Back to the sundial

The sunken sundial garden




Each little enclosure holds two box balls

From the Apricot room courtyard

Well back to the sundial garden that has finally taken shape after intensive care or clipping into manageable proportions. The little sunken garden in front of the apricot room's private courtyard frames a path towards a sundial that we bought to mark our third wedding anniversary. I have filled the two parterre enclosures beside the house (the back of the Blue room joining the apricot) with lavender but the two under the bank remain a mystery to me - what to do? By nature they are shadier and damper, so the lavender that thrives nearer the house would hate the moister soil, still, there already a selection of ferns have started to colonise them, so perhaps I'll let nature take her course and enjoy the contrast but wouldn't it have been romantic to fill the whole sunken garden with lavender.......the scent on a warm summer evening (sigh)

Ferns have already started to colonise the seaward side of the parterre

We have been working sporadically in the shelter belt too, to form another path running parallel with the sea with a bench perhaps to contemplate the shipping lanes - at the moment it is "work in progress" but i hope that it will ready before our ngs opening in September.

We abandoned the garden this afternoon to take Sootty and Dani out for their daily constitutional around the familiar lanes of West Penwith and today in Goldsithney there was a buzz of activity. Little knots of villagers grouped here and there around a burgeoning collection of bunting, swags of bright red ribbons and huge jolly bows, each house exotically garlanded ready for the Charter Fair tomorrow. The pavement was artfully chalk marked with numbered squares, probably for the mock mayor election tomorrow and the Dias was waiting across the road, suitable garlanded and conveniently positioned between the Crown and the Trevelyan.

Tomorrow the road will be closed to traffic and the street will fill with stalls as the village celebrates, so Sootty and Danny were lucky to visit today - although it proved a little much for Sootty's over active imagination and he briskly retired home, clattering up south road snorting suspiciously, until Goldsithney had receded safely behind him. I hope they have a great day tomorrow - the charter fair was won by right after a "full and frank exchange of views", somewhere in the distant past, between the men of Sithney and the men of Goldsithney........and they hold the glove to prove it!

50 Great Small Gardens to visit

A box parterre we completed earlier as they say.

Nursing my aching back after a morning and actually most of the afternoon spent bent double over a miscreant box hedge, I was stunned to get a phone call from the village that went something like this.................

"Have you seen it, you must be so pleased." Me:- "seen what...........?"

"There was an article in one of the Weekend papers about fifty great small gardens to visit in the country and you were listed at number 22", C.... told me, I thought you knew." Me: -now sitting bolt upright and forgetting about back "The Sundays which one?"

"Oh the Times or the Observer or something -I'll check again with C..... " pause whilst friend rings off then "Yes definitely - why not do a web search........... must fly"

So I did a web search and it came up with the Saturday Telegraph - cue frantic scrabbling in the recycling bin and there it was or rather is, in the gardening section under an article about gardens opening for the National Garden Scheme, headed :-

50 Great Small Gardens to visit

22 Ednovean Farm, Perranuthnoe, Cornwall, TR20 9LZ

Open Sun Sep 13 (1pm-5pm)

Above Mounts Bay with sweeping sea views. A garden of contrasts. Formal parterres and courtyards around a converted barn, opening to a flowing lawns, finished with Italian and gravel gardens.

And we'd missed it..............just a little gardening to complete before September Groan!!

A terrace for every bedroom

The Blue room terrace with the sun loungers waiting - I choose the inconspicuous yacht cable for a surround so not to detract from the view (click photo to enlarge)

A view to Perranuthnoe Church from the Blue room

The Pink room terrace sits just below the Blue room terrace sharing the same view but sadly not outside of the bedroom. Notice the high wild moors between us and St Ives on the horizon

And the Apricot room courtyard of course that looks down through a small formal parterre filled with lavender but again I must stress the view is only from the terrace the bedroom is sideways on to the sea and overlooks the main Parterre (Now nearly trimmed!)

There is a terrace for every bedroom at Ednovean Farm. the lucky people in the Blue and the Apricot room walk straight out of their french doors whilst the guests int he Pink room have to stroll down passed the gently bubbling fountain and out through the garden room for their little piece of heaven.

My eye was caught this morning by the yachts scudding across the bay - so much white flotsam travelling before the wind across Mounts Bay as we looked out of the Blue room window. somehow one photo is never enough and while we were "at it" we might as well try some other views too and "Good Grief the box needs cutting" and so we spent the afternoon industriously clipping the hedges that frame the sundial below the apricot room into some form of order but a gentle afternoon none the less.

We were thrilled this morning to receive a visit from a local artist, Maggie Underwood, whom we had first met at a recent garden open day. At the time Maggie asked if she might paint Danni our Spanish Stallion and today she dropped by to show us her work before it was sold. Danni would be flattered don't you think? Phone Maggie on 01736 762704 for animal commissions.

