Postcards from Cornwall

Sunday 24th May 2009

Dear All,

Arrived in Cornwall on Saturday evening. It was quite warm on the drive down and we stopped off at Tyntesfield just outside Bristol then got stuck in traffic on the M5! Our cottage for the week seems to be just what we need including a balcony with lovely views across the Cornish countryside.

Today was very sunny and we decided to take advantage of the fine weather and went to the Lost gardens of Heligan. The jungle and Lost Valley were at their best and we strolled around the formal gardens, walled gardens and various shed, huts, greenhouses and arbours. We then called in at Fowey and nearly went on a boat ride but missed the last sail of the day!

More postcard to follow.

Wish you were here.

Love

Lyn and Hubby

xxxxx

au revoir!

From the title of my post you may suppose we are off to France but no-Cornwall. We set off tomorrow-Hubby says 11am which usually means around 2pm! But we leave tomorrow. It's 8.30pm Thursday evening, I have not packed one single item, there are flap jacks baking in the oven to take with us, the cupboard is stocked with cat food and I managed to remember to get some toothpaste-but that's about it!

We are very lucky as my lovely mother-in-law comes and stays to look after Lucy and the house and garden when we go away so the princess will be waited on paw and paw. Her every need seen to.

I will leave you with a picture of the few flowers and leaves I managed to drop off at Touchstones Gallery in Rochdale for their exhibition-You still have time to send them-they have to be there by 27th May-

Touchstones

The Esplanade

Rochdale

OL16 1AQ

Bye for now, I will return with Lots and Lots of photos to bore you with! I will be blog-less for a week and will miss reading all your lovely posts but I will have fun catching up.

A Double post

A Post of two parts.

Friday 15th May 2009

I drove up to visit Shan and we had a slice of the lemon birthday cake I had made for her and a coffee before she opened her pressies. I had bought her a book about bead and wire jewellery and made her a needle felted elephant. She has called her Nelly.

Then off to shop, eat and chat. Lovely evening catching up with my good friend. Shan starts work at an awful hour on Saturday morning so after dropping her off I arrived home to a silent house at 7am and although I felt sleepy could not resist opening a parcel that had been delivered the day before. Inside was my freestyle swap from the lovely Yvonne at Country Bliss.

It was like having another birthday for me. She had made me the most beautiful fabric bucket, a needle case, an owl bookmark, a flower brooch, and a lavender bird and also sent a teapot teabag saucer and a bar of chocolate! All with a lovely card, THANK YOU Yvonne! (I hope she likes hers, I sent it on Friday). This is my first swap and I like it. I can imagine it's fun doing it with a theme too.

Saturday 16th May 2009

I should of gone back to bed for a hour but I was so excited. You see we were going to step back in time today.

Every year in May the Village of Haworth in Yorkshire, famous for it's Bronte connection holds a 1940's weekend. And this year we were going for the first time.

First we drove to Oxenhope station to catch the steam train to Haworth.
What a wonderful way to arrive. When we got off the train there were vintage buses waiting to take us up to the top of the main street-the bus was in 1st gear all the way up the steep hill. It was strange being on an old double decker bus, on the top deck with about a dozen men dressed as American GI's!

We were given an identity card and had to show it at the road block on the way into the village. then it was really fun, just like stepping back in time. Everywhere there were people dressed in uniforms and 1940's style clothes, military vehicles, stalls and even a small carousel. The shops were all decked out with union jacks and war posters and the streets had bunting. They were doing dance demonstrations in the pub car park and sing-a-longs on the church steps and marching bands and a parade of the Women's Lady Army. The cafes were doing a roaring trade and the waitresses wore pinny's and starched white caps. Dad's army were there including a look-a-like Private Pike and Captain Mainwaring. Churchill made a speech and tomorrow the Queen was making an appearance! And it was all free to wander around. (unfortunately the fly past of a Lancaster Bomber was cancelled today due to high winds).

We did not dress up but I had a hint of 1940's about me- I bought a grey beret off a stall while we were there and wore it for the rest of the day, to blend in more!


I took loads of photos but here are just a few to give you a taste.

There were British, American, Russian, Belgian and German troops all happily getting along.

Ladies having a gossip about the rationing...

Spivs and their ladies....

Then it was back on the bus to the station. We decided to take the Steam Train to Keighley so I could see the inside of the station and imagine I was in the 1979 film Yanks with Richard Gere- unfortuneately he wasn't there!

Someone's doing a giveaway! (and a reminder)

No not me, I promise I will get my act together and sort one out-for my 100th blog maybe?
Anyway Aneela at Comfortstitching is giving away a beautiful quilt, pop over to take a look and leave a comment-you may be lucky!

