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Showing posts from October, 2018

Day Three Hundred and Three

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Trei Hansves Dedh ha Trei De Merher, üdnegves warn ügens mis Hedra. Wednesday, 31 st  October Thew Gool Halan Gwav po Nos Halan Gwav (Samhain e’n lever-dedhyow Keltek pagan coth). Ma howlsedhes o merkya diwedh hav ha’n seson trevajow ha dallath gwav. Gellys ew hanter golow an vledhen ha ma hanter tewal an vledhen o toas. Avorow a vedh Du Halan Gwav po Degol a’n Ollsens en lever-dedhyow Cristyon. An gordhûher ma ew gerys da gen flehes. Mowns o cül lugarnow dhort pompyons. Ma lies pompyon e’n shoppas. Da ew gen flehes knackya war dharjow ha leverel, “Higa po whegow!” Cowl pompyon avorow! It’s Halloween (Samhain in the old pagan Celtic calendar). Sunset marks the end of summer and the season of harvests and the beginning of winter. The light half of the year has gone and the dark half of the year is coming. Tomorrow will be All Saints’ Day in the Christian calendar. This evening is popular with children. They make lanterns from pumpkins. There are lots of pumpkins in the

Day Three Hundred and Two

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Trei Hansves Dedh ha Dew De Meurth, degves warn ügens mis Hedra. Tuesday, 30 th  October Dillas liwys rüdh ew gerys da en pub ooj istorek. Rag cansow a    vledhednyow panweyth ha crohen o liwys gen daffar gnasek (natûrel). “Madder” ( Rubia tinctorum ) lojowen a deylû coffy o gonedhys en lies teller rag hy gwreydh. (Whei ell gweles an planjow ma en Ragdres Eden ogas dhe Austol.) An gwreydh ew cloutys, golhys, sehys ha devenys. Ma odhom a gabuly gwloan nebes gwreydh en dowr (tòbm po yeyn) warbarth gen substans moon, rag sampel crey po “alum”.    Ma’n substans moon o qweres dhe herlys dhe gansynjy an liw. Clothes dyed red are popular in every historical age. For hundreds of years textiles and leathers were dyed with natural materials. Madder (Rubia tinctorum) a plant of the coffee family was cultivated in many places for its roots. (You can see these plants in the Eden Project near St Austell.) The roots are uprooted, washed, dried and chopped. Wool needs to be mixed

Day Three Hundred and One

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Trei Hansves Dedh hag Onan De Lün, nawhes warn ügens mis Hedra. Monday, 29 th  October En kidnyadh lies delen ew rüdh ha melyn gen aga materow atal. Bes pe le ma an liw glas dhort gwenton ha hav? An liw glas ew “chlorophyll” (nag ew hedna ger Kernôwek – thew dhort geryow Greca rag glas gwàdn ha delen). En kidnyadh sqwachys ew ev ha ma va o moas mes a wel. Ma remenadow a las meskys gen rüdh o cül liwyow gell ha gorm. Ma del rüdh o tastewydnya golow rüdh ha dena golow liwyow erel.  E’n barth aral, ma del gwer/glas o tena golow rüdh (ha blou/glas) ha dastewydnya golow gwer/glas. Nag eus golow howl lowr en gwav, etho ma’n del rüdh ha melyn ha gell ha gorm o codha dhe’n dor. Scon an gwedh a wra còsca.        In autumn many leaves are red and yellow with their waste substances. But where is the green colour from spring and summer? The green colour is “chlorophyll” (that’s not a Cornish word – it’s from Greek words for pale green and a leaf). In autumn it is broken down and i

Day Three Hundred

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Trei Hansves Dedh De Sül, ethves warn ügens mis Hedra. Sunday, 28 th  October En 1893, ha Edvard Munch (lymner a Norgagh) o kerdhes reb an fjord, ev a glowas üj et y bedn, dhort natûr car dre hevel dhodho. An termyn o gordhûher ha tho an ebòrn 'ga rüdh avel gooj. Ev a liwyas imach a’n üj a  natûr  na nebes gweyth, gen ebòrn cogh. In 1893, as Edvard Munch (a Norwegian artist) was walking beside the fjord, he heard a scream in his head, from nature it seemed to him. The time was evening and the sky was as red as blood. He painted an image of that scream of nature several times, with a scarlet (blood red) sky.    

