and returned and put two paws on the man's lap.
The man said that meant someone had cocaine on the plane.
 
Off the dog went again, this time it returned and jumped onto the man's lap and immediately pooed. When I asked what that meant he said the dog had found a bomb.

G is for

Well, any language being learned is helped by a dictionary

In Cornish this is gerva while in Welsh it is geiriadur

A dictionary or wordbook is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information.

The origins of the word go back to medieval times dictiōnārium, from Latin dictiō, dictiōn-, diction which in itself derives from the Middle English diccion which is a saying or a word this takes its roots from Latin dictiō, dictiōn-, rhetorical delivery, from dictus, past participle of dīcere, to say, speak.

So in this case, dictionary leads back to Rome.

Today is going to be a warm day, although not as hot as it will be in Rome itself it is going to be nice to see blue skies and sunshine and not be working.

F is for

I am a want to be french speaker, I manage to make myself understood when I am in France but I would love to be fluent in my use of it.. instead I find myself having to think about what to say before I can say it..

So today, F is for French which in Cornish is Frynkek and in Welsh Ffrengig.

There is a part of France which has strong links with Cornwall, and that is Brittany.

Breton is a Celtic language closely related to Welsh and Cornish. From the Revolution, which imposed a single French language, the number of Breton speakers slowly dwindled. In the 19th century, the Third Republic, while instituting schooling for all, insisted on French as the sole language. Now, just a small number of Bretons stick tenaciously to their native tongue.

Breton may not have managed to survive as vibrantly as Welsh, but if you’re from Wales, or have visited that country, you may spot many familiar words in Brittany. ‘Kreis ker’, for example, means ‘town centre’. ‘Ker’ is a word you’ll see a lot, signalling a locality. ‘Pen’ or ‘penn’ (headland or end), is another word commonly found either side of the Celtic Channel ; Finistère is thus known as Penn ar Bed, ‘the end of the earth’, in Breton. Add ‘pen’ to ‘ty’ (house), and you get a ‘penty’ – Breton for ‘end of a house’, i.e. a cottage.

When Bretons refer to the Gwenn ha du (‘black and white’ in Breton), they mean the stripy Breton flag. You’ll see it flying all over the place. Although so engrained in the regional consciousness now, the pattern was only invented between the wars. The five black stripes represent the dioceses of eastern Brittany, the four black ones those of western Brittany. The earlier flag is a complete opposite of the cornish flag of St Piran.

E is for

This is one of my favourite words... but you will see why.

E is for Eglos which is Cornish for Church, and the Welsh equivalent is eglwys

There is a village called Lanteglos (actually there are two of them one at Fowey the other at Camelford) and it is the latter that this entry comes from :

Lanteglos church stands in a small valley south west of Camelford. Today there is no sizeable settlement surrounding the church and its relative isolation may indicate an earlier mediæval monastery site superseded by the Domesday Manor of Helstone whose former deer park lies to the south of the church.

This possibility is also supported by the earliest recording of the name as “Lantegles” in 1272. The name is Cornish and contains the elements nans “valley” and eglos “church”. The church also sits within 130 acres of glebe land which historically would have provided the church with income from the rent and tenure of its land. There is a holy well nearby along the Camelford road to the north east.

The equivalent Welsh version of Church in the valley is Cwm-yr-Eglwys which is a small village in Pembrokeshire. The old church has been virtually destroyed by the sea, but a small part of the wall remains and occasionally in stormy weather is further attacked by the sea.

D is for

I am finding this A-Z challenge very interesting.. which is the word for today

The cornish translation of interesting is didheurek, while the Welsh equivalent is diddorol

Someone described Cornish to me as the Welsh language spoken with a west county accent and so far there appears to be some common roots between the two languages. Not a great surprise as the celtic languages will have roots in common, but it is interesting to see how it develops in the future.

C is for

Chi or Chy, is Cornish for House,

tŷ is the Welsh equivalent... not too distant I think... 

When we were choosing a name for the house down here at the Edge of the World, we considered Chi/y Agan as it is a frequent naming convention down here... What really swung it for us was that Tre is Home... whereas Chi/y is house... and we felt that our home was better than our house...

