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Showing posts from February, 2011

Spotless Sunshine of the Eternal Mind

We both felt weary when the alarm sounded at 7am, but thought that a quick walk would bring us round and it did just that.  The sun was shining and it felt good to have some warmth on our faces after all of the biting cold we've endured since our return from France. The hedgerows are waking up from their winter slumber and the first crisp nettles are now evident. For those of you unfamiliar with the stinging nettle, it is a miraculous plant. Imported into Britain by the Romans (what did they ever do for us?), as a medicinal crop, this prolific weed is not only nutritious, but it's sting has been proven to be beneficial to those suffering from the debilitating effects of arthritis.Now is the time we gather nettles and add them to our home brewed beer. We have been brewing ale for many years and love to experiment with different edible hedgerow plants. Nettles add a wonderful earthy flavour to beer and are full of minerals such as magnesium and potassium. For a truly rustic

A Few Days Away

We're heading North tomorrow for a few days.  Bebe needs our assistance with a few things & we heard today that my Uncle has died - who we were going to be visiting while there.  I feel bad that we didn't speak to him as often as we should have & that he died on his own, though it would have been the way he wanted it - at home, in his sleep & without any fuss! He lived in the same house for over 75 years, with his parents until they died back in the 70s & he was quite a character - had lots of friends, but never wanted to settle down.  His next-of-kin is my estranged Mother - who'll be coming over from her home in the states, so difficult times ahead... Anyway, on a lighter note - here's some photos from yesterday:  Portmellon Bay from one of the properties we look after. (My camera phone always makes grass seem very green) After work, it was a quick bite to eat & then out to see Sime playing with his band again... Sound check done, then time t

Hard Day's Work

We've had our work cut out today... But at least the views made up for it. A perfect spot for taking a break... A milder, brighter day. We were very tired... But still managed to laugh - even though we worked until 8pm... And drove through thick fog to get home! An unusually long day for us at this time of year.   2 more full house cleans tomorrow... And another gig for Sime's band tomorrow night! We've just had dinner at 11pm - which is crazy, but my tooth has calmed down now, so I'm very happy! Looking forward to getting into bed... Kay :)

A Good Start

Woke up this morning with toothache... I knew it was coming, as the tooth had cracked while we were in France. Had the dreaded emergency treatment this afternoon (a filling) & am now in more pain! Luckily, I've found some homeopathic remedies in our bathroom cabinet, which a friend gave to Sime last Summer after having his 4th tooth extracted... I've taken one dose of Arnica & have some Hyper & Cal to take too. Just hope that the pain will have calmed by tomorrow! I find the best way to cope with pain like toothache is to just keep busy - this morning there was lots of paperwork to sort through, then I decided to make: bread, rolls, a brown lentil cottage pie & a big pan of vegetable soup. We also travelled down the lane again for our daily walk - this is the view 10 minutes from the house... The beach is getting nearer...  The field has a footpath - which is the short cut to the beach, but we like going along the lane instead. Will take some photos of the l

Humans Doing

It's half term for the school children of the UK this week. This means lots of families head to Cornwall for a holiday & make lots of work for us! Of course this is great for our own holiday fund - but doesn't half interfere with our leisure time... We had an evening out in our newly opened village pub on Sunday, which was very nice (though we ended up staying much longer than planned & spending more money than we anticipated), so it was a struggle to get up yesterday - which really annoys me, because I like to be organised.  Anyway, we made up for it today - up early, got lots done & while the car was having a light fixed at the garage (which amazingly, they did free of charge - as we're regular customers!), we had time to have a cuppa at  The Eden Project Cafe , which opened in St Austell last week & is very nice - they have local vegetables for sale, a book swap scheme & a great looking menu with veggie & vegan choices too, so we were impressed!

It's Not Easy Being a Groupie...

Watching the band play the same old songs... And making out that you're enjoying every moment... Even though you've heard it all before! Spending evenings with drunken people... Who want you to dance with them...  Why do I put myself through it? When I'd rather be at home with a cup of herbal tea & a good book. Because... It's the price I pay for sleeping with the bass man!!! Kay :)

St Austell's Largest Biomes

It's probably been a year since we were last at Eden... So it was interesting to see the changes they've made over the last 12 months. And nice to see some of our old favourites are still there! It was only open for a short while, but we did everything we wanted to & more! The walkway to the roof of the Rainforest Biome is new. And we were all feeling brave today! This biome is very much like a rainforest. There are several rock wall paintings, which are fading & becoming overgrown now. The entrance to the Rainforest Lookout... 9 flights of stairs & 165 ft high, we had to fill in medical forms beforehand! On the way to the lookout, there's also a hot air balloon. One lucky person each day - gets to ride in it! On our way up... And the view from the top! Fam 4 at the top. Although is was chilly outside - it was over 80 degrees up at the top! Apparently, the humidity was 85% (whatever that means)! The platform & steps are suspended by cables from t