The coastal path beyond Perranuthnoe Beach

Perranuthnoe Beach with St Micheal's Mount behind

........Maybe i didn't have the camera quite straight!

but Charles took this one:- Trevean Cove followed by Trebarvah joining Perran (uthnoe) Sands at low tide

We treated ourselves today to a walk eastwards from Perranuthnoe, taking the footpath out across the farm through the maize field towards Trebarvah with its idyllic huddle of granite barns clinging to the hillside. We were not expecting a glorious day as the cloud bubbled up behind Penzance but the rhythmic fall of our feet as the footpath slid behind us and the anticipation of an afternoon cocooned within the tempo of the rolling surf was promise enough for us.

Perranuthnoe Beach fell behind us as we looked back along the bay, before we descended to a quiet rocky cove and unexpectedly an afternoon of delightful sunshine with nothing more arduous than attempting to control the Saturday Telegraph in the breeze or deciding when to take a nap, wriggling deeper into the contours of the sand in utter peace and quiet.

With the return of the tide thrusting relentlessly back across the rocks we reluctantly packed for home, idling slowly from the cove to examine the rock pools before at last climbing to rejoin the cliff path.

The heat of the afternoon hung heavily over the farmland and we were happy to pause above a deep zawn to be fanned by a cooling breeze and watch the sea churning wickedly below trapped by the deep granite gully. Suddenly we were joined by and a party of swallows swooping this way and that above the sea for the insects swept into the chasm and carrying this last piece of magic as a momory of the day we turned for home.

a rock pool full of tiny darting fish

A cheeky rabbit

We woke up to another fabulous morning here in Cornwall of crisp, sharp shadows cast by the golden slants of sunlight. I paused as I set off to feed the horses before cooking the guests Breakfast this morning to admire the light playing with the angles of the Parterre framed in turn by the back drop of the slowly maturing Fig trees. With the dew still on the grass the garden looked enchanted with the promise of the new day and ....................hold on there's a rabbit eating the fig trees............ah well we wont be serving Figs yet for Breakfast after all!

The evening sun

Ollie toasting himself on the warm stones of the car park yesterday evening



Yesterday started disastrously with thick fog blocking out St Micheal's Mount and guest preparing to drive to London or fly to the Isles of Scilly peering out into the gloom. But as the morning drew on the day became lighter until Ednovean farm was bathed in blissfully warm sunshine for the afternoon and evening. Ollie for one wasted no time in setting up his beach towel on the the sun warmed stones of the car park but I chose a sun lounger in front of the garden room.




Walking back through the courtyard towards the stables I met the the pungent scent of the Fennel and lavender in the little herb garden there with the stately Date palms lining the car park the other side of the wall. Ollie cat knows a thing or two about sunbathing!






Shafts of sunlight lit the stables last night with our newest colt foal waiting for his mum April to finish her tea

I wish i could think of the perfect name for the little orange colt at the moment he is nicknamed "Jimeney Cricket" as he bounces through the day.

before settling for his own - probably tea 146 of the day!

a stroll around the garden

The evening is always the perfect time to wander around the garden making my way from the formal enclosure of the courtyards to glance across to the Italian Garden .......................

before stopping at the lower gate to look across to Perranuthnoe

A view over the Italian Garden

The lowering sky towards Penzance and the moors beyond from the Italian garden

but a beautiful blue sky towards the east

with Perranuthnoe caught in between

The Gravel border behind the Italian garden

slipping into the world of the exotic border..................

before retuning to the courtyard - one day I'll capture those Agapanthus

to the formality of the courtyard

and remember Amie - well she is going a romantic shade of iron grey as she sheds her baby coat ....................first around her eyes and nostrils giving her a curious appearance!

After the storm

The Parterre from above this evening - spot the cats in earnest discussion



"You really will have to work harder Wilbur" Said Ollie

Wilbur drinking from the fountain

After the storm comes the sun and this evening could be treasured for the clear crisp light after the semi dawn of yesterday.

idly glancing out of the window this evening we spotted Ollie and Wilbur having a full and frank discussion about the division of territory, mousing rights and feed dish priorities before Wilbur tactically withdrew to the bar to regroup or in his case to the fountain for a nice cool drink of water.

A vacancy in July

A memory from June

We have just had a sudden vacancy for five nights in July so we now have the

24th until the 28th available.

My two photos today were taken back in June when our computer was being "very naughty indeed" but I felt the need to be cheered up after yesterdays storm and the memory of the courtyard swooning with the scent of the old rose is always dear.

The rainclouds have been swept away here now by a brisk, blustery breeze which has cheered the sky to the clearest blue so perhaps a nice weekend? Have a great weekend and how about a holiday in July!?

The young colt's first outing

Young Annie, Lizzie's foal in the realm of the Mount - her baby coat is changing to glossy black



Yesterday morning was perfect for our new little colt foal's first outing - warm and sunny with a gentle breeze and occasional scudding clouds.





April was careful to keep the little chap close beside her to explore the world bu already his feet are twitching to gallop and prance and so I can see Aprils waistline rapidly diminishing as she races after him, here and there about the field.

April enjoying the morning

Today was distinctly different though with heavy rain falling over Breakfast time and so we brought the mares and foals back in soon after Breakfast and Artemis (That may be his name) is now curled up sound asleep in the straw.

For more horsey pictures of the morning please visit Dani's blog (click my profile to see my blogs)