At the risk of sounding like some awful advert, this is just to remind anyone reading this that they have two days left to book a stay at Michael House at the old prices! From Tuesday 1st July, the new, and only slightly increased tariff, will apply.

After some really windy and yucky weather, it seems to be settling a bit now, the wind has quietened down and the sun is peeping through and it is warming up.

The dogs are back outside having fun!

Picnics

When people take picnics out for the day, I love the thought of them opening all the little packages inside and finding little surprises and enjoying the contents on some sunkissed cliff top! It reminds me of my holidays in Cornwall as a chld when we had picnic lunches from our veggie guest house. OK, OK, so the clifftops are not always sunkissed, but they are always lovely...

A forest of echiums! View from the window of the room with private bathroom.

Availability

This is the last week of the 'three nights for the price of two' with evening meals offer until the autumn, and we have some availability. So, if you are thinking of coming to Cornwall this week, the weather forecast (apart from Weds. at the moment) is not too bad, give me a ring.

From the weekend, 28th June, I only have the room with private bathroom available until 6th July, then there is a bit more available.

This is also the last week to make bookings at the old prices for 2008, see the website for details.

Booking

Now is the time to book for the remainder of 2008, at the old prices. Our prices will increase slightly from July, see main site, but all bookings for 2008 made before July, will be honoured at the old prices. We will not be increasing our charge to collect people from the station etc., as we hope to encourage people who have chosen to arrive by train or other public transport means.

To walkers we offer free pick up and collection from eg. Boscastle, Port Isaac and Tintagel, so long as you are staying fro 2 nights or over.

Elderflowers

I want to pick all the elderflowers I see and make them into lovely elderflower cordial. This would be difficult this year, as it seems to be a bumper year for elderflowers. I have made one lot so far, and have another, double quantity nearing readiness for bottling. i will freeze some and the rest will be there for drinking by guestsd and us, immediately.

The recipe I use, taken from the internet, www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/fruit/elder.htm

is:

20 elderflower heads, wahsed thoroughly adn picked far from busy roads
1 lemon, sliced
2tsp citric acid
3 and a half lbs white sugar
2 and a half pints boiling water

Put all the dry ingredients in a clean pan. Pour boiling water over. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cover with a cloth or lid. Stir twice daily for five days (if you don't, the lemon on top will go mouldy - I know, I did it!!). Strain and bottle in clean, sterile bottles.

Pop some in the freezer, in plastic bottles, don't fill to the brim, and the bottles in the fridge can be kept for around 2 weeks.

Apart from diluting with tap or mineral water, you could try diluting it with lemonade, and serve it with slices of lemon and sprigs of mint. Add gin and soda water, or vodka. Make diluted cordial into a sorbet. I have not tried any of these ideas!

Enjoy making this before the flowers decide to become elderberries, which may have already happened in some areas of the country.

The Other Blog

Do pay a visit to The Other Blog - http://nessienoracraftexplorer.blogspot.com. It is more personal, and intended to be about crafts, but rarely is! more re animals etc.

Tesco

Since reading about the Viva! turtle campaign in 'New Leaves' (no 87, July, August, September 2007)- the Movement for Compassionate Living's quarterly publication, I have not stepped inside a Tesco store. We did once buy Tesco petrol, but we did not think the AA would be very sympathetic with our reason for running out of petrol. I am approaching my first anniversary of non attendance at Tesco. The horrors of the treatment of the turtles, which are sold in the Far East Tesco shops and which cannot be slaughtered humanely, still upset me, but I think I would now be unlikely to return to Tesco even if I heard that they had stopped this barbaric practice, so much does Tesco not exist for me in my planning of where to buy what I need, and so uncomfortable am I in general with their market domination. On a recent visit to Bristol, we passed perhaps 40 Tesco trucks, and only a smattering of other supermarket lorries. We have adopted a hissing reflex when we pass a Tesco van or lorry, a lighthearted way of alleviating the tension the sight of them induces.

We recently had a wonderful walk, near Rough Tor, only about 20 minutes drive from home, on Bodmin Moor. We walked through the woods near the moor, as there is the opportunity for the troublesome Berri-Biskit to run free there, with no chance of sheep chasing. In the hour or so we were there, we walked through scrubby low woodland, much taller woods, as in the two pictures below (Berri-Biskit had no invitation to share the foxglove picture), and then an area where the trees had been cleared, which was absolutely magical, there was mist rolling across a reservoir in the distance, and the sun was shining in the early evening. We heard woodpeckers, a cuckoo, thrush and what I know know was a chiff-chaff, as well as numerous SBJ's. We saw what we later identified as a little owl. We wondered why a few dead trees had been left standing in the cleared area. The owl was at the top of one of them. We now reckon the trees had been left for this very purpose, as we read that these owls spend a long time in high places, just observing!

This is Daymer Bay, where we had a short walk recenlty. The sea seemed almost as turquoise as around St Ives and Sennen areas.

No prizes for knowing where this is! Trebarwith Strand for anyone reading this who has not been here - about 15 minutes walk from Michael House, and I still can't resist taking photos of it. It always looks different.