FLOWERPOT

Dinosaur Hunting Charmouth again.

2012-02-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

A lovely week in Charmouth , fossil hunting.....sadly not finding much this time .
A visit to Groves Nurseries Bridport . I love to that they sell Peas ,beans and onion sets loose in large bins , for you to shovel as much or as little as you want with the scoop provided . This year I have bought Karmen red onion sets , such a gorgeous shape ...Picasso shallots ...a good scoop of Blue Lake French Beans and another of an old Victorian variety of Pea The Alderman ,both of which are good tall climbing varieties . Also very useful are the old bird seed sacks they sell , (at this moment in time covering my tree ferns) I was a bit dissapointed that they didn,t have the last thing on my list " tarred twine " which I,d like to think deters the unwanted bugs on my vegetables ...but to be honest ..the smell of it sends me to Heaven !
We popped into Axminster where I gathered Sequoiadendron Giganticum fir cones and we had a cuppa tea in the River Cottage Cafe . Then to Lyme Regis where I gathered cones from a lovely blue fir tree growing in the graveyard . I look forward to growing all these goodies when I get home .
On our final walk up Charmouth Beach I spied the lovely T.V. garden presenter Chris , I had just read her book from the library before we left home ... well I hope she also enjoyed a nice break away that week ...and I take seeing her as to be a good omen for the next growing season !

Fist post of the year !

2012-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

We,ve had some severe gales recently and during the worst of it I pulled a compost bin over the top of this Palm. I,ve taken it off now , didn,t want to blanch it like a leek ..but I have kept the chicken wire around it and throw branches and the old tractor cover in and around the base of it , to protect it's engine so to speak . Also tied up the large leaves to prevent them getting broken .
Lots of Parsnips this year , leeks too ...yummy ! Time to sow more .
We had a lovely surprise when an engineer working on the telegraph pole near by , came into our garden and presented us with a lovely long flowering branch of a white Hydrangea . He said he'd got it whilst working over in St Keverne and could I get a cutting from it ? Well , I managed to prepare three cuttings from it . Have to wait and see ! Thankyou Mr Electricity man . There are some nice people out there you know . I think this hydrangea is one called Annabelle , but not sure .

Happy New Year All !

2011-12-31T10:41:00.000-08:00

Our favourite local beach cafe at Poldhu ,is pretty nearly always open !

2011-12-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

So I put it beside the fire and it began to open . The cone exuded a maple syrupy fragrance....which I really didn,t expect . Maybe a clue to the type of pine tree it might be ?
So here they are all tucked up for the winter . A mini Christmas Tree farm !

Polurrian Beachcombing

2011-12-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

Beachcombing ...the best way to rest a tired mind . To wander along a seaweedy cove , gathering simple gifts from the ocean and meditate on them, to the sights and the sounds of the waves and the gulls in the sky .
This day I came across an old Russian vodka bottle with Goose Barnacles attached to it . I gathered myself
a bag of drift wood for my evening fire and found a beautiful fir cone . I wonder how far it had travelled over the stormy sea ....and wether I might be able to dry it out and grow the seeds inside ....hmmm.

Galit Mersand Cornwall Workshop

2011-11-24T02:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much these past few weeks...Autumn being such a joyful and busy time for me .
Fun in the garden
Fun with my first newborn grandson.
Fun in my kitchen...... and especially fun dancing .
I'd put my name down for Galit Mersand's Dance Workshop months ago and was so excited that she was coming down to Cornwall . The venue being Cury village hall . Well attended, it was lovely to meet Galit and everyone , a long journey for many too .
Warned at the begining that this was intermediate level ,I knew this was going to push the boundaries for me ,only learning for two years .
Saturday -was my best day I think . We learned " Cool combos.Inspiring ideas for layering to add va va voom to our dancing . This was very intense but after a cup of tea and a flop we were encouraged to "connect with the Diva within " The Drama Queen session was very clever I thought and it was interesting seeing people transform...it was also great fun and there were some hillarious moments .
Sunday- We did "Arabic Jazz Fusion:Everybody's favourite....I was terrified and this was a very tough afternon indeed, so much to remember ,the music was brilliant which helped to carry me along along with getting behind someone else who was getting it : )
I am so glad I did this workshop ,Galit packed in SO much ! She has a website where you can buy DVDs and see youtube clips. I snapped up a couple of her DVDs to keep me going and also couldnt resist a gorgeous new veil from our teacher Liz Newman's tempting Bazaar of colourful dancing skirts ,hip scarves with coins and many other belly dancing trinkets ....aaah....now I,ve had my dancing fix ...back to the garden ....aaaaaayeee !

Save your Seeds

2011-09-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

I hope the sun will shine to ripen the sunflower seeds ....they are so easy to grow !

Time to plant your Autumn Onion sets .

2011-09-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Time to eat up these last remaining mixed lettuces , I think .
I filled a whole wheelbarrow full of weeds from this small patch that you see here . There are a few carrots hidden in here and I pulled out all these tiny onions . They were the spring onions I,d sown earlier in the year . I wonder if I replant them , wether they would grow into proper grown up , big onions ?
As it happens , my Autumn onion sets arrived in the post this morning ....this year I am planting Radar onion sets . They are said to stand the cruel winter weather better than some of the others .
It is time to pull down the Runnerbean frame too , though it pains me to do it ! We ,ll make another one next year with Hazel branches ......speaking of which ...I harvested in all the Hazelnuts last week , because the squirrel had begun taking them .
There are plenty of nuts on the wild bushes in the Cornish hedgerows here , although I think they are smaller . He also has peanuts all year round !
Hey ! What is that dog doing ? !!!

