Christmas finished officially here yesterday as the Christmas trees from the two cottages and our own home were taken down, the holly wreaths removed from the doors and everything stored away for another eleven months. Now it’s on to the new year, paint charts are out, Ring and Thimble bedroom is the first on the list – all quite exciting as we prepare the cottages for another season for our guests – some who will be coming back for the umpteenth time – one of our guests has been to Boscrowan to stay 19 times in the last 10 years – we think she likes it here!!!
The days are lengthening, birds are beginning to sing in the mornings again – a sudden dash yesterday to clean out the birdboxes and re-instate – out of 5 boxes last year 3 had inhabitants. Aren’t the nests just so wonderful?- the layers of moss at the bottom and bits of twig and at the top horse, cat and dog hair and even short lengths of brightly coloured cotton thread which will occasionaly be found on the ground outside the soft furnishing workroom here – the materials for these nests has definitely come from here!
My seed catalogues are out – what shall I grow that’s new and different for our guests and ourselves this year? My crimson flowered dwarf broad beams that I grew on Ring and Thimble front patio 2 years ago re-appeared in Wiltshire last year – some of our guests had gathered some of the seeds and grown them themselves – apparently they were the talk of their allotment!!! They then sent me some Jerusalem artichokes back in the post – the original tubers of which, a few generations back had actually come from Jerusalem!!
So lucky to have so many interesting guests who come to stay – we share our life and ideas with them and they so often share with us and return the compliment!!
