The courtyard at dusk

The courtyard at dusk here at Ednovean Farm seems to hold a special magic as the sea birds fly in groups overhead back to the coast to roost for the night and the ever busy sparrows fall silent. The heat of the day hangs dreamily in the air held in the mellow stones of the building and with it an embracing peace.

Tonight the ancient stones of the old building took on a mellow golden glow with the dieing rays of the sun as they did last night and perhaps have done for hundreds of years and I love to spend a few minutes just sitting in the this quiet place perhaps with a guttering outdoor candle and tonight we spotted a new discreet companion for a few minutes before he whisked himself away to the safety of a tree

A ring dove above our heads as we sat with a late cup of coffee

A cat can be comfortable.....

Ollie enjoying a morning nap earlier in the year

A cat can be comfortable anywhere, sublime on the oddest perch- and Ollie was pictured here by a guest enjoying the sunshine in an unlikely position soaking up the spring sunshine on a silage bale. The photo just came through by e-mail and i couldn't resist sharing Ollie's day bed selection for the day. Thank you Sue - it's a cats life!

Our vacancies for June

I thought it might be helpful for those of you planning a June break to put my vacancies up here for this month - We have a no show tonight leaving us with a vacancy for this Saturday

we do still have one four day break available this month in the Pink Room 9th,12th,13th and 14th of June sorry now reserved

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We have just had a cancellation from the 11th to the 14th of July inclusive

then in July from the 15th to th 23rd of July

for later in the month please phone

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sorry this year we are taking bookings for a minimum stay of two nights in advance

Ollie pondering his diary yesterday and he says "hope to see you soon"

A May evening

The evening light giving the courtyard a little extra magic




Through the front door

More than a taste of summer has been in the air this weekend with clear blue skies and scintillating sunshine for a perfect Bank holiday weekend. We've linger longer than necessary outside unable to relinquish the day and finally as we reluctantly drag our feet inside to stand on the flag stoned hall the mellow light of evening, through the open door, crisply touches our life and gives everyday objects new energy.

Our home the converted barn is alive with new life at the moment, the creeper at the front filled with sparrows nest, concealed deep in the verdant leaf cover and the busy starlings nestling artfully under the eaves.; the regular whirl of their wings counting out their daily routines - rather like us really.............but of course we don't have wings!


Across the valley to St Micheal's Mount from my kitchen window

My attention was caught or should I say riveted by this boat sitting unfamiliarly close to the Mount - was it on the rocks? How strange what was it doing there? My guest got up from the Breakfast table to look as well and we were all agreed "it wasn't right" But much later I read Perran lady's blog and found it to be innocently visiting the Mount....but it caused quite a stir at Breakfast time - the ever changing face of Mounts Bay

A promise of Summer

The fig trees that line our courtyard


The summer dream comes nearer



The foxgloves in the lower garden - sorry but I'm still waiting for a blue sky behind the Mount!

We parted the curtains to the smallest hint of summer yesterday, that indefinable something that promises that the season is moving to next.

The weather lady predicted a high and the pundits are already warning about the dangers of sunlight and high temperatures but still it would be nice don't you think to be transported across the continent in the comfort of our own home and find a heat wave reminiscent of the Mediterranean on our own doorsteps . But our fig trees have grown more verdant in the early promise of summer, lush with promise with tiny fruits already concealed amongst their foliage that the birds will pluck at just the right time - the dream of summer comes closer.

The early morning view down through the courtyard to the garden this morning

The blue room -shootsouthwest

Janie's shot of the Blue room

Life here in Cornwall sweeps on with the insistent quality of the tide carrying us along with its own urgent momentum with only occasional forays into the lea of the shore. But this week we were delighted to meet two talented photographers from a buzzy, young, location agency, shootsouthwest.

Janie Airey and Katy McDonnell spent part of the afternoon with us taking their reckie shots and Janie was kind enough to send through this super shot of the Blue room taken with none of the usual back up of lights and umbrellas that magazines seem to bring. it's a lovely natural image of the Blue room which we have been struggling to get for ages - Thank you Janie!

The day wouldn't be complete without an update of Annie enjoying the sunshine this afternoon!




can't quite think why it's in duplicate but still!



