Days of Summer

The summer garden and view to St Micheal's Mount
from the Ednovean Farm Garden

What glorious summer day we have had, when the sky larks soar in a magical blue sky and butterflies dance on the breeze. Those days that will linger in our memories long into the winter and become part of that legend "I remember when Summers were...!" Those days when the heat of the day lingers on into the dusk and the scent of Lavender and Fennel drifts passed my senses bringing back half remembered days of other long past summers. It was on such a day that I walked up to the top of the farm while waiting for a water trough to fill with the extra water that the horses need in the heat and found a warm but delightful breeze, just enough to make the climb worthwhile as i hunted for that special photo of St Micheal's Mount in Mounts By below with the arch of towns and villages spread along the shore.

St Micheal's Mount on a Summers day from Ednovean Farm

My view from the hillside again listening to the sky larks song

Looking bake over the garden with the shad of the
sun umbrellas

On these warm summer day sometimes a  couple will reserve a table for two in our courtyard for a romantic private Breakfast among the Fennel and Feverfew tucked under the old pump that has seen many centuries come and go

A romantic Breakfast table tucked among the herbs and
pots in a tiny courtyard beside the house

A private table fro two!

Hot, hot, hot!!!

The courtyard this morning at Ednovean Farm

It is really so glorious that i couldn't resit taking a few extra snaps of the courtyard and views from our home at Ednovean farm this morning - must be quick because work is calling and so without further ado on to the

pics!

The garden path and other musings!

The newly painted table and chairs in the Italian garden

I've been making a few tweaks to the garden in the last month, nothing fundamental more a question of mood. As i mentioned last week I was driven by guilt to repaint the table and chairs on one of the sheltered, secluded little lawns that lie hidden in the depths of the Italian Garden, ably assisted by Spud of course and after much deliberation about the mood of the silent empty spaces I decided to make them a little bit more guest friendly and empty some of the plants out of the courtyard if they looked as though they were starting to struggle in their pots. The little Olive Tree already looks quite at home here and in the next enclosure a nearly terminally ill pair of Bay trees have been placed to flank a garden bench for quite contemplation.

A newly painted bench tucked under one
of the sheltering hedges

The sun slanting across the centre aisle

The fluffy Golden oat grass is in full bloom
now at the garden entrance

But one little project that has haunted my imagination for over a year was a new simple path to link the main lawn to the higher shelter belt and allow a better garden loop or journey. I've eyed the pile of redundant stones outside the garden gate and planned their departure to a garden feature but somehow there has never quite been the time and so we made time leaving the weeding to get the "great project" underway!

The start of the path that will wind up through the
shelter belt

and then twisting away

before climbing a of couple turning  steps

We have placed a stature (a kind gift from Perrran Lady)
on one of the corners for our Mediterranean fantasy

and alas we have yet to finish but you can see the
 landscaping  fabric that should repress some of
 the weeds!

And so my tiny Mediterranean fantasy is under way winding its way up over the rising ground to finally reach a little round lawn before diving back though the sheltering hedge and passed the "sulking bench" set in an alcove. looking out towards the shipping lanes far out to sea. Finally the new journey will turn again through the hedge and drop back down near to the Apricot room and the formal Sundial Garden filled with lavender.

To the right the sheltered courtyard of the Apricot room

Lavender and Box filled beds

The sundial garden between the Blue and Apricot rooms

and so our journey is complete from the open lawn through the strappy palms and Phormiums of the shelter belt and back to the more formal garden. What to you think?

I'll leave you with the Geraniums just outside the Dining/Kitchen door that brighten up the breakfast room in the morning - hope to write again next week!

The Cat with the gold plated paws!

Spud declares a Duvet Day occasionally now 

Spud Cat very nearly turned into the cat with the gold plated paws the other day after a very close encounter with a pot of paint, and gold plated has a rather better title ring that bronze splodged, don't you think?!. To start the story at the beginning, it had been on my conscience fro a while to paint a set of table and chairs hidden away in the Italian Garden and the other afternoon with a sudden enthusiasm I rushed into the workshop with the intention of mixing a little white into a tin of black Hammerite to produce a dark discreet grey. Naturally the black could not be found but an unopened tin of bronze caught my eye and after several tours of the house to find my glasses to read the small print I formed two  conclusions, one that the size of the small print on most items these days is a vanity of the young! and two that it would do either looking vaguely chic or completely vulgar but worth a bet and so off I set.... hotly pursued by Spud. After a great deal of rubbing and chipping I decided it was time to paint and also that Spud should be removed to a place of safety and so he was carried wailing away by Charles to be employed exercising the local mice in the stables.
Things were going quite well until Spud burst out of the hedge yowling the feline equivalent of Gung Hoo and launched himself at the newly painted surface skidding past on the wet paint and probably mortified by my outrages screams and his indecorous descent - with an outraged look he shot under a bush and spent the rest of the afternoon watching balefully from there. Well, luckily for Spud the paint was water miscible as I discovered after another session of glasses searching and I think the table and chairs doesn't look too bad....

