Availability

I'm sure you didnt have a look at this blog to read about how badly I did in our village show! You were more likely to be looking for an update on availability over the coming weeks.

At present, it looks something as follows:

this week, from Sun 27th - full all week

From Sun 3rd August - room with private bathroom available all week, en-suite rooms available some of the week

from Sun 10th August - Full most of week, one en-suite room available for a couple of days, but weekend of 16/17th, two en-suite rooms available

From Mon 18th August, full most of week

One room available over Bank Holiday weekend, form Sat 23rd, but I will not be cooking on the Saturday as we have our local fete that day!

From 25th August - rooms available from here onwards at present

Sour Grapes

Well, I thought my photo was quite good, but that wasn't the view of the judge, so that was that! They have no taste. Nor about the painting, which I came third in, out of 4! I agreed that the first place was well deserved, no question, but, otherwise, I though mine was rather nice. Ho hum. But then, my tomatoes were 2nd, out of 3! And my runner bean was pipped to the post by a stonker, at least half a cm longer than mine! And now it's inedible, it has been hanging around awaiting it's big moment for so long. One year I'll win something. The trials and tribulations of village life.

This is the image I entered in the class 'trees' at the flower show, see below! I cropped it, and took out Sky, as it wasn't to be entitled 'dog and tree'. I love the twisted, gnarled trunk with something or other growing up it. It is probably quite old, but stunted by the wind and weather we get here from time to time!

The Village Flower Show

I love the village flower show! It is about the only thing I get time/excited about in the annual calendar for the garden club in Treknow. It is such fun to nurture the runner bean to get it as long as possible, to select the most uniform tomatoes, and to see how they compare with the other entries in the show. And, this year we had a painting section, so I had to do a picture of the local area for that, especially so as I had suggested paintings be included. I only finished it a few minutes before taking it to the hall. My sweet peas are definitely not winners, there was a longer runner bean there, and I didn't get a cake baked or a flower arrangement done, so, not many chances of prizes really!

It is such an occasion of bonhomie and friendly competition, with the same people winning year after year but it really doesn't matter.

I will do a post later about how I have got on, or delete this entry if it is all too disastrous - eg, if I haven't even come third in a class where there are only two entries!

weeds

The weather has turned lovely today, the contrast with yesterday when it was misty and drizzly is a bit of a shock! But, this allows me to go out a little more in the garden, and all i can see, everywhere it seems, is weeds! bindweed, nettles - well, at least they are habitat - and many i know not the names of. I plan to do some work on them, soon...

Until almost moving in here, I thought Treknow was pronounced Trek-now. It is actually pronounced Tre-no. Tre means homestead, farm, home. There are one or two other Tre-'s around!

This church has been done up beautifully and sensitively and is now lived in by our neighbours.

A plethora of soft fruit

We are luxuriating in an excellent season for soft fruit. We have an abundance of lovely raspberries, many find their way into the fruit salad each morning, others will be frozen and used in other ways. We have made several gooseberry desserts, there are many blackcurrants and the redcurrants and whitecurrants are doing well too. The strawberries are disappointing, but i think this may be because we have not given them the TLC they need. Although the soft fruits are in a fruit cage, there is a blackbird who is totally unfazed by this and has found a way in and easily gets out again.

We are starting to use the courgettes in the polytunnel, and the runner beans, peppers and tomatoes as well. The beetroot are slowly coming along, the broad beans and peas likewise. The cornflowers and calendula make for nice table decorations. This is panning out to be a better year by a long way for the garden than last year was.

When I visit a care home with Sky, as she is a Pets As Therapy (PAT) dog, there is one lady who, when it is raining, says ' we don't get seasons any more, we just get weather when we get it'.

This seems so true, and we are certainly getting plenty of weather at present. As I look out of the window, I can see blue sky and the wind has calmed right down, but I don't trust it to last that way for long.

This weekend we are full, but we do have some availability for next week if you are considering coming to Cornwall at any time. Hope to see you.

Doris and David

This is a picture of similar collared doves to Doris and David, who have taken up residency at Michael House. We love them, they snuggle together and groom each other, they have a gentle air about them, and they are not afraid when we are near to them. They issue a calming cooing sound. We hope to provide them with corn, and they seem to be eyeing us to see whether that might be our plan.

The weather at present is awful, and they must have taken cover somewhere, I have not seen them today, but, then, looking out of the window has not been my favourite occupation today, any more than sitting on telegraph wires is theirs!

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.