Autumn Labyrinth

2011-09-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I just love these moody Autumn mornings . I took some pics of the Labyrinth ...but couldn,t get it all on one photo ...so I ,ve overlapped three together . I know it,s not brilliant , but I wanted to share the moment with you .

Flowerpot's Herby Tomato Relish

2011-09-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

This is enough for two pots , which is enough for me .
2-3 lbs of Red Tomatoes all chopped up ( I leave the skins on and the seeds in ! ) .
2 medium sized onions chopped .
3 or 4 garlic cloves peeled and put through the garlic crusher .
A couple of tablesoons of vegetable oil to soften the onions in .
1 heapedtablespoon of granulated sugar .
1 teaspoon salt .
2 bags of bouquet garni ....because I was feeling too lazy to go out and get some herbs from the garden ....but then ....I did and picked some lovely oregano and added this as well ...you can add whatever herbs you like ! : )

THEN in your large pan ....

Soften the onions and the garlic in the oil .
Add everything into the pan . Bring it up to a fairly high temperature , stirring all the ingredients together .
Then adjust the temperature to simmer for about 45 mins , stirring and keeping an eye on it and getting high on the delicious fragrance of it , until slightly reduced and has a nice thick consistancy . Remove the bouquet garni if you used them .
Put into your sterilised jam jars , seal and label ....open ...eat ! Store in the fridge .

Apples

2011-09-12T02:40:00.000-07:00

The heart warming scent of lemons , cinnamon , mixed spices , sugar and ever so slightly , caramalised apples softening in the pan .
A good basket of sweet apples and a large bucket of cooking apples ..enough to keep us going for a while .
Five crumbles , four bags of open frozen slices for pies and apple cake , two jars of herby tomato relish for me and some hot,n, spicey chutney is next on the list for him . I am turning into an apple peeling machine !

Loves to Dance !

2011-09-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

Fuchsias on the old water pump

2011-08-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

The pump on the old barrel has fallen through and we are now deciding where in the garden we can recycle it . We lay some old slates across the top of the barrel and have made a colourful display with lots of pots of summer flowering plants .
One of my favourites are the Fuchsias ...they are doing well this year . Due to having plenty of rain showers . I have decided to reduce my collection of cacti and succulenti , due to the cost of heating my 8 x 10 ft greenhouse . Breaks my heart ..but .... after last years terrifying big freeze .... oh...I dont want to talk about it anymore ...
So some of the best , beautiful and most rare ones ...will be moving back indoors to fill up the windowsills again and I will use the space left in the now cold greenhouse , for propagating fuchsias , geraniums , sedums and other things .
The tomatoes ,we had plenty , have finished producing fruit now and are begining to take on their end of season dreadful and sickly look and I cant wait to throw them on the bonfire heap .
Tomorrow I will continue with the greenhouse tidy up and try and stay focused on it until all is done .

My Dancing Feet

2011-08-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

So there are no dance classes tonight ....summer holiday .... I practice around the home and garden ...but it is just not the same .
I found a beautiful blue chiffon veil in a local charity shop the other day and much to the amusement of the other ladies in the shop , I began dancing with it to see if it was suitable . I didn,t realise I was being watched ! lol !
I have been learning the different styles of Belly dancing for nearly two years now and only now do I feel that I can give my opinion of it.
I am so blessed to have found such a darned good teacher for a start ! There are the basics and then there are different styles ,costumes and music from place to place . We do North African and Arabic ....and Bollywood .
There is no messing about....she makes us warm up and work hard ....as hard as any language or dance class , be it ballet or latin ...( ok we do occaisionaly fall apart in fits of giggles ! ) but you do need to work hard at it , to make it look and feel good . ..and it really does FEEL so good when you get it right .
This is a truely ancient dance that really celebrates being a woman ...... all ages ....all shapes ...and all sizes ....look great doing it . There are some amazing male dancers out there too .
Spirals and circles , at one with the universe , sisterhood , motherhood , a celebration , a sacred prayer, connect with the Earth , express an emotion be it sorrow or joy .
Sensual and beautiful ....sometimes soft and other times powerful , punchy and earthy .
I look forward to my Wednesday night classes with my sisters who love to dance ... I come home feeling so exhillerated and happy .... I have discovered lots of new and fabulous music .... and learned to love my tummy .

Leeks are easy !

2011-08-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

So ...having prepared the ground .... you have to make holes . Using an old wooden spade handle and making each one about four or five inches deep ,I do all the holes first and then gently drop in the leeks , being careful of their roots . I dont trim the roots or tops ..some do .
Do NOT backfill with earth ...... but water in ,the action of which will gently wash the soil over the roots . I time my planting to coincide with the rain . The leeks will grow out to fill the holes ,the lowest part will blanche nicely ... some folk like to earth them up or use cardboard toilet roll tubes to blanche them , but I find them to be just fine done this way .
You can plant in clumps of three or five or so ...and harvest them as trendy " baby leeks " .
The wider the spacing ,the larger the leek ......and there are folk who go to great lengths to grow " champion " specimens ...I just want mine to eat .
At the moment there are plenty of onions .... but we soon use them up and move on to the milder flavoured leeks .
And do you know what ....they make a handsome sight growing away in the middle of winter !

My sweet lavender

2011-07-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Lavender everything lavender

2011-07-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

This month I am craving everything lavender . I am busy picking as much as I can before it rains again . I think it is best to pick it just after it has come out ... for use as lavender bags that is . The sweet heady scented bunches that you see here ,are just drying off before I strip the tiny flowers onto a large platter . This will then be placed onto my dresser ,where it will perfume my lounge ...until I find time to sew Lavender bags and Sleep Pillows .
The blue rag rug hanging over my old kitchen chair , by the way , was so easy to make , and a lovely project to do . Keeping me warm ,over my lap , through the cold winter months . Just strips of any old fabric , plaited and stitched from the centre ,coiling round and round as you go .
Classic FM and Lavender linen water makes ironing piles of shirts more relaxing and my bed linen more enjoyable ! Past Times stopped selling my absolute favourite , devastated......until discovering a delightful and friendly company - The Laundry . All is well again ...I cant do the ironing without the fragrance of lavender ...... I have a bottle of violet water waiting in the wings ,but Lavender will always be my favourite .

