Purple and Grey... Mount's Bay.

In terms of early morning walks, there is nothing more 'agreable' - for the want of a better term - than the stroll over from Penzance to Mousehole via Newlyn, going from one town to the other along the seafront that stretches out in front of the vast expanse of Mount's Bay, before winding your way around the coast towards the little village that Welsh poet Dylan Thomas described as 'the loveliest village in England'.

Without fail, my eyes are instinctively drawn to look for the perfect pebble or stone along the beach at Wherrytown - specimens of speckled, smoothed granite perfection resembling mishapen seagull eggs...

Whatever the weather, the views are always dramatic and timeless in their beauty, which invariably seems to be a study in slate grey and silver, although this time there were touches of gentle mauve and vibrant purple...

The hydrangeas at Mousehole were the same soft colour as the ruffled poppies along the roadside allotments. This made a pleasant contrast with the typical blue variety of Cornish Mophead.

Despite the frequent showers of rain of varying intensity - I invariably get drenched during one walk or another ! - the climate is mild enough for all types of flowering plant to survive and thrive in the region...

But with or without the seasonal flowers, the seascape is ever-breathtaking, and strangely peaceful in its vastness with the early morning fishing boats skirting the coast, leaving a trail on the surface of the water as the seabirds trace across the skies above them...