Veggieplaces

I am very excited. Michael House Vegetarian Guest House has been made the 'Place of the Month' on http://www.veggieplaces.co.uk/, a listing site of vegetarian guest houses and restaurants. I am not one to blow my own trumpet, but this site relies on reviews, and I assume it is because of a recent, really nice one, that I got the accolade! Major (veggie of course, so not that major) London restaurants have been given it, so I feel really honoured. It came at just the right moment, when a few things have been going wrong recently. Thank you Lovely for reminding me to write here!

Three Beautiful Things

This is my monthly picture of the view from where I sit at my computer, or just outside the window, taken on 11th April. The camelia is just hanging onto it's last flower. The echiums are growing apace, as is the grass.

Today, it is easy to think of three beautiful things, sometimes it is harder:

1 - Finding a lovely little place on the cliff top, surrounded by coconut smelling gorse, with a natural cushion and arm rest, to have a little rest


2 - getting loads on my list of to dos, done, bills, cards etc., now in the post


3 - getting further underway in the polytunnel, planting seeds, weeding. I always feel so positive that this year it will go well, even when I have had a disappointing year, such as we did last year.

3BT

Berri watching the tiger programme
The sunset this evening, but I am a bit alarmed at the speed with which the sun is moving across the sky towards it's mid summer zenith.
Playing Scrabble on Facebook with fun people

Berri-Biskit

Berri-Biskit has just been enjoying watching a programme about tigers. He wanted to play with them. Luckily, he couldnt get into the TV, as they would have made a quick snack of him.

This is a picture of him when he was very young. He still thinks he is a few weeks old sometimes, even though he is a fully grown dog now.

Outdoors

The head gardener taking a well deserved rest in the polytunnel


The head gardener posing amongst the pots in the only section of the polytunnel deemed suitable for public display at present


What a lot of flowers on this primrose! they are everywhere now, and some have been out since January.



our new hellebore seems happy here, but time will tell!

The weather has been so varied these past few days, but there have been opportunities to make a start on the garden and polytunnel. It is such a haven to work in the polytunnel, with Ted helping and all the warmth concentrated. There are already calendular flowering. There is a lot of work to do out there, I want to get it looking good this year and being productive. Although we cannot guarantee the productivity of the outdoor garden, at least the polytunnel should give us some yummy food. We plan to use nematodes to tackle the slugs and snails this year.

swifty-martiny-swallowy affairs

It is wonderful to be welcoming back these portents of summer. As I stood outside today, feeling chilly whilst the magic man from the AA mended the car, I was wondering if I could return indoors without appearing rude. I idly thought that it will be time to welcome the swifty-martiny-swallowy affairs back soon, and gazed absently around. Then I saw them. Swallows, I think. It moves me enormously when I see the first ones arrive, I just love to see them swooping around and hear them, or is that the swifts? Or martins?

Yesterday was the most stressful day at Michael House since and including arriving here. Today we have been able to have a relaxing day. We hope to have some of Simon's father's pictures printed, as guests have expressed interest in purchasing them, so we took a few to Stable Art in Bodmin and now have a plan for getting a few prepared. Of course, we had to have lunch out, and went to Bara, which is excellent.

That is my three beautiful things covered - swallows, Bara for lunch and starting the process of getting picutres printed.

I have been sent the following reqest via email. I thought I would include it here, as I have often seen other bloggers do similar things.

Four things about me that you may or may not know in no particular order.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life ......

1. taxi controller
2. Occupational therapist
3. Till operator and shelf filler in Tescos (hiss)
4. guest house proprietor

- in a very muddled order

B) Four movies I would watch over and over...

1. gregory's Girl
2. The satish kumar documentary recently - not really a film
3. ho hum, I'm not a huge film goer
4.

C) Four places I have lived ...

1. Balham
2. West Dulwich
3. Lymington
4. Grasmere
5. East Grinstead
6. Northampton
7. Cambridge
rules? what rules? who said 4?

D) Four TV Shows that I watch ...

1. Grand designs
2. Location, Location, Location
3. Scrabulous on Facebook, oh, that doesnt count, oh well, I do more of it than watching TV
4. about to see Poppy Shakespeare, no idea what it will be like

Four Places I have Been...

1. Zambia
2. Madagascar
3. Romania
4. West Penwith

F) People who e-mail me the most ....

1. L
2. P
3. J
4. D

G) Four of my favourite foods ..
1. chocolate
2. jacket potatoes, with loads of butter, cheese and coleslaw
3. Indian
4. chocolate, oh I said that. Chocolatey things
5. chocolate

H) Four places I would rather be right now...

1. Treknow, its fine here actually
2. The Lizard
3. Madagascar, to explore it properly, not just on a controlled, guided tour
4. New Zealand, left this in from D, would love to discover it, I know I would love it
5. Italy, I would also love to discover this

J) Four things I am looking forward to ...

1. a busy season, I hope
2. Getting my craft room properly functional and then making stuff
3. getting the garden started for the year - well, I'm not so much looking forward to starting it, but to reflecting upon having got it sorted!
4. having a bit of money as the season gets under way and not being skint all the time

K) Four things on your bedside table/chest of drawers

1. alarm clock
2. book by Prue Leith - Leaving Patrick, second hand find, very well written, enjoying it.
3. dust,
4. lamp