Just Humans Being...

Wishing you all well and for those of you who partake in the seasonal festivities, we hope you are having a happy and fun time!
We had our annual family get-together early this year and enjoyed a weekend in a snowy Somerset. We stayed in a beautiful former church with all the kidlets, where we exchanged our usual Secret Santa gifts, ate, drank, played games and music, laughed and chatted pretty much non-stop!
As the snow fell, we said our goodbyes and we travelled through a blizzard up to Stoke-on-Trent, where we sampled the delights of retirement village living with Granddad Gerry and Nana Stip-Pep!
We then went on to Snowdonia, just the two of us and stayed in a little Welsh stone cottage, just outside Betws-y-Coed. There we experienced a big thaw with lots of flooding and then it snowed again!
We returned home to lots of work and were busy up until Christmas Eve, but have now chilled out for a few days. It's just us and the kitties at home in this little house - there is no tr…

I love the summer. It's my favourite time of year. This year has been particularly bountiful with regards to long periods of uninterrupted sunshine and I have needed no encouragement whatsoever to step outside and sensibly and gradually expose my body to the rays. Over a period of many weeks I have gradually bronzed in a way that has been beyond my grasp for many years due to the whims and vagaries of the British summer. Finally, after careful immersion I have achieved a level of poise and confidence not unlike say mild smugness. Now don't get me wrong, it is by no means a deep tan, a swarthy layer of earthen masculinity but it is most definitely noticeable to those who may have whispered the words "pasty" or "wan git", It has been not just a surprise but a crushing blow then to discover that my new found glow has not only been completely ignored, but my lovely wife (who too possesses a not unenviable tan herself has been the centre of attention because of …

We were travelling home from Falmouth last night and followed this spectacular storm.
When we got home it was still raging and probably lasted a couple of hours - this is the view we had from our bedroom window at 1am this morning looking towards Plymouth, which is some 40 miles distant.
It was an incredible show, with a constant succession of flashes.
Kay and Sime xx

The ladies next door have been giving birth in the field. Their babies are like any other babies - they sleep, they feed, they follow their mums everywhere, they run around, then fall asleep again.  These little beauties are completely unaware of their fate...


But we know...
And this is one thing which makes living here difficult.
How can people eat other beings without feeling terrible?  It just doesn't make sense.

Both the posters are from the Cornwall Vegans website.

If you are in Cornwall or will be on Saturday 22nd April - do support this event!
Perhaps you have been considering veganism - this Vegan Starter Kit will help you to get started and if you have any questions, need help or ideas for recipes - just ask, we are always happy to talk to folks who want to change their diet for the better.
And in case you haven't seen this on iplayer - Here is Simon Amstell's Carnage.
Please, please think seriously about the food you eat.  Do you want to support murder or compas…

Spring is supposedly here, though not sure it has truly arrived in this area of Cornwall and it seems like everyone who lives outside of Portmellon is experiencing warmer, drier weather than we are.  Our hibernating season has been a long one this winter, so even though it still has been quite chilly and wet - we thought it was about time we just got out there...
We met up with a friend for coffee on Sunday morning in Mevagissey and are happy to report that the newish cafe on the harbour, She Sells has very nice coffee and vegan smoothies.
It's been months since we walked round Meva, so afterwards we had a walk to the end...


Kitty in the window... Not for sale!

Heading back up the hill...

Caerhays Castle beach - Porthluney - just before sunset...


Dusk on the Fal Estuary. Canada Goose watching at Ruan Quay...

The Fal is quite high at the moment.


Swans further down the estuary...


We love taking what we call the back road from Truro, through the woodlands and out on to the marshland…

We made a pact a few years ago that we would only leave Meadowcroft if we found somewhere really special to live. One of the most important things featured on both of our lists was to have stunning views, so when we found our French house - the view just blew us away!
We are still waiting for the sale to go through and so far, it's been nine months since our offer was accepted... The notaire discovered a slight glitch in that the terrace was actually owned by a neighbour. It was then agreed that the present owner of the house was to purchase the terrace and shortly before the sale went through the neighbour unexpectedly died... His estate is now being transferred to his brother, who is more than happy to sell the terrace and we have been asked if we would like to continue to wait. 
We are not in any rush and know that our little house will be worth waiting for...   Maybe the exchange rate will be more favourable by the time we go through the sale and in the meantime - we are maki…

It's two months since we moved into our little home and despite the fact that it's rained every day since we arrived - we love it!
We sleep with the curtains open and wake every morning seeing the sea, although some days the mist has meant we don't see anything for a while, but it's fascinating having such a vast view of the open sea and the coastline into Devon.


We see the changes in the weather and the colour of the sea. The blustery and gale force winds bringing rough waves and then days of mill pond calmness. We see storms coming in, the dark clouds and glimpses of blue sky.


