Bank holiday monday

We saw the first shafts of sunshine play on Penzance from our garden at Ednovean Farm




St Micheal's Mount this morning at Breakfast time


Perranuthnoe has flounced sulkily thorough the bank holiday shrouded in the thickest fog that left me describing the view to our newly arrived guests. But this morning our world started to brighten with the first shafts of sunshine catching Penzance just across the bay form our garden. Now that the bank holiday is over I'm sure the weather will improve again like a teenager casting off a sudden sulk.

We left Sootty and Danni in the stables on Sunday as the prospect of crossing the A394 on a white horse in the fog at 4 miles per hour didn't appeal and so today when we had finished our tasks we took them for a mega outing to make up for it.

The Honeysuckle that has billowed across the tops of the Cornish banks is now spangled with the neatest bright red berried, twinned around the plump dark sloes on their thorny bushes. Sootty felt enthusiastic today and so we headed across Rosudgeon toward Green Berry downs as we had heard that a Bridle path had just been cleared there, that had been closed for a long, long time.

We entered the tracks from Falmouth Packet lane and wove our way far from the traffic between the deep ancient hedgerows until we reached the reclaimed section. I used to use this path most weeks years ago, but as time went on and my days shrank I've stayed nearer to home and was taken by surprise last winter when Danni and i got stuck in a bush and could go no further. But today we followed the route that thrusts its way through a thicket of trees running parallel to the busy A road all the way to Newtown.

The reclaimed section is proudly marked with a beautiful granite pillar bearing a plaque with some of the history of Greenberry downs at either end. Thank you for all of the hard work that made Soottys special day out possible this afternoon he thoroughly enjoyed himself.

From Newtown we rode a short "white knuckle" couple of steps along the A road before turning back into the quiet lanes and dropping down into the peaceful valley at Millpool. The sweeping views across the farmland to the ancient engine houses that mark the sky line made for an enchanting journey. From the valley floor, we turned again uphill taking the long road back to Goldsithney, Sooty and Danni marching relentlessly side by side with Sootty taking occasional mock snaps at Danni if he though he was getting in front of him. As we finally climbed up south road towards Perranuthnoe Sooty's head had started to droop but he continued gamely home to spend his afternoon digesting his huge celebratory lunch in a happy doze. He was still dozing in fact when our new guest arrived but could definitely say he'd had a mega day out to celebrate Bank Holiday Monday!

Take a look at Perran lady's blog for The Newlyn Fish festival also on today for some great shots of Luggers etc:-

http://aroundperranuthnoe.blogspot.com/

A Little magic

The pots of agaves that frame the entrance on to the lawn


The outside light clicked on but click the picture to see the lights around Mounts Bay and the flood lit St Micheal's Mount



A special evening as the summer ends

On balmy evenings at Ednovean Farm when the crickets sing and the tide washes gently on to the beach below the village with an audible swish it is sometimes time for a little magic in the evening air. Last night was womb like in its warmth and we sat on the little terrace in front of the garden room watching the lights come on around the bay and fittingly as the Bank holiday approached St Micheal's Mount was flood lit. We sat enchanted fro a while before slinking off to bed perhaps to dream of flickering candles and dancing flames.

Waiting for figs

The ripening figs in the courtyard

I loved the arching shadows of the date palms this morning

We woke up to a perfect blue sky this morning yet still with a distant murmur of the sea drifting into the courtyard from the beach below - not the angry bellowing of the last few days accompanied with the scent of sea salt but a quiet rhythmic whisper beckoning the day.

A perfect blue sky this morning

Olley in recognition of the improved weather has forsaken the Rayburn and taken up residence on top of a hay bale in the stable yard only descending to demand food, before returning to alternate ablutions and slumbers as befits a senior cat of some standing.

Olley ensconced on "his" hay bale

a perfect eerie to watch the stables and the car park gate

The postman brought the new Alistair Sawday guide this morning with a funky bright yellow cover. Each year rather like the days at school when each subject was awarded a different colour book, so do Sawday's Guides change colour according to their mood. I hope that this years choice of bright yellow will bring the countryside a vibrant rural economy and this years guide has some truly stunning houses.

