2026 Day 245

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Dogens ha Pemp

De Merher, nessa mis Gwedngala
Wednesday, 2nd September

Da ew genam ow chei lies liw. Pub men ew liw deffrans. Ma monyow deffrans ettans. Dres lycklod thew men an pow, henn ew prei-kyllas, dhort mongleudh en ogas. Nabmys rüdhvelyn, rüdh, purpur ha donek ens gen hôrn. ("Last" henwys ew.) Pecar'a kyllas, ma va ow felja en gwyliow. Nag ew esy dh'y shapya glanyth (pecar'a grôwan galys). 

I like my multicoloured house. Every stone is a different colour. There are different minerals in them. More than probably it is country rock, that is clay-slate, from a nearby quarry. They are stained orange, red, purple and brown with iron. (That's called "last".) Like slate, it splits into layers. It is not easy to shape neatly (like hard granite).

Gerva Glossary

cales ~ calys (pre-SWF calish) hard

dres lycklod more than probably

felja ~ fallya to split

grôwan (f) granite

gwyliow layers, strata

kyllas (coll.) slate

lies liw multicoloured

men (m) stone, rock

mongleudh (m) quarry

monyow minerals < moon (m)

nabma to stain > va. nabmys

prei (m) mud

2026 Day 244

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Dogens ha Pajar

De Meurth, kensa mis Gwedngala
Tuesday, 1st September

Terweythyow nei a wel dew sêson en üdn jorna; hav e'n mettin a-varr ha kidnyadh e'n dohajedh. An howl isel e'n est a golôwas oll an cloudys bian, cloudys kewer vas, pecar'a hav. Moy diwedhes, my a welas an loor golôwys en ebòrn blou havek. Nag ew leun an loor na velha (henn a veu nanj ew peder nos), ma hei ow tifygya. Bès hedhyw, an kensa dedh a vis Gwedngala ew, an dalladh kidnyadh a veteorologieth. Nei a welas "cala gwedn" a-varr en mis Est e'n vledhen ma. Lebmyn, dadn skeuj an cloudys, ma mir loos dhe'n cala - pecar'a mis Dû! Nag ew an edhyn troblys gen an gewer. Pandr'ew a droos e'n gwedh? Trosüs ew an briny tre.

Sometimes we see two seasons in one day;  summer in the early morning and autumn in the afternoon. The low sun in the east lit up all the little clouds, fair weather clouds, like summer. Later, I saw the moon illuminated in a summery blue sky. The moon is no longer full (that was four nights ago), it is waning. But today it's the first day of September (the month of white straw), the first day of meteorological autumn. We saw "white straw" early in August this year. Now, under cloud shadow, the straw looks grey - like November! The birds aren't bothered by the weather. What is afoot (happening) in the trees? The rooks are noisy.

Geryow rag hedhyw Words for today

briny tre (pl) rooks < bran dre (f) < bran crow

cala (coll.) straw

difygya to wane, fail, grow less

golôwy ~ golôwa to light (up), illuminate

havek summery < hav summer

kidnyadh (m) autumn

pandr'ew a droos? what is afoot? what's happening?

trosüs noisy

2026 Day 243

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Dogens ha Trei

De Lün, üdnegves warn ügens mis Est
Monday, 31st August

Nag ew Kernow pow platt. Nag ewa goon wastys naneyl. Tiredh menedh ew, gen oll sortow nansow. Ma nebes nansow down, leun a wedh. Nans a'n par na ew henwys "glynn". Otta an "Glynn Valley" gen ponsvorr (ponsfordh) a-dreus, a-ûgh an gwedh. Ma glynn aral ogas dhe Treth Heyl. Henn ew henwys Glynn Dowrgeun. Lowarth famos ewa lebmyn. Ma va ow mos war nans dhe Dowrgeun. Eus dowrgeun kevys whath e'n dowr reb an treth? Ma bargen tir (tre) reb glynnen. Whei ell gweles nans bian en mappa, ow mos war nans dhe vrâssa coos.

Cornwall is not a flat country. Neither is it a featureless plain. It's hilly country, with all sorts of valleys. There are some deep valleys, full of trees. Such a valley is called a "glynn". Here is the "Glynn Valley" with a viaduct across, above the trees. There is another wooded valley near to Helford Passage. That is called Glendurgan. It is now a famous garden. It goes down to Durgan (a place of otters). Are there still any otters found in the river by the ferry? There is also a farm by a small wooded valley. You can see a little valley in the map, going downhill to a larger wood.

GLYNN (Glyn 1351)                                

Glynn = “deep valley” (so Glynn Valley on the map is repetition)

GLENDURGAN (mod.)                            