Or contemplating teething

Posing like a pro for the camera

The rest of the horsey photos will go on Dani's blog later

Irises after the rain

Irises under the Olive trees after the rain

Yesterdays squally day of sudden heavy showers and gales, resolved into one of those magical evenings when every rain drop becomes a jewel capturing the light. I wandered into the garden drawn by its warmth and spotted.........the baby rabbit sitting coquettishly beside Annie Henry's sculpture on our lawn, artfully positioned in a sea of daisy's and buttercups. I raced back for the camera but as soon as the little blighter sensed the lens, it was gone, vanished into thin air with a flick of its merry tail.

Undeterred, my attention was next caught by a blackbird jauntily hopping about nearby, its mouth crammed with worms and refocused the camera (ok its automatic but you know what i mean!) The dratted bird immediately fled into the shrubs.........hmm wasn't doing well here - what about the hedge that was static and the light was slanting across the avenue from the entrances to each garden room - got you - something that couldn't run away!

The hedge - due for a trim tomorrow

And then I saw it - there amongst the shadows was the rabbits brother almost invisible in the gloom. ............. a bit of cropping and here he is a rabbit

The Olive trees behind th Italian garden are underplanted with Irises and each bloom was spangled with droplets

I held my breath for as long as possible to capture the blooms but I think we need Charles back on the job tomorrow, still it was worth a try!

Walking back towards the house I tried this shot of the light coming through the self seeded fox gloves - curious how nature always knows best when planting one morning they will be very special with the blue sea behind them

A bet the gale brought some choice flotsam to the Perranuthnoe Beach for the keen Beachcomber but alas not for me it was time for tea!

The Apricot Bathroom, VAT & Cats!

The Apricot room en suite bathroom




Our new tiled "enclosure" in the Apricot bathroom






I think the final effect is serene and spa like


A curious title you may think quite rightly but then the day to day journeys of life tends to be too. Take this morning for instance, the house was in crisis - Olly had run out of his favourite brand of Cat food for which there is no known substitute. An offering of cat meat in the stables had gone a long way towards a temporary solution but with the weekend approaching and the closure of the "Cat food shop" until Monday morning, decisive action was necessary to ensure peace and harmony reined for the rest of the weekend. And so I headed for
Long Rock as soon as it was practical this morning to stock up on Ollies favourite snack. I decided on a larger that usual sack of his favourite Hill's Science Diet as the strain of failing THE CAT was definitely getting to me and I didn't want a repeat of the story sometime soon.......and then it struck me, Ollie's bag of food started life at a hefty price of £28.69 but with VAT this rose to £32.99.


The cat is paying VAT! "Ah cat food is considered a luxury item" explained the chap behind the counter - I could only gasp "Gosh - has anyone told the RSPCA"


So i decided to cheer myself up by driving back through Marazion, an excuse to steal a glance at Marazion marshes, which this morning were being whipped into a messy chop of inky water, with the elegant swans sheltering in the reed bed. From the bridge the sinuous snake of water that always reflects the sky so perfectly, never fails to enchant me as I follow the windswept original A road that runs parallel with the beach. The first sight of the mount is always stolen through a gap in the dunes and today, it was magnificent; staunch; defiant; in an awesome boiling sea. Never had it looked so magnificent to me, before the road slipped into the village proper and the polite negotiation needed to get into the village square, through the single track road. Today a coach was heading towards me, so I thought it politic pull over and pause before creeping up through the village passed the pretty cottages and old manor houses that line the route. As the summer goes on each will vie with the other for the best floral display but today it was the art gallery windows that caught my eye. Turning back off of the A394 toward Perranuthnoe village, the sea spray could be seen thrown high in the air, far beyond Mousehole at the point before I turned once more into Ednovean Lane. Well somebody had to go out for the cat food!





It hasn't been all horses this week at Ednovean Farm - we closed the apricot room for another visit from Mike of Stonwell tiles to re tile behind the bath in Travetine to match the basin. The Slipper bath couldn't come out completely as this would mean turning the water off for three days and so Mike was seen crouching in the bath dexterously applying the tiles to our irregular walls. With the birth of the foal this week, Mike got very few tea breaks to reward his labour as we beetle busily in circles but never-the-less the result is stunning with the Travetine framing the slipper bath in an elegant bath enclosure. The tiles mirroring the soft undulations of the wall but still applied with precision. A combination of respect of the spirit of the old house and fine workmanship - who could ask for more?








Wild, white horse beyond in the bay as lizzie takes her foal for a spin

click the photo to see the sea properly beyond the farm

Wait for me mum!