Meanwhile in the garden the battle for the figs is hotting up - Charles swore the whole trees were shaking under the onslaught of the local blackbirds and we are a very long way from production supplementing the Breakfast table still it's good to dream and one day...........!

Young Amie waiting to be brought in for her supper tonight

WiFi, Digital TV

Modern technology is encroaching thick and fast at Ednovean Farm. When we woke up the other morning for instance and turned on the TV for the news and weather, it had gone simply vanished - No signal was the only message for us coming through the air waves! Of course we'd mused over the prospect of buying three new TV's and decided on a course of action well known as "Dreckly" I had rather admired the jaunty pink posters suspended from the lamp posts bearing a picture of a sort of Tellie tubbie with the slogan "Get ready for the digital switchover" before returning my mind to the more urgent business of the shopping list. But now the day had dawned and TV as we had known it was no more. Work was shunted into different routines and I raced out to Curries in the time saved to return with the right sort of TVs and all of the appropriate packaging ready for me to enjoy recycling at a later date.

The new flat screens do look rather smart in the bedrooms and we managed to give the old ones away to new homes with diggie boxes. Which left us with the summer long ambition to install WiFi to the bedrooms.

We've had several abandoned attempts with different gentlemen marching around the building according to their discipline, only to go away again sadly disillusioned with our granite barn. But today, at long last all of the ingredients are in place for WiFi to travel via the electric cables through the three foot thick stone walls............so I've included a photo of our stallion Dani taken this weekend as a digital, WiFi free antidote!

As night falls over Mounts Bay

The lights around Mounts Bay from the garden at Ednovean Farm


Night time fell over the bay


We managed to sit down at last just as night fell over Mounts Bay, the evening had not run as smoothly as usual. The horse has fallen out, apparently, waiting for their supper and Belle had had a bruised leg - so we had spent some time patiently training a cold stream of water on to her swelling leg, from a hose pipe, as she looked sadly on. Half an hour later with the yard rapidly filling with water she was feeling a bit better and ready for her tea, with her back legs now cosily bandaged in stockinette to control the swelling. As we shut the gate to the higher yard, we met two of our guest coming back from the village, where the cabin on the beach is offering a great bar-b-que these days, so we are told, we really must try it before the Autumn! Any way they stopped to sympathise with the invalid whilst carefully avoiding the puddles, before continuing on their way to bed and we repaired to the terrace for a restorative cup of coffee which is about where the story starts.

We sat for a while in the balmy dusk and watched the lights come on around the bay with a tiny bat circling over head, always only one bat. I hope one day it finds a friend................. and then our day came to an end as well.

A glorious day

Geraniums on the wall above the Parterre at Ednovean Farm



A View across the courtyard garden



It was a glorious day here yesterday at Ednovean Farm and at a certain point in the afternoon i made my way up the far side of the courtyard and was struck by the tranquil calm of the soothing shades of green of the foliage, with the tinkling fountain playing gently in the centre of the courtyard. somehow the sun had never seemed so bright or the afternoon more vibrant and i stopped to take a picture of the parterre from the shade of the fig trees. The contrast of the geraniums lined up along the wall was greater today a vivid slash of colour in the discreet scene.

And as all days should end the sun set beyond the hills of west Cornwall was inspiring. For us it was time to put the horses to bed and if you remember Archie, the chestnut colt foal being born last month, here he is meeting his proud father Danilon on his way to bed.



The sunset over Mounts Bay from the garden with St Micheal's mount framed by the palm trees





The high moors behind the Italian Garden




Danilon the Spanish stallion watching his son Archie go to bed

Olley's summer confession

The pugilistic pussy



sitting in his favourite vantage point looking over the garden


perfect for a cat - sun and shade in equal measures and a good view of the front door for snack attacks

poor homeless Wilbur asleep in the herb garden, a thorn in olley's side

Olley has a confession to make .............he's been fighting.

I thought the old chap had mellowed with the years and for a cat that bore the instructions "Not to be re homed with another cat" on his cage many years ago at the RSPCA, , he has been very tolerant of Wilbur the visiting stray, probably because of advancing years, overweight and the size of Wilbur.

