Some sunshine, sometimes...

Planing framing a little gravel area bordering the lawn
where i like to offer tea to newly arrived guests

I almost feel guilty putting sunny photos on my blog after looking at the  news reports just recently - true we have had morning when a trail of wet paw prints across the flag stones have finished in a cat but they have often been followed by a sunny afternoon.

Early morning and the garden seemed to float in its own
little word

I've taken some photos today of the planting that frames the little gravel area overlooking the lawn and view, where i like to offer tea to newly arrived guests. Ian Lowe planned the broad border in silver plants for a Mediterranean feel and I have since added a couple of European fan Palms that had outgrown their pots and a lovely guest ( I hope you are reading this to see your special plant in place!)  gave us a Yucka "Spanish Sword" for our twenty first wedding anniversary in May, which was just the plant I wanted to add a full stop to this area. The foxglove is gorgeous and planted itself of course!

I'm afraid i un artistically turned the sun lounger around away
from the sun-in-my-eyes!

Silver grey planting to give the feel of the med - the Yucka
is called Spanish Sword very apt as Danni is a Spanish
Horse!

Yucka Spanish Sword and my girly "rabbits ears" Sorry don't know their
real name but who could resist those soft downy leaves

With sitting spots firmly in mind and still armed with a camera, I pottered around to the Apricot rooms private courtyard/terrace to inspect my newly planted Geraniums that I found in the freshly reopened
Churchtown Nursery. I've been intrigued by the  art work of their new signage and had meant to stop several times and finally the other afternoon i did. I wasn't disappointed, loving the newly painted soft jade shed, fronted by immaculate plants displayed on chic seed trays leading to a tempting array of green houses beyond but I didn't have time to browse very far that day, as i was en route between Cornwall Farmers and Tesco's, I find if i use  the back lanes it precludes that terror dash back on to the A 30, still I'm sure the landrover will stop there again......very self willed things land rovers!!

My pretty £1.50 Geranium newly planted in a corner
of dappled shade - I asked the builder to set the mirror in
the back wall like a window to brighten and open
up the corner, setting it on the angle to lesson
the risk of bird strike

Steps leading up into the shelter belt

One of my lavender filled beds below the Apricot terrace

In the higher bed I've mixed silver the colours a little
one bed is "Munsted" the other "Hidcote"

and that was my garden adventures for the week always looking for a plant for that special spot. Work started yesterday on taming the Italian Garden hedges - I'm afraid I admitted defeat and Charles found a very nice man with a hedge trimmer photos to follow..... and may be a phone number or should i keep it a secret?!

Flight of the Sparrow

A baby sparrow newly ememerged from its nest yesterday

The big launch into the unknown

Every year the eaves come alive as birds set up nests under the eaves and we watch the busy toing and froing with nest materials and then listen for the first delicate cheeps. As the days pass, the parent birds grow cross and weary bearing grubs and worms to their ever more demanding brood until one day, at that magic moment a baby bird emerges ready to take on the world. Yesterday morning as I idly glanced out of the kitchen window a baby sparrow emerged and sat for a few minutes clinging to the Ivy and then he was gone...

The European monsoon struck again last night and so the day of sunshine today was a bonus for us so a few moments from the hosue and garden - maybe I'm doing the Union Jack thing to death now but I think my cards look jolly anyway!

Lavender in the sunshine today in a little courtyard

My favourite rose against Mounts bay this afternoon

Charles enjoying a well earned cuppa this afternoon

A detail form one of the courtyards

A veiw towards the hills, across the garden, from the terrace

I finally uploaded a card design to vista print and found this plate
in Penzance to offer them on

June lawns and a walk around the garden

Charles thinks he has conquered the lawn now that the daffodils have
finally gone

A parting of the ways to the right the Italian Garden and to the left the
Serpentine walk with its benches to look at the view

The Gunnera that enjoys some of the lane run off that we pipe
under the garden

The Agave is doing well this year as we only had one frost this
winter

An exotic looking border designed by Ian Lowe - he wouldn't approve of
the Oriental poppies that have crept in though!

There is plenty of scope for Charles and his mower and guests to stroll

An area i am developing in the shelter belt looking out
towards the shipping lanes

From the shelter belt looking back across the lawns

The lavender has finally bloomed in the little formal sundial garden under
the bathroom windows

Walking towards the terrace in front of the garden room and blue room -
it will soon be time for the Agapanthus

I can't resist terracotta pots as you know!

The next plan - the battered galvanised (ex) trough - too leaky
to use now is going to find a new use

I took these pictures after our gardening efforts on Monday - I love to look back at the photos on bleak December days and think of those blue blue skies filled with bird song.........but for now one more assault with the strimmer should do it!