Spud has been busy elsewhere in the garden too - the Italian garden has just had its first cut of the year and naturally Spud was there to inspect his domain.

Spud inspecting the newly cut hedges

"Yes just right".....or was he planning a new paint attack

Our other young newcomer has continued to do well and tends to rule the roost, it seems not an hour goes past without the imperious whinny for "more milk" but she is growing on well and even a little bit plump!

Lillie sporting her new headcollar

Lillie with her Aunt Sophie

Lillie introducing herself to Sophie

Left to right Lizzie, Sophie and Lillie

and of course mum Amie

Bobbing along in the weather

A sunny morning at Ednovean Farm

We've had some lovely days this June although this weekend was "interesting" I saw a spaniel only this morning with its ears blowing in the wind as i sped along the A304 to collect more milk for the every waiting Lillie.
The weekend started well enough with a lovely day only uninterrupted at 6.00 a.m. ( Lillies starting time for milk ferrying) by strange dinosaur noises at coming from the front field. Sure enough, naughty Magic, had departed from his field, through the electric fence, across the hay field and through the wire fence, to join the ladies that lunch - our brood mares - and it might be mentioned a broken post and rail fence should also be taken into consideration. Luckily, the girls  were outraged by his suggestions, hence the angry squeals, with Diva and Dolly  pressed together, while little April did her best to fend off the intruder to their female household.  Magic  looked completely unabashed at his teenage faux pass and if he could, he would have beamed rather pleased with his own ingenuity and success. And so Magic was frog marched off back to his monastic life and the girls managed to force down a few oats to recover from the shock.

And so for us the lovely sunny day was spent mending the trail of damage across the farm with a big bag of newly purchased 4" nails and staples....the views across the bay were lovely though!

Perranuthnoe and Mounts Bay

Life in the garden is settling down into lush contentment with the Echiums swaying towards the sky and each corner filled with fresh new growth

The Echiums are always a pleasure to see

One of the garden walks

News from the borders! All's well

A garden view across the Bay

St Micheal's Mount

The Cordylines have suddenly burst into
 flower filling the garden with their heady scent

Trychcarpus Fortunei

Date Palms spilling out of the courtyard

A humble daisy but much loved - i bought the first one
as a teenager here

A lovely evening in the courtyard at Ednovean Farm

The courtyard at Ednovean Farm in the golden light of evening

There is a special moment, as the sun slips gently a little bit lower in the sky on a summer evening, when the courtyard at Ednovean farm is filled by the golden glow of the summers day and held in a moment of magic and all seems right in the world. The other evening I took a few photos around the courtyard that has been formed in the former farmyard where we have not a jot of to top soil - we had the help of professional garden designer Ian Lowe (now retired) as you know, to lay the courtyard out and he manged to pack so much into the space using sloping ground to create terraces  and hedges to conceal and reveal the layout a little at a time rather  like a conjurer

The steps that flank the edge of the courtyard dressed
by Box set in had carved pots

The fountain at the centre of the courtyard gives a gentle music to the air

The Date palms that flank the far side of the courtyard cast longer shadows

Looking across the parterre to our home

A view from the little lawn that flanks the formal planting - find us at
www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk Ednovean Farm

The raised terrace that leads to the front door at the top end of the courtyard
Oops I hadn't noticed I'd left the girls super of haylage ready to go in the
wheelbarrow

and finally that perfect blue sky again and two birds
flirting in the sky above

Irises and sunshine

The entrance at Ednovean Farm bright with Irises and Foxgloves

The month has quickly slipped away in a whirl of sunny days and delicious warmth filling the courtyards and almost unnoticed the baby birds under the eaves have grown and their cheeping become more strident nearing the magic moment that they take flight.

Lillie has her own manger now that hangs on her door filled with Dobson
and Horrell Foal creep feed - a sort of magic pellet complete with
 milk powder

Lillie has grown well and has started to look quite plump and magically she has produced at least two teeth to start to nibble at the grass and enjoy a little extra nutrition in the form of a tiny formulated pellet especially for foals. We still have to ferry regular bowls of milk out to her though but at least now the 3a.m. slot can be officially left out according to the instructions on the milk! So it is a late 12.00p.m. feed (and anyone that has stayed with us know we are early birds to bed yawn!) and then the next is a bright and breezy 6.00 a.m. (double yawn!)

I'm sorry that the bog has apparently not been accepting comments but  computer unsavvy me, set up a Google + page for the B&B and I didn't realize that linking the two accounts would not allow non Google + users to post. So I have now read the instructions and found a box to un click (wonder what that will do...? Sure it'll be fine!!) I haven't added Google + because of a weird  anonymous  which has attached itself to us and has anyone ever manged to contact Google?? We've tried over the years believe me! Still I think the page looks pretty and maybe it will help our web site to thrive in that otherworldly environment of where shall we call it the eternal algorithm!

Lillie can also celebrate growing two teeth!