Well Wilbur was not "at home" today and Olley is bearing the feline equivalent of a black eye and a very smug expression! Perhaps Wilbur has just gone courting.

Waiting for the storm

From the Blue room Bedroom

Glancing up from bed making in the Blue room the other morning I notice the storm gathering across Mounts Bay darkly dramatic the rain had already started to fall on Penzance before sweeping towards us only to clear again leaving our world glistening with the abandoned raindrops.

The next day dawn in perfect contrast of crystal clarity the shades of blue, redolent of the Mediterranean but I was too busy to wield the camera sorry. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzz

A Summer evening

An evening view across the courtyard in front of the house

The unpredictable days of summer drift on this year - some days teasingly soft with a misty veil and the next of vibrant clarity. I value each of the days for the joy of them and the promise of the unknown tomorrow but some days i can't resist casting a little magic with pools of candle light to stretch the evening. To sit in the courtyard as the granite building give back their warmth to the night and listen to the crickets sing with Olley Cat who invariably will have sidled up to claim a warm lap to sit and purr on and watch the courtyard recede until all that is left is the flickering pools of light -and so at last it is time for bed and Olley slinks off with exaggerated importance to patrol the garden of the night.

The granite walls slowly give back their heat into the courtyard

The Beach

As the sun sank below the hills the other evening we followed it into Perranuthnoe to watch the last few moments of the day, below a sultry sky.

The sea was washing tightly onto the slipway and two fishermen had already set up their rods for the the incoming Sea Bass and so we perched on the sea defense to listen to the steady rhythm of the sea and watch some hardy sea bathers before eventually drifting home again to light the candles in the courtyard and stretch the magic of that particular day a little further.








The Boulders brought in on lorries to help to preserve the crumbling cliff a few years ago.




A silken evening as Perranuthnoe Beach is hidden by the tide



The crumbling clay cliffs - home to Sand Martins - with Cudden Point beyond

Fishing rods waiting for the Tide to bring the bounty of fish

The changing light of dusk

and so to bed Good Night

An August visit

An urn at Ednovean Farm outside of the Italian Garden

The newly mown spiral in the grass

Perranuthnoe Church with the sea behind it from the garden

our familiar lawn

how did that rabbit get there again?

A wild corner planted with Cannas and Grasses

Daisies by the lower gate

This week Ednovean Farm had a visit from the Manaccon Gardening Club booked in aid of the ngs, which led to frantic activity in the garden to prepare for them - in fact I felt distinctly nervous about the visit from so many knowledgeable gardeners in one afternoon. They were all quite charming of course when they arrived but to borrow (and slightly change a phrase) "Time spent in preparation is seldom waisted"

Over the course of the week Charles and his lawn mower churned relentlessly up and down, backwards and forwards until the lawn was deemed well and truly mown. There was sufficient growth of grass this time to re cut the spiral around Annie Henry's statue of an Angel , meanwhile I strimmed and weeded as though my life depended on it. The result wasn't perfect to my eye but pleasingly tidy and happily they all enjoyed their visit before visiting the Church room for the weekly home teas.

The Village teas are always worth a visit if you are in the area - every Thursday afternoon through the summer, with delicious home made cakes from the kitchens of the village made by cooks with a lifetime of experience. But i collapsed in one of the jaunty wicker chairs i had set out, Raffles like around the lawn, and looked at the view.

A mellow morning

The abandoned hen house




The beautiful apples starting to form



The cobwebs lay like flotsam on the dewy grass


Each morning our first task of the day is to turn out the mares and foals from the stables and these days the air is mellow and sweet in that certain way that thrills the senses, with the nights cobwebs caught still on the grass spangled with dew in the first rays of the sun.

My hen house lays guiltily abandoned abandoned in the little orchard of vintage varieties of West Country apples along the route, a project to revisit when time permits but now as the season draws on, the apples at least have started to form on the little fruit trees and I always steal an admiring glance at the morning shadows as we lead the mares and foals on the way to start their day in the fields and we return to the house to cook breakfast for our guests.