Sunset rose to Breakfast table

A little up date for our Breakfast table

With this patriotic year of Jubilee's and Olympics, and with Union Flags fluttering just about everywhere, i thought it was time to give our breakfast table a little update ....in the spirit of things as it were! i found this jolly tea pot in Mounts Bay Trading, in Causeway Head Penzance and thought it was just the thing to give a little lift to our morning. Jolly and witty or just plain vulgar? Well I like it for fun - one small drawn back no body has ordered a pot of tea since I bought it so I staged a dry run before the guests arrived for their coffee!

The tea pot design was called "street party" and ratherr resonable
at just over £20

The morning sunshine is streaming in through
 the open door and Charles is waiting expectantly!

Moving on to my second thought for the day as it were, the sunsets have been lovely for the last couple of nights, never more so than looking up through the blooms of our rose surrounded by its heavenly scent in the peace of the courtyard.

The rose is approaching its zenith now and fills the courtyard with its
delicate vintage scent

I loved the arching branch against the dusk

The last moments of the day

AA Gold award

The real thing - our award for 2012-2013

We were thrilled to be awarded a Gold award again from the AA to go with our five stars - isn't it a wonderful evening - i think somebody has remembered it is June after all. We had another busy day in the garden today and Charles thinks he has finally conquered the lawn so fingers crossed - I've taken some photos to record the event so watch for tomorrows post!!

A boat over Perranuthnoe

The boat almost seemed to float over the border this morning at Ednovean
Farm www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk

We woke up to a wonderful morning in Perranuthnoe this morning and as I set off for my morning brood mare hunt to give them their breakfast I spotted the boat that has been laying off in Mounts Bay revealed in all of her bright livery. Alas no brood mares at the bottom of the garden but the dew spangled lawn more than made up for it as i retraced my steps back through the courtyard and along the lane

I crossed the lawn in the morning dew  with its wide border of planting
and fringe of sea

My hasn't he grown our automated mowing machine

The same corner of the courtyard that I took last night in the dusk basking
in the morning sunshine

After the storm

Through the open front door the other evening

After the storm the lights were switched on it seemed and the sun bathed the terrace outside of the front door once more, Spud celebrated by stretching out on the door step

Pots lining the terrace

there was a pretty sunset tonight - I hope that is a good sign

From earlier in the week - Ollie on his chosen piece of newspaper

A boat sheltering in Mounts Bay beyond Perranuhtnoe
earlier in the week

A june garden

Our entrance courtyard a little box edged bed filled with
herbs and lavender

The week started quite well with sweet tendrils of sunshine reaching across the lawn in the morning dew but day by day, the storm clouds gathered ,until the full intensity of a summer gale was upon us - a once in fifty years event the weather men said and I for one, certainly hope so. But the garden is more sheltered now that the hedges and palms  have grown up around the perimeter and we could peep out to ships laying off to ride out the storm in Mounts Bay, from relative shelter and mercifully the plants stayed untouched, well, maybe a little scorching here and there but generally still with leaves and petals attached. Ollie Cat took the weather conditions it due consideration and with the wisdom of his advancing years, decided to move back into the house for a day or two as a special concession and with steely resolution he stomped back out again as soon as the weather improved to take up his customary post in the car park, where he likes to welcome guests and watch their coming and goings. Monday, though, was a lovely day and so I took a June sample of pictures then of how things are progressing and also put a June album on our Facebook page click here for the full set.

Now that Roll top bath question for Patti at Abigails Bed and Breakfasts! It is a deep traditional bath with the edges rolled over, carried on little lion like feet - the one in the Blue room is finished underneath in a deep dusky blue or as I said to the chap who asked me what colour I wanted it "The same colour as your overalls"

This is an old photo of the Blue room bathroom's roll top bath but
it shows the little feet
I found the Pine cupboard at auction and after an age of stripping
decided on a paint finish in Farrow and Ball's old white with the
interior in Blue stone

The courtyard rose after a shower

Poppies self seed in the gravel each year all descendants
of a Woolworth's packet of seeds bought in the '70's

Foxgloves in the dappled shade under the fig
 trees in the stable yard

Plants are determined to cling to every surface

Just outside of the kitchen door at the top of the steps is just the place
for the brightest red Geranium I could find to gt the morning off to a
"bright" start

shadows on the warm colour washed walls

The house this year its 21st year as a home

Some parts of the courtyard are pared down and
restrained
whilst others well lets just say more is more when it
comes to pots!

Morning shadows on the sweep of lawn that opens from the courtyard

Hunt the brood mare is my morning pastime before breakfast
on good days they are at the bottom of the garden and on
cold days they walk a couple of fields away to their shelter
Trouble is I can never tell what they think the weather is as i
hurry around anxious to cook breakfast. Here they are enjoying
their breakfast - at the bottom of the garden

heir

Dappled shade in the courtyard garden lined with figs - I've just pruned
the lower leaves from the Date palms