I would like to have a recipe , if anyone has one , that I could make my own ?

Make hay while the sun shines !

2011-07-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

The meadow was cut yesterday . It smells Heavenly ..... mmmmm ..... I want more wild herbs to grow in it , but , they must be safe for cattle and other animals to eat . So I am taking my time on this subject , I want to get it right .

Today in my garden....

2011-07-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

I cut the labyrinth path and had a bit of a burning ! Mmmm ...smells good !

Woodpeckers

2011-07-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

Another through the kitchen window shot of my other favourite visiters . This is a juvenile on the left ,with it,s dad on the right . The younster still requests feeding from dad , even though he can now feed himself !
The female comes too but if she sees the slightest movement at the window , she's off !

Cheeky Face

2011-07-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Nuts Whole Hazelnuts !

2011-07-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was delighted to see that we have a lovely crop of Hazelnuts . I wonder if anyone can tell me wether I can pick these now and ripen them off indoors ? They are at the big fat juicy stage , as you can see here . Some folk like them at this stage ....... I dont ....... I want them fully ripe and brown so I can roast them and use them in my cakes .
I do love my cheeky faced visiting squirrel ,but this year I want the nuts !

Meadow in the morning .

2011-07-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

Lovely morning ....

2011-07-11T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yes I had been feeling blue , and I had no reason to be feeling so down in the dumps . It lasted a few days and then I got the flu ....really bad. A full eight days of misery , which left me feeling totaly washed out . Unable to do any gardening and missing out on two dance classes , we have been learning two beautiful dances ..Baladi and then a fantastic Indian Bollywood choreography in the second hour of the evening . I hate it if I have to miss a class , terrified that I,ll never catch up ! This week we are begining to study Persian style . Beautiful dancing and I am discovering new and wonderful music along the way .
Up early to see the sunrise this morning , about 6.30 am , I took this pic , looking across the labyrinth , there was a slight mist ,giving the garden a delightfuly magical glow .
Last week my first grandchild was born ........ and I am feeling ........so in love and over the moon !

Feeling blue today ....

2011-06-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

More Woodpeckers

2011-05-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to watch this male Great spotted woodpecker , feeding his chick on the lawn this evening .

Rosa canina

2011-05-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

Moving swiftly on from cats .... my favourite rose flowering in the hedgerow .

Cats dont like snakes !

2011-05-27T23:39:00.000-07:00

I have heard that cats are terrified of snakes...so....I have hung this quite realistic toy snake from som twiggy sticks over my new bed of freshly sown Pak choy and red leaved spinach seeds . I dont want to find them all dug up .

This is what they really like !

2011-05-27T00:24:00.000-07:00

I had been lazily topping up the bird bath dishes with a watering can....... the precious water sprinkled on the grass around......wasteful...I thought to myself .... I must be more careful !
I came indoors and stood at my kitchen window just thinking about things and what I must do next , up in the vegetable garden .. Why have I had to resow parsnips and leek seeds ....why do I keep finding my newly emerging sweet peas and tiny onion sets up rooted ?
Then this beautiful female woodpecker flew down in front of the kitchen window and began pulling up grubs out of the grass around the bird bath dishes ! So ..... I realised ! We haven,t had a proper heavy rainfall for ages , the ground is dry and hard . No wonder the birds are having such a difficult time finding food and are only able to peck and forage for food in the vegetable garden seed beds , that I keep watered .
All the more reason to put out water for the birds ! I have heard that House Martins and Swifts are also finding it hard to find moist earth and mud for their nest building and on a recent Springwatch tv show ....it was recommended that folk put out trays of wet earth / mud for them . well I dont get those birds here ...we do get swallows ...not sure if they use mud ? hmm ...maybe I,ll do this and see what comes .
Anyhow up in the veg garden I will have to cover the beds with some plastic mesh . The potato hawk is doing a great job keeping the pigeons off the young cabbage plants . The chicken wire is keeping the rabbits out .The bluetits are keeping the greenfly down . The crushed eggshells , sand and toads are keeping the slugs off ,the thrush enjoys a snail ot two . The visiting cat ? ........dont get me started !

Back in the garden today .

2011-05-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

If I didn,t put peanuts out..... then I probably wouldn,t see my friends the Woodpeckers .... but I do wrestle with the thought that it isn,t really their natural food .

Music on the Mount 2011

2011-05-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Seef Saffah Dance Group . Performing at Music on the Mount 2011 . African and Middle Eastern Dance .
Elegant , classy , flawless .

Buckfast Abbey Acorns and Conkers Update !

2011-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

My Buckfast Abbey tree seeds have germinated !

French beans,logs and Belly Dancing !

