I saw.......

It has been a steady month of slightly changeable weather and discreet somnolence. The garden has reached a point of natural repletion, happy with its growth but not yet sinking towards Autumn and rest. The Cornish banks are threaded with ripening blackberries mingled with the summer honeysuckle and the sloes grow plump and dark. Our resident garden birds have reared a second brood under our eaves and are now zooming around playful from the release from their duties. And Ollie - he disgraced himself the other night by setting up a load yowling defending his garden from an intruding tom. I arrived to find the two antagonists nose to nose, pitching their wails into almost perfect synchronisation and after a moment reflection retreated back to bed.......claws a teeth not a good combination but I think they stuck to the sound effects!

Lets see the washing machine failed terminally after three years hard service strangely it was joined by the toaster and a flat screen TV so I'm hoping that is our three things.......!!? Please.

And this morning I saw a boat, mammoth and white, just under the St Micheal's Mount as I glanced out of the kitchen window while cooking Breakfast so all changed but really nothing had changed at all! I'm told there is high pressure on the way towards the end of the week, so hope the day is kind to you - some of our guest are off to the Minack Theatre this evening but Ollie and I are staying at home!

Agapanthus on the terrace

Just a few photos of our summer terrace - a small gravel area in front of the garden and Blue rooms that hold a few pots of Geraniums to brighten the summer. I've lined this terrace with box balls in sturdy plain pots from the Yorkshire pot company that have shrugged off the winter chills but at the moment the stars of the show have got to be the self seeded Agapanthus that have positioned themselves perfectly, tucked under the warm granite walls to produced blooms twice the size of their border bound parents. Ah well you can't beat nature!

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My dalliance with white hydrangeas is not going so well at the moment - conceived as a serene row of identical pots with stylish white flowers they look decidedly mothy to be polite - perhaps ext year........

Their pink cousins remain outrageously healthy in frothy profusion

I used the old water tank for years as a bran bin for the horses, square and uncompromising with a neat row of rivets it give the sugary blooms a little more "edge" I think and the horses are happy with their corn bin. I think I've mentioned before the rusty iron ball was found in one of the fields.

Looking over the little terrace towards the formal sundial garden

and to finish a quiet corner for morning coffee or was that afternoon tea or a sunset glass of wine a day in the life of a terrace

An afternoon walk

Yesterday was such a fabulous day that we awarded ourselves an afternoon off and walk across the fields from the farm to a little secluded cove that we know. The footpath leads out from the farm across a field or ripening corn and then across a field of fabulous blue flowers that I see from Perran ladies blog is Chicory (get well soon sue xx by the way)

On through the little hamlet of Trebarvah and through a bussling farmyard with fabulous views back over Perranuthnoe village

The cluster of houses around the church at Perranuthnoe in the valley below

And then we strode on cutting across through the gorse towards the cliff path - the tide had gone out so far that the beaches of Perran and Trebarvah had joined into one super beach

Always a quiet beach - a long walk for a swim when the tide goes out across those golden sands but we were going to walk further

Perranuthnoe beach again and the Mount of course

and on we walked Charles carrying the pack the seed of the gorse exploding into life with an audible crack as we passed

I couldn't resist pausing every now and again to watch the Mount retreat across the bay

and then we climbed down to a quiet little cove all to ourselves to eat our picnic and swim as the tide came in over the sun warmed rocks ( well that was the theory but it was still a touch nippy for me!)

We finally climbed back out of the cove on the far side along a narrow hidden path

our little cove filled with water

but the Mount beckoned us home again with a stead tread on the hard cracked earth back to the farm with the sky larks song filling the air replacing the lull of the waves

and last night a magical moon fille dthe sky beautiful in its perfection

climbing high above the farm Good night for now.....

This weekend

A bright Daisy on the front terrace with Mounts Bay beyond

Sunday was a magical day after the slightly challenging weather of late - not a cloud in the sky and shaping up to be Hot, hot, hot. The dining door could be flung open fully at last to reveal the glowing Geraniums - in fact bright just about sums up the day.


A Geranium outside of the kitchen door

We retreated to a cool shady spot in the Italian Garden for the afternoon with the rhythm of the sea lulling around us and just a hint of a steady beat from the Golowan Festival in Penzance traveling across the bay! But for us a sky lark unseen high in the sky above the garden was enough for our afternoon.

The sun was so high that the shadow became small under the hedges in the Italian Garden

Deep inside the Italian garden

and finally odd moments from the weekend maybe one of these is your favorite room

Earlier in the day I stopped from my chores to take this photo of the Apricot room terrace as the sun came around

The mares in the field in front of the garden tucked themselves under the garden hedge for some shade for a while - that is 19 year old Belle nearest to the camera

and finally serendipity! I was pleased to find the perfect cushions to replace the ones on the Pink room bed on a recent trip to Penzance - just right, very comfy and perfect colours too!

Ollie Cat Esq.

I left the landrover door open yesterday as I ferried the groceries into the house and who would be trying out the drivers seat but our very own Oliver Taylor Esq Senior Mouser (retired) Perhaps he was planning a short drive to Penzance and if he could take over the grocery shop it would be much appreciated but there you are, he purred briefly, finished washing and then decided to leave - so i suppose it is back to me - maybe he found he couldn't quite reach the pedals after all!



Just planning his route





Hand bag - shopping list............mmmm

My Garden albums for June

Would you like to visit the June garden - I've just uploaded two small albums to facebook I think you can view them without getting trapped by following this link:-

Garden album The courtyard rose

Garden Album The June garden

Hope you get them OK - they are easy to view this way without scrolling!! Ah well back to the Weeding!

June

The fountain that lives in the middle of the Parterre at Ednovean Farm

My first job of the morning is always to refill the fountain so that it can tinkle gently as guest wake up in the morning. This morning the courtyard looked bright and fresh after the overnight rain and i stopped for a minute to take this photo from the garden room doorway framed by the honeysuckle

There is always something magical or timeless about the early sunlight sparkling through the droplets and the gently rhythm of the cascading water. The fountain though, is more than just a centre piece for our courtyard - during the long drought the birds come down to drink and even Wilbur the Independent Cat hops up on the bowl for a refreshing lap from time to time.





Lining the courtyard the figs are looking well this year with luxuriant fresh growth and half concealed figs gently ripening among the foliage. it will be the usual contest between Charles and the blackbirds to harvest the freshest nicest fruits, last year for the first time we were able to serve our own figs for breakfast





The poppy has nearly finished now in our little entrance courtyard leaving the bronze fennel to be joined by the lavender to waft their scent on the evening breeze

This morning was lovely though - those half concealed buckets are "fountain for the use off"!

ah well time to go inside to cook breakfast but a wonderful morning

and a cloudless sky last night too - fingers crossed for Galowan Festival in Penzance starting on the 17th of June click the name for the schedule in date order if you are in Cornwall this weekend