From the kitchen we look down on Portmellon, which is very pretty and at night is like a Mediterranean hillside village with twinkling lights, next to a glistening sea.


We are living in this small space and it is wonderful.
Life feels simpler, we have definitely slowed down and just enjoy being cosy and snug with the kitties...



We all seem to sleep more too, which is very nice!

We are hoping f…

We recently watched a wonderful film about Jhamtse Gatsal - The Garden Of Love And Compassion and the Buddhist Monk, Lobsang Phuntsok who decided to build a safe and educational haven for many underprivileged children living in poverty in the Bhutan/Tibet area.

Photo taken from here
This man is such an inspiration, the way in which he genuinely cares for the children and is dedicating his life to making a massive difference to so many.
Please do read all about it here...Tashi And The Monk and watch the Film Here for free... 
Perhaps it will inspire you to think more about ways to give and help others and to understand the positive impact giving makes on not only those you wish to help, but your life too!

And there's more...
Becoming Minimalist - 9 Ways Generous People See The World Differently.


It really does get quite addictive - but in a very nice way!!!
♥

EE Cumings quote taken from here.
You only have to do a quick search on the internet to see that laughter is becoming big business. There are clubs, online courses and therapists dishing out ideas to bring laughter into your life... 
How bizarre is that? 
People need to be taught how to laugh and of the health benefits it brings, which incidentally are huge - but what has happened? Why don't folks know how to laugh? It is such a basic instinct and yet, we're not doing it... Well we do, but lots of you don't.  We know how our mental health influences our physical health, so no wonder laughter is now seen as an important ingredient for  healing illness. 
There is so much fun to be had if you spend time with people who make you laugh, so if you're not getting enough - seek out others who share the same sense of humour, who can help you change and before you know it...  You'll be enjoying a good belly laugh every day, crying with laughter and feeling so much better. We'r…

You took every opportunity that came your way?
What would life look like if you said YES to everything?

We decided at the end of last year to start taking each opportunity presenting itself...

We have always been pretty good at doing this, but somehow got caught up in our comfort zone and found ourselves becoming indecisive, dithering about and constantly flipping back and forth - weighing everything up and making excuses for why we couldn't do things...

We realised that in order to move on - we really needed to stop doing this, so we made a decision to change.
We have embraced this way of thinking and so far, our lives are taking some very interesting twists and turns.
We wake up every morning full of excitement and realise we no longer feel any fear for new challenges, instead we are filled with determination to make the most out of every situation. 

So what are you waiting for?
If you want to make changes in your life - you really do have to step out of your comfort zone and make that …

Last year, shortly after being published - we bought 2 copies of  Book Of Joy.  One for us, which we constantly dip into and the other copy was to lend out to friends...  We ended up actually giving it to a friend who is suffering with his health.
This book contains a 5 day long interview with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu - it is incredibly inspirational...  Their outlook on life and the world, their friendship and sense of humour is just really wonderful!
No dark fate determines the future - we do. Each day and each moment, we are able to create and recreate our lives and the very quality of human life on our planet.DALAI LAMA & DESMOND TUTU


Have a beautiful, fun-filled day!!!
Kay and Sime xx

Thank you Richard for this great photo! :-)
♥

Foodie photies! Mostly taken at Meadowcroft, hence the rubbish light...
Our usual small portions - hahaha! That brown thing is a stuffed mushroom with tons of veggies. This stuffing was made with some leftover chickpea houmous, walnuts, a few breadcrumbs, chopped onions & garlic. Then we have dry roasted spuds, swede & potato mash, roasted butternut squash, beetroot & parsnip, steamed carrots, cauli & cabbage. This was then swamped in Sime's lentil & miso gravy!
The leftover steamed veg then got added to butternut squash, mushroom, butter bean & pea spaghetti - which were cooked with onions, garlic & liquid aminos.
Red lentil, walnut and brown rice bake with onions, garlic, mushrooms, courgettes and breadcrumbs.
Home made pizza topped with hummus, potato, sweetcorn, mushroom, tomato, courgette and fresh parsley.
More pizza... Home made polenta base, topped with passata, red onion, potato, sweetcorn, mushroom, courgette, tomato and olives.
Pancakes made…

The view from our garden this morning...
Low cloud over the sea...
Our neighbours new glamping pods...
Bleached sky...
Portmellon.
Our decking...  Looking forward to sitting here in the warmer weather!
We are having a cat flap fitted on Monday...  Can't believe we've been here for nearly 4 weeks now and our boys will be so happy to be venturing out! We think they are very much at home now, so we are hoping they won't travel too far... 

Bedtime snuggles with Fleaby...
And a rare bedtime snuggle with Lupes!
Bye for now,
Kay and Sime xx