Glynn Dowrgeun = “deep valley at Durgan”

(glynn = deep valley, Durgan see below)

DURGAN (Dourgen 1813)                     

Dowrgeun = “place of otters”

(dowr = water or river + keun = dogs)

CARGLONNAN (Kylglynan 1327)         

Kilglynen = “ridge by a small deep valley”

(kil = back -usually a prefix, glynn + diminutive en = small deep valley) 

2026 Day 242

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Dewgens ha Dew

De Sül, degves warn ügens mis Est
Sunday, 30th August

Nakevys ew oll an tòbmder solabres - ha nag ew an glaw neppeth nowydh na velha. Nanj ew nebes seythen tho vy troblys - alja ow plansow dürya heb dowr lowr? Ma plans nowydh dhebm - cactus theram ow pedery (nag eus hanow Kernôwek dhodho) - ha lowen o hedna e'n howlsplan. Lebmyn troblys o vy arta - a vedn an cactus beudhy?

All the heat is forgotten already - and the rain is no longer a novelty. A few weeks ago I was worried - could my plants survive without enough water? I have a new plant - a cactus I think (it doesn't have a Cornish name) - and that was happy in the sunshine. Now I am worried again - will the cactus drown?

2026 Day 241

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Dogens ha Wonan

De Sadorn, nawes warn ügens mis Est
Saturday, 29th August

My a wrüg gweles an loor leun, saw na wrüga vy gweles difygyans en radn an loor. Thera an loor adhelher dhe'n gwedh po adhelher dhe'n menedh an brâssa radn an nos. My alja gweles an lòrgan. An loor a spladnas der an wedhen vrâs. Haneth en nos, na ellama gweles tra veth bès cloudys en ebòrn nos. E'n gordhûher my a welas dew eskelly-grehen münys ow neyja a-ûgh dhe'n gwedh. Wòja an glaw ma gwibes ha godhanes lowr ow neyja. Pur üskis ens - na ellama kemeres fôtôs. Eus hanow dhe'n loor leun? Loor "Styrjyon" henwys ew - saw nag eus styrjyon veth en Kernow!

I did see the full moon, but I did not see the partial eclipse of the moon. The moon was behind the trees or behind the hill for most of the night. I could see the moonlight. The moon shone through the big tree. Tonight, I can't see anything but clouds in the night sky. In the evening I saw two tiny bats flying above the trees. After the rain there are enough flying gnats and moths. They are very fast - I can't take photos. Does the full moon have a name? It is called a "Sturgeon" Moon - though there are no sturgeons at all in Cornwall.

2026 Day 240

2026 Dedh Dew Cans ha Dewgens

De Gwener, ethves warn ügens mis Est
Friday, 28th August

Ew collel lesa eneval nowydh gansenjys e'n mor adro dhe Kernow? Nag ew! Ma'n rîm ma gen Capten Noel Carter a Breanek, scrifys e'n seytegves cansbledhen, ow tisqwedhes der nag ew.  Ma moy anodhans lebmyn, ow tos dhort an Mor Cres an Doryow, drefen treylys tòbma ew an dowr. 

Is octopus a new animal caught in the sea around Cornwall? No! This rhyme by Captain Noel Carter of St Agnes, written in the seventeenth century, shows that it is not. There are more of them now, coming from the Mediterranean Sea, because the water has become warmer.

Capt. Noel Carter of St. Agnes 1698

(ha wòja en Kernowek Bew

A Mi a moaz, a mi a moaz in Goon Glaze,
Mi a clouaz, a clouaz, a clouaz, a troz, a troz, a troz, an pysgaz miniz.
Bez mi a trouviaz un pysg brawze, Naw Losia,
Olla Boble en Porthia ha Marazjowan
Ne mi ôr Dho Gan Zingy.
(Bor.MS: Nevra ni ôr dho ganzingy.)

Ha my ow mos, ha my ow mos e'n Oon Las 

As I was going, as I was going in the Blue Down (i.e. the sea)

My [a glowas] x3 [an tros] x3 an puskes münys. 

I [heard] x3 [the noise] x3 of the little fishes. 

Bès my a drouvyas üdn pesk brâs, naw y losyow. 

But I found one big fish, with nine tails.

Oll an bobel en Porthia ha Marhas Jôwan 

All the people in St Ives and Marazion

Na my na wör dh’y gansenjy.

Nor I don't know how to get hold of it.

(Nevra na wör dh’y gansenjy.)

(Never know how to get hold of it.)

Other readings of the last line are possible.

(in Borlase & Tonkin) 1698 OC Vol I (Tonkin MS)

2026 Day 239

2026 Dedh Dew Cans Nawnjek warn Ügens

De Yow, seythves war ügens mis Est
Thursday, 27th August

Ma cloudys en ebòrn. A vedh anjei whath òbma e'n nos? Da via genam gweles difygyans an loor (en radn) haneth en nos. Thera glaw nehewer ha na wrüga vy gweles an loor. Na wrüga vy clowes an glaw, bès my a welas dowr lowr e'n mettin. Thera an howl ow tastewydnya war blodnow ha'n yet gleb. Lebmyn thew an dor medhelha, ha moy esy ew rag casak coos dhe gawas moryan dhe dhebry.  

There are clouds in the sky. Will they still be here in the night? I would like to see the (partial) eclipse of the moon tonight. There was rain last night and I did not see the moon. I did not hear the rain, but I saw plenty of water in the morning. The sun was reflecting on puddles and the wet gate. Now the ground is softer, and it is easier for a woodpecker to get ants to eat.