Beyond the Beauty: Tales of Cornwall

Helston and Loe Pool

Everyone knows that Cornwall is a place of beauty, magical coves and a sub-tropical climate – [beware this last bit, think warm and wet jungle rather than lying on a beach sipping cocktails!] But Cornwall also has a very proud history and heritage that is also well worth exploring….not to mention a bucket load of myths and legends!

I was born and raised in the small market town of Helston, ‘gateway’ to The Lizard Peninsula. It’s a modest town with a rich history. Maybe you’ve heard of the Floral Dance? Yep, that Helston. For those who don’t know, Helston is ‘famous’ for it’s welcoming of Spring festival known as Flora Day. Adults and children alike take part in several formal dances through the streets during the day, led out by the band playing the Floral Dance tune (made famous by Terry Wogan back in the day!!). The dancers dress up, the spectators line the streets, the band take a deep breath, and away we go from around 7am in the morning until the pubs shut in the evening. Street performers re-enact tales of good versus evil whilst waving branches of greenery and sycamore in the Hal-an-Tow, too many pints of the local ale Spingo are consumed, and general mayhem and merriment flows through the fair.

I digress, this blog post is about some of the lesser known tales of Helston, or rather of it’s nearby fresh water lake, Loe Pool. At the bottom of the town of Helston, there is a walk that joins the town to Porthleven on the coast. The area is known as Penrose and passes alongside Loe Pool before going out to the coast – with the coastal side culminating in a sand bar. Loe Pool has a circumference of around 8 miles and is the largest natural lake in Cornwall. It is home to loads of wildlife and is a popular local beauty spot with walkers, runners and cyclists.

But it is also packed full of local legends, including the sinister tale that the pool claims a life every 7 years. I remember being fascinated (and a little scared) by this as a teenager and, unfortunately, there have been quite a number of drownings both accidental and suicidal in and around the pool over the years. Some of these can be attributed to the particularly treacherous section of sea at the sand bar and, despite warning signs on the beach, do continue to happen.

The Pool is said to have had a plane crash into it with the loss of two airmen, and there are tales that a Spanish galleon laden with coins was thrown into the pool over the sand bar in a particularly ferocious storm, but, to be honest, there’s barely a beach on this coast that doesn’t have a similar story of Spanish gold attached to it! It has also been suggested that the Barnes-Wallace bouncing bomb was tested on the Pool too, although I’m not sure there’s any actual evidence of this.

To bring us back to Helston, Flora Day, and more specifically, the Hal-An-Tow, we need to mention that mythical mainstay, the dragon. It is fabled that the tradition of Hal-An-Tow began with a dragon. The people of Helston (known as Helstonians) were one day alarmed to see a dragon flying towards their town (well, you would be, wouldn’t you!) breathing fire and threatening to burn them all to a crisp. In an attempt to escape the fiery beast, they ran towards the surrounding countryside, and as luck would have it, the dragon plopped itself into Loe Pool and extinguished his fire. Phew!

As you can probably tell from this snapshot, there is no shortage of myths and legends in this area. Watch this space, I’ll be adding to this taster in the future.

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Thank you for being here 🙂

An artist? Me????

A year or so ago, whilst getting into the stride of the original lockdown, I decided it might be fun to be brave and set up a website to sell some of my coastal photos as prints. I didn’t think too hard about it, it just felt like a time of change and so, maybe, I should take advantage of that and try something new – I like to find positives in as many situations as I can!

I spent some time researching costs, choosing photos and ultimately designing and setting up my website, www.seethecalm.com. What I didn’t plan for was what now seems to be something of an artistic journey of discovery, and a real opportunity for some personal growth. You see, despite loving photography, taking a tonne of photos and continually learning about my craft, I had never once considered myself an artist. It wasn’t until an actual artist referred to me in this way that I started thinking about it. Am I an artist?? Do I create art? Subconsciously, I must believe I create art, after all, I set up an online shop expecting other people to decorate their walls with my photos, but any conscious thought about being an artist feels a bit weird….hard to reconcile with what I’d always believed – I am not the arty one. But, maybe I am…..not only do I take photos, but I also write songs, and I’ve even attempted to write a children’s story about Cornish smugglers! I’m always scribbling down potential song lyrics and giving voice to inanimate objects……hang on a minute, could I actually be a bit creative?!