2011-05-19T00:38:00.000-07:00

Warm foggy morning and Cornish mizzle , Blue Lake french beans are germinating ! I took a chance on these sowing them outside the day I made the hazel frame . I have some now growing away strongly in the greenhouse to plant out next week ,which will be the correct time to plant out after the last frost ....which we rarely get here on the Lizard in Cornwall . As a matter of fact,the weather has been just so fine and warm this year, that I could have planted them out a month ago . The peas are flowering and there are one or two pea pods forming already .
In the green house there are tomatoes in flower and a few green plum tomatoes forming . I am so pleased with these ,as the seeds were saved from an especialy tasty locally grown tomato I,d bought last year . I cant wait to see if I get some nice yellow plum tomatoes from the other seeds I,d saved . People have been telling me that you cant do this, that they wont come true .... the truth is that they might come true and sometimes they are even better ! and they were free !
I took a chance and planted a couple of these tomatoes ,two cucumber and two Waltham butternuts outside to climb up the frame with the beans . Also planted out one courgette plant ,all of these have been hardened off in the cold frame first .
I found a bag of red onion sets which I,d forgotten about ,planted these out and put grids over to keep the birds and next doors cat off .
A mountain of split Larch logs, for next winter ,was delivered from South West Forestry in the morning . I filled the wheel barrow and Big Foot (my husband) emptied and stacked it neatly into the Wood shed .We both missed our old collie dog Megs ,who used to love this day in the year,when the logs came . The heady fragrance of the Larch logs is comforting ....and there was talk of keeping bees .
This evening I go to my Belly Dance class in Helston ,with aching back and arms now twice as long. We begin a lovely new dance , Baladi style . In the second class we are learning a beautiful choreography to "Ever So Lonely" by Sheila Chandra...Indian style. This weekend Sunday , our Dance teacher Liz Newman and her group will be performing at St Michaels Mount at 1.30 pm . Be there ! They are brilliant !

Siamese Twins

2011-05-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

Everything is looking so lush after the rain during the night . My Cornish hedge at the front gate is buzzing with bees and dancing butterflies . Wall flowers , roses , centranthus rubra valerian and shasta daisies ....but what really caught my eye today , was this delightful and beautiful Siamese-twin bloomed daisy !

Great spotted woodpecker

2011-05-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

O.K. So I knew you wouldn,t believe me ! Here is my friend the Woodpecker. I haven,t been putting peanuts out so often ,due to the price now . ...but he is such a splendid character of a bird ....and I do love to see him .

Grandmother's Secrets

2011-05-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

So , after all these chores in the garden ,not to mention two fun , but tough belly dance classes this week , I am going to take it easy this afternoon , put my feet up and read my book . " GRANDMOTHER'S SECRETS " " The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing " by ROSINA-FAWZIA AL-RAWI every student of the authentic art of belly dance should read this truely delightful book .

Runner Beans

2011-05-06T00:23:00.000-07:00

The Runner beans are in ! So I just couldn,t wait any longer ..and no sooner do I plant them out ,the weather changes ! Cold and worse still ,very blustery . I extended the windbreak around the bed with some cardboard ,should be strong enough to give some shelter for a couple of days . Runners are tough , but I have more in the coldframe . The Runnerbean frame is leaning because I had Buccaboo the scarecrow leaning against it last season ...but it is quite strong enough for another season .
I have put cardboard down to stop weeds growing in the middle .
Also , I have sown beetroot along one side and turnips along the other .
Over the other side of this bed ,I have sown another lot of carrot seed , with a row of thickly sown onion seeds, to pull as spring onions and hopefully keep the carrot root fly away . Today I will see if I have a spare fleece frame to cover them with ,as there are gaps in the plastic corrugated panels surrounding this part of the bed ....but the carrot root fly is the least of my worries ...
Cats can be such a problem ! It is not nice to find a vegetable bed all beautifuly worked to a fine tilth and sown with carrot seed ,has been dug up and used as a cat toilet . My advise is to cover with frames after sowing ,or put down chicken wire , holly leaves are good. You cant use Lion Dung on a carrot bed beacause manure makes carrots fork ....and I would rather not use Cat Off chemical spray on my food crops either thankyou very much !

Preparing for French Beans

2011-05-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

Time to stop buying bamboo canes and make my own plant supports and climbing structures . I have two Hazel bushes from which I lop out enough straight branches of a suitable size for this ...tidy them up a little bit ,not too much as the young bean shoots appreciate something to grab on to . One of the problems with bamboo is the stems are silky smooth , I will have to put on net to get my sweetpeas going .
These are old bamboo canes and very brittle .They can be very dangerous and sharp if they snap . I find all manner of objects to cover the tops of these , it could be so easy ,on bending down to pull up a weed and poke your eye .
So here is this years bean frame ,all ready to go .I had a very generous bag of seeds ,so have taken a chance and sown two at each station along the frame . I,ve sown some Blue Lake Climbing French Beans in the greenhouse and they are just beginning to hatch and by the time they are big enough ,we shall be well clear of any frosty weather .
I will still use the bamboo to hold the chickenwire to the ground around my veg beds ...I tried with sticks ,but couldn,t push them through the wire ,to keep the bunnies out . I think that the Hazel rods look far more attractive than the bamboo canes though .

Look what I found !

2011-05-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

I found a hammered coin on a beach at Gunwalloe ....without metal detector ! There are said to be several shipwrecks off the coast just here . HMS Anson in 1807 and the San Antonio which happened in 1527 . It is said she was carrying the dowry of Princess Katherine ,the bride of King John of Portugal and sister of Charles V .

The coin that I found has some tantalising markings on it . It is very worn and battered ..... but I would be thrilled to think I have found a small piece of such a romantic tale .

I will be taking this in to the Truro Museum to be recorded and hopefully identified .

Whistle while you work .......