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-nine

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Nownjek De Sadorn, seythves warn ügens mis Hedra. Saturday, 27 th  October E veu loor leun nanj ew teyr nos; loor leun gelwys "loor  helghor (helhyer)".  En termyn eus passyes thera res dhe helghoryon ha helghoresow dhe setha bestas ha gwitha kig kens ergh gwav.  Hedhyw ma'n gwens dhia'n noor, yeyn ew hei gen nebes kesar, bes nag o vy helhores ha nag eus whans dhebm a helghya. Ha nanj ew pajar dedh e veu dalla an Scorpion, arwodh an Zodiak. Ma dhe nebes o herens pednow bloodh dadn an arwodh ma. An dedh ma ew pedn blood o mergh wydn. Pedn bloodh lowen melder. There was a full moon three nights ago; a full moon called a "hunter's moon". In past times it was necessary for hunters and huntresses to shoot animals and store meat before the snows of winter. Today the wind is from the north, it's cold with some hail, but I am not a huntress and I don't want to go hunting. And four days ago was the start of Sc

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-eight

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens hag Etek De Gwener, wheffes warn ügens mis Hedra. Friday, 26 th  October Liw rüdh en delkyow, garednow, flourys, losow ha frûtys ew dhort “anthocyanins” en killigow. Ma sagh bian e’n cres a lies killik, leun a liw dowrek. En dowr trenk thew an liw rüdh (gwrewgh pedery a eysyl ha bettys rüdh). Po nag eus dowr trenk thew an liw purpur po glas (gwrewgh pedery adro dhe vellyon). Frûtys rüdh ew da gen edhyn – ma hebma o qweres despersans has (war aga gòlvadnas po en aga theyl). Nebes bestes a gar debry del glas – ma rüdh o cüdha an glas en nebes planjow ha rag hedna nag eus pecar dynyans. Ma moy “anthocyanins” gwres en kidnyadh. Ma hebma o rei dhen liwyow kidnyavek.   Red colour in leaves, stalks, flowers, vegetables and fruits is due to “anthocyanins” in cells. There is a little sac in the centre of many cells, full of watery colour. In acid the colour is red (think of vinegar and beetroot). If there is no acid the colour is purple or blu

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-seven

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Seytek De Yow, pempes warn ügens mis Hedra. Thursday, 25 th  October Gelwys “kensa liw” ew rüdh gen limnoryon. Na ell anjei y wil gen cabuly warbarth liwyow erel. Ma dew “kensa liw” aral. Thens blou po glas ha melyn. “Nessa liw” ell boas gwres gen cabuly warbarth dew kensa liw. Ma rüdh ha blou o cül purpur; ma rüdh ha melyn o cül rüdhvelyn po oranj; ma blou ha melyn o cül gwer po glas. An kelgh a liwyow ma ew dhort lever screfys gen Moses Harris en 1776. Ma nessa liw adall dhe pub kensa liw. Ma gwer adall dhe rüdh; ma purpur adall dhe velyn; ma rüdhvelyn adall dhe blou. En Sowsnek, gelwys ens liwyow “complementary”. Na ora vy an ger rag hedna en Kernôwek. Oll warbarth ma’n trei kensa liw o cül dû. Nag eus odhom dhe limnoryon a berna paynt dû; anjei ell y wil. Monet, lymner Frenk, a wras liwyow tewal gen liwyow kemeskys, heb dû. En imach, ma rüdh reb gwer owth hevely moy rüdh. E’n keth maner, melyn reb purpur ew moy bewek ha blou reb rüdhve

