A January day

An early morning start at Ednovean Farm

These days the dawn is still breaking as the first of the horses are ferried out to the fields - the ground still sodden after the Christmas deluge with sticky holding mud that threatens to suck of wellington boots ore trap the unwary in its coy grasp. Still the days when our ears were filled by the constant roar of the sea are behind us now and I hear the jet stream has slowed down from its three hundred mile an hour peak that pushed the relentless storms towards us, which is a bit of a relief!.

There are compensations to the early morning the sun blushing pink across
Mount Bay and glittering from the windows in Penzance and Newlyn

As we face towards the west the sun rises behind us

We till have our Christmas robin who adopted the stables for the winter, he spends his days  foraging for the oats that the horses drop. He's quite a a determined bundle of feathers, seemingly oblivious to Spud and so far proving "who dares wins" applies to robins too! although it must be said, Spud spends more time in the house these days on his adopted snugly blanket or watching the world go by from one of the broad window ledges, only breaking off occasionally to skid across the floor boards on an improvised cat skate board otherwise known as a rug.

It must be said he's grown a little bit plump this winter

Should I mention the garden? i think it is looking like a major work project after the gales to which I will apply myself after a suitable period of mental rehearsal - Maybe February.........

The entrance to a slightly tousled Italian Garden yesterday

The courtyard gate leading out into the main garden

Our palms blushing in the sunset last night as well they might after covering
the garden in their leaves

An elegant pampass seed at dusk framing St Micheal's Mount

Phromiums and Cordylines

The spring bulbs are emerging now full of the promise of spring which officially come sin about sixty days
time

Daffodils pushing their way up through the grass

The sun setting beyond Perranuthnoe last night after a beautiful day

"Though the weather outside is frightful"

The cosy Dining room waiting at Ednovean Farm

"Though the weather outside is frightful our Dining room is quite delightful" sprang to mind this morning as the skies darkened still further and a crack of thunder sent the young fillies scurrying around their stables. Still I set off across the fields with a barrow of hayledge for my ladies sensibly sheltering in the valley near to the village after collecting a wooly hat from the hall on the way passed and reach the sheltering hedgerow just as the first stinging hailstones swept in across the fields. Horses fed i was glad to return to the shelter of our home where Charles had already lit the candles to fill the big open upstairs room with flickering light and set about cooking Breakfast for our guests. There ares some days that I love that deeply unfashionable word "cosy" don't you?!

Charles's childhood crib that appears each year to mark the season

Charles watching the front door for approaching guests

Mousing has been cancelled today due to inclement weather so Spud
is amusing himself practicing skid halts on a runner!

Stay warm and safe today out there and do keep away from the sea. it is in a treacherous mood at the moment.

Find us at Ednovean Farm in Cornwall www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk

Happy New year!!

Happy New year!!

Well the year has snarled until the end, with yesterdays fairly balmy day, giving way to cold winds again,  sending the young horses scuttling this way and that when they should have been coming in for their supper. Although the squally shower cleared as quickly as it came this evening and left behind a fabulous rainbow arching across the sky and the fields were bathed in a warm golden sunshine just for an instant and the colts condescended to come in for their bright shiny oats.

I managed to stop for an instant at Marazion Beach yesterday and stood for a moment of the sea shore instantly mesmerized by the sheer power and beauty of the relentless rollers that filled the bay but more - the wonderful scent of the the salty sea that can almost hypnotize you in a moment so seductive and rodulent in its charm.

How many feet had padded along the water line that day
already - how I wished I'd the time to join them!

Marazion beach with St Micheal's Mount  off shore

I've a feeling that our house loves Christmas absorbing as many frou frou fantasies as i can dream up with good grace - here's a few shots of our Christmas days at Ednovean to finish the year - Ah you should see the garden - just as I was congratulating myself on keeping up with the palm fronds this year the gales have left more than ever in a thick covering across the lawn but like Spud i'm planning a quite warm evening to finish the year and a little mental rehearsal before starting to pick them all up!!