2011-04-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

All is well in the ornamental garden ,daffodils are now going over ,we,ll leave them to wither ,n, the goodness will go back into the bulbs. The star of the show here is the silver leaved Cardoon . So all being fairly well here ,we get on with preparing the vegetable garden for beans ,courgettes ,pumpkins and our favourite Butternut squashes . We need to dig in lots of lovely compost from the heap because these are hungry crops . Apart from the french beans ,everything is coming up and now in their final sized pots .We just need to harden them off ,by a few days of bringing them out side during the day and putting them back into the cold greenhouse by night . A couple more weeks and we will be at the "no need to worry about frost "stage" . Although we hardly ever get frost here on The Lizard ,in Cornwall .
However seeds are very expensive now and you do go to alot of trouble to germinate ,prick out and repot etc ...so it is wise ...to wait just a little longer .
I might start off some French beans today in the greenhouse ,I want lots and lots of them , everyone loves them , they are expensive in the shops ,beautiful fresh and freeze really well . Our Crusader Runner beans are up and in the cold frame hardening off ( although I have sown these out in the ground here they are tough enough hee ) but I much prefer the French beans . I found the climbing Blue Lake variety to be exceptional last year .
O.K . Enough talking .... time for my Readybrek..cuppatea...then back to the garden .
By the way , loving the happy team of the Beechgrove Garden and the repeats of Carol Klien growing vegetables in her beautiful cottage garden ..and darling Monty Don being back in Gardeners World .

The Cuckoo has arrived !

2011-04-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

He,s arrived ! That beautiful mellow sound , cutting through the dawn chorus . The call of the Cuckoo . We were watching Spring watch just last night , they were saying how the Cuckoo is in decline due to climate change .Well if you take a walk here, on the Lizard in Cornwall especially over Predannack ,you may well hear two or three cuckoos all calling at the same time . " Summer is a coming in ! " As I stood and watched this morning's sunrise across the meadow ,my heart is filled with joy !

Potato Hawk

2011-04-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

Potato hawk

2011-04-24T23:57:00.000-07:00

O.K. So back up in the vegetable garden . . . . my tiny spring greens need protecting from pigeons and pheasants . I have found this works .
You will need -
1 potato
1 piece of string
1 tall stick
1 seagull
1 large bead or tie a dangley thing to stop the knot slipping through the potato .
one of those giant fat tapestry needles .

Thread needle with very long piece of string . Thread on the bead , I used the dangley thing (that I found in the treasure box at the Sancreed Beacon ,thankyou to whoever put this in the box , It is being put to good use here in my garden ! )
Thread on the potato .
Next the seagull . These can easily be lured in , to a toddler in a push-chair , holding a Cornish Pasty or ice cream ....the best locations for this I,m afraid are top secret ! Only kidding ! I love seagulls ! ) I found my feathers on the beach .
So you,ll need about eight feathers , push into your potato ....some for wings.....and some for tail feathers .
Tie to the stick and plant to hang over your cabbages and purple sprouting broccoli .
The pigeons think it is a bird of prey and dont go near . It works for me !

Happy Earth Day !

2011-04-22T01:19:00.000-07:00

Bees

2011-04-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

....I want to keep bees ! I have plenty of space and plenty of flowers ..... two or three bee hives would be great ....both for me and the planet . So why dont I ? I cant afford it ! Why is everything to do with keeping bees SO expensive ? Bees should be free !(sorry ,that was my inner child speaking ) Bees should be free ! Bees should be free !

A lovely Day Out

2011-03-30T03:36:00.000-07:00

Sancreed Beacon

2011-03-30T03:23:00.000-07:00

After a misty start , last Saturday turned out to be the perfect day for a picnic . Sancreed Beacon is becoming one of my favourite places to sit and munch a Cornish Pasty ...coffee ...and a slice of cake (see below ). Violets ,primroses ,celendines and coconut scented gorse are everywhere nestling in the Cornish hedgerows . We say hello to a couple of gentle horses . A short walk down a pretty footpath to the Holy Well and Sacred Tree . A sight to behold all bedecked with colourful clouties ,rags , ribbons, little handmade offerings , hung with sincere thoughts of thanks or wishes . The ancient well with votive candles . Close by we have some fun on the tree swing ! Sancreed has a beautiful church , I will post some pics of it next time . There is a beautiful ancient stone celtic Cross on the Cornish hedge near by . Over the lane Plan- it- Earth ( look this up ! ) have a big table of home grown produce . I took a bundle of Raspberry canes from the big blue tub , for £ 2 which I put into the honesty bottle . A little further up the road we lay down on the banks of Drift Reservoir ...more cake ...more coffee . ... aah .... and watched the swans .

My Date Walnut and Chocolate Polka Dot Cake .

2011-03-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Put on my fav music of the day .... Josh Groban .Put on fresh clean apron ...smash open Ingrids delicious home grown Walnuts and make Date Walnut and Dark Chocolate Polka Dot Cake .
12 oz self raising flour.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
2oz unsalted butter.
12 oz or so of dates.
4 oz walnuts.
2 oz soft brown sugar.
quarter of a pint of water.
2 Eggs.
3 tablespoons of milk.
About half a packet Dark Chocolate polkadots or smash up a small bar of plain chocolate into small pieces....do not indulge !
Sieve flour and baking powder and rub in the butter with your finger tips .
Chop the dates small making sure all stones are removed .
Bash up the walnuts . Sometimes I grind them up in the blender for a delicious much softer texture.... especially good if you are expecting people with no teeth for tea .
Add nuts and sugar into the flour.
Soften the dates with the water in a saucepan..let cool..then add to the mixture with the milk and beaten eggs .
Tip into your 2lb loaf tin , I always line with buttered parchment paper and use enough to cover loosely over the top . Stops it from over browning on top .
Bake for about 45 mins at oven temp 180 degrees 345 degrees F Gas mark 4-5 Uncover the top of the parchment lid for last 5 mins or so . test by gently pushing in a knife ..if it comes out clean then the cake is ready to take out . It might need a few more mins . I usualy turn it out, straight away , to cool on a cooling rack . Brush with runny honey ..... or sprinkle with demerara sugar .....decorate with walnut halves ....or maybe not !

What is this ?