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-six

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Whetek De Merher, pajwora warn ügens mis Hedra. Wednesday, 24 th  October. Newher e veu howlsedhes pur rüdh. Golow dhort an howl ew scattrys gen podn, perthiglow ha molecûlednow e’n ayr, en gordhûher dres ehen. (Ma podn moy e’n ayr òja jorna tòbm.) Golow blou (gen tonnhesow berr) ew moy scattrys, etho kellys ew ha nei a wel golow rüdh gen tonnhesow hirra. Òja howlsedhes ma’n howl dres an  gorwel bes y wolow rüdh ell drehedhes an podn ha’n cloudys whath ha ga liwya. Nebes howlsedhesow ew moy rüdh vel erol. Yesterday evening the sunset was very red. Light from the sun is scattered by dust, particles and molecules in the air, especially in the evening. (There is more dust in the air after a hot day.) Blue light (with short wavelengths) is scattered more, so it’s lost and we see red light with longer wavelengths. After sunset the sun is beyond the horizon but its red light can still reach the dust and clouds and colour them. Some sunsets are

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-five

Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Pemdhek De Meurth, tryja warn ügens mis Hedra. Tuesday, 23 nd October. An vergh wydn vy a dheuth tre hanath (dhort Spayn). Me a vetyas genjy dhort an tren. E veu lies tra dhe dhegy. Nag ew pell dhe gerdhes dhe hy radnjy.   Pub tra a veu oll en composter. Nei a wrüg egery an daras ha pana derosa! “Pandr’ew an blas drog na?” Ah, soweth! Marow o an copart rew ha leun ova a losow ha frûtys poder. Piw ew dhe vlamya? Me ew cablüs! Me a ladhas an brichel gabm diw seythen alebma. En gwella pres, nag era kig veth e’n stiver. My granddaughter came home this evening (from Spain). I met her from the train. There were lots of things to carry. It’s not far to walk to her flat. Everything was alright. We opened the door and what a disaster! “What is that bad smell?” Oh dear! The freezer cabinet was switched off and it was full of rotten vegetables and fruit. Who is guilty? I am guilty! I switched off the wrong switch two weeks ago. Fortunately, there w

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-four

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Peswardhek De Lün, nessa warn ügens mis Hedra. Monday, 22 nd  October. Ma todnow isrüdh dhort an howl o tòbmhe an dor, dor noth dres ehen. Ma prasow noth tòbm o tòbmhe an ayr. Ma ayr tòbm o sevel emann ha gwil thermal. Nag eus lies comolen. Edhyn a gar hedna; anjei ell neyja awarha (awartha) heb strivya, scodhyes gen an ayr tòbm o sevel. Hedhyw me a welas lies golan ha dew vargas ûhel a ûham e’n ebòrn. Infrared waves from the sun warm the ground, especially bare ground. Warm bare fields heat the air. Warm air rises up and creates a thermal. There are not many clouds. Birds love that; they can soar without effort, supported by the rising warm air. Today I saw many gulls and two buzzards high above me in the sky.

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-three

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Terdhek De Sül, kensa warn ügens mis Hedra. Sunday, 21 st  October. Todnhes golow rüdh ew adro dhe seyth cans nanometer (620-750nm). Hedn’ew todnhes hir. Hirra es hedna ew isrüdh (tòbmder). Nei ell gweles golow rüdh ha edhyn ell gweles hedna ewedh. Rüdh ew liw a bris rag nebes anodhans. Ma brodn rüdh dhe rüdhek. Ha da ew edhyn debry mor/greun rüdh, ke nag ew oll mor/greun rüdh da rag debry. Scaw cogh ha bryony ew winyk. The wavelength of red light is about seven hundred nanometres (620-750 nm). That is a long wavelength. Longer than that is infrared (heat). We can see red light and birds can see that as well. Red is an important colour for some of them. A robin has a red breast. And birds like eating red berries, though not all red berries are good for eating. Woody nightshade and bryony are poisonous.

