Bodelva

The sun continues to shine today and the temperature is definitely much more springlike, no need for coats today, so we took our opportunity and headed out for a stroll around the local countryside.

Dogs on leads and a spring in our step we set off through St Blazey and towards the hills you can see behind our local church 

The walk takes you to The Eden Project, we weren't actually going to the project but we intended walking up to it, along one side of the perimeter and back towards our home town in a large loop.

We passed all manner of wildlife along the way, in addition to the usual birds and bees we saw a field of Alpacas

A little further on we found some donkeys

Wandering down this little lane, a pheasant strolled quite oblivious to us or the dogs

We encountered some more donkeys on our way home, these were very friendly and headed over to the fence as soon as they saw us

Looking back towards the Eden Project, which you can't see as it is completely hidden in a huge basin but you can see one of the St Austell clay pyramids in the very far distance. The pyramid looks insignificant here but is in fact enormous and very imposing when you get nearer.

We stopped at a farm on the way home and indulged in some local duck eggs, I love the way we have so many honesty boxes in the area, you can buy all manner of farm produce, plant and flowers, jams and chutneys. On leaving the farm we had a distinct feeling of being watched, no CCTV here to keep an eye on the honesty box just some very inquisitive cows peering over the hedge

Back home and someone is all tuckered out from the excitement of the walk

Love and long country walks

Tracey 

xxx

Spit Beach - February 2016

We had a break in the rain yesterday so decided to make the first visit of the year to our nearest beach - Spit Beach which is a 15 minute walk from our house

It was still pretty chilly so it was no surprise to find the beach deserted

Guess who was especially happy to run around in the sand and surf, Molly actually looked like she was grinning the whole time we were there

It was just after lunch time but the light was extraordinary, the cloud cluttered sky sporadically broke to allow the sun to dazzle the waves

We made the most of the full length of the beach and the dogs explored every nook and cranny, always mindful of where the next tossed ball or stick was coming from

A brave and bedraggled Bruce patiently waiting for the ball to be tossed back into the seaweed strewn surf

Crystal clear rock pools

Gazing out to sea, man and dog, at one with nature, tired, a little cold but completely content on the crisp Cornish coast.

Love and salty kisses

Tracey

xxx

7 On Sunday - Our Week in photos

Hello and happy sunday 

I am trying to make an effort to take more photos and have decided to do a little round up of the weeks events in photo form

Cheating slightly as one of the photos was from ten days ago but it was an event I hadn't yet blogged but still wanted to remember

1. Daffodils, these were from my local Co-Op, at £1.00 a bunch it is hard to resist adding a little spring cheer to a corner of the kitchen

2. We have found a brilliant local source for hardwood, kiln dried logs ( thankyou for the link Sue), so our woodshed ( yes we have a woodshed) is now fully stocked, and we are all ready for cosy evenings tucked up in front of the log burner

3. Molly and Sox. I am still taking Molly to puppy training, she is a typical Lab in that she is still very puppy-like and full of mischief but she is not a typical Lab in that she will NOT be coaxed with treats, she is not a greedy dog so rewards at puppy training have to be varied and bizarre, silly voices seems to be working right now, I dread to think what all the other mums think, Molly is definitely the class clown and is far too sociable for her own good, coupled with my silly voices and abandoned piles of treats tempting all the other doggies it's a wonder we haven't been banned ! Progress has been made though, she always sits on command, will give you her paw, is getting much better at coming when called and has calmed down enough for Sox to feel safe on the same sofa.

4. Cardiff. We actually went here last thursday, it was an early birthday treat from Neil, we spent the day browsing the shops, ate more meals than should be possible in one day and then had a fantastic night watching Blackstone Cherry, Shinedown and Halestorm at one of the best gigs we have been to in a while. Cardiff is beautiful, the shopping was fantastic and I had an amazing day, thankyou Neil - love you xxx

5. Carrot cake. One of the meals we had in Cardiff was at Nandos, Neil always orders Carrot cake as it is his favourite ever pudding. Much to his dismay, the Nandos we visited were experimenting with a trial menu, lots of puddings but no carrot cake, what's a girl to do - make one, I used a Jamie Oliver  recipe and adapted it slightly to make it Gluten Free, this turned out so delicious, very moist and flavourful, I doubt it will last long !

6. Talking of feasts, February 3rd is a feast day in St Blazey, in honour of St Blaise. Our Parish church is dedicated to this Saint who was a legendary healer and Patron Saint of throat illnesses, wool combers, wool trading and animals, the park outside our house was adorned with lights and decorations and all the locals paraded down the road playing music and all dressed up, there was an illuminated sheep and of course Saint Blaise, all the local children especially the little ones were having so much fun

7. In between rain showers I have been spending a little time in the garden, all the raised flower beds have been weeded and I have added a couple of new hardy shrubs, there is still lots to do, the lawn is a quagmire and all the fences and walls need another coat of paint but I think that is going to have wait until at least we have a few dry days

Love and daffodils

Tracey

xxx

Green fingers and muddy boots

The raised flower beds surrounding our house had been sadly neglected for many years

Building rubble, odds and ends, everything except flora and fauna in fact, had been dumped unceremoniously into each one, stifling any growth other than the weedy variety

We had a local landscaper and general odd job man come by to renew some fencing, add trellis around the back and also replace all the rubble and rubbish with some brand new weed-free fertile topsoil

Neil and I, with the help of the kids, all home for the summer, then set to, with paint brushes, to transform the fencing from dull brown to coastal blue and all the masonry to pure brilliant white from the grim institutional grey that it had been previously