2011-03-21T02:36:00.000-07:00

2011-03-21T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last year I bought this from a plant sale in Penzance . The stall holder told me it came from the greenhouse collection of a gentleman who had passed away . He added that it might be something a bit special and maybe even rare, but couldn,t think of the name . Well it was just a pot of lily of the valley shaped leaves at the time and all through the summer I waited longingly to see a flower . Autumn came and all the leaves withered ! Anyone else might have thrown it away ,however ,Spring is finally here and whilst watering the other plants on my windowsill ,to my surprise ,I noticed a few green leaves appearing . Bone dry ....I gave it a small amount of water and over the last three days it has pushed up a bud ! Can any one tell me what it is please ?

A Simple Spring Harvest

2011-03-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Plenty to eat in the veg garden . Leeks ,Purple Sprouting Broccoli ,Spinach beet ,and lovely crimson rhubarb . Autumn planted onion sets ,cabbages and kale . Shallots and Garlic all growing away . Camillias ,Daffodils ,Hyacinths ,Violets,Daisies ,Cherry blossom and even the odd fat,n,fuzzy bumble-bee is bumbling about in the spring sunshine .

The Awakening

2011-03-14T04:49:00.000-07:00

Ricinus communis germinating .

The Magic Dolphin Quilt

2011-03-14T04:38:00.000-07:00

I haven,t been on for quite a while ...sorry about that . First grandchild on the way! Since we live near the sea I thought the little one really should have a " Magic Dolphin Quilt " to snuggle in For this quilt I used all new strips of finest and softest Liberty Prints in all the beautiful colours of the ocean .

Partial Eclipse of Cheeky Squirrel !

2011-01-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

Solar Eclipse Mullion

2011-01-04T04:12:00.000-08:00

Well ,through a lucky break in the clouds , this was how I saw it..... I wasn,t too sure where the moon was ...maybe you can make it out ? Got freezing cold hands.... not sure if it was worth the effort really !

Happy New Year !

2010-12-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

Here is my vegetable garden back in the Autumn . Most of what you can see here has now withered after the recent snow . I have wrapped the trunk of the palm with an old duvet and am hoping and praying that it will pull through . My Autumn sown peas which were doing so well have mostly snapped at the base in the strong gales ...I,ll sow some more soon . My sweetpeas are growing away beautifully ....and my onion sets ,which I covered with cardboard during the snow ,look fine . There are still a mixture of brassicas to harvest ,spinach beet, carrots ,parsely, celery ,fennel and leeks . In my herb garden I was surprised to find Thyme still growing beautifully there ,but it is quite sheltered here and the drainage sharp .
I am busy planning next years arrangement of the plot , so to prevent pests and diseases . The runnerbean climbing frame seems to be o.k I might keep that where it is for another year . I am trying a new variety (to me anyway ) Crusader..for no reason other than it's romantic name .
I have a box of seed packets to rummage through ,some still have a few seeds rattling about inside, some past their sowing date and many which are empty : ) and some things I,ve saved myself ,such as some seeds from some delicious plum tomatos that I bought locally. I enjoyed last years Gardeners World series and loved the free seeds ! I loved how the team got us all digging in... young and old !
I have replaced my little pink garden note book with a new one for 2011 .....and will use the old one as my guide . Keeping a record of all my garden activities ,especially in the veg garden ,has been one of the best things I ever started doing . I find that now I really can keep ahead of it all . My first entry this year will be -" Dont bother with Broadbeans....nobody likes them ! Also after the snow ,the very mild weather here has caused the Hairy Bitter Cress (weeds) to germinate everywhere . Need to handweed that out as soon as spotted ..it grows , flowers and goes to seed at the most frightening speed ! Bucca Boo needs a make-over ! : ) "
I can not recommend Allotments4all highly enough for all the help and advise the website has given me in growing my own veggies ....brilliant !
Happy New Year to you all !

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse Mullion

2010-12-20T23:22:00.000-08:00

The Lunar Eclipse about 6.30 am this morning . Happy Winter Solstice ! The shortest day and longest night . The Moon it is said to turn blood red at some point during the eclipse ...so ..with hot water bottle stuffed inside my jacket ....I am off to have another look !

How I made my labyrinth

2010-11-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

O.K. I have been saving this for a rainy day ! Enjoy ! Debbie : )

Conkers Apples and Magic Spells

2010-11-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

Gather up a few windfall apples , sit down with my pile of old magic spell books, cup of tea and biscuits .

Buckfast Abbey Horse Chestnuts

2010-11-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

Probably too many to a pot !

I love trees !

2010-11-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

We ordered and had our firewood delivered earlier in the year from South West Forestry . We have found their split logs to be of good quality and well seasoned by the time the cold weather arrives .
I had a nice surprise when the gentleman who deliveed our wood ,returned a few weeks later and gave me a little Ginko Biloba sapling for my garden ! Thrilled to bits ! We had some discusion about where it should go (having already lost one up in the windy veg garden ) I decided on planting it in the Ornamental garden .
I DO love trees ! ...and little saplings are so cute..I have enjoyed watching it's leaves change from bright green to butter yellow .Now dormant and waiting for Spring to come again . Thankyou so much for my pretty little tree !
On our way back from Charmouth last weekend ( the fossil and dinosaur hunting expedition )we stopped off at Buckfast Abbey...for lunch , light a candle and look at all the lovely Christmas goodies ,ease myself into Advent gently .
I love the physic ,rose and lavender gardens ..the place is surrounded by trees and Autumn has been truely magnificent this year .
To my absolute joy ,I discovered a young Horse Chestnut tree and quickly went into that deep meditative state of mind that one does when looking for conkers . I found a few acorns too.....and after a week sitting in a plastic bag in my room , I found on inspection that some of these were hatching already !
Aagh ! You have to be quick with acorns and get them planted ....I have now potted them up and hope they,ll be ok . I need to find something to place over them to stop the squirrel nibbling them . :)

Jai Ho !