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-two

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Dewdhek De Sadorn, ügensves mis Hedra. Saturday, 20 th  October. De Sadorn eus passyes me eth dhe “Skians” ha de Merher eus passyes me eth dhe vagas art. E’n dhew guntellyan e veu cows adro dhe liwyow, ha lebmyn thera vy o pedery adro liwyow ewedh. Pandr’ew liw? Golow “gwydn” dhort an howl ew gwres a wolowow a nebes liwyow. An liwyow ell boas radnys gen glaw en cabmdhavas. Fraga endelha? Ma dhe bub liw todnhes deffrans. Cabmys ens gen glawednow ha mowns o toas mes ales. Ma dhe dodnhes berr nerth ûhel ha ma dhe dodnhes hir nerth isella. Agan lagajow ell gweles todnhesow deffrans, etho nei ell gweles liwyow. Na ell lies brodnek gweles liwyow; dall ens dhe liwyow.  Bes ma odhom dhe nei a henwyn rag liwyow. Pe hanow ew golow gen todnhes hir ha nerth isel? Ma golow pecar’a hedna o tastewydnya dhort gooj, horn coth ha mor/greun kelyn. En Kernôwek “cogh” ew an ger rag liw a wooj. Horn coth, oxîdyes dhe liw gooj, ew “gossen”. Heb mar, ma

Day Two Hundred and Ninety-one

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens hag Üdnek De Gwener, nawnjegves mis Hedra. Friday, 19 th  October.     Teg o an gewer hedhyw. Ha me o kerdhes gen an keun me a glowas gwedhen o whirny. Me a viras emann ha gweles dr’o va overdevys gen idhyow o plejowa. An son a veu lies gohien, gwenen ha gwiben, o cuntel nectar keniver onan. Me a welas ticky Düw mantel  rüdh  ewedh  (po mer morlû rüdh).         The weather was lovely today. As I was walking with the dogs I heard a tree humming. I looked up and saw that it was overgrown with flowering ivy. The sound was lots of wasps, bees and flies, each one gathering nectar. I saw a  red admiral  butterfly as well.

Day Two Hundred and Ninety

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Deg De Yow, etegves mis Hedra. Thursday, 18 th  October.   Nag ew da melwhes dhe oll an bes. Nag üjy kenifer onan o cavas an bestes na teg. Bes an enevales ma ew teg, heb dowt. Na vedn nagonan naha hedna. Ma plev (plüvednow) liwüs (leun a liw) dhe bayones gorow. Ehen a vlou ew creiys warlergh an liw war bedn, codna ha brodn an edhen ma. Blou payon ew ev – liw moyha kerys o wheger. Ha gen plev anjei ell neyja. Da ew ganjans boas clujys war tohow. Le liwüs ew an baynes venow bes hei ell neyja whath. All the world does not like slugs. Everyone does not find those animals beautiful. But these animals are beautiful, without doubt. Nobody will deny that. Male peacocks have colourful feathers. A type of blue is named after the colour on the head, neck and breast of this bird. It is peacock blue – my mother-in-law’s favourite colour. And with feathers they can fly. They like to be perched on roofs. The female peahen is less colourful, but she ca

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-nine

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Naw De Merher, seytegves mis Hedra. Wednesday, 17 th  October. Ew hebma eneval teg po ewa anwheg? Ma va o tebry flour dans lew melyn ha ma dhodho min rüdh-velyn fettow teg dh’y gorf. Pana best ew? Melwhejen ew – “Jan Jiek”! Flourys melyn ew da gen melwhes (lesyow an gog dres ehen), bes nag ew melwhes da gen lowarthers –tabm veth. Is this a beautiful animal or is it unpleasant? It’s eating a yellow dandelion flower and it has a pretty orange edge to its body. What animal is it? It’s a slug. Slugs like yellow flowers (especially marigolds) but gardeners do not like slugs – not at all.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-eight