I was lucky enough to find a web site on line, that offers online information on cornish names/pronunciations and meanings... improved my knowledge of the language and culture immensely. 


A bonus today, meanings of cornish town names... 

Camborne = Curve of the hill
Camelford - Curved river + ford
Carbis Bay - Cart bridge + bay
Cardinham - Hill fort
Carnkie - Dog carn
Carrick Roads - Rock anchorage
Chacewater - Stream in the hunting grounds
Charlestown - Named after Charles Rashleigh
Cubert - St Kubert
Cury - Priest's name (Corentyn)

It makes me want to visit them.. well apart from Camborne which I go to fairly frequently.

B is for

The cornish word for Bread is  Bara and funny enough so is the welsh.. the roots are well founded in the celtic language for them both to use the same translation.

While the Welsh have a teabread called Bara Brith, the Cornish have a tea bread called Bara Saffron and the recipe is given below; the saffron adds something to the bread giving it a lovely flavour and is nice served with some butter.

ingredients

makes two 1 kg (2 lb) loaves

1/2 tsp whole saffron filaments
150 ml (1 1/4 pt) water, warmed to blood heat
300 g (11 oz) currants
100 g (4 oz) sultanas
65 g (2 1/2 oz) candied orange and lemon peel, chopped
140 g (5 oz) plain flour, sifted
50 g (2 oz) caster sugar
150 ml (1/4 pt) milk, warmed to blood heat
20 g (1 oz) (scant) fresh yeast
375 g (13 oz) strong plain flour
5 g (1 tsp) salt
pinch ground nutmeg
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch mixed spice
75 g (3 oz) butter
75 g (3 oz) lard

for the glaze

30 g (2 tbsp) sugar
15 ml (1 tbsp) milk

method

1. Dry the saffron filaments in a hot oven for 5 minutes, then crumble them into a cup filled with the hot water and leave to infuse while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Place the dried fruits and peel in a large bowl and set it in the warm, switched-off oven to heat through.

3. Make a Yeast Sponge Batter with 140 g (5 oz) plain flour, 10 g (2 tsp) sugar, the milk and yeast; beat well, cover and leave to rise and double in bulk.

4. Sift the strong flour with the salt and spices into a large bowl. Cut in the butter and lard and rub to a crumb texture. Mix in the rest of the sugar. Make a well in the centre and pour in the yeast batter and saffron liquid. Draw in the flour mixture and beat into a soft dough. Mix in the warmed fruits and blend thoroughly until the dough is shiny and shows large air bubbles.

5. Cover the bowl with a floured cloth, stand it in a warm place and leave to rise until it doubles in bulk, which may take as long as 2 hours.

6. Knock back the dough and knead for a moment or two, then divide it equally between two lightly greased 1 kg (2 lb) loaf tins. Pat into shape and leave to rise for up to 1 hour more until risen almost to the top of the tin. Bake immediately in the hot oven at 220°C (425°F) Gas 7 for 30 minutes.

7. As soon as they are removed from the oven brush the loaves with a warmed mixture of 30 ml (2 tbsp) milk and 15 g (1 tbsp) sugar. Leave in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out to cool on a wire rack.

8. Serve saffron bread as soon as it has cooled. You may like to freeze one loaf while it is still warm.

Saturday Satire : The Receptionist

A man near retirement age had an appointment to see the urologist for a prostate exam. Of course he was a bit on edge because all of his friends have either gone under the knife or had those pellets implanted..

The waiting room was filled with patients.

As he approached the receptionist's desk, he noticed that the receptionist was a large, unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler. He gave her his name.

In a very loud voice, the receptionist said, “YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME HERE; YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?”

All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at him, a now very embarrassed man. But as usual, he recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied, "NO, I'VE COME TO INQUIRE ABOUT A idiot CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS.”

'Nuff said!

A is for

I decided to enter the blogging challenge for April but put a twist on the challenge by producing an A to Z of the Cornish language.

Agan = our

Hence the house being called Tre Agan, or Our Home.

Cornish shares a fair number of words with Welsh and has been described as being Welsh spoken with a west country accent although certain word combinations are definitely different between Cornish and Welsh.

However in this case, the welsh for our is ein so there is no common link there.

Sunday's post will be B