For those who follow me on Instagram or know me in person, you will likely know that I am a scientist. And I think I’ve always assumed, or been led to believe that science and art are mutually exclusive, that they are at opposite ends of a spectrum and never the twain shall meet. Whether that comes from me, or somewhere else, I can pinpoint the time when I subconsciously, at least, chose science over creativity – when choosing my A’ Levels. You see, as my English teacher at the time put it on my school report that year (with more than a little hint of sour grapes, since I was a good student), “……even though Clare has chosen science over English….”. I had made my choice! It of course wasn’t quite so black and white as that, but I knew I wanted a career in science. It turns out that the branch of science I now do is very much a mixture of science and English since I research and write scientific papers (I think that English teacher might be quite pleased with that!). And although this may not be a popular thought amongst some of my fellow practitioners, I think my scientific discipline is actually a good mix of science and art.

So, maybe I have the odd creative bone in my body and, therefore, maybe I have a creative voice that needs exploring? I hope to explore it a bit through this blog and see where it all leads me…..if you’d like to join me, that would be awesome 😊

2020: An Unwelcome Odyssey

Well 2020 has been impossible to ignore! It has been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone and a physical rollercoaster for many. It has been a year that has changed us, I hope for the better and I hope forever, but I am an optimist! One thing it has done, is bring us together, we may have been in separate boats, but we’ve all been bashed around by the same tides of change.

It has led to amazing scientific and medical breakthroughs in a ridiculously short period of time, thanks to everyone working against a common enemy – this time last year, we didn’t even know that this particular virus existed, today, in the UK, the NHS are administering the first vaccines against it, as I type! This is incredible, and although not a miracle cure, is a bloody amazing achievement for humankind.

Despite the backdrop of a global pandemic that has side-swiped all our lives, I hope you have found pockets of positivity and joy. For me, these have included:

Getting to home-school my son, which as well as being frustrating was actually extremely rewarding!! And I believe it actually helped him academically

Spending much more time in the garden watching the wildlife – learning which birds visit our garden regularly, discovering we have a little tribe of hedgehog visitors and now seeing the squirrels scuttling back and forth every morning

Realising more how I want to spend my time – less rushing about, more taking pleasure in strolling through the countryside with my family, exploring places we’ve not been before.

And this year feels like a turning point for my photography. I’ve set up a website to sell prints, and I’ve sold some! I’ve watched many online tutorials and seminars about photography and Photoshop and learnt some new skills. And this week, I’ve had one of my favourite photos of the year published in Amateur Photographer magazine – a big deal for me!

The negatives of 2020 are easy to find and require no thinking about, but what are your positives? What have you learnt through this year that you can carry on when the world gradually gets re-started again (hopefully!)? What are you grateful for?

Thank you for reading this blog this year and I’ll see you in 2021.

Best wishes and stay safe.

Clare x

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Hello Autumn (farewell summer)

I LOVE Autumn.

It’s my favourite season, plus it’s the best season for getting great photos – the golden leaves, the crispy grass, fabulous light for portraits and backlit shots for a much larger part of the day. Those colours – WOW.

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” – John Keats

So, I am very much looking forward to getting out and grabbing a few Autumnal photos very soon.

For now, I’m looking back at some of my summer memories, and I took A LOT of photos!

Plenty were taken at home – home schooling, nature in the garden, water fights – all capturing wonderful memories during a weird time. And there were many nature walks…

And eventually, I got to go home to Cornwall and get some photos of the beach. I am currently working my way through them – there are a lot to edit! Here are some of my favourites so far…

So farewell Summer and hello Autumn. I’d better get the rest of my photos sorted before I take a load more through the next few weeks!

Have fun, stay safe,

Clare x

www.seethecalm.com

Phoenix from the flames

A global pandemic, worldwide lockdowns, everything changing in the blink of an eye….2020 definitely had strange plans for us. Plans that have turned our world upside down.

Early on in this rapidly evolving situation, along with many others, I was struggling with the fear. But as soon as we were locked down, I knew I had to try to find positives. So I focused on my child and how we could make this a time to remember for good reasons (I also stopped looking at any news, to make this easier!)

Intentionally moving the camera a bit can create beautifully relaxed pictures

I tried to make home schooling fun….although my patience and energy definitely waned as the weeks went on! We spent a lot of time in the garden looking at nature and growing flowers and vegetables. Inevitably, we spent much more time in the house than normal.

We were supposed to see my family in Cornwall at Easter, so I missed my fix of the sea (we did get to go in August, see my previous blog post). But whilst thinking about this, I looked at some of my seaside photos. Could I bring the sea to me if I had them professionally printed?

Intentionally moving the camera can also give more painterly effects

The answer was yes! I immediately saw that those sea feelings could be brought back with the right scene. So I started thinking if the same could work for others? Could I bring the same feelings of calmness, joy and memories of times by the sea into other people’s living rooms.

So I set up my own website for selling prints of the sea, beaches, beach huts and general seaside feelings. I really wanted something positive to come out of this year, and this was my phoenix from the flames. My very own website showing the world some of my favourite photos.