2010-11-07T01:51:00.000-07:00

Cant stop ! I,m off to Helston Community College for the Bollywood and Bhangra / Saidi Fusion workshop with Yvette Cowles . Yesterday was hard work ,but brilliant fun learning a choreography to the song from "Slumdog Millionaire" Today its Bhangra and Saidi fusion . We are so lucky to have Yvette come here to Helston .It was so nice to see everyone, not only from our classes here , but also from further afield .Three cheers to our amazing teacher Liz Newman for organising this ! ....... A colourful array of goodies to tempt us in the Bazaar too !

Beautiful Charmouth

2010-11-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

I loved this rock art that someone had made on the beach !

Charmouth Weekend Trip

2010-11-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Another brilliant fossil hunting trip to Charmouth . Many small pyrities ammonites and broken belemnites...my best finds this time are these two Ichthyosaur vertebrae and what I think may be a scute or scale from a crocodile . I also brought back one or two large pieces of shale, such as the one here ,to investigate further at home .

Rainbow Prayers

2010-10-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

Sancreed Holy Well and Sacred Tree

2010-10-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Then on to the Holy Well and Sacred Tree .
Little tea lights sparkle in the darkness down in the Holy Well ....the water is ice cold . We lit four big candles that we,d brought with us....pushing them into the crevises amongst the ferns and sparkling moss .
There is an innocent, childlike beauty and love here and around the Sacred Tree . A Rainbow of heartfelt wishes and humble prayers blowing in the wind .

Sancreed Bronze Age Settlement and Beacon

2010-10-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today my daughter and I set off to find the Bronze age settlement at Sancreed . A rather cold and blustery day ,we were grateful not to have to walk too far from the lay by where we left the car .
Through a small gate,a short trudge through Christmas Pudding like mud . The wind whistled round our ears as we lay our hands on these ancient rocks . Cup marks and we thought we could see some lithic art ..a deer with antlers on one huge rock .
Here we found a secret ...which filled our hearts with joy ! ....a lovely and unexpected surprise ! I cant tell you ..since it is a secret ...but we left a little of our hearts love there in return . We hope that whoever finds the secret next will be as delighted as we were ! Thankyou so much !

Thinking about hibernating .....

2010-10-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

Delighted to see this little chap in my garden this morning . Please check your bonfire heap for any sleeping animals which may be curled up in there, before lighting it .

Cornish Grapes !

2010-10-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

O.K. So maybe not so perfect looking as you can buy in the supermarket , but these have a much nicer flavour and are lovely and sweet . I dont know which variety this vine is .It was already here in the garden when we moved here . Grapes have many health benefits and we should all eat more of them .

Kynance Cove again !

2010-10-23T01:57:00.000-07:00

Thursday .The tide was out ,flat gentle waves lapping the sand .We explored the ancient caves . The sun became quite hot..we wished we'd brought our costumes . Then off to Roskillys for ice cream !

Tibetan Prayer Flags

2010-10-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I harvested the last of the Blue Lake French Beans ,one huge pumpkin,two odd potatoes ,three butternuts ,lots of carrots . Took down the runnerbean net, leaving the colourful Tibetan Prayer flags fluttering in the breeze .

Harvest the last of the beans

2010-10-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

Walking over Kynance

2010-10-15T03:06:00.000-07:00

Walked to Kynance Yesterday

2010-10-15T03:02:00.000-07:00

Walked to Kynance yesterday. From Mullion along the road and back over the cliffs took me six hours . Beautiful.

Love

2010-10-10T09:40:00.000-07:00

Poldhu Waves today !

2010-10-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Treasures of Autumn

2010-10-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

My Best Friend Ever

2010-10-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Forgive me , but today I need to be alone. Completely alone for the next few days or so . Yesterday my beautiful collie dog passed away . For 16 years Megs has been at my side day and night . My heart is broken and I need time and space to think about her . I dont want any visiters ,I have nothing left of myself to spare right now . I will be o.k but for a little while I need to be on my own . The silence is comforting.

Autumn Buzzards

2010-09-27T03:59:00.000-07:00

I have found this to be a great tome for watching Buzzards .

Autumn

2010-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

There comes a time when Autumn asks " What have you been doing all Summer ? " Anon

My favourite plant in the greenhouse

2010-09-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Nopalxochia phyllanthoides .

Sunday in my greenhouse

2010-09-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

So today I am up in my greenhouse .
All is clean and tidy , but I need to make sure I am ready for Winter . The windows are open and the deliciously pungant Pelagoniums perfume the air. Butterflies, bees, spiders and froggies are all welcome . My little yellow radio playing classic fm , a lovely place to be. Soon the windows must be closed up .I am checking the little heater is working and sorting out some fleece and polystyrene sheets ready to throw over the plants should it turn frosty .

This morning on the beach. Polurrian Cove

2010-09-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

Fun fun fun !

Treasures from the past

2010-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

I very often find little pieces of the past whilst digging in my garden . Last week after a heavy downpour of rain I spotted a little flint thumb scraper washed up in one of my vegetable beds . I am thrilled ! Nearby I had also found the other stone tool , although I think this one has been broken....you can see that the edge and sides have been polished . A trip to Truro museum is now on my calender . I will take all the bits that I have found this time and see if we can find out about our ancestors that lived here back in prehistory times . The Portable Antiquities Scheme is there to help with identifying your "finds" . I have just discovered their brilliant website ...with a great data base and gallery .