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens hag Eth De Meurth, whetegves mis Hedra. Tuesday, 16 th  October.   De Sadorn me a welas casek coos deg reb an vorr (fordh) bes, soweth, na veu genam o hamera. Da via genam foto da a gasek coos. Hedhyw me a wrüg gweles best reb an vorr – gòdhor (godh dhor) marow. Me a glowas an edhen ha parys veu camera vy – bes na aljama hy gweles. Me a gerdhas pelha. E’n coos bian ogas dhe’n chei vy me a welas diw edhen vroas, saw me a gemeras marth. Anjei a bònyas adheragam dhe’n daras rag o hentrevoges. Payon ha paynes ens. Nag ew anjei edhyn genejek. Ma dhe gentrevek aral dew bayon ha diw baynes. Enevales dov ens – ha ballow. Lies gweyth mowns o scapya ha shindya bleujyowegy ha kibellow.        On Saturday I saw a lovely woodpecker by the road but, sadly, I didn’t have my camera. I’d like a good photo of a woodpecker. Today I did see an animal by the road – a dead mole. I heard the bird and my camera was handy – but I couldn’t see it. I walked furth

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-seven

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Seyth De Lün, pemdhegves mis Hedra. Monday, 15 th October. Da ew genam kesten. Thens o know an moyha kerys. Ma gwedhen kesten reb an vorr (fordh). Codhys ew an del gen an gwens, ha codhys ew nebes plisk – saw gwag po glas ens. Res ew dhebm gòrtos rag kesten e’n shoppas. Bes gwrewgh gòrtos! Pandr’ew hebma? Soweth, na ellama y dhebry – conker ew, teg, gell ha lentrüs, dadn wedhen kesten margh. Nag ew an del kehaval. I like chestnuts. They are my favourite nuts. There is a chestnut tree by the road. The leaves have fallen with the wind, and some husks have fallen – but they are empty or unripe. I must wait for chestnuts in the shops. But wait! What is this? Sadly, I can’t eat it – it’s a conker, beautiful, brown and shiny, under a horse chestnut tree. The leaves are not the same.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-six

Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Whegh De Sül, pajerdegves mis Hedra. Sunday, 14 th October. Gellys ew an gwens ha gellys ew an glaw. Hedhyw a veu jorna pur deg, gen howl dres nebes ourys. Termyn nos ew lebmyn ha me ell gweles lies steren en ebron heb cobmol. Me ell clowes son an mor, keth ew moy es üdn mildir alebma. Ma glouth war an gwels – thew an ayr yeyn, saw nag ew yeyn lowr rag rew. An loor e’n nos ma a vedh gwarek o cressya (saw na ellama hy gweles whath). Gone is the wind and gone is the rain. Today was a very lovely day, with sun for several hours. It’s night time now and I can see lots of stars in a cloudless sky. I can hear the sound of the sea, although it is more than one mile away. There is dew on the grass – the air is cold, but it’s not cold enough for frost. The moon in this night will be a waxing crescent (but I can’t see it yet).

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-five

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Pemp De Sadorn, terdhegves mis Hedra. Saturday, 13 th  October.   Res veu dhebm gwil ethol hedhyw. A dal vy moas dhe vetyans gen cothmans e'n bagas scriforyon ha scriforesow vy? (Nei a vett pub mis.) A via gwell moas dhe gescussullyans "Skians" (rosweyth whithrans adro dhe'n tavas Kernowek)? An scriforyon ha scriforesow a dhebatyas fatel scrifa fugieth fienasow. An whithroryon ha whithroresow a dhadhlas lies tra. Me a dhewisas Skians. Na vedh Skians moy terebo nessa kidnyadh (dres lycklod). E veu paperyow o tochya politegieth ha laha, istory, Kernowegoryon ha Kernowegoresow, gramasegow ha spellyans, omdhegyansow bedn an tavas ha gerva. I had to makea choice today. Should I go to a meeting with friends in my writers' group? (We meet every month.) Would it be better to go to the Skians conference (a research network about the Cornish language)? The writers discussed how to write suspense fiction. The researche

