All there is to know about Davidstow
As reported recently, Tremail based artist Kasia Turajczyk is currently exhibiting some of her paintings at Camelford Gallery. Ms Turajczyk is an extremely versatile artist who draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources, resulting in very different styles of painting as can be seen from the pictures below.
Yesterday afternoon was extremely wet in Davidstow and the rest of North Cornwall, as we reported on Twitter:
This morning the after effects are still affecting our beaches, as can be seen via the Surfers Against Sewage Safer Seas Service map:
Currently Bude and Widemouth Bay still have green ticks, but a bit further south there are numerous sewage pollution alerts from Polzeath down to Newquay and beyond.
We commented yesterday on the current outbreak of Covid-19 cases further west in Cornwall than Davidstow, and suggested that the cause may be the recent G7 Summit in St. Ives, which finished on Sunday.
Here is yesterday’s map:
Together with a “heatmap” showing the age distribution of cases across Cornwall as a whole:
The far right of the image suggests that during this so called “third wave” of Covid-19 cases, the 15 to 24 age range has been the hardest hit. Possibly that’s because this section of the population has yet to be vaccinated?
The official data for June 10th have also just been released, and this is how the latest map looks:
Truro, Redruth and Mevagissey are no longer pure white, as they were on June 9th. A total of 27 cases in St. Ives doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s an enormous percentage increase on the previous 7 days.
Watch this space!
The swell was onshore and the wind was light and sometimes offshore along the North Cornwall coast on Sunday 13th June:
Hence we headed to the coast for an afternoon bodyboarding session at Watergate Bay, which also allowed us to wave goodbye to some of the global leaders departing these shores at the conclusion of the 2021 G7 Summit:
Here are some views I recorded out in the surf:
Here are some more we took on the beach:
We also created a sand art message for (probably brief) posterity, albeit invisible to those high above us:
Meanwhile according to The Guardian:
The G7 summit ended with rich nations reaffirming their goal to limit global heating to 1.5C, and agreeing to protect and restore 30% of the natural world by the end of this decade, but failing to provide the funds experts say will be needed to reach such goals.
Boris Johnson badly needed a successful G7 deal on climate finance to pave the way for vital UN climate talks, called Cop26, to be held in Glasgow this November. Climate finance is provided by rich countries to developing nations, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of climate breakdown, and was supposed to reach $100bn a year by 2020, but has fallen far short.
Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace, said: âThe G7 have failed to set us up for a successful Cop26, as trust is sorely lacking between rich and developing countries.â
Without stronger commitments on climate finance, Johnson will face an uphill struggle in getting support for any Cop26 deal from the developing world, who make up the majority of countries at the UN climate talks and who will make or break any deal there.
The prime minister was left to re-announce previously allocated cash, in the form of a ÂŁ500m blue planet fund for marine conservation, already set out last year, while the other G7 members refused to stump up funds. About $2bn is to be provided to help countries phase out coal-fired power generation, but it is not clear whether this is new money.
This morning two members of Ocean Rebellion disguised themselves as Boris Johnson and a petrol can and set fire to a boat on Marazion beach:
According to the accompanying press release:
The action was part of an ongoing series of protests leading up to the G7 summit to be held nearby, featuring Boris Johnson sharing intimate quality-time in Cornwall with a Fossil Fuel Buddy. The celebrity pair were seen sitting on deck-chairs as the sun rose and a boat burned in the bay, billowing black smoke, across its sail inscribed âYour Childrenâs Future.â
Protestors say the scene represents the UK governmentâs total lack of purpose to do anything to combat the catastrophic climate change, ocean acidification and biodiversity loss that will devastate all our futures and leave a dead ocean for future generations. Ocean Rebellion members say the UK government must make the ocean a priority at the G7, and want politicians to distance themselves from the fossil fuel industry. They demand all governments cease subsidies to shipping and begin to tax shipping fuel. They demand the fleet is furloughed until a full and open investigation of world fish stocks is completed, with all fisher folk to receive full pay using a tax on commercial shipping fuel. Ocean Rebellion members say the UK government must make genuine action on climate & nature the priority at the G7. The time for posturing is over.
Sophie Miller of Ocean Rebellion said: âCountless young people have already decided not to have children because the future they will face is simply too hard. With extreme weather already afflicting many people, crop-yields are failing and food shortages are leading to conflict, forced migration and famine. Our disregard of the Ocean has led to a catastrophic decline in fish stocks, with many crucial habitats totally destroyed.â
Rob Higgs added: âThis is an emergency. Ocean Rebellion is appealing to the G7 to wake up, join the dots, and take immediate action: Marine habitat destruction is causing elevated levels of atmospheric CO2. For instance, UK bottom trawling dragging heavy weights along the seabed to catch fish] generates emissions equivalent to 13% of UK terrestrial emissions.â…
According to a new article on her web site Tremail based artist Kasia Turajczyk is currently exhibiting some of her paintings at The Camelford Gallery:
I am back to the active and creative part of myself. I am back at my studio. The weather is getting better, warmer. I am back in front of the easel and back at my drawing desk.
I have delivered a few old and new paintings to The Camelford Gallery, in the centre of Camelford at 23 Market Place.
The gallery is full of exciting paintings in oil, acrylics, watercolours, drawings, graphics and prints. If you are in Cornwall at the moment or planning a holiday this year, you should try hard to visit the gallery.
Kasia concludes by saying:
It doesnât have the usual holiday-like-boats-trashy-images. If you seriously appreciate quality art, The Camelford Gallery is the perfect place for you.
I’ll try to translate that for you. If you’re visiting Cornwall and you want to buy pictures of fishing boats bobbing up and down on a cerulean blue ocean then go to St. Ives, preferably before or after the forthcoming G7 Summit at Carbis Bay. However if you fancy some more substantial artistic fare then come to Camelford instead!
By way of example, here is one of Kasia’s water colours with a bit of blue in the background:
Just over a month ago we reported that North Cornwall had experienced a very dry April. Today we are compelled to report that North Cornwall has experienced a very damp May!
Here once again are the weekly UK maps from the Environment Agency:
Here too is the last four weeks rainfall record from the EA’s automated rainfall monitoring station 47144 near Otterham:
On the first day of June 2021 the sun is shining brightly overhead and we haven’t had any rain for a few days now. Long may that continue!
However every cloud has a silver lining. This year Crowdy Reservoir is almost full to overflowing, unlike in May last year:
