Round yellow things.

On the BBC weather forecast chart for next week for the Tintagel area there are unfamiliar round orangey yellow shapes depicted. Not sure what they are, haven't seen such symbols for a while.

Trying not to get too excited, but do hope it is right!

Improvements!

We have had a bit of a move round of stuff at Michael House.

Simon and I now sleep in the little cottage behind the house. This means that the top bathroom is now a private bathroom for guests sleeping in room three, the standard room. It has also allowed me to remove all my craft materials from the back of the sitting room to the room at the top, where we used to sleep. They are currently mainly in a big heap on the floor, but it will be very exciting once I get things sorted out. The sitting room is much nicer and guests will have the top bathroom entirely to themselves.

The real price of milk.

I hope you will spare a few moments to read the excellent blog by Richard, who runs a vegetarian guest house in the New Forest, about the way in which most milk and dairy products are produced by cows kept in vast sheds throughout their lives. 'Zero Grazing'.
http://www.veggieplaces.co.uk. Click on the link to Richard's blog. This site also gives a useful list of vegetarian resources, and invites feedback on places you have visited.

Whilst I hope organic produce is healthier and I know a lot is tastier, the fact that the welfare of the animals is better is a far more compelling argument for it's use. Where I have long bought only free range eggs, and mainly organic ones, I have only more recently made an effort to source organic milk, yogurt and cream whenever possible. Most of ours comes from Riverford, see earlier blog for praise heaped on them! Cheese will be a whole further challenge, and I doubt I will achieve this in the short term.

hallow, Ted The kat here.

wi, o wi, just wen i am settled in the big kervd plastik hows i hav with funi plants in, maybe sleping a bit, dus Vanesser hav to start spraying worta everiwere. It menes i hav to muve or get wet. i thinc she dus it just to annoi me. she is jelus of me, resting. she corls it a politunnle or sumthing. Hu is Poly? it is my tunnle, not Poly's.

Rules of running a guest house

Number One

Never throw snails at your guests.

Prize winning courgettes etc.

We officially have prize winning courgettes at Michael House.

OK, so they only came second.

OK, there were only three entries.

Oh, and it was only a tiny village show.

But, still they are prize winning. We ate them this evening, there is nothing like the first courgettes. They tasted like winners.

There is something lovely about the village garden show. Everyone gathering things together they have grown, making beautiful pies and flower arrangements, and the children producing amazing creations on plates, making masks and cup cake creations. Fierce competition, yet also willing each other to do well, bringing us all together.

Oh, I also won third prize for the strangest shaped vegetable. There were only three entries to this. So, not many strange shaped vegetables in Treknow then, or no-one wished to admit they had created something other than perfect specimens. Mind you, there was only one entry in the radish class. Fortunatley, it won first prize. I heard of a cucumber, the only entry in its class, which only won second prize somewhere.

Surprising, really, that there was anything at the show, after the last entry I made, moaning about the effect of the weather on our gardens.

The picture at the top of the page, which I cannot get to move down here, won second prize, out of quite a lot. I'm not competetive a bit (??), but it would be nice to win a first prize sometime. Oh well, next year. Perhaps they will introduce a class for largest snail. Then I'd be in with a chance.

Vegetables - or not.

The vegetable garden is very depressing this year. The main things doing well are those in the polytunnel, where there are lots of courgettes coming along, cucumbers galore, chillies, peppers, and tomatoes shortly. We have had lettuce in the polytunnel too, and have some strawberries as well. It is great to be able to make salads with most things being home grown. We also have cornflowers and calendula for cutting and start off the herbs etc.

The image on the right was probably taken last year or the year before, but it looks similar this year, although my experiment of sweetcorn in the polytunnel did not really work!

But, outside, the story is rather bleak and windswept. The soft fruit is doing fine, there are lots of raspberries, although I do not think they are the yummiest variety, so may need to be replaced. Black-, white- and red currants are all doing well, adding a sharpness and colour to the breakfast fruit salads, and I may have enough to make a few pies etc. The rhubarb is lovely. The strawberries have looked good, but, where do they vanish to? They are in a fruit cage, but seem to have mostly disappeared!

Otherwise, a sorry state. Simon spent hours preparing the soil, adding compost etc. and then planting seeds. Of the carrots we have one. That will be a precious carrot indeed, if nothing has eaten it underground already! The fennel never showed at all. The beetroot should be OK eventually, and the broad beans have done a bit. The sweetcorn may be OK. The peas were hopeless, and my favourite, runner beans, have been eaten or blown away, i have tried about three times, using seeds and bought in plants. The winds, rain, salty air, seem to have had a dramatic effect this year. And as for the slugs and snails, they have feasted and reproduced and feasted again...

I only feel comfortable confessing all this because I know others have had a similar time locally in their gardens and because we have had far more success in previous years! We are still novices and have little time to devote to the garden, but it is very exciting to bring the produce in and use it in the kitchen for our guests, and there is enough to still get some satisfaction and not give up, and the pain will be all forgotten by next spring!

Echium pininana

These are plants which people love or hate. I love them, I would probably not be blogging about them if I didn't! They are a talking point, the stems reaching up to 4 metres, with a mass of blue flowers in early summer. We have two this year, there were more last year, I think the picture was taken the year before last. Next year, we should have many more, as we have lots of plants at the stage where they are a rosette of bristly leaves, and we have many tiny plants, which we sell for the Home of Hope in Zambia or give away, as well as building up our collection of the plants for the future. Sadly, one of them this year has taken a bashing in the recent winds. Simon fixed it carefully to the posts in the hedge with a couple of pairs of tights. His request for tights was scrutinised of course! The stems of flowers are much thicker than in the picture this year. One interesting but obvious fact once you know it, is that they are related to the borage plant. Similar colour flowers, and rough, feathery feel to leaves. Makes sense when you know!

Some facts about the echium, adapted from the internet:

'Half-hardy biennial/triennial, native to the Canary Islands. In its first year, Echium pininana does little more than put out a large rosette of bristly leaves. In its second, or third, year, however, it sends up a thick, fast growing, tapering stem, up to 4m (just over 13 feet) high, thickly clothed with green leaves and thousands of small blue flowers. If it has support and shelter, it can be very impressive, the talk of the neighbourhood even.

Echium pininana is said to grow best in the UK in a southern maritime situation, but plants have been known to thrive as far north as Yorkshire. If you have free draining soil, and somewhere sunny and sheltered to grow it, it's worth a go. '

Very attractive to bees and hoverflies. Sun and shelter are essential. Well drained, light soil. Dislikes wet clay. Half hardy in the UK - needs all the sun and shelter it can get.
Maintenance - little needed, as this plant traditionally grows in poor soil, though you may need to dig in grit if you are on a clay soil. Will probably need support. Protect the crown from excess wet in winter or it may rot off.

The stems and leaves are quite bristly, so you may want to wear gloves if you handle it, especially when removing the plant once it has died and dried out a bit.
Propagation - Collect seed in autumn after flowering and sow indoors from late winter to spring. Will self-seed. '

thank you www.wildchicken.com

Hedgerows

The hedges are looking lovely, full of sweet smelling honeysuckle and foxgloves everywhere. The thrift has nearly gone now, which is my favourite, so I always feel a little sad when it finishes, but there is always something of interest.

Our spring offers, three nights for two with suppers at the normal price, have been a huge success. The offer (check the specials page for full details), is available until the end of June, and there is some availability, so do give me a ring or email if you are considering a break in Cornwall.

Starf

Hello, this is Ted, The Kat riting. I hav bene ewesd to having starf to arsk for mi fud. i am akkustomd to getting owt ov bed wen the uthers hav finerlli got the fud arranjed, and pushing them owt ov the way and eting as much as i wont. sinse Tibbi and Sidnee dide, i hav no won to arsk for the meles i nede, and fined miself hewmeoliated tu hav to arsk miself. this is not satisfaktori. i nede starf. dus eniwun hav eni iders wot i kan du?

thanc ewe.

Ted

Pets as Therapy

Many people lose contact with cats and dogs when they move into a care home or go into hospital or other institutional setting for whatever reason. Contact with animals is known to have many health benefits and research is increasingly showing these benefits. Pets as Therapy is an organisation which matches up people and organisations with animals assessed as having suitable temperaments to provide a taster of that contact once more. They provide insureance for visits and also offer more specific therapeutic input for eg. people with phobias of cats or dogs.



I visit a care home in Bodmin, approximately once a fortnight. Sky, our border collie, loves these visits, she knows where we are going and gets very excited as we approach. The residents love to see her, many talk of pets they have lived with, some get a little exercise playing with Sky, and the smiles and laughter increase through the visit. If anyone is fearful of her, we just pass by gently. The staff love her too, and I enjoy the visits. So, smiles and joy all round. and, as I am a volunteer, I do not have to fill in any forms, go to meetings or supervise anyone, as I used to when i worked in the NHS!



Link to PAT - www.petsastherapy.org

Asparagus!

The English asparagus season is so short that I am using as much of it while it is around as possible! Fantastic stuff, I have presented it with butter as a starter, in a risotto, as a centre in sushi and alongside other food as a vegetable. I have eaten it in a restaurant in a tempura style thin batter, deep fried. Delicious.

Then there are the Cornish new potatoes and the first broad beans will be along soon... And all those lovely summer veg, hopefully from the garden, to look forward to. Great time of year for food and thinking about future meals!

Pudding week!

Last week somehow focused on puddings - rhubarb crumble with coconut, banoffee pie the next night, then bread and butter pudding, then bread and butter pudding again by request, then very chocolatey chocolate pecan brownies! Oh, and meringues with fruit, not forgetting chocolate sorbet...

I must sing the praises of Riverford Organics, they are just fantastic. Quality fruit, vegetables, milk, eggs, yogurt and other non-perishables such as marmalade and some drinks arrive reliably every week, via the friendly local franchisee. As well as the vegetable and fruit boxes, Riverford offer many other items for sale, and you can just have these. During the summer when the garden is providing plentiful vegetables, we will cancel the veggie box. The website is superbly laid out, it is very simple to use, changing the order is a doddle. I also appreciate the manner in which the cooperative has managed to grow and become a successful large organisation, whilst maintaining the involvement of the customer via weekly newsletters and information, recipes and genuine questions to customers about dilemmas as they arise.

Being forced to use less familiar vegetables is fun when they turn up in the box, such as discovering Jeruasalem artichokes and making a delicious soup with carrots with them. It challenges me and moves me outside my safety zone, which I relish. Chopping copious amounts of wet garlic into a salad, thinking it was spring onions, was perhaps less clever! www.riverford.co.uk

Don't forget our three for two offer - check out the website or previous blog entry for details.

Hope to see you soon.

Vanessa

Thinking of coming to north Cornwall this week or for Easter? We still have some availability, so give us a ring or email info@michael-house.co.uk . The weather forecast is good for the week! Hope to see you soon. Vanessa

Art at Michael House

We shall shortly be saying farewell to most of the work of Barbara Karn, which we will be replacing with some lovely watercolours of the local area. We have enjoyed having the fun and stylish pictures by Barbara on display, and will be sorry to see them leave the house, but have always wanted to keep our art work fresh and changing. You can still buy Barbara's work from us for the next few weeks, or go to her website, which is listed in our links page.

The new pictures will be original watercolours, mostly of familiar local scenes, all one offs and very affordable. They are painted by Wendy Parkyn, a local artist from Wadebridge.

Trebarwith Strand 19.03.07

Trebarwith Strand 19.03.07.

Hi to anyone reading this!

We are offering some special Spring breaks.

Spring and early summer are beautiful in Cornwall. It tends to be peaceful before the summer, and the flowers along the cliff tops are lovely in spring. From the 21st April until the 30th June 2007, we will be offering a three night break with evening meals included for the reduced price of £225 per double/twin en-suite room or £205 for the standard room. This is the equivalent of three nights accommodation for the price of two, plus three course evening meals for two people each night.

This break can be taken on any days of the week, must be inclusive of evening meals and cannot be taken with any other offers, eg 6 for 5 or 10% reduction on five nights or over. Any additional nights will be charged at the normal rate.

Do contact me if you would like to book or have any further queries about these breaks.

best wishes,

Vanessa

More images of the walk from Rocky Valley to Boscastle, Cornwall.

Simon let the dogs through the special dog stile, then held it for me to get through. I wish!

The Devils Blow Hole above Boscastle. We stood looking for it when headed towards Boscastle, but, although we must have been standing right next to it, only saw it when we were coming back! You can just see the smoke-like vapour.

Hello,

Yesterday we had beautiful weather, it was Simon's birthday, and we decided to go for another longish walk. We went from Rocky Valley, (between Tintagel and Boscastle) to Boscastle, had tea and cake and walked back again the same way. It was a wonderful walk, not nearly as arduous as the walk from Port Isaac, but plenty long enough for an afternoon, especially going both ways. The weather was perfect and, although we have had plenty of rain, the paths were not too wet, except in one extra muddy place, where the dogs were able to top up their muddy legs and tummies.

Boscastle is in the throes of work to the sewerage and flood defence systems and is quite busy with machinery once more.

We spotted the blow hole in the cliff top on the walk back, not far from the folly above Boscastle, which looks as though it is giving off smoke at high tide.

So, are the labyrinth images in the rock along Rocky Valley from the Bronze Age or created a couple of hundred years ago as some people believe?

I will show some more photos on a separate entry, as I seem to be rubbish at combining pictures and wording in any sensible order!

Vanessa

A rock pool at Trebarwith Strand

A view from the walk between Port Isaac and Trebarwith Strand.