A visit from the blacksmith

Remember little Annie when she was born in May?



Our Blacksmith Nigel Stevens, came to Ednovean Farm today to renew Sooty and Danni's shoes and when he had finished - he and Charles set off up to the top of the farm to check the brood mares and foals feet. I followed a few minutes and circled through several fields before finding the group just behind the house. Dolly spotted me first and abandoned her efforts to supervise the inspection of Annie's feet in favour of pushing her nose towards the camera - come to think of it, she is such a curious filly we only seem to get photos of her nose!




Sneaking up on Charles and Nigel from behind the mine - that's Archie diligently following his mum April and Belle right ( due to foal in February) "hedging and ditching" for the best herbs

and finally I found them with half sisters Annie and Amie

Diva on the left

The evening sky above a mine spoil heap that was part of the workings of Wheal Neptune

All the horses came in to their nice warm stables as the sky started to look ominously dark but after a balmy day they were all content to eat their supper and retire to nibbling their haynets.

Annie with her Mum Lizzie tucking into their evening haynet as you can see Lizzie has applied a mega mud pack against the weather.

The November lottery

The view from the garden over Perranuthnoe last night



The sunset reflected in the french doors of the Blue room



..........but was this one better?




Dusk over the village from Ednovean Farm



The garden Rabbit ( no 328)



Rabbit spotting in the Italian Garden



View across the field in front of Ednovean Farm to St Micheal's Mount




Perranuthnoe this morning

The weather is always a lottery in the Autumn - general dry but this year horribly wet. Yesterday for instance was bitingly cold but a garden seat usually favoured by the cats in our little herb garden, proved to be the perfect place for our morning coffee. A surprisingly warm interlude that reminded us of those summer days not so long ago and gave us hope for the shorter days ahead. Our day slid towards a quiet sunset -golden and discreet, it was reflected in the French doors of the Blue room that has hosted so many guest for "the sunset" this year but now lays quietly empty...........until the next time of course.

A doorway to Autumn

I opened the front door to find Autumn today touching the fig trees that line the side of the courtyard with a mellow dusky hue as they gently fade towards their winters sleep. We hacked out earlier than usual this morning around the lanes passed hedgerows still spangled with berries in exquisite brightly coloured garlands, now reflected in an unconscious, mocking parody by local shops, as the Christmas decorations move from discreet half glimpsed corners to centre stage to steal our attention. And yet no artful Christmas garland can compete with the clean simplicity of the shiny swags of the brightest berries stretched across the hedgerows best admired from the steady progress of a horse back.

Today the sun swore brightly at the camera lens, confusing it into over exposed images as i laboured with the camera to capture some essence of the day. Ah well tomorrow is another day and perhaps I'll try again!



The sun looked enchanting reflecting the pump shadow on the courtyard wall - alas too bright for the camera today

The constant weather fronts this week have brought heavy rain mostly over night with the horses leaving muddy footprints as they tread reluctantly out into the fields, only to stay within reach of the sheltering hedgerows, before pleading to come back in earlier and earlier. In fact they are now gathering by 3.00 o' clock in an orderly line beside the gate, each mare with her foal positioned beside her waiting patiently according to their order of seniority Only the local surfers have enjoyed the Atlantic low that brought the rolling restless waves that have crashed in to Perranuthnoe beach below the village. Each day they can be seen winding down the tarmaced road towards the beach in a succession of vehicles, some battered some not, with their surf boards wedged beside them or mounted on roof racks, yet all with their eyes gleaming in anticipation of the seas power. Brrrrrrrrrrr!




One of the foals baby footprints in the gooey mud

Stick or treat

Celia Cohen, an animal physiotherapist paid a call today to Danilon our Spanish stallion. Celia wanted Dani to stretch his neck a little more and what better way than an apple on a stick!

First load the goody on to the stick under said stallions very nose............

make sure that you have the horses full attention......

and follow that apple

where ever it goes............Thanks Celia xxDani

yum - the best apple ever

Happy Halloween

Olley Taylor inspecting his fur coat



Happy Halloween! Olley has been washing all day to prepare for his big night out but alas the broom stick has no current MOT so we're grounded at present. Still at least the fog has lifted and tomorrow is another day.

View from the kitchen steps yesterday..........slightly foggy!

and still the crickets sing

Mares and foals at Ednovean Farm led by Archie ( See below!)

And still the crickets sing each night as I find my way across the lane in the darkness to give Lizzie and April their late night supper.
Each evening I can never resist listening for a moment to the sweet insistent pulse of the crickets song throbbing in the darkness. The eternal rasp of autumn that reminds me of childhood holidays walking home with my parents giddily late at night with the crickets music filling the night air around me. To this day the haunting melody transports me back to the magic of sea side holidays of childhood. Each night i pause and wonder if tonight the sound will not be there - if the balmy autumn has gone when the heat of the day sends the midges in clouds to dance between the sheltering Cornish banks and Sootty and Dani whisk their tails as they amble along - but no, each night it is still there - the lilting refrain hidden in the darkness.

The menacing low on the weather map looked ominous for my night time revelry but today the skies cleared after a gusty night so perhaps there will be a little more magic in the night air before we settle to winter.

The brood mares have collectively decided to live together this week, moving in together to share the top fields with the fabulous views out across West Penwith always the most sought after grazing position on the farm -although they are keeping their foals tightly to their sides at present calling them back with shrill insistent knickers if they venture too far towards "them". Archie it must be said knows something about the new arrangements - the cheeky, hapless, little boy colt, pushed his head through a five bar gate and there it stuck leaving his poor mother April metaphorically wringing her hands, as mothers have done throughout the country when small boys push their head through railing and they have to call the fire brigade to get them out. Luckily for Archie Charles came along and lifted the gate for him to wriggle free but by this time all parties had taken the opportunity to change fields through the now open gate, sweeping along with their foals behind them and so they have stayed happily mixed.


Just as the rain stopped this morning




Diva with her Daughters - Amie aged five months and Dolly aged one and a half



April and Archie

Annie and Lizzie

Some one scribbled on the sky today

Well really - some one scribbled on the sky today with a broad imperious hand, the jagged strokes of an impatient child's crayon, carving the brilliant blue with a distinctive hand.




We really didn't notice until we sat down in the garden for morning coffee under the dazzling, crystal clear morning..........



Through the garden to St Micheal's Mount

The sun set tonight in a golden glow - not the rich burning colour of a few weeks ago but with a silken restrained haze, as the year fades gently towards autumn. But welcome non the less, after a burnished day of infinite charm, as a prelude to an evening when the crickets still sing and the stars will lay bright across the midnight sky.

The sunset from our kitchen window at Ednovean Farm ( well Charles refused to go outside again!)

The floodlights this evening, catching the contours of the fountain in the centre of the Parterre