Yoga pups

Lucius's favorite move, The Cobra

Old Wood

So, Big John sent me this video link about Tom Wegener (thanks John). He's a surfboard shaper who's spent the last few years making Alaia's, traditional Hawaiian finless surfboards. I've fallen for them somewhat, but as I don't possess one (or the skills required to ride it), I've made a coffee table from old wood found in the barn that kind of looks like one instead. It won't surf well but it's a step in the right direction

Elaine and I are both loving yellow at the moment, it'll be a recurring theme in the house

And we've plenty more wood stacked in the barn to play with

Rolling

Don't be suckered in by the cute chewing of hand move

Or the doe eyed innocent look

Because this child has learned to roll from her back to her belly and vice versa; meaning she cannot be trusted for a second. And it's obvious who taught her the move (naughty George)

Courgette (zucchini)

We picked our first courgettes today

Moments later they were sliced, seasoned and drizzled in olive oil

Then roasted at a high heat, letting all the sugars show themselves

Then served on top of a pea and mushroom risotto with Parmesan and Dorset Blue Vinney cheese. Rich rich rich

And here's our prize winning rude radish of the month

Jardin update

Upon return from the UK, we were terribly anxious to see the jardin. Happily, most of the plants sprouted and were thriving (w/ some help from our irrigation system). After much weeding, and intensive watering it's looking lovely. Of course there were some losses: most of our tender salads went to catepillars, and the carrots and peppers were fussy no shows. We've replanted what we lost and all should thrive in our longer growing season here. A selection of some of the niceties thus far

After just 1 month. (click here) to compare

Beets (Boltardy)

Tomatoes (Brandywine, Tigerella, & Alicante)

Pumpkin (Rouge Vif d'Etamps) & Squash (Butternut)

Onions (Sturon Globe)

Potatoes (Charlotte)

The grapevine

Pears

Some very sizable radishes (French Breakfast)

However, Lucius prefers rabbit

And the rewards of a cold cider, sitting in the warm evening sun, looking over the veg patch towards the mountains

Cornwall

We 3 headed down to Cornwall for a few days of exploration and inspiration. We found great weather, good food, wonderful pubs (with Betty Stoggs ale), and fantastic chat from everyone we met

We stayed in Penzance at a sweet, sweet hotel called The Abbey; it's one of the oldest buildings in town and a rare survivor of the Spanish Armada's invasion of 1588. (It also turned out to be owned by Jean Shrimpton)

After the 4 hour drive from Dorset, we were welcomed into the garden with proper English tea, the paper and peaceful, warm sunshine. A most relaxing start

The adventure pup settles in

Our lovely room overlooked the harbor and St Michael's Mount

Barbara Hepworth's inspirational garden and studio in St Ives. The colors and textures in the studio are fantastic. Lucius's first museum visit, followed by the Tate St. Ives in the afternoon.

The garden is filled with her sculptures complemented by the composition and the surrounding planting

The gorgeous, blue, blue water of St. Ives bay

Locals stroll past the Gurnards Head pub on its lone, blowsy spot outside town

Schnickelfritz

The next day we ventured to
The Lost Gardens of Heligan . Amazing. In its heyday, it was a premier Victorian manor garden complete with all the trappings: specialized greenhouses for every fruit, gorgeous veg gardens, an Italian summerhouse garden, an exotic jungle garden, and rare, original seeds from the day's most daring plant explorations. But it became utterly forgotten in ruins, and decades of neglect -beginning with the devastation of the gardening team in WW1. It was rediscovered in the 1990's and fantastically restored.

A fine vegetable plot- this is only shows a fraction of it- all housed within a walled garden ingeniously plotted to maximize the growing seasons. Many of the original, heirloom varieties are still grown today

Nuff said

Broad beans forever

The Pickle was dressed in local, piratey fashion

The Melon Yard and cold frames. Where England's first pineapple was grown in a specially designed low greenhouse heated by 50 tonnes of horse manure

The fully working potting shed of organization supreme

Color abundance

Mother and daughter having a horticultural discussion and looking lovely
(thank you Papa)

Bee friendly.

The residential area around Heligan Manor

No strollers in the Jungle wetlands

Countless tree ferns, gunneras, irises, lilies, etc... flourish in this man-made valley

These gunnera leaves were over 7 feet wide. We bought a plant from the nursery, though it's a little bit smaller at the moment

Rich colored and textured fernery (we also bought one of these later at Spinners- a nursery in the New Forest)

Back in Penzance, the tide was high and the Landy wanted a dip. So Neil treated her to a good old corrosive swim in the sea. Probably not advised; seaweed was hanging off the axels

We stopped off in Mousehole (pronounced Maaaazzel) before heading back to Dorset. It's a lovely fishing village and a fine last port of call