SQUIRREL THIEF!

We have a squirrel thief here.... every time there is a biscuit or something left on a table he comes in like the pink panther on the prowl for biscuits! The dogs think it is a great game chasing the squirrel, but they would null win, the squirrel is far too smart for the dogs!!!

NOVEL IDEA!

St Moritz hotel was designed by Pete and these cute little sheds are in the grounds for the owners of the apartments to store their beach gear in. I love them, was thinking about creating something here like them...!!!!! I have a thing about beach huts, I tried to get one at Par beach but no idea how to get one, there are only a few left after all these years... The other picture is of the train store at EDEN, it looks like a ramshackle collection of barns but it is really a long train store.... I need one of these too!!..See I mustn't go out, i get too many ideas... OH my latest idea is to make giant musical instruments made of wood, like xylophones or Glockenspiels etc!!!!

A VIEW TO DIE FOR!

This is the view from a house that Pete designed, we went over to look over the build last week and look at it.... how stunning is that!!!We get to create little pieces of heaven for people its great, trouble is we want every one we design!!!

SMURF!

You can always count on Smurf to be a bit of a nutter, He played for about an hour and a half in the washing baskets, it looked like he was hunting his own tail....very odd cat!

RAINBOW FOR RUBY

Rainbows are really important to us, so it was really odd how this one suddenly appeared for Ruby yesterday, taken by Robin and Maggie who are staying with us at the moment. Thanks for the photo:)

FOOTPRINTS!

Shadow is a huge dog but her footprint are like a yeti they are wider than mine!It doesnt show it very clear here in the picture but they look really odd on the beach, all these little paw prints then there is SHADOW!

PAINT BALLING!

Laura arranged paint balling for Aarons birthday, Steve went along with a friend too, I think there were quite a few and then they get split up into two teams to fight against each other. They all look the same but I think Steve is here laid down and Laura and Aaron int he other picture?? But who knows for sure! They had a great time tho, and would highly recommend it!

NEW DUCKLINGS

We try to walk every day at some point, The ducks at the pond have just given birth to 5 lovely identical it seems ducklings! They are great and really strong, our dogs tried to join in the swim in the river but the duckings just looked at them very odd! I took a photo of Pete with Lucky and gem while my Muppet of a dog shadow was on her back kicking her legs in the air and rolling about, its not funny anymore, especially when she decided to do it in the middle of the main A390 as we cross the road!!!

OUR XMAS PRESENT

Our Xmas present from Aaron and Laura was to go on a Segway tour. A bit apprehensive as I suffer from spells of severe dizziness and movement issues. SO when I booked it I hoped it was a good day or it could have been very amusing!!! It took until the end of September to have a day off. It was the best thing I have ever done, it is a lot harder than you think, or that might just be me with the wobbly head. But we went miles all over Haldon Woods. I want to go again!!! Pete was good on it too, it needs constant concentration, I was thinking of putting mum and auntie Lou on it, but not sure Haldon Hill is ready for them!!! We asked the instructor to just take a quick photo of us to show Laura and they made us do the segway kiss, which is really hard without falling off! trust us, we only wanted a quick picture, what a game...But thanks Laura and aaron, can we go again!

NO TIME TO CELEBRATE

We hadn't had time to celebrate the completion of Woodmill, but coincidence had it that Colin Pete's brother came over and bought Chinese for Pete's birthday so it kind of doubled up as our celebration too! Thanks Col very nice, you can come again  ha ha

LUCKY IN THE WARS

Hasn't been a good week really, I had to take Lucky to the vets as she had skinned one of her feet, so she is on antibiotics and pain killers and bed rest for a few days or so and see what it looks like. What a week!

R.I.P CARUBA (RUBY)

It was a really really hard day yesterday when we had to make the decision to let Ruby go, her arthritis had got so bad that the vet advised it was cruel to keep her going as she was in pain and we couldn't relieve it. She had learnt to live with it for a while now and we have been struggling with her for a while, but it makes it no easier when you have to make the call. She was 32 and had a great life here, Studley and Storm, me and Pete were with her and she was calm and eating her box of pony nuts. I was stood right next to her as she fell at my feet, it was awful but at least we were all around her and it was quick. I wont ever have a big pony again, it seems the bigger the animal the worse it is for some reason. Actually no, this situation is horrible for any size, but today its a big one! But I am glad her retirement was a happy one and that her life here was really great. Miss you Rubs XXXX

SOOOOO BUSY!

