2020 Day 298

  2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens hag Etek

De Sadorn, pajwora warn ügens mis Hedra

Saturday, 24^th October

Nag ew da an gewer hedhyw. Glaw a wra oll an jorna. Ma dowr ow resek an to gweder war nans. Ma mir discler ha deformys dhe’n wedhen a-dâl. Na vedh pres vas rag kerdhes, etho res ew dhebm cavos neppeth aral dhe wül (a-der scrifa). Martesen gwians gwlân alja bos an digolm. Bes ma dilhas lower et ow gwisgdy rag an present termyn, etho nag eus othom dhebm a wia veth môy. Thew hebma frâwk glas gwres ragam gans ow mabm nanj ew lies bledhen. Ma gwlânweyth ow türya pell – otta an keth frâwk en nawnjek cans trei ügens ha pemp. Hedna veu ow kensa pres en Kernow. Martesen my a vedn gwil diwedh dhe’n pictour gwlânek ma – pandra wra vy gwil ganjo?  

The weather today is not good. It’s raining all day. There is water coursing down the glass roof. The tree opposite looks blurred and misshapen. There won’t be a good time for walking, so I have to find something else to do (apart from writing). Perhaps knitting would be the solution. But I have enough clothes in my wardrobe for now, so I don’t need to knit any more. This is a blue jumper made for me many years ago by my mother. Knitwear lasts a long time – here’s the same jumper in 1965. That was my first time in Cornwall. Perhaps I’ll finish this woolly picture – what shall I make with it?

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

a-dâl opposite, facing

a-der apart from

deformys misshapen, deformed

digolm (m) solution

discler blurred, unclear

frâwk (m) jumper, sweater, jersey, etc.

gweder (made of) glass

gwisgdy (m) wardrobe

gwlânweyth (m) knitwear

resek to run, course, race

2020 Day 297

  2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Seytek 

De Gwener, tryja warn ügens mis Hedra

Friday, 23^rd October

Kescowethyans! My a welas pobel - pobel gwir. Agan mergh a dhros nebes vyctûal. Hy fleghes a dheuth genjy ewedh. Pe le ma’n flehes? My ell clowes levow, son an flehes, bes pe le mowns? Fatel wrüg anjei drehedhes dei? “Na ellama deskydnya! Stagys oma.” “Na ellama gweres dhis – ma drog keyn genam.” “Ottavy! Thera vy ow tedna an slynk y din. Chy a ell crambla war an stappys.” Wòja hedna e veu pres rag pel droos. “Na wra pôtya an bel e’n tû cabm! Hei a vedh kellys.”

Companionship! I saw people – real people. Our daughter brought some groceries. Her children came with her as well. Where are the children? I can hear voices, the sound of the children, but where are they? How did they reach there? “I can’t get down! I’m stuck.” “I can’t help you – I’ve got backache.” “Here I am! I’m pulling the slide. You can climb on the steps.” After that it was time for football. “Don’t kick the ball in the wrong direction! It will be lost.”

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

deskydnya to get down, descend

drehedhes to reach

drog keyn (m) backache

gweres dhe to help, aid, assist

kescowethyans (m) companionship

lev (m) voice

pôtya to kick

pres (m) time (clock, occasion)

stagys stuck, unable to move

vyctûal ~ vytel (collective) groceries

2020 Day 296

  2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Whetek

De Yow, nessa warn ügens mis Hedra

Thursday, 22^nd October

Ma lies liw teg oll adro lebmyn. Nag üjy an liwyow oll en lowarthow naneyl. Ma whennek rüdh ha melyn - pecar'a flabmow - ogas dhe’n chei. Wastys ha stryppys o an gwel bian nanj ew nebes bledhednyow, drefen thera whans dhe’n perhednek a dherevel dew chei. Na veu cübmyas dhodho.  Lebmyn ev a venja byldya üdn chei. Martesen hedna a vedh possybyl. An Governans a wrüg lôwsel an rowlys. Bes e’n vledhen ma thew an splatt gwels ha liwüs. Thew an cawlek liw deffrans – liw moy yeyn, liwyow glas ha liwyow gwer. Glas po loos, pecar’ an ebòrn, ew bernyow atal prei a-bell, ha ker leb ew gorherys gen gwedh ew bohes liwys gen rüdh. Pur rüdh ew an greun en pub spernen wydn.

