Gilbert and Stone

New gardening motto for 2012: fewer, better things

Well, the start of the growing season is just around the corner- my collection of 'garden porn' is mounting and my enthusiasm for growing your own is approaching its peak. Faced with beautifully photographed pages of healthy, thriving plants (yes, Sarah Raven, I'm looking at you), I imagine sunny days in the garden, harvesting gluts of perfect produce. Before I know it I've spent a small fortune on seeds that are doomed to wither and die when my enthusiasm wears off mid-June.

This year, well this year will be different! I'll ditch the things I've never had any success with (goodbye aubergines, adieu sweet peppers and so-long celeriac) and resist the urge to sow entire packets of seed at once (my small greenhouse was never going to accommodate 100 tomato plants). I'll use the seeds I already have and vow not to have my head-turned by unusual varieties and tempting catalogue descriptions. Those pine berries do look tasty though...

Wet and windy half term

February half term turned out to be pretty cold and wet, but we still managed to get out and about most days. That’s another great thing about living in Cornwall, there’s plenty to do no matter what the weather throws at you.

I love wintry walks on the beach, so we headed on down to Watergate Bay and watched the stormy waves and clouds roll in from the Atlantic. No 1 was very interested in the various flotsam that had washed up on the beach (including a manky dead seagull- nice!) and, after an hour or so pottering along the beach, we retreated to the Beach Hut for some of their famous ‘Extreme Hot Chocolate’, which comes piled with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate buttons and sprinkles- it would definitely win an award for the most calories crammed into a cup!

The funky I Love Cornwall website has some more suggestions of gorgeous beaches to visit when the weather's at its wildest- take a look and get your wellies on!

 

 

Winter finally arrives in Cornwall!

After a couple of ridiculously warm months (it was 13 degrees here on Christmas Day), it’s lovely to have a real taste of winter. This morning was the start of one of those glorious, blue sky, frosty days:

In front of our house is a boggy field of stunted trees, grass and weeds, which doesn’t sound particularly appealing, but it shows off the changing seasons so well- blossom and new buds in spring, greenery in summer and golden browns in autumn. Winter’s definitely my fave though- sculptural branches and seed heads coated in frost seem extra beautiful when you’re snuggled warm by the fire!