And then the fun began, several trips to local garden centres later we had some lush foliage and pretty petals to brighten up our beds

This one runs along the boundary to the side of the conservatory

The larger corner bed at the front of the house. My lovely boss from the hospice shop where I worked in Cleethorpes wanted to treat me to something for my new home and I have three hardy perrenials in this section from her, so thankyou Wendy xxx

This long this bed runs between the two front corner beds and as the stone is original, unrendered and traditional stone walling we have left it in it's natural state, it would have been sacrilege to paint this

Also in the larger bed is a stunning rose, sent to me by my wonderful and very thoughtful friends Anne and David. It has bloomed all summer and all my neighbours have commented on how beautiful it is, every time I leave the house or look out of my front windows it reminds me how very special Anne and David are, thankyou so much xxx

Leaving the front garden and moving around the side of the house I have another raised bed which is not far from the kitchen door, so I wanted to create a herb garden here, and thanks to the wonderful Cornish weather my herbs have run riot and been abundant all summer

The chilli pepper plant you can see in the bottom left of the photo was a gift from Amy and Ben, they bought it back from the Eden project for me and it has been resplendent this month with pops of bright red 

Most of our planters didn't survive the storage, so we have replaced the contents of those too ( and yes you can spot a gnome, I only have the one - and it needs to stay that way but for some strange reason I love the little fellow)

We have one smaller bed in the front garden that houses my cornish palm, this was here when we moved in and it will be staying as we love it. The soil beneath drains well and can get quite arid, so I have planted up with alpines which thrive in drier conditions. I had some local purple slate left over from a previous project and tipped it around these plants, I love the contrast between the various shades of green and the purple of the slate

And finally the majestic palm reaching toward Cornish cobalt skies

Love and life's little blessings

Tracey 

xxx

Walk with me

We have enjoyed a beautifully warm and sunny day today here on the south coast of Cornwall

The grass had been mowed, the washing is blowing on the line and my walking shoes were singing songs of temptation

Take a little wander with me around one of the many walks in and around our home town

Leaving our house and crossing the road, I entered the small park which sits directly opposite our home

Through the park and out of the other side you can just glimpse our house through the trees

Once through the park, you can either take the chalk track along the stream

If you took this track you would pass a lovely view of our local church

You would continue past our home team's football ground, and if you followed the path to it's conclusion, rejoining a second route over a road and headed towards the trees you can see in the distance, you would be at the Eden Project, which is nestled just behind those two hills

But if you opted for the track on the other side of the stream, there is a gentle amble through a small wooded area

Which gradually opens out a little

And then meets the same road that the other track comes to

Both these little walks lead inland, where the landscape is lush and green, peacefully perfect for a warm afternoon's gentle stroll

Among all the abundant greenery there are always plentiful little bursts of colour peeping through ferns and ivy

What a beautiful way to spend an hour on a bank holiday

Love and simple pleasures

Tracey

xxx

Blazing a trail

To pick up where I left off in my previous blog post,  yes we did find our new home

It certainly wasn't any of the first houses we looked at, in fact, the price had placed it out of our search criteria and finding it was a fortuitous twist of fate

We had  booked a viewing in a town called Par, the viewing went a little awry, there was a mix-up with the keys, so we had to wander around the town while the Estate agent contacted the vendor, the house smelled damp and was darker than the photographs had led us to believe, the garden was too small for our growing menagerie, in short, it wasn't 'the one'

Before heading out to our next viewing we searched out the local pub for a comfort break

As we sipped our ciders and gathered our thoughts, the landlord made polite conversation. We shared our disappointment of the viewing but also mentioned how we had found a gem in the town, we loved the area but couldn't find anything else here suitable. Matt mentioned that a friend was selling a house that he had just finished renovating, in nearby St Blazey and offered to take us there to have a look ( he actually shut the pub and took us the mile down the road )

It wasn't the kind of house we were looking for, we were looking for a bungalow, but it just had such a happy feeling. The refurb had just been finished and the whole house was immaculate from top to bottom, brand new plastering, paint, woodwork and best of all the fabulous high spec kitchen and two new bathrooms both with showers and one downstairs which was an absolute bonus.

The view from the conservatory door looks out onto an old cottage- a listed building, beyond that is a beautiful wooded area and park with a duck pond, the level crossing is just beyond the cottage, over which is a canal and a small stream

We have started tidying the garden, all the flower beds had been neglected the fences had been left unpainted, the old post box you can see on the wall in the bottom picture (filled with rocks to hold it down) has been replaced with the shiny new red one on the wall of the house in the top picture.

We have been painting and renewing fences, the dirty grey rendering on the walls has been painted white and we have refilled the flower beds with new topsoil, ready for plants and flowers, photos will be shared of the progress we make

So, by happenchance and the helpfulness of the local landlord we found a house that would have otherwise remained undiscovered in our new hometown of St Blazey.

St Blazey is a small town  on the south coast of Cornwall just 3 miles east of St Austell

St Blazey is the home of the incredible Eden project, just one mile and easily within walking distance of our house

We are home to two lovely beaches too

Par Beach, which is approximately 1.5 miles away from the house 

And Spit beach which is slightly nearer at a mile away, both fabulous places to take the dogs and the kids

Are we settled yet ???

Hell yeah !!!

And as you can see from the last photo, Sox would agree. I uploaded a photo of her to facebook last week, supposedly helping me tidy away my craft stuff. As fast as I could empty a box, she would then commandeer the box as her new home, it was suggested by a couple of my friends that maybe I should let her have her own little corner of my craft room - I think she loves her new basket - don't you ?

Love and kisses from St Blazey

Tracey

xxx