Let me know any positives you’ve taken from the topsy turvy year that is 2020.

And if you’d like to see the website, it’s at www.claremcewenphotography.com I’ll be adding more photos very soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Stay safe.

Clare x

Emotional return home to Cornwall

We finally got to go to Cornwall to see my family last week. This was our very delayed Easter break, I guess, but we got there! The global pandemic may have screwed up everyone’s plans, but to finally be able to see my family was fantastic.

Cornwall is still home. I may live my everyday 100s of miles away, but Cornwall is still home. And Cornwall provided! Quiet coves, rocks to climb, the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore, rock pools, pretty stones, limpets, anemones, shells, plenty of photo opportunities, and food for the soul.

Seeing my family was lovely and we had a brilliant time, but it’s a weird feeling when you’re physically distancing from your sister because she’s not in your social bubble! We wore masks when in the car together! Aside from the ‘interesting times’ we’re living in, it was a pretty perfect visit. We found coves and walks we’d never been to before, the weather was pretty perfect for exploring (not too hot, not blown into the sea by the wind 😂), and we avoided the busy tourist areas. In short, we had one of our best mini breaks down there, despite it being the bonkers year that is 2020!

It’s always a wrench leaving home. Not just leaving my family, but leaving the sea, the sand, the sea air, that freshness that only sea air can provide. That sense of history from a childhood growing up there, the memories that make me smile or give me a twang of pain. The friends that I rarely see, but still love dearly. The waves crashing on the shore etc etc.

But I’m so grateful that I got a few days at home at this time. And I do feel refreshed from it. Oh yeah, and I did find that “Paris pigeon” photo I talked about in my last blog post – and it’s a whole lot worse than my memory of it 😂

So where’s home for you and what do you love about it?

And let me know if you want to see the Paris pigeon, it’s not art, but it’s a wonderful memory.

Stay safe

Clare x

Photography and me – a meandering journey

I can’t believe it, but I’ve just launched my very own website, selling my very own photo prints!!www.claremcewenphotography.com. I also can’t believe how long it’s been since I first picked up a camera (or how I can remember that far back 😉 ).

I think I was about 8 when my Mum bought me my first camera. A 1980s classic (I think they call it vintage now!) Halina, taking a 110 film – for those who remember the 80s, they were the cameras that were long and thin. They were great for a small budget, and performed very well for a young, budding photographer. Prior to owning my first camera, I was fascinated by our family cameras – the main one had a separate flash you attached to the top and always reminded me of an ice cube – and then there was the mighty Polaroid (which I’m lucky enough to have inherited, and it still works just fine). So, when I got my own, I was beside myself with excitement – I could take photos of anything I liked!

I was always fascinated by capturing moments in time, preserving the feelings and storing each memory we made with a snapshot – and that has never changed. And I was lucky enough that one of my first major photography trips was to Paris! I was a Brownie, and when I was 8, our Brownie Pack won a tea-making competition (very British!) that got us sent from our small rural town in the depths of Cornwall to the sophisticated city on the Seine! Ridiculously big trip for us little country Brownies, but the adventure of a lifetime. It took us several hours in a coach before we even got to Exeter airport – this was massive for us and, almost certainly, more massive for our parents!! Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was a DAY TRIP! We had to get from deepest, darkest Cornwall to Paris, and back, and have lunch there and see some sights, all in one day! We of course we not phased – we had know idea about the logistics, we just knew we were off to Paris. Anyway, we made it there, and I got my camera out. I’ll be honest, of all the dodgy photos I took in Paris, the one that mostly sticks out in my mind is my infamous (well, within the family!!), ‘Paris Pigeon’. Not the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, a somewhat filthy Paris pigeon. Oh yes, and the photo of a smiling Gendarme – I can still see his face now 🙂 Capturing moments, capturing feelings! These were the important moments to my 8 year old self – these were the memories that now very much live on even though I haven’t dug the photos out in years.

So yes, Paris was the beginning! Many family holidays, many photos, several cameras as the years went by. Then University and loads of memories of the hilarious times, the brilliant people, the outings and exploring with my new boyfriend (now my husband), all captured by the camera I religiously took everywhere with me – side note: for the younger generation, there were no mobile phones when I went to Uni….I know, how did we survive….actually, I really don’t know how we did! Next, some adventures around Europe, and more recently documenting family life with my own child – full circle really, as he is now 8 and uses my old compact digital camera!

Well, I warned you this was a meandering journey, so thank you if you’re still reading! And here I am, selling photographic prints of the seaside and of nature, and still capturing the moments. But these moments are the ones that bring me a sense of calm and well-being. They make me breathe a little deeper. They help my shoulders relax. And they make me wonder at the magic and the beauty of our natural world.

Thank you for reading.

Clare x