The wild white sea below the mount seen from Lizzie's field a Ednovean farm

A day for a mackintosh

Annie takes a milk break

Low pressure brought a blustery start to the day today but Little Annie had her new coat to keep her warm no matter what the weather did. We were strictly supervised by Lizzie, of course, as the we dressed the squirming foal in her natty little jacket, for the first time. Her little coat measures three feet precisely along the length - to put it into perspective Sooty takes a six feet six inch rug!

The grass has suddenly shot away this week and already the seed heads are starting to erupt in rippling swathes along the verges and across the fields. This evening as we brought the horses in i watched a party of sparrows picking the fresh seeds already, clinging to the swaying grasses, balancing like fearless, feathered acrobats, in perfect harmony with the breeze. And life in the creeper is hotting up here too, with a discreet cheeping announcing the hatch of several broods in the ivy, on the front of our home, while the starlings above the Stable door from the dining room, upstairs, have reached a demanding strident pitch, with parents racing backwards and forwards to meet their needs - definitely suffering from executive stress!

Dried out nicely!

The filly - stable name Annie


Well Lizzie and her new filly foal went out to the field behind the barn yesterday morning. With Lizzie anxiously nickering encouragement to her new daughter and Charles guiding her with one hand around her quarters and one around her chest, it was slow progress for the first walk but we made it. Once loose in the field, the little filly and Lizzie trotted off to explore the new world of "outside" the filly looking remarkably like a Kangaroo on speed with her knees and hocks coming up exaggeratedly high as she gambled beside her mum. After a few minutes and another tummy full of milk though, she curled up to sleep in the sweet clean grass. As you can see she has dried out to a classic, classy foal beige that i think Farrow and Ball would describe as Mouses Back but she has white hairs in her tiny curly tail (just like Danni's) so i think will be following her father to a grey coat.

Today she made a much better job of her escorted walk to the pasture and Charles was much less out of breath! Lizzie was more relaxed about the journey too. The day was too misty for us to risk the camera, with a suspicion of drizzle for most of the day, so perhaps tomorrow when she may be able to wear her natty, new, navy blue foal coat, if the rain that is forecast materialises. All the mares are lining up for most of the day to dreamily admire the new youngster over the gate but Lizzie is keeping her daughter tucked in a corner away from them so it is more a case of "Ooh look there she is, isn't she devine" from the assembled audience with perhaps a suspicion of jealousy...........and Lizzie just love being the centre of attention!

To Dani and Lizzie a daughter (ah hum filly)

First alert on our monitor and Charles reached the stables with the speed of an Olympic runner


A little help



........and ears just like Dobby



Lizzie up and supervising - she soon washed off the iodine "Modern rubbish!" she almost muttered


A perfect filly for Lizzie


Standing for the first time

Lizzie was so pleased with her new foal

Searching for the first milk

Every one needs someone to lean on

Lizzie nickered quietly to her new daughter in a soft insistent rumble as soon as she realised she had a new arrival. April shouted advice from her stable next door

At last - after a week of delays the trans-continental stork landed at Ednovean farm with a beautiful filly foal for Dani and Lizzie. The super little life that will start her journey with us is gorgeous in every way and needless to say we didn't get too much work done today. Lizzie is a natural mother washing and cleaning her new baby really carefully with particular attention to her umbilical cord and feet and then encouraging her to her feet with tiny nips. Baby foal (as yet nameless) was up and feeding very quickly, before Lizzie administered a determined bottom wash.

Our vet came to check all was well this morning and he was very pleased with her. We left them in their stable today to get to know each other and as i write mother and daughter are curled up together in the straw to rest - it's been a long day for them both........and us zzzzzzzzzzz!

Lizzie cam

Lizzie cam - we watch it all night now!



We have her under complete surveillance! (the washed out colour is caused by the infra red camera)


It was a fabulous day of scudding clouds and wild white horse chasing across Mounts bay and a day alas on which Lizzie is still yet to foal. She is looking more promising tonight though with a hint of milk on a back leg.

We finally succumbed to the strain of sleepless nights, as Charles checked her at frequent intervals and a very nice young man fitted an infra red camera above her stable for us, so we can watch her from our bedroom about her private business but we can reach her quickly if she needs us. Perhaps nights with the TV turned on, casting an eerie glow over our bedroom will come to an end very soon. It is not exciting viewing though, she seems to sleep most of the night too, only occasionally changing position from her favourite spot against that left wall to pick at her haynet for a few minutes before going back to sleep - i didn't realise that horses kept so still at night. Come on Lizzie!