bark-glass-stone-sea-pebble

birch bark canoe found at enys
fused glass panel in my kitchen
gravestone in jewish cemetery in falmouth
sea at penzance
lines worn into a pebble from prisk cove

suttons of cornwall

a quick trip to penzance to drop off some work that i'd done for a friend with just enough time to scurry to the sea to watch the amazing tiers of racing waves. i could  just about see the hazy outline of st. michael's mount looking like a magical, ethereal land that could dissipate with the gentlest of breezes. there was some beautiful lichen on the rocks- the sunny ochre adding a hint of warmth to the dreary day. 

there was also just enough time for a quick visit to steckfensters- a treasure trove of wonderful curiosities, where i spied this fantastic mackerel box. the simple but striking design caught my eye so i asked if i could photograph it. although just a cardboard box it is apparently a collector's item and had a price to match. when i got home i thought i'd do some research and came across this blog called 'through the gaps' with a post on the same box. it's a fascinating blog with lots about newlyn fishing, fishing boats and sustainable fishing policies. there's also a page on contemporary newlyn artists (where i found the friend i'd gone to meet) and so continues newlyn's legacy of fishing and art.

but back to the box. all i managed to discover was this comment from a man with a big bushy beard and cap looking suspiciously like a traditional cornish fisherman :

"this is indeed a mackerel box, it held two stone [28pound] of fish. mackerel were graded by size, green coloured boxes held the largest next came medium size in orange/brown boxes and finally the smallest in blue boxes, all great quality fish."

mousehole-newlyn-penzance

mousehole

mousehole

newlyn

newlyn

penzance

i took my bike on the train and cycled in the glorious spring sunshine to mousehole. later, as the light began to fade i watched a lugger sail out of newlyn. i thought maybe i could race it back to penzance. the wind carried them speedily forward. i narrowly avoided a collision with a small child on a bmx. as i reached the promenade  i saw a tiny hazy triangle dissolving into the  distance. i looked down into the turquoise depths and watched waves collide as they bounced off the sea wall. they created underwater clouds in the dusky water.