Out to Falmouth

The rain has never stopped for the last few days, in stark contrast to a week earlier when we were all moaning gently about the intense heat.

We decided to go out despite the wind and rain and took a trip over to Falmouth beach about ten miles away. There is the lovely Falmouth Hotel, a comfortable non-grand family hotel. It's accessible with a wheelchair and we sat in the big room overlooking the water to have a light lunch. My husband was delighted to see that Cornish crab sandwiches were on the menu!

(Sad to say I left my camera at home so the photos are stock.)

This is how the view looks on a reasonably sunny day, framed with palm trees. There are almost always Tankers waiting off the harbour.  I think Falmouth harbour is one of the deepest in the world, and we do get many large vessels coming in.

 This is much how it was today, with rain running down the windows and only one lone Tanker in the harbour waters.

We feel so sorry for the many holiday makers who are camping or caravanning in Cornwall. It's wet and grey and somewhat Wintry.

We enjoyed our day out, but it's good to be home in the warm now.

Magazine giveaway and garden photos.

A friend sent me this magazine which is full of ideas, but not ones that I have time for. With it came some free gifts, a decoupage set and a stencil set.

I wonder if anyone would like to have it? (Click to have a closer look)

Sadly it will have to be limited to UK only, due to postage costs.

I'm afraid the intense heat has made me very lethargic, and apart from frantically watering the tomatoes, little else has been done this last fortnight.

A few Summer garden photos;

Isn't this (above) a pretty Cosmos?It's from Sarah Raven's collection.

Lovely Clematis twining over Zephirine Drouhin rose.

 The scent of these Nicotiana drifts through the garden in the evenings. It is a pretty pop of white amongst the Delphiniums and Cosmos.

Parasol shading the Sun room. Isn't it odd that one never notices the odd watering can flung on the lawn whilst taking a photo.

I'm sure a stylist would have sorted it out!

Home again.

I drove my husband back from his nursing home stay in Devon yesterday.

It was very leisurely. We had enjoyed a sunny morning out on the terrace outside his garden room, taken coffee, and watched a mother duck trot by with her seven babies. One of the residents feeds the ducks and they know where to come!

I had stayed overnight at this palatial looking place.

It's known as Hannahs, and was for many years Seale Hayne Agricultural college. Taken over by the Dame Hannah Rogers Charity in 2010, it exists to provide a place for people of all abilities.

In their own words--:

The project is an amazing place for the community, for people of all abilities, where they can train, learn have fun and fulfil their true potential without judgement or limit. Today it supports over 800 people with disabilities and their families through employment, training and experiences such as art, music, hydrotherapy, animal care and horticulture.

It has a new block of very pleasant accommodation with rooms looking over the 90 acres of grounds. My room had a charming view of greenery with rabbits bouncing about.

There was an excellent Bistro which served all meals.

Now back home, unpacking, each listening to the other's tales of a time away from home.

A little break.

It seems an age since I last wrote.

Since then I have taken my husband to a beautiful Nursing Home at Stover in Devon where he is having a couple of weeks stay.

I have spent a long weekend with friends whom we have known for over thirty years, who used to live nearby, but who have now moved back to their old home of Herefordshire.

They have a very beautiful garden on which they have worked so hard.

We visited Ledbury and Ludlow,

The buildings are so very different to any that we have in the South West. Black and white timbers are everywhere, even on tiny houses in the villages.

We wandered through villages, we visited the gardens of a beautiful house called Hellens, we admired incredible views of three counties. The Malvern hills were visible in the far distance, as were the edges of the Welsh Hills.

A tiny hamlet, with its own notice board (and only one house that I could see) was called  Hole-in-the-Wall. It sounds like a Beatrix Potter sort of place.

I returned yesterday, by train. A good journey with some Assistance at a change of station, for which I was grateful.  No sooner had we left Plymouth than we came to a halt, with a hesitant announcement that as the train had hit a tree we would have to wait for a while!

Fortunately it wasn't too long before the Inspectors pronounced the train railworthy again.

I hadn't realised how badly I sleep when Malcolm is at home. I am on alert, with a monitor, and even if he coughs, I wake. So this two weeks is a restful and sleeping time for me..
....but I do miss him.