autumn's coming

It hasn't been a good year for mushrooms so far. Unfortunately, we can never sort out what sort of mushrooms we are looking at, milkcaps, honey fungus or something deadly. Every year we try and identify them, and we have always forgotten by the beginning of next autumn.

spike's place

the sun always shines on Spike's house, home of Venterdon's second most famous canine blogger

a visit to eden project 3

I love the imagery of the Bacchanalian orgy in the mediterranean biodome (nothing new then on the planet), and the torpid heat and steam of water vapour in the jungle

a visit to eden project 2

I love the mixture of real and surreal throughout the project, and the juxtapostion of the materialist landscape with the floral landscape. It reminds me of the work of an artist friend called John Howlin. he would have loved the man of parts

a visit to eden project 1

the first view of the biodomes at Eden Project is always impressive simply because of the sheer scale of the site. The middle photograph shows the site on our first fleeting visit in September 2000. We take our visitors there quite often. It has transformed the local economy. And one of our neighbours is on the poster welcoming you to the site. I think the logos might well be just as apt for our blogs

cyclamens in bloom

the garden is full of cyclamens; our dog bronze was clearly modelled on Harriet.

St Agnes in Cornwall

we spent a very pleasant day in and around St Agnes (another name on the long list of obscure Cornish (celtic) saints. St Agnes (see link)seems to be a very busy village, with a carnival that goes back a long time, and in our opinion a place that manages to look after one's spiritual needs very satisfactorily.


There is also this fascinating mining landscape (see top picture above) with mine workings all over the place. Perranporth beach is in the far distance (to the left). In the lower of the two pictures one can just make out some giant wind turbines on the horizon. Wind turbine farms are starting TO dominate our local landscape; we are not sure if they are for good or bad.


And a very pretty comma, there are two generations each year, and this butterfly will probably over winter looking like a dead leaf hanging on a twig. The second generation is darker. Usually they look a lot more tatty than this rather smart specimen.

a carefree life

while the world around us collapses into bankruptcy and recrimination there are some who can still enjoy themselves and have not a care in the world.

lost gardens of Heligan 2

three images from the stunning and exotic lost gardens of Heligan (see link). The tropical plants are in an area called the Jungle. It is a surprise to discover that the Cornish climate is mild enough to support sub tropical plants in the open in such profusion.

lost gardens of Heligan 1

there is an abundance of wild birds at Heligan (see link), including these white doves. There were very few geese on display at Tavistock yesterday so we have included this handsome American buff goose who guards the orchard at Heligan. We did not have goose for supper.

Tavistock Goose fair 6

the local lad who did well on the merry go round of life.
for more about Goosey Fair see this link

Tavistock Goose fair 5

the town crier and his fair maiden, (in fact he is from Saltash but it is all the same). No one offered to read our paws even though we are famous the whole world over.

Tavistock Goose fair 4

buy anything you want, eat and drink all day, make merry in the evening

Tavistock Goose fair 3

caught in the act, another handbag, another £20 note, another bubble, another bottom

Tavistock Goose fair 2

all the fun of the fair, beneath the imposing façade of the guild hall.

Tavistock Goose fair 1

This morning we went to Tavistock to see the Goose, or Goosey, fair (see this link for more local information). It was a lovely soft warm sunny October day, the best of autumnal days.

hope springs eternal

the new kid on the block, with friendly human and mum. Filly is about two weeks old. She was an unexpected arrival in autumn, everyone thought mum was just getting a bit fat.