Ah, such glorious weather this week......

On Tuesday I drove to one of my favourite beaches, Polly Joke near Crantock.

As soon as I had learnt to drive when I was 17 this was somewhere I loved to go to be alone, sometimes with a good book or sketchbook and pencils in hand. There are no buildings in sight from this beach, no cafe, no toilets, only a small car park a five minute walk away but hidden in the valley. All the surrounding land is owned by The National Trust and so will thankfully remain unspoiled, hopefully forever. It was this particular stretch of the north Cornish coast, from West Pentire to Polly Joke, that the author Winston Graham most frequented when writing his Poldark novels, and where he imagined Nampara, the home of Ross and Demelza, to be located. I was so homesick for Cornwall when studying my Textiles degree at Winchester School of Art that I read all 11 Poldark novels back to back. They transported me back to the places I loved so much.

Today - Sunday lunch at Halwyn!

The hot chocolate is to die for - choose either plain choc or mint choc chip, with whipped cream and a malteser on top!

Organic bacon and cheese in a granary bap, with lovely crisps and a salad full of berry fruits (Strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries) and home-grown salad leaves and cherry tomatoes. Yum! Have I mentioned the three different kinds of salad dressing and two varieties of fruity pickle?

The lovely couple who run Halwyn Tea Garden completely renovated the old farmhouse they now live in. It really is a blissful spot at the end of a dead-end track (deemed 'Not Suitable for Motors'), with the most wonderful views over the River Fal and the only occasional sound: the chugg chugg of a boat engine as it glides along far below.

Walking back after lunch through the woods the dappled sunlight was beautiful; glimpses of sparkling water through the trees, the shrieks of children actually swimming in the river!

I promised you some pictures of the creek with the tide (almost) in......

Sublime stillness

Do hope the sun has been shining on you too today and it has recharged your batteries for the week ahead. x

Giveaway Time!

Yes folks, a winner has been picked!

This is the goody bag that the winner will receive - one of my 'Inspiration Packs' of printed papers and stickers, a selection of handmade cards, two little handmade heart decorations on ribbon, two button cards, a piece of vintage fabric, some vintage lace bits, two embroidered quilt patches, a diamante buckle and a sprig of little fabric flowers.

All followers' names were written down and put into a box, I closed my eyes and picked out a piece of paper at random and the name was.............

paperdolly!

So congratulations Shevie! We have never met; now I have the perfect excuse to come down and meet you and see your little shop in Marazion, and deliver your goodies in person. Looking forward to it already!

On our way up to Totnes on Friday Gertie and I stopped off for half an hour at the beautiful village of Altarnun on the edge of Bodmin Moor. The lovely old stone bridge is just wide enough for a horse, and this row of cottages have their very own slate bridges crossing to their front doors.

On one of the garden walls sits this charming nest of mossy stones with three little birds

The 15th Century Church dedicated to St. Nonna is known as the Cathedral of the Moors, and replaced an earlier 12th Century building.

On the end of each pew are these wonderful carvings, some with symbolic decorative motifs and others with figures, including this dancing jester and musician

medieval bagpipes

and some wonderful sheep!

The huge granite font is the only part of the original 12th Century church still remaining

Now onto Totnes! A bit of a rush to set up on time ready for doors open at 10 O'Clock; here is my stand

and Gertie's

Right from the word go the hall was full of eager customers looking for vintage inspiration, and it was great to catch up with fellow bloggers and stallholders. Thanks Lesley for organising such a well attended event, I hope there will be more such fairs in Totnes next year!

What a difference a day makes!

This was the tranquil scene that greeted me on arriving in Portscatho yesterday. The harbour looked so inviting I just had to take my camera down for a while and soak in the sun.

There wasn't a breath of wind in the shelter of the bay and it was actually hot!

Here I am standing outside the village post office; now compare this view with the one below, taken on the same spot at 5.30pm today!

Combine a strong easterly wind and a very high tide and this is the result: waves surging up the slipway and crashing against the sea wall, sending up huge plumes of spray

Fortunately there's a building between my little shop and the sea so it doesn't get the full force of nature thrown at it

You can see in the picture above where the sea wall had to be rebuilt after being washed away by a storm three years ago

Waves are breaking right over the harbour

It's so invigorating to watch, and you get buffeted by the wind and covered in sea spray, and the sound of the sea in all its wildness - I LOVE it! I'm afraid still photographs don't do it justice.......

Playtime with buttons!

Ooooohhhh I love buttons! And by the frequency with which they appear in other people's blogs, I know I'm not the only one!

Give me a load of buttons and I'll be happy for hours............

I love to co-ordinate colours together; it's all about balance too with the positioning of each button...

I've made up these button cards to take with me to Totnes on Saturday

More special Mother-of-Pearl, glass and metal buttons............

Okay, I'm done with the buttons now.........

My first ever giveaway! Yey!

I said to myself that as soon as I reached 100 followers I would have a giveaway, and so here it is! No need to do anything - all your names will be automatically entered into the draw, and if you're reading this and you're not already a follower, then it's not too late: as I'm going up to Devon on Friday I haven't really got time to organise it before I go, so just add your name asap and I will do the draw when I get back on Sunday, I'll also post up what you're gonna win!

Bonne chance a tous!