The greenhouse, then and now
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Waiting for planning
While the veggie patch is looking promising and already yielding fresh food for all our visitors, we await planning permission to convert the two barns in the background on this photo…
If all is well, we will start the re-roofing and installing photo voltaic pannels on the south side at the end of the summer.
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Re-pointing of gable end
So much has happened in the last three months, we’re a little behind with updates…A trip to the far East to visit our daughter and son-in-law as well as getting more socially involved are partly to blame.
One of the main areas of progress has been the re-pointing of the gable end, the back wall of the cottage and the huge external buttress on the west side of our cottage.
We hired Darrel, the same guy who re-pointed our inglenook with lime last year. He and a builder friend, Jake, did a great job using traditional lime mortar, and just leaving one little hole… where some blue tits are nesting. Graham will fill that later when the chicks have left the nest.
We had some scaffolding for about a month from which we took some great pictures of the property and the surrounding views.
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Open Studio in Cornwall
At the end of May, after working very hard for 4-6 weeks, I opened my studio to the public as part as Open Studio Cornwall. I was one among 200 artists opening their working studios and showing their work all over the County over the 10 days.
People could find us out from a small profile and location map in a brochure featuring all 200 + artists. Being quite out of the way, I didn’t have as many visitors as I used to have when taking part in similar events in Bristol but considering we are very new to the area and that I did not organise a preview by private invitations, we did good. Among the 50-60 visitors I did have, I met some really lovely and interesting people, made some connections with other artists and even sold some work.
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Re-claiming the paddock
The pigs are doing a great job clearing one of our paddocks which had been overtaken by uncontrolled vegetation. They are now on their fourth patch, eating through bracken and brambles with a seemingly insatiable appetite, churning the ground as they go.
We are so impressed with how they dig with their noses deep into the earth, looking for roots and then popping up to eat some more nettles or brambles leaves for a change, but still pestering Graham for more food whenever he visits them with their daily pellet rations!
As they clear, we are discovering more and more tumbled down outbuildings. One of them will make a great green house, quite near the vegetable garden, where we will grow more exotic crops and store some of our garden tools. Graham is currently restoring this building into a green house using up mostly materials found on the properties . He and his dad even made some window frames to fit some large toughened glass panels found pilled up in the barn that will create the south facing elevation.
We are also preparing a deep asparagus bed to plant all the lovely ferny seedlings I sowed back in the spring. It will take Three years for them to establish but after that, we should enjoy Asparagus every Springs for 20 years!
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The Pigs have arrived
After 3 weeks in Asia to visit our daughter Julianne & Jesse and friends, we are now back at Tremayne.
The pigs arrived last Saturday and seem to have settled really well in our paddock. In a week, we are amazed at how much of the area of the pen they have already dug over with their feet and snouts. They’re really fun to have around and we quite enjoy seeing to them everyday. Occassionally one of them accidentally touches the electric fence and squeals loudly before scurrying back to the middle of the enclosure. It may seem a little cruel but its apparently harmless …and quite hilarious really!
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Housing for 3 little pigs
We have been adding more fruit trees to the orchard as well as some soft fruit bushes in the last week while it’s still cold and before we leave for the Far East. We will be visiting our daughter and son-in-law in Taipei as well as some old friends in Bangkok on the way back.
When we come back, we are going to look after 3 pigs for a while to help further clear the overgrowth in our paddock, next to the veggie patch and below the orchard. Apparently they love to dig out roots and will have a wonderful time eating our weeds while churning and fertilizing our field.
The pigs belong to some new friends of ours (neighbours to the east), and with them we moved one of their arcs into our bottom meadow ready to accommodate the 3 sows we will have. Danny was here with a Korean friend which was handy as the arc must weigh about a tonne!
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A slow start to the year
January has been a slow month, mostly because it started with an operation on my right hand to release the carpal tunnel which left me quite helpless for a few weeks. Graham had to help me with everything practical in the home and became a pretty good head chef too.
While I caught up on some reading, Graham managed to do some jobs outdoors. He cleared a large area of the paddock above the veggie patch to created the start of an orchard. So far we’ve put in 4 apple trees. A Bramley, a Russet, a Fiesta as well as a maiden old cornish variety.
This last week, he has been attacking the old slurry tank against the barn with a kango hammer. When the first side came down we were pleasantly surprised of the state of the barn wall behind it. After nibbling away at the base of the last remaining wall, he asked our neighbour to give it a tug with his tractor … so easy , so satisfying.
We are also making progress with our planning application with our architect and should be in a position to put it forward to the planners soon.
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Christmas at Tremayne
Our new home lent itself brilliantly to being dressed up for Christmas with lovely fireplaces at either end to decorate, deep window sills for displays and low beams to hang tinsels and cards.
We actually got excited about Christmas this year and got well into the mood even though we were under a bit of pressure to finish the kitchen in time and were still painting on the afternoon of the 23rd….
The new kitchen was busy as soon as it was functional and I am really grateful for the vast improvement of the layout, especially the wider access to it from the hallway.
Our two boys arrived a few days before as well as Graham’s brother and they gave us a hand getting ready with all the last minute things for hosting 15 people on the day.
We also invited our neighbours for mulled wine and mince-pies which filled the cottage with delicious smells, and we braved the icy roads to join them in attending a carol service in St Wenn parish church down the road on Christmas Eve.
The weather was crisp and the sky clear all through Christmas, giving us stunning frozen views by day, extraordinary sunsets and breathtaking night skies.
We are glad to rest now and enjoy having our sons here for 10 days, going for walks, working through all the left overs… more turkey soup anyone?
