2019 Day 196

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Whetek

De Lün, pemdhegves mis Gorefan

Monday, 15^th July

 Ma supersticyon adro dhe'n jedh ma en Pow an Sowson. Gool Sen Swithin ew. (Nag ew ev sans Keltek.) Swithun a veu Epscop nanj ew moy es mil bledhen. Mars eus glaw hedhyw, hei a wra gwil glaw rag an nessa dogens (dew ügens) dedh. Na veu glaw. Üjy hebma ow styrrya dre hei a vedh segh rag dogens dedh? E vedh othom dhen a law scona po moy diwedhes. Ma nebes gwedh ow kelly aga del solabres. Eus clôwys gena whei an nowodhow? Ma lader cleves nowydh ow ladha nebes gwedh. Ma gwedhen ogas dhe'n chei vy nag ew da genam. Ev ell ladha hodna! Bes da ew an awel segh rag radn an diogow. Ma dhodhans gora segh da – ha lowr anodha. Ma'n gwelyow leun a bùsornow brâs. Ha ma barlys lowr ewedh.

There's a superstition about this day/date in England. It's St Swithin's Day. (He's not a Celtic saint.) Swithun was a bishop more than a thousand years ago. If there is rain today, it will rain for the next forty days. There was no rain. Does this mean that it will be dry for forty days? We will need rain sooner or later. Some trees are losing their leaves already. Have you heard the news? There is a new pestilent disease killing some trees. There is a tree near my house that I do not like. It can kill that! But the dry weather is good for some of the farmers. They have good, dry hay – and plenty of it. The fields are full of big bales. And there is plenty of barley too.

2019 Day 195

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Pemdhek

De Sül, pajerdegves mis Gorefan

Sunday, 14^th July

Pandr'ero whei gweles mes a'gas beister? Da ew genam mires orth an edhyn ow tebry has. Saw terweythyow ma lader ha ma'n edhyn ow voydya. Piw ew an lader? Gwywer loos ew – lappyer (acrobat). Ev ell cregy awarra dhe wòles gans y ewines ha besyas troos rag drehedhes an has. En Truru me a welas best aral mes a'n veister kyttrin. Nag ew best gwir. Re vrâs ew. Thew sart. Rag fra ma sartes cowrek war vorr a-dro? Drefen bos whans a'n cita dhe vos caradow gôdhvownans. E'n gwelfos hebma ew an termyn rag cosyergh dhe devy kern nowydh. Ma loor leun. Gelwys ew hei “Loor Cosyorgh”. (Hei ell bos creiys “Loor Daran” ewedh.)

What do you see out of your window? I like watching the birds eating seeds. But sometimes there is a thief and the birds go away. Who is the thief? It's a grey squirrel – an acrobat. It can hang upside down by its claws and toes to reach the seeds. In Truro I saw another animal from the window of a bus. It's not a real animal. It's too big. It's a hedgehog. Why are there giant hedgehogs on a roundabout? Because there is a desire for the city to be wildlife friendly. In the wilderness this is the time for bucks to grow new antlers. There is a full moon. It is called a buck moon. (It can also be called a thunder moon.)

2019 Day 194

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Peswardhek

De Sadorn, terdhegves mis Gorefan

Saturday, 13^th July

 Dororieth Kernow ew pur dhe les – deffrans ha diblans. Kernow ew leun a veyn. En termyn eus passyes tho men a vern dhe economy Kernow – thera meur a balweyth ha whel en lies mongleudh kyllas, elven ha growan. (Ma le anodhans lebmyn). An ehen a ven kevys en-dadn-dhor ew dastewydnyes e'n derevyansow a-wartha. Stoff stenys a-bris hag erel ha ensamplow moon teg o kemerys dhe ves (gwrewgh visytya an withva en Truru), bes ûsyes o an remenat dhe dherevel treven ha keow. Radn an men rag byldya a dheuth dhort mongleudhyow, bes ran a veu cuntellys dhort gwelyow. Ma othom a skians dhe wil ke. Ma gis deffrans keffres ha meyn deffrans en tiredhyow deffrans a Gernow. Nebes growan a veu trehys orth musür.

The geology of Cornwall is very interesting – different and distinctive. Cornwall is full of stones. In the past stone was important to Cornwall's economy – there was a lot of mining and working in many slate, elvan and granite quarries. (There are fewer of them now). The type of stone found under the ground is reflected in the constructions above. Valuable tin ore, etc. and beautiful mineral specimens were taken away (visit the museum in Truro), but the remainder was used to build houses and hedges. Some building stone came from quarries, but some was picked up from fields. Skill is needed to make a hedge. There are different styles as well as different stones in different regions of Cornwall. Some granite was cut to measure.

2019 Day 193

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Terdhek

De Gwener, dewdhegves mis Gorefan

Friday, 12^th July

Ma lowarth pur rond e'n cres Crantock. Ew hebma plen an gwary? Nag ew. Re vian ew – nag eus spas lowr etto rag performansys dramatek – rag na gwariers nan miroryon. Garth po clôs ew – ûsyes en termyn eus passyes rag bestes gellys dhe stray dhort an tir kevradnek en ogas. Res veu dhe'n berhednyon rei pemet dh'aga lôwsel. Treveglos pur dhe les ew Crantock. Ma eglos sacrys dhe Garantoc (devedhys war alter neyjys). Eglos collej a-bris o an eglos (pecar'a Glasney). Ma fenten sans dhodho ewedh. Thera dhe'n dreveglos ma benyn Duw (Ambrusca Sans an Werhes) ha ma fenten sans dhedhy reb an vorr dhe'n treth.