Time to plant Onion Sets

2010-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

And so Mother Earth treadles her spinning wheel of seasons . A time of Harvest and to be thankful.A time to tumble and replenish the soil . Time to begin again .
At the top of this bed I have grown Red Cabbages ,which if they survive having been nibbled by everything ,will become a delicious relish for Christmas .They should pull through , there are a couple of toads in amongst them .The middle bit is where I grew a goodly pile of onions ,now stored away in the woodshed . A permanant planting of Parsley..and I have scattered a last minute sowing of Pak Choy here ,since it should come up quickly before winter blows in . In the bit nearest the wheel barrow I grew mixed leaves for salad, beetroots and red spring onions ...this I cleared today except for a row of carrots ,to make way for onion sets. These will be ready next June ...so I,m thinking about next Summer already ! Ialso replanted some of the red spring onions ...maybe they,ll grow into big onions for next year too . I bury the sets up to their noses so the birds wont notice them and put down grids and grills to keep the neighbours cats off . Now that my poor old collie has become blind ,the cats take greater liberties . It is horrible to have to clear cat mess out of a vegetable bed and my grid system seems to be working . Tonight rain is coming to water the onion sets in . Never use tap water ! yuk ! Plants dont like it ! And the Sun will shine again tomorrow !

2010-09-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

I am glad that I kept a note book this year of everything I grew . The Butternuts were " Waltham " Duchy . Next year I will erect a much taller and stronger climbing frame for them ! The Hundredweight Pumpkins always try to escape their pen and even climbed the Runnerbean frame ! Courgettes zucchini were from the BBC Gardeners World free seed collection and I had a bumper crop from these and a couple of massivo marrows that were hiding in amongst the leaves ...Lord knows what I,ll do with them ! This year I neglected the Grapevine ..and it went mad ! Not only a bumper crop but they all appear to be ripening up nicely and they taste sweet too . I should have thinned out the bunches and bought in bottles , labels and corks if I,d known they were going to be this good !

Meanwhile back in the garden.....

2010-09-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Pumpkins are looking good and will be ready in another couple of weeks or so . : )

Tonight ...I dance Egyptian !

2010-09-15T03:28:00.000-07:00

For two hours !

Kynance Gate Bronze Age Settlement

2010-09-15T02:51:00.000-07:00

Then on to Bodmin Museum !

2010-09-15T02:44:00.000-07:00

We had been really looking forward to this visit and we,d driven a very long way to get here . Recent history is well covered we thought,but with all the ancient archaeology that is around in the surrounding landscape and hills of Bodmin, we felt abit let down with such a meagre display . We thought the model Bronze age village was superb !...and deserves to be displayed and illuminated better than it is at present, maybe with the artefacts that are associated with it . Still it was FREE to go in .

Lanherne Convent

2010-09-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

Then to the beautiful Convent of Lanherne ,on a mission to collect some Holy Water from the Chapel,but I stupidly forgot to bring a bottle to put it in ! We stayed a while to listen and pray . The silence was bliss ! Apart ,that is , from the chickens that are wandering about , out in the gardens ! Watch out for them ! Huge and fierce looking !

St Mawgan in Pydar Church

2010-09-15T01:47:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we visited St Mawgan in Pydar Church . I love the stained glass window of Our Lady holding out the little Lord Jesus to us ...just such a powerful picture .

John Wesley Day Mullion

2010-09-07T01:13:00.000-07:00

The Kestrel at the Marconi Centre

2010-04-14T03:48:00.000-07:00

2010-04-14T02:33:00.000-07:00

This is where the first transatlantic radio signal was made in 1901 .
The Marconi Centre ,up high on the cliffs at Poldhu in Mullion Cornwall .
Radios ,ariels ,telegraph cables ,transmitters, wireless ,headphones ,satellites and other fascinating boy stuff bloop ,buzz and bleeping through the airwaves ! Open to visiters and run by the volunteers of the Poldhu Amateur Radio Club . FREE ! Check opening times at their website http://marconi-centre-poldhu.org.uk/
The day I passed by ,out enjoying the warm Cornish Spring sunshine, I had a truely wonderful welcome here . (I am not an expert on birds and please if you know different ,I,d be interested to know what you think this bird is )I think it was a beautiful little kestrel ,flying from post to ground to post again , seemingly oblivious to me creeping up on him time and time again to take a photo of him . In fact not oblivious at all , since some of my pictures show him to be looking straight at me ! The Marconi Centre was closed ...........was I bothered ? :)

The Swallows have arrived !

2010-04-08T01:55:00.000-07:00

I felt it should be made note of here that the Swallows have arrived , we saw them as we drove though Cury yesterday . Despite having flown thousands of miles from Africa ,and you,d think they,d be exhausted ,they were still too fast for me to get a snap of ! So heres the sea gull I saw chasing off a buzzard over Tescos in Helston instead ! The weather is set to be absolutely glorious for the next couple of days...I,m off to plant my Pink Fir Apples and sow the free seeds I recieved from Gardeners World . Loving the new series of Gardeners World and also loving being welcomed into the very retro world of Alys Fowler and little dawgie friend . Brilliant fun !

2010-04-04T03:44:00.000-07:00

Sunrise Service for Easter Day Mullion

2010-04-04T03:17:00.000-07:00

Thankyou to the Mullion Golf Club for letting us have this lovely service and for the delicious breakfast enjoyed by all afterwards !

Sunrise Service for Easter Day Mullion

2010-04-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Up early to celebrate Easter Day 6am up at Mullion Golf Club .Father Shane vicar of St Mellanus Church in Mullion led us in an exciting, delightful and truely meaningful outdoor service . With the sea behind us and the Sun rising before us ,we shared bread and wine, remembering and rejoicing in Our Risen Lord !

Sunrising over Goonhilly this morning .

2010-04-01T00:19:00.000-07:00