Also please can I reminder you about the Knitted Nature exhibition on at Touchstones Gallery in Rochdale Lancashire. The idea is you knit or crochet some flowers or leaves and send them to the gallery by 27th May 09 and they will use it in an installation in the gallery. I have done a link to my previous post here for details and here for the Artyarn/UK DIY site. Please do some, I will be and it would be nice to see some other familiar names up there.
Pass this on.......
THANK YOU

Garden day

Today I spent the day in the garden. Remember this post? Well the beans had grown to about 12" so I had to get them out into the garden. The tomatoes, cucumber and corgettes will have to wait till I get the cold greenhouse ready.

Then I did my seeds-carrots, spring onions and swiss chard and put in some onion sets.


I do hope this summer is better than the previous two years-our vegetables were a wash-out! Then after a big clean out in the greenhouse where all my pelagoniums were in need of some TLC.
















I walked around the garden to look at some of the flowers and plants. I do think May is such a lovely time in the garden, everything is fresh and green and well behaved-before they get out of control and start to flop.


I have just been reading a post by Sue at Mousenotebook about the swifts arriving for summer. We have housemartins every year nesting under the eaves of our house. They make an awful mess but I do love to see their little faces popping over the top of the nest and bobbing from side to side. They have not arrived yet from their long journey.


The blossom is out on the apple trees and the lilacs planted next to the path so you can catch their perfume as you walk by.



One of my favourite views of the garden is from the very top. When you stand there in the 'wild' area you see a sort of lawn then the gravel garden and then two green houses. (Either side of the greenhouses are the veggie patches then a terrace and then the steep steps to the house-I did say it was long!) I do love my garden and don't spend as much time as I should or would like.
You can just about see the roof of our house through the trees. It does keep you fit going up and down the steps all day though. Today Lucy came to keep me company.

I must say 'Happy Birthday' to Shan and looking forward to meeting up for a celebration on Friday!

WIP and bluebell woods

Today was a good day.

Two friends came over for lunch and a walk. After a good chat and catch up on news we had some sandwiches and salad then put on our walking boots and water proof coats and set off.

It was sunny as we left and for two thirds of the way but the big black clouds were rolling in and on our way back the heavens opened and we got soaked. We did not mind, it was fun, we all became quite childish and giggled a lot!

The woods were full to the brim with bluebells and looked magical. I am afraid my photos don't quite capture the sight were saw. We are so lucky to live so close to such beautiful countryside.

Now I thought I would show you my WIP. The crochet granny squares are being put together.

I am crocheting them together and I think that the wrong side is actually quite nice, I like seeing the chain stitch!

Lambs, kids and granny squares.

We had a relaxing sort of Bank Holiday Weekend. Saturday was a visiting day and on Sunday we had expected showers but had lovely sunny weather-if a little breezy.

We went to Ripley near Harrogate. It is a lovely little village with a castle and grounds, church, village hall and post office and shop. The village shop sells delicious Ice Cream and there is also small farm called Birchwood Old Farmyard. For just £3.50 you can go into the tiny farmyard with pens and stalls not touched for decades. There are some animals to pet and the staff are ever so friendly.

There were different types of sheep and lambs.

My favourite were the day old kids. Still wobbly on their legs but very inquisitive.
There were shire horses and piglets. Chickens and goslings. A sheep dog and rabbits. Last year one of their broody hens lay on and reared some pheasant chicks this year the same hen was keeping an eye on four beautiful ducklings, she was looking after her charges well and keeping the lambs from getting too close. I am not sure what will happen when they need to learn to swim!
I got to cuddle a lamb, she was so soft and fell asleep while I rubbed her ear.

They also have a barn they call the museum. It is full to the brim of all things to do with farming from days gone by. They have a room above made up like the rooms in a farmhouse with beautiful old cooking utensils and rocking chairs, patchwork quilts and a granny square blanket, lanterns and tin baths, old oxo tins and wooden spoons.
We then went for a walk around the castle gardens. The formal garden was a bit sad looking as the tulips had finished and too early for the bedding plants. Inside the orangery we had better luck. Lots of exotic looking plants and flowers.
And then a walk in the park lands. The woods had a carpet of blue. At last I had found the bluebells.
Today I finished the granny squares. I just have to figure out how to crochet them together now! I hope you all had a good May Bank Holiday weekend. And guess what, there is another one at the end of the month!

A thank you for a thank you!

I just had to post about a lovely surprise I received yesterday in the post. It was a thank you from the lovely Colette at Poppy Cottage. A Chicken! He is already exploring the garden.

Isn't he gorgeous? I love him, thank you Colette. I love Blog world, so many lovely people out there. Please go and visit Colette at her place here.

I have been busy at work-starting to think about school reports and ordering resources for next September-Gosh was that my summer just whizzing by?

I am getting into the crochet more and more. My granny squares are coming along, I love it because it grows so quickly. I keep trying flowers though. I want to send some to Touchstones Gallery in Rochdale. (see earlier post and please pass it on and post about it on your blog!)

We are looking forward to this Bank Holiday Weekend and have a few things planned. I will no doubt post about it next week so HAPPY MAY DAY Everybody!