  There are lots of beautiful colours all around now. The colours aren’t in gardens either. There is a red and yellow - like flames - weed patch near the house. The little field was bare and stripped several years ago, because the owner wanted to build two houses. He didn’t have permission. Now he would like to build one house. Perhaps that will be possible. The Government has loosened the regulations. But this year the patch is wild and colourful. The cabbage field is a different colour – a cooler colour, blues and greens. Distant clay waste heaps are blue or grey, like the sky, and a hillfort that is covered with trees is tinged with red. The berries on every hawthorn are very red.

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

cawlek (m) cabbage field

cübmyas (m) permission

gorherys covered

liw gwer (m) green colour

liwüs ~ liwys colourful

lôwsel to loosen

perhednek ~ perhen (m) owner

rowlys regulations < (singular) rowl (m)

wastys bare (landscape)

whennek (m) weed patch

2020 Day 295

 2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Pemdhek

De Merher, kensa warn ügens mis Hedra

Wednesday, 21st October

Pan vaner o an bestes en Kernow e’n termyn eus passyes? Dres lycklod tho an deves ha’n gwarrak oll bian ha dû, pecar’a ehenow menedh a Gembra. Deves pajar-cornek a Gernow o “maga wels avel cathes!” ha garow ew aga gwlân. "Blew a Gernow" o mar dhrog thera cübmyas dh’y wharra dres mor heb toll. Ehenow gwell a veu dres a-bera dhort Pow Densher ha pelha. Na ell gwlân dû bos liwys – bes possybyl ew dhe ûsya y liw natural. Gwlân gwydn ell kemeres  oll sortow liwyow, dhort kewny rag sampel.

What were the animals like in Cornwall in past times? Probably, the sheep and cattle were all small and black, like Welsh mountain breeds. Cornish four-horned sheep were “as wild as cats!” and their wool was rough. “Cornish hair” was so bad that there was permission to export it freely without tax. Better breeds were introduced from Devon and beyond. Black wool can’t be dyed – but it’s possible to use its natural colour. White wool can take all sorts of colours, for example from lichens.

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

cornek horned

cübmyas (m) leave, permission

deves (plural) sheep < (singular) davas (f)

drei a-bera to introduce, bring in

dres lycklod probably

ehen (f) breed, type, sort, etc. >(plural) ehenow

gwarthak ~ gwarrak (collective) cattle

pan vaner? what type, what like?

toll (f) duty, tax

wharra ~ gwertha dres mor to export

2020 Day 294

 2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Peswardhek

De Meurth, ügensves mis Hedra

Tuesday, 20th October

 Ha my ow kerdhes adro dhe’n pow, my a welas taclow nag ew da genam. Nag üjy oll an bobel ow kemeres with. Pe carr po trònk carr a gemeras darn brâs mes a’n ke? Piw a wrüg kelly mask? Ma va reb an vorr, bes nag eus chei en ogas. Rag fra eus kisten voos plastyk en gwel? A veu va whethys gans an gwens po wrüg nebonan a’s gara dhe godha?  Pandr’ew an sawarn na – pecar’a pêk glow? Ah, my a wôr! Tüs whel a bayntyas neb lin dû war lies gwern telegraff. Res veu dhodhans degea vorrow (fordhow) dhort termyn dhe dermyn. Otta an sîn: vorr degëys. 

  

As I was walking around the country, I saw things I don’t like. Not all the people are taking care. Which car or lorry took a big chunk out of the hedge? Who lost a mask? It is beside the road, but there’s no house nearby. Why is there a plastic food box in a field? Was it blown by the wind or did somebody drop it? What is that smell – like tar? Ah, I know! Workmen painted some black liquid on lots of telegraph poles. They had to close roads from time to time. See the sign: road closed.

