Just Humans Being...

For as long as we can remember, we have planned to live in a small place when the kidlets or at least the girls, had flown the nest.  We both loved the wooden houses we saw on road trips in the States, especially in Tennessee & on Long Island & have looked forward to clearing the majority of our stuff, downsizing & living simply for a long time.  A few years ago, we came across information about  The Tiny House Movement & as everyone who has stayed with us probably knows - we love to talk about it!  We still have a long way to go before we will be ready, but there is definitely a feeling that our dream is getting closer. Bebe moving in with us means the process may take a little longer, but in the meantime - we are enjoying doing the research & making plans... We rent an old 5 bedroomed farmhouse, in which 2 of those bedrooms, plus 2 store rooms, a shed & garage are practically bursting at the seams with junk... Stuff we've either not used for a

Stormy weather has arrived... So it's cold & blustery again. The windows & doors have been rattling since Friday night & we have the wood burner blazing away. Friday afternoon, we were able to skive off work & spent a lovely afternoon with Scarlet & J  (who were down here on holiday to celebrate their 30 anniversary). We met in The Lost Gardens Of Heligan restaurant & as always, the time whizzed by & we had spent nearly 4 hours chatting & laughing... We were there until closing time, but it was so nice to catch up & we're hoping they will return to Cornwall soon... :-) Anyway, this windy weather will no doubt cover Hemmick Beach in rubbish - we are trying to clear as much as possible as often as we can & the recycling guys are always happy to take any bits of plastic we find, which is great. On Wednesday, we remembered to take the camera, but forgot to take bags or boxes to collect stuff, but we did return on Thursday with bags &am

Time is flying by...  We can't believe that it's nearly 6 months since we left to pick up Bebe & she is for the main part, enjoying life. We do have the odd blip when she is quite low & agitated, when nothing we say makes a difference, but for the most part - she is fine. We have to remember that she can drift in & out of lucidity, one minute she seems so rational & on the ball, then the next she can be lost, insecure & child-like. We have discovered more & more  just how much Bebe can do & are realising that just like others with dementia, she is very good at pretending that she is still capable of doing certain things. It's not easy for her to accept help with her personal hygiene & she's at times desperately trying to cling on to her independence. We encourage her to do as much as possible for herself, but it is very sad to see just how much she has forgotten & equally it can be exciting when out of the blue, Bebe

Food is the focus of all our family get-togethers... Sime's lentil stew is just wonderful, as is his mash. He adds leeks or spring onions (fried in just a little soy sauce) to mashed potatoes, as well as chopped mint, black pepper, a blob of mustard & a splash of plant milk. Bebe doesn't eat much, but has always been happy to eat veggie/vegan dishes with us... Kay made  Chocolate Fudge Cake , using the juice & zest of 2 oranges & some creamed coconut in the icing...  It had been Ryan's Birthday & as we don't see Sal & Ryan very often now they live in Bristol - we wanted to make a fuss! We also visited Pizza Express in Truro, who now feature a vegan (if a little spicy) pizza on their menu... They are always willing to accommodate us & adapt any pizza... This one is their vegan version of Giardiniera... Without the cheese & pesto. For dessert - raspberry sorbet & coffee! Tired & hung

How many shots does it take to get everyone to look... Sime & Hugo... Sime, Asa, Ryan & Jess (peeping)... Sime & Ryan... Sime, Rose & Ryan... Sime, Kay Rose & Jess... And finally... Everyone!!! Catching up with our lovely kidlets yesterday. Kay & Sime xx

We've had a crazy week of work & work related problems, as well as appointments & stuff to sort around Bebe. Our days have been incredibly full, exhausting & there's still so much more to do... But the one thing that last month's rewilding challenge has done for us - we've made time to be outside... Even when things have been hectic this week & we've barely been able to put one foot in front of the other, we've made time to just sit & eat our lunch or spent a few minutes on the beach before collecting Bebe from daycare. We've managed a few visits to Hemmick & have loved just sitting quietly watching the waves... We enjoyed watching a ship just off Portmellon Cove... Spent some time in North cornwall last weekend... We've collected rubbish on Hemmick... And driftwood... Enjoyed a paddle in the warm sunshine on Monday... And channelling the stream on Wed

Thursday we enjoyed some time in the garden... The Clematis is thriving again, we're training it to grow around the front door & the bluebells are just incredible this year. The lilies are coming out too - we see lots of folks taking photos of them every spring... And the little fruit bush we planted a few years ago has started to spread (we thought it had died). We can't remember if it's loganberry or boysenberry, but we're very happy that it's survived.   The lemon balm is looking great too, we've made beer with it a few times & it makes a lovely subtle tasting herb tea. We spent an hour in the back garden playing with our new toy - Something we have wanted for a long time... A stainless steel  Kelly Kettle . We filled the kettle with water & the pan with a little newspaper & twigs. It's so easy to use... And we soon had boiling water for our cuppa. Lupe enjoyed the last of the rays...