The sun stole across the flagstones on Christmas day
to bathe the hall in light

The Christmas Tree has a new corner this year and this was the
first year that Charles and I stood in front of the trees and chose
the same one - lets see we were married in 1991 and.....!

A little cabbage patch angel hanging on the stairs

The decoration for our guest sitting room were a little bit more
sophisticated using one of my fig prunings decked with cherubs to swirl
around the branches and a couple of gorgeous baubles that I thought
looked quite "Liberty" but shhh came from B&Q!

My fig Tree

Spud has already stolen my spot under a warm snuggly throw ready to see in the new year.

Spud Cat is going to have to share that particular spot!

And so good night and wishing you all the very best of years for 2014 and thank you for reading and dropping by throughout the year! Christine, Charles xx and Spud cat of course!

Find us www.ednoveanfarm.co.uk

Happy Christmas

All is quiet and calm today after yesterdays gales that robbed us of electricity for quite a long time so all that remains is to wish you all a very happy and special Christmas and thank you for popping in the read the blog over the year.

I think I cracked the supermarket challenge this year by getting up early and after trying to creep passed the stables without alerting the horses to the Breakfast gong, setting off in the darkness to Penzance. The roads were empty and the shelves were already being stacked when I got there so fairly painless!

The windy weather has been a bit of a challenge over the last few days but the swag I wove for the gate seems to have "held up" with its base of sturdy baler twine. My amateur method if you would like to try it. is take a length of twine and twist it around long stands of Ivy for the base and then push other foliage into the loops picking up at least two twists fr each peace of foliage. I used fragrant bay and Rosemary, with a scattering of semi dried Hydrangea flowers harvested from around the garden. Then taking no chances I lashed the swag to the gate before finally twisting a circlet of foliage for the centre

You may remember seeing a couple of fig prunings leaning against the bench that I said I was keeping to make into alternative trees - well one is finally installed upstairs decked with vintage baubles and huge gold feux fruit

Of course Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the scent of the real tree and I'm still in love with my velvet and hessian drums and hearts that I bought from RJ Supplies just after we were married, so some things never changed.......although you'll notice the tree has moved this year to beside the arch in the hall!

Have a wonderful Christmas with lots of Love from Christina Charles Spud cat and Danni and all of our furry friends at Ednovean Farm xx

December in the garden

The winter casts long shadows across our garden now
as we approach the shortest day

December seems to bring a permanent twilight to our days, seldom allowing the long shadows to move very far, before plunging once more into the long, long nights.

The architectural elements of the garden move more
towards centre stage now

the fronds of the black bamboo are framing this shot of the car park

Lichens and mosses caver the stones as time goes by

Slightly tender but still thriving at the moment Melianthus Major

Rain drops travelling along a Phormium
leaf deep in the border

Now maybe i should have pulled up the very healthy
looking weed instead of taking the photo but I loved
the dappled sunshine just creeping into this  little
 group of  plants beside a path!

in fact I've learnt to enjoy the small pleasures of the winter garden a fence
post finial nestling in the ivy perhaps

The lofty Cordylines against the evening sunset

and settle down on the long dark evenings to make the most of the
 houses warm warm heart

Brief morning sunshine waking up the Italian Garden from it dreams of
Summer

and just enjoy the gorgeous sunsets far beyond the village across the sea

Find us at always at Ednovean Farm on our Facebook page for daily local news and excitingly at our new Google address https://www.google.com/+EdnoveanFarmPerranuthnoe

A few minutes from the day in Cornwall

Mellow December sunshine casting surprising shadows in the courtyard
at Ednovean Farm

Yesterday felt a little bit special with a mild southerly wind blowing up from the Azores all seemed well with the day and my flirtations with the sunsets continue unabated - just caught on my way out to do some shopping (or there would be no milk for a cup of tea!!)

Peeking through the Blue room side window towards the french doors

A jumble of plants framing the Church Tower
in Perranuthnoe

Tonight's sunset was fierce and bright

The sun was a huge glowing red ball for a few moments 

A few moments from my day at Ednovean Farm in West Cornwall