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

bayntyas (preterite) painted < (verb) payntya

darn (m) chunk, hunk, bit

degëys closed

gara dhe godha to drop, allow to fall

gwern telegraff (f) telegraph pole

kisten (f) box

lin (m) liquid

pêk glow (m) tar

trònk carr (m) lorry

whethys blown 

2020 Day 293

 2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Terdhek 

De Lün, nawnjegves mis Hedra

Monday, 19th October

Ma’n keyn vy ort ow grevya hedhyw. Na whath, my a gerdhas warlergh ow ûsadow e’n gwelyow. De my a verkyas cappa enk blewek (na worama an hanow gwir en Kernôwek). Hedhyw my a’n gwelas arta – saw behatna ewa. Kellys ew nebes enk! Ma spôrow e’n enk. Ma’n cappa ow tyjestya y hònan terebo oll ew gellys et tien. An scavellow cronek yonk nowydh cuntellys ell bos debrys. Bes anjei ell bos ûsyes ewedh dhe liwya gwlân. Res ew anjei bos tòbmys en dowr en padel dhorn po câwdarn gwres a horn. Ma hedna ow rei liw gwernyk. Ma stòff natural aral ew vas rag liwya – rag sampel, bleus predn, kewny, kenednow onyon, mor scaw. Terweythyow ma othom a holan ewedh.

My back is bothering me today. However, I walked as I usually do in the fields. Yesterday I noticed a shaggy inkcap (I don’t know the true name in Cornish). I saw it again today – but it is smaller. Some ink is lost! There are spores in the ink. The cap digests itself until it is all completely gone. The freshly picked young toadstools are edible. But they can also be used to dye wool. They must be heated in water in a saucepan or cauldron made of iron. That gives a greenish colour. There is other natural material useful for dying – for example, sawdust, lichens, onion skins, elderberries. Sometimes salt is needed as well.  

 

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

behatna smaller (comparative of bian)

blewek shaggy, hairy, etc.

cappa (m) cap

câwdarn (m) cauldron, boiler

dyjestya to digest

et tien ~ en tien wholly, completely, entirely, etc.

grevya to bother, grieve, afflict, etc.

gwernyk greenish

padel dhorn (f) saucepan

spôrow (plural) spores (can also use spôrys)

warlergh ûsadow as usual, according to habit, etc.

2020 Day 292

  2020 Dedh Dew Cans Pajar Ügens ha Dewdhek

De Sül, etegves mis Hedra

Sunday, 18th October

 My a bernas sagh a has rag an edhyn, bes nag ew da ganjans pub ehen a has. Na vedn anjei debry has lin. Etho, otta flourys lin wheg reb an vos – gonys gans an edhyn! Has lin a gar dor ydnyal. Nag eus plansow lowr dhe wül paper po nedha lin. Story a lin ew pur hir, saw na veu herlys lin dres rag en Kernow. Gwlân deves a brovias dhe bobel a Gernow herlys dhe wül aga dilhas ha lednow. Piw a wrüg knevya an knewyow? O va ober rag den gen gweljow? An benenys yonk a wrüg nedha an gwlân gen rosellen po kygel ha ros nedha. Ha nena - pandra nessa?   

I bought a bag of seeds for the birds, but they don’t like every variety of seed. They won’t eat flax seed. So, behold sweet flax flowers by the wall – sown by the birds! Flax seeds love barren ground. There aren’t enough plants to make paper or linen yarn. The history of linen is very long, but linen fibres were not produced in Cornwall. Sheep’s wool provided Cornish people with fibres to make their clothes and blankets. Who sheared the fleeces? Was it a job for a man with shears? The young women spun the wool with a spindle or distaff and spinning wheel. And then - what next?

Deg ger rag hedhyw: Ten words for today

gweljow (plural) shears

has lin (plural) flax seed, linseed

herlys (plural) fibres < herl (m)

knevya ~ knivya to shear

knewyow (plural) fleeces < knew (m)

kygel (f) distaff

lednow (plural) blankets < ledn (m)

nedha to make thread, spin

rosellen (f) spindle

ros nedha (f) spinning wheel

ydnyal barren, waste