We made it through our stay

Our friends at Heligan

Jessica making friends with Diggory

Last time I told you I was in charge of the animals whilst Judith and John had a well deserved holiday.  I am pleased to report, all animals made it through my custody period - albeit a bit fatter than normal as I may have given them one or two scoops too many of food and got my wires crossed and fed Tom the horse each morning, even though someone else was feeding him!  All in all we very much enjoyed our time at Tregongeeves.  Jessica, our two year old loved feeding the animals each morning with the guests.  Luckily last week I had some brilliant helpers collecting the eggs and making sure I gave the pig enough food and Alice got her special breakfast each morning.  The hard part was getting Jessica to come back from feeding the animals without a go on the 'bouncy bouncy' (trampoline).  We took advance of the facilities on site though and took Bethany, who is 5 months for her first dip in the swimming pool and went on some lovely walks around Tregongeeves.

With the temperatures on the rise again this week it is hard to believe we are in autumn, but September is whizzing by.  We enjoyed a spot of blackberry picking last week to make a delicious apple and blackberry crumble and we have been crunching through the leaves.  Cornwall is fantastic at this time of year.  Not only is it a lot quieter but the seas start to get a bit rough making for some fantastic sights.  One of my favorite things to do through the autumn is to enjoy a lunch whilst watching the waves crashing and you really are spoilt for choice as where to go.

Our own pig - Ronnie

Locally you could pop down to the Driftwood Beach Bar, which is part of Pentewan Sands Campsite but open to non residents.  The small beach hut offers stunning views from the warmth of the recently refurbished bar.  The food is good and with a selection of hot and cold drinks you could sit back and watch the waves roll in.  My favourite cliff top location to enjoy breakfast from is Lenwinnick Lodge.  The Lenwinnick Lodge offers a great blend of relaxing dining with breathtaking views - even on a rainy day it is worth a visit.  The waffles for breakfast are my all time favourite.  Or slightly further along the coast why not try out the Watergate Bay Beach Cafe.  The stunning views are complimented by great food in a very family friendly environment.

If the great outdoors is more your thing then why not undertake a lovely walk - to be honest there are far too many to list - from local circular walks to long coastal walks - so ask us when you see us for recommendations.  A great circular walk is the Fowey Hall Walk - the views back over to Fowey are stunning and you can be rewarded with a great big slice of cake from one of the many cafes in Fowey!

I have to say with the piglets at Heligan I am there a few times a week to keep the children happy - we have a local pass which means we can go as much as we like.  The piglets are adorable, I know I mention Heligan a lot but it really is worth a visit right now the gardens are looking stunning.

animal antics expected

I don't want to count my chickens too soon but I expect some animal antics over the next ten days as Richard and I have moved into Tregongeeves whilst Judith and John take a well deserved holiday to Ireland.  Usually there is some sort of animal antics  - I moved the children and me in at about 10am, we went and did our animal inspection, and by 11am I have noticed that a chicken has managed to escape their paddock and is currently down by the house.  This is not good.  Chicken catching is one of my least favorite activities, especially with a two year old as a helpful helper and a five month attached to me!    Other than escaping chickens everyone else looked good; Alice is much better after recovering from a sore eye, the pigs were in good voice grunting for a carrot and the sheep looked a bit disgruntled about the slightly damp weather.

I was every excited to spy a healthy helping of blackberries waiting for us to pick and the elder bushes full of berries - I am hoping to make elderberry juice.  Jessica on the other hand was every excited to spy the trampoline, swings and slide; luckily I managed to distract her long enough to get past them without too much of a fuss.  If you are staying over the next couple of weeks we look forward to meeting you and showing you around the animals.

Last week we had a great train adventure.  We went for lunch at Lanhydrock - a beautiful national trust property.  The House is one of the finest examples of upstairs downstairs living - it is really lovely.  We went to the new cafe at the huge bike centre and had lunch there.  We enjoyed one of nicest hot chocolates I have had in a long time - it was HUGE.  If you do go make sure you read the menu board just inside the door - we missed that and missed the seasonal soup.  We ended up having homemade burgers which were delicious.  After lunch we hopped in the car and drove a mile down the road to Respryn and walked the path up to Bodmin Parkway Station.  With a train obsessed child this was brilliant - we got to see two normal trains and the steam train part of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway - a real treat.  It was spotting with rain but this didn't matter as the walk is tree lined so we were well protected.  This will be a brilliant walk over the autumn and winter months and is buggy friendly.

Last week we had not one but two trips to The Lost Gardens of
Heligan.  Mainly because of the piglets.  They are adorable - there are two litters there and the mothers are working very hard to keep all the hungry mouths full! It really is worth a visit.  Obviously we had to sample the cake just to make sure the cake was up to the usual standard.  It was!