I have been off my feet for a few weeks, and I clean forgot to update the blog... WE HAVE COMPLETED! We have neighbours, for the first time. I dont know whether its going to be more weird for us or them, us as we have been on our own here for such a long while, and our life isnt the most conventional, we are a funny ol' lot! like the other night we sat outside and cooked some sausages on a camping stove and a tin of beans  for our tea, we have a perfectly good kitchen but we do do odd things, but they are normal to us!!... or them as they are moving to a new lifestyle and life at Woodmill is very very different from anywhere else, you realise anything is possible and ok really. You accept things as normal very quickly! But after today only two weeks of Becky and Justin moving in, I can see they are on our road to madness, as Becky text to ask what she could do with an injured hedgehog? I text here all the help lines and then a few hours later she text to say it was in her kitchen in a box recovering! So I think they will fit in just fine, probably before she may not have given ol' hedgey a second glance but something happens to you at Woodmill that seems to make you into a kind of Doctor Dolittle with a slight crazy edge, sorry guys it comes with the territory. So welcome to our new neighbours, I hope they are happy in their new life and home and enjoy it in whatever capacity as much as we have.

A VISITOR IN THE BEDROOM!

I went up to change a moment ago and went to close the patio doors in the bedroom and found this little guy asleep in the door way!.. I relocated him back down the field, maybe he fancied a 5 star night away in the warm!

WHO SAID ROMANCE IS DEAD

We dont have much time, and what time we do get we like to walk the dogs, but we grabbed an half hour on our walk and sat on a bench, I took a picture of our silhouettes!... The strangest things amuse us! Pete was at the far end of the table so looks miles away in this!

A NIGHT AWAY

After a hectic time, I thought it would be nice to take Pete away for a night, I had it all planned to the last detail.... Saturday go to Cotele a National trust place and have a picnic (IT RAINED VERY HARD!)...Saturday night stayed in Lydford Country Manor with a fantastic posh meal, which was really really nice, best food we have had, master chef style! The Sunday we were to park a little way from Pentillie Castle and cycle in for the Festival of Speed, which we did, but it was so muddy, we had flip flops on as our thinking was pimms outside on the lawn and watching the hill climb.......(NO IT WAS THE MUDDIEST PLACE EVER) so after that we had our last night in the summerhouse, thought we would make the most of our budget break..., I got up and cooked a full breakfast on a camping one ring stove, (IT RAINED SO HARD IT WAS BOUNCING) but to not let it ruin our day we put on our full waterproofs and went out walking. It got to 4pm and neither of us could hack the rain anymore so we gave up, but we did enjoy our weekend, except the weatehr really bad, and all my planning was getting shot to pieces at every opportunity! But I tried!!!Next year hpefully we will have a little more funds and I can plan a bit better! Photos taken int he rain at Lydford Gorge! Very difficult to take one with one hand of us both, I dont know how people do it, I look very odd!! Oh and I nearly forgot, half an hour before we went, the fridge freezer packed up and I had to get a panic one form a shop pending our to be fixed, all in half an hour, and our roof had a leak all down the new oak stairs....someone isnt popular right now!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PETE!

Pete was 21 again this year and I decided to have a little birthday celebration. Petes mum and brother and sister came, Colin his other brother had a pool match or something. My mum and dad and auntie louise (seen in photo above, slimmer of the week!), doug and us lot were all there so it was a nice evening, we got suitably smoked out after it nearly rained us off, we had it all ready though incase! 

REALLY MANIC

After parting company with half our land and woodmill farm hosue, things are supposed to be calmer, but its definitely not, Purl Design is busy there is so much to do int he Mill and gardens and holiday cottages... Take today for instance, I was supposed to have today to do the accounts as I am behind on them, so all booked in.... until Buttercup rang and said they had no hot water...then Little Toms did the same..... So after flying back from the accountants in town to try to sort, whilst ringing a plumber to meet me there etc... I started to go through all the scenarios in my head, the boilers are always serviced and working well so I couldnt understand, then I realise the last gas bottle change Pete did.... Need I say  more... he had to creep into this problem somewhere!!... He attached the tails but didnt release the valve so the shut off came in and turned everyone off!!! This mechanism is a fail safe and idiot proof we were told!!!!!! Not true!... But at least we sorted it and all is now well Cheers Pete....Got a light gone one of those ones that last a ;lifetime, you know the ones, they give up after a few months,,,,welll electrician is coming to sort that too... I have dismantled the washing machine too as that wasnt working, but think I have solved that one, at least for the time being...what a morning.... still no accountants or drawing done!