Our brush with winter

The courtyard garden that lies in the old farmyard at Ednovean Farm

As winter has set its course through the months, blissfully skipping gently by us in West Cornwall, well until the day dawned  when  we also encountered our very own brush with Narnia.
Spud had departed on his usual mousing expedition, on his usual early or should I say very early schedule and the weather had looked fine if chilly and so it was with some surprise that I found a few hours later that our world had been transported to a winter wonderland. I had had my suspicious on the previous evening, as the  skies darkened and the temperature had fallen  and had criss crossed the garden tucking fleece and nets over the more vulnerable plants although most of ours "do" to minus five, still I want those mighty Echiums to flower this year, sending their impossible lofty spikes towards the skies, so a little help is not unappreciated by them. www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk

The granite sets that form the path between the
courtyard gardens and the stableyard/car park

The childhood wonder of finding snow in the morning never quite leaves you does it and so I spent a happy half an hors recording the scene in the half light before breakfast and alas it slid away a quickly as it had come, vanishing completely by the early afternoon. But!! for a few hours we too had snow in Cornwall. join me for a saunter through the morning at Ednovean Farm on the special day that the snow fell!

Not quite light and the magical scene with mounds
of soft fluffy snow clinging to the Greek pots that
line the top terrace

Young horses exploring their brave new world

Magic leaving the comfort of his bed ready for a snow
adventure

Magic and Archie tow young colts by our Spanish Stallion Danilon

Perranuthnoe Village with the sea beyond

Looking back across the lawn towards the house from our avenue of palms

Our Brood mares enjoyed an extra portion of hayledge for Breakfast

The center piece of the Italian garden

The cross aisle holds a statue of David

The lower garden gate with St Micheal's Mount in the
distance

The flood lights are on for us to go to the stables in the
morning

Sunset from Ednovean Farm

Perranuthnoe set against the sunset

Watching the sunset is always a special part of the day for me - I'm always pleased if our guests arrive in time to see a special one to start their holiday with with us at Ednovean farm and of course I can never quite resist stopping myself to take a few pictures. I love the way that the village below is reduces to silhouettes against the sea and light bounces off of the clouds - no two are ever the same. It wasn't until I developed this passion for sunsets that I realised that "west" appeared to change with the seasons - the visual feast moving inexorable to the tight throughout the summer passing St Micheal's Mount before finishing towards the moors behind Penzane before slowly moving back again with the closing of the season and the shortening of the days until right now it appears to dip down just beyond Perranuthnoe. I'm sorry that the blog isn't appearing as often as it should but for some strange reason I am having difficulty uploading the photos with an ever twirling thingy rotating beside the upload button never to stop - ah well - using two browses, one that can upload but not control the photos and then logging back in with a second browser is "interesting" use of time. I hope to upload some photos of our snowy garden quite soon  well as soon as I am up to the tussle again! See you all again soon and don;'t forget to set a minute aside for a sunset somewhere.

The cloud formation was fantastic that night

Just couldn't make my mind up which one i liked the most

Rather fond of the Date palm leaves in this one
against the village church

and a final glowing moment as the night closed in Cornwall

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Winter days and sea views

Perranuthnoe below Ednovean Farm with the bright blue sea of Mounts
Bay beyond

The winter days creep on like a small surly beast, sometimes vicious sometimes friendly sometimes sleepily indolent and I suppose that is the nature of the season in the quiet part of the year.
Quiet, but not dormant now that the daffodil and tulip bulbs have started to drive up through the earth and I can reassure myself that this season is only a preparation for spring and the welcome return of the warm summer days. On red letter days the whole landscape is thrown into brittle relief with impossible blue skies but the sharp fragile sunshine that casts deep shadows only mocks the tentative warmth and the days draw on in that well ordered way that leads us ever forward towards the spring.

Another view across the bay from the garden

Our car park was in the shadow of the hillside but how
bright Moutns Bay beyond

Newlyn across Mounts Bay

over the courtyard wall

The ever beautiful St Micheal's Mount

The sweep of the bay rises beyond the garden

How beautiful - St Micheal's Mount against a powder blue
January sky

One of our lush sheltered courtyard corners that frame the house

So a rather beautiful day in January on a day thta the little beast of winter slept warm and snug!

www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk

A new year starts in the garden

New Years day and the sun is creeping across
 the Parterre at Ednovean Farm



The box hedges have stayed crisp through the winter

New Years day dawned bright and sunny, bringing welcome sunshine to our courtyard that has been formed in the old farmyard in front of our home. Looking back we chose a Parterre so that our welcome to our guests would always be the same throughout the year and the bare bones of our garden hold up through the winter months with their lean geometric structure. Admittedly the hedges are slightly skew whiff after Spud has had a one cat steeple chase around them on an almost daily basis but all in all i think they look pretty good. I like to add a little frou frou to the mix in the summer, with bright pots of Geraniums and Lavender to complement the foliage plants that soften the corners but just now we are enjoying the cool design that Ian Lowe layed out so carefully back in the year 2000.

Spud enjoying his mornings grooming under the shelter
of a bank

I bought these pretty white roses to sit on the bedroom dressing tables in little cache pots but they have thrived since they have been put out in the garden flowering throughout the winter

The sun shining through the french door of the
Apricot room

And so a new year starts in the garden with the bulbs I am always so excited about beginning to push up through the soil to start another cycle in the year.