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-four

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Pajer De Gwener, dewdhegves mis Hedra. Friday, 12 th  October.   Gwenjek ew an gewer hedhyw, pur, pur wenjek. Ma lies gwedhen war an dor. Otta gwedhen e’n lowarth agan kentrevek. Nebes kyttrinyow a veu delatys gen gwedh codhys adres dhe vorrow. Na alja o gour hedhes y apoyntyans opticyan. E veu üdn wharvos füjik – lavalow a veu whethys kerr a avalen wyls. Me a vedn gwil cowlesen aval gwyls po, martesen, jamm gen lavalow ha limavalow glas. The weather is windy today, very, very windy. There are many trees on the ground. Here’s a tree in our neighbour’s garden.  Some buses were delayed by trees fallen across roads. My husband couldn’t reach his optician’s appointment. There was one fortunate event – apples were blown off a wild apple tree. I shall make crab apple jelly or, perhaps, jam with apples and limes.

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-three

Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Trei De Yow ew, an  ü dnegves dedh a vis Hedra. It's Thursday, the 11 th  day of October. Me a ostyas e'n radnjy o mergh wydn newher. Res veu dhedhy saval emann pur a-bres dhe voas dhe'n gorsav hens horn rag tren hanter oja seyth. Thera hei o moas dh'omweles war hy dama wydn aral en Pow Densher, ha òja    hedna dhe Spayn dhe weles hy thas. E'n gwettha pres, thera dhedhy lies daffar dhe gemeres, keffres ha hy flogh bian! Warbarth, nei a gemeras kerrik flogh, scavel carr, trog bian, sagh baby, tigen vroas ha hy croust (haunsel). Me eth war an cay rag gweres dhedhy. Nebonan e'n tren a wr ü g gweres dhedhy ewedh. Viaj da, c ü fcolon! I stayed in my granddaughter's flat last night. She had to get up very early to go to the railway station for the seven-thirty train. She was going to visit her other grandmother in Devon, and after that to Spain to see her father. Unfortunately, she had a lot of stuff to take, as well as

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-two

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens ha Dew De Merher, degves mis Hedra. Wednesday, 10 th  October. Debrys ew an scavel gronek ma. Ellama hy debry? Na ora vy. Therama pedery dr’ew hei debrys gen melwhejen. Ma lies melwhejen et o lowarth! Rag hedna, nag erama o conis losow. Gwell ew genam flourys, en neb cas. Po, martesen, an scavel gronek a veu debrys gen best aral. Ew an re ma merkys dhort dens bian? Ma medoryon ha gwyweras oll adro. Ew da scavellow cronek dhodhans? Has ew da gen gwyweras (rag an edhyn)! This toadstool is eaten. Can I eat it? I don’t know. I think it’s eaten by a slug (or snail). There are lots of slugs in my garden! Therefore, I do not grow vegetables. I prefer flowers, anyway. Or, perhaps the toadstool was eaten by another animal. Are those marks from little teeth? There are field mice and squirrels all around. Do they like toadstools? Squirrels like seeds (for the birds)!

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-one

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Dew Cansves Dedh Pajer Ügens hag Onan De Meurth, nawhes mis Hedra. Tuesday, 9 th  October.   Pandr’ew an ger Kernôwek own rag “fungus”? Thew an ger ma Latten. Ha nag üjy va o tismygya tredh tacklow a ell boas debrys ha an re na ell boas debrys. En Sowsnek thera nei o longya dhe ûsya “toadstool” rag fungus na ell boas debrys ha “mushroom” rag fungus ell boas debrys. Nag ew hedna pur skientek! Devedhys ew an geryow dhort Sowsnek Cres ha Frenkek Coth. En Kernôwek nag eus bes üdn ger dhe nei – “scavel gronek”. Nag ew hebma pur skientek naneyl. Ma dhe scavel gronek cappa ha garren, gen brynk dadn an cappa. Brynk gwydn ew diantel. Anjei ell boas winyk. Ma lies scavel gronek teg et o lowarth – bes me a vedn perna scavellow cronek rag an gegin en shoppa. What is the right Cornish word for “fungus”? This word is Latin. And it does not distinguish between this that can be eaten and those that cannot be eaten. In English we usually use “toadstool” for a fungus that cannot be