There is a perfectly round garden in the centre of Crantock. Is this a playing place? No, it's not. It's too small – there's not enough room in it for a dramatic performances – for neither players nor watchers. It's an enclosure (a pound) – used in the past for animals that had strayed from the nearby common ground. The owners had to pay a fine to release them. Crantock is a very interesting churchtown. There is a church dedicated to St Carantoc (who arrived on a floating altar). The church was an important collegiate church (like Glasney). He also has a holy well. This churchtown had a woman of God (St Ambrusca the Virgin) and she has a holy well beside the road to the beach.

2019 Day 192

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Dewdhek

De Yow, üdnegves mis Gorefan

Thursday, 11^th July

Ma lies tra en Kernow nag ew kevys en telher aral veth. Emesk anjei ew plenys an gwary. Plen an gwary ew gwariva dhiblans ha deffrans. Nag ew chei an gwary drefen nag eus derevyans veth. Plen an gwary ew leur (spas) kern pur vrâs. (Saw Gwennap Pytt nag ew plen an gwary, keth ew brâs ha kern.) Ma dew anodhans dien ha gwithys etta (en ta), an eyl en Lanust hag y gila en Lanberan. Martesen ma deg ol po remenat warn ügens en teleryow erel. Gwariow a-dro dhe'n grejyans a veu performyes ettans – martesen thera dhe bub plen an gwary y wary merkyl y honan a-dro dhe vownans y sans moyha kerys. A-bris o anjei en termyn eus passyes rag an tavas ha'n bownans gonisegeth Kernow. Whei ell redya moy adro dhodhans e'n lever marthys ma gen Will Coleman.

There are many things in Cornwall that are not found in any other place. Among them are playing places. A playing place is a distinctive and different theatre. It is not a playhouse because there is no building at all. A playing place is a very large circular space. (But Gwennap Pit is not a playing place, though it is large and round.) There are two of them complete and well preserved, one in St Just and the other in Perranzabuloe. Perhaps there are thirty traces or remnants in other places. Religious plays were performed in them – perhaps each playing place had its own miracle play about the life of its favourite saint. They were important in the past for the language and the cultural life of Cornwall. You can read more about them in this wonderful book by Will Coleman.

2019 Day 191

Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens hag Üdnek

 

De Merher, degves mis Gorefan

Wednesday, 10^th July

Ma 'gan dorydhieth ha kerhydnedh godhvownans o cül Kernow enwejek (specyal) ha diblans. Agan cost, agan morreb, ew hir - hirra rag brâster an tir vel en conteth veth en Pow an Sowson. (Ha ma dhe Bow an Sowson an brâssa kemesür cost ort brâster tir en Europ.) Ma dhe nei trethow teg, porthow goskesys (killednow) ha aljow (alsyow) dramatek. Ma dhen lies bilien ha carygy ewedh, ha lohow ha leykegow. Nei ell cawas dowrow cosel ha todnow brâs. Havyjy ell gwary war drethow, neyja e'n mor, scambla war garygy, whilas creaturs bian en pollednow, crambla emann ha morsedha down. Ma lies lester, bian ha brâs, mars eus whans dhe düs mos war an dowr. Ha res ew dhen perthy cov mordardha! Nag üjy radn an havyjy nevra mos dhe'n “tû bera”. Trigoryon ell gwil oll an tacklow ma dres an vledhen, mar menjans.

Our geography and natural environment make Cornwall special and distinctive. Our coast, our seaboard, is long – longer for land area than in any county in England. (And England has the greatest coast to land area ratio in Europe.) We have beautiful sandy beaches, sheltered coves and dramatic cliffs. We have many pebbles and rocks as well, and river estuaries (rias) and mudflats. We can have calm waters and big waves.  Summer visitors can play on beaches, swim in the sea, scramble on rocks, look for little creatures in pools, climb up and go deep sea diving. There are many vessels, large and small, if people want to go on the water. And we must remember surfing! Some summer visitors never go to the “interior”. Residents can do all these things throughout the year, if they want.

2019 Day 190

 Dedh Cans Pajar Ügens ha Deg

De Meurth, nawhes mis Gorefan

Tuesday, 9^th July

Treven coth gwres a ven a'n costys ew diblans en Kernow. Lies gweyth ma mongleudh coth en ogas. En gwettha pres nag eus men moy ettans rag treven nowydh. Rag hedna nag ew treven arnowydh diblans na fella. Thens pecar'a treven oll adro dhe Bow an Sowsen. Da ew genam lies chei coth bes nag ew da genam lies chei arnowydh. Lehednow (kyllas) ell bos cregys war vosow rag gwitha an chei. Plankys predn ell bos ûsyes ewedh. Da ew genam hedna, keth ew radn anodhans payntys. Bes treven arnowydh (hag an chei coth ma) ell bos qwethys en lehednow po bordys gow. Cas ew genam plastek! Nag ew fitty rag Kernow. Nag ew da lowr. (Kenth ew ras rag tüs bohojek.)

Old buildings made of local stone are distinctive in Cornwall. Often there is an old quarry nearby. Unfortunately there is no more stone in them for new buildings. Therefore new buildings are no longer distinctive. They are like houses all round England. I like many old houses but I hate many modern houses. Roof slates (slate material) can be hung on walls to protect the house. Wooden planks can be used as well. I like that, though some of them are painted. But modern buildings (and this old house) can be clad in false slates or boards. I hate plastic! It is not suitable for Cornwall. It's not good enough. (Though it is cheap for poor folk.)