Tiny Frog

Yet more wildlife in the garden! Whilst out playing, I saw something jump and thought it may have been a grasshopper...but it was a little big..On closer inspection (after capture) it turned out to be a tiny frog...

It was either on the way to our neighbours pond, or it was living in the damp undergrowth at the end of the garden! Anyhow after a bit of a photo call and a gentle prodding from a toddler it was liberated to the neighbours' pond -out of sight of the cat basking in the garden!

Raspberry & Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

Yesterday I was looking for easy recipes and I came across one for an upside-down soft fruit sponge...and that was before Peter even suggested going fruit picking! It was perfect for all those lovely raspberries and blueberries we picked earlier today...So whilst Sunshine rested, I whipped up a sponge! It was lovely with some double cream and some fresh berries on the side...Yum!

This Book Will Save Your Life

...I'm not entirely sure it will...but it certainly made me think! It was a really good read (another of Manchester airport buys)...there is a really good review here but it's a bit of a spoiler....so here is the synopsis...

"An uplifting story set in Los Angeles about one man's effort to bring

himself back to life. Richard is a modern day everyman; a middle-aged
divorcee trading stocks out of his home. He has done such a good job
getting his life under control that he needs no one. His life has slowed almost to a standstill, until two incidents conspire to hurl him back into the world. One day he wakes up with a knotty cramp in his back, which rapidly develops into an all-consuming pain. At the same time a wide sinkhole appears outside his living room window, threatening the foundations of his house. A vivid novel about compassion and transformation, This Book Will Save Your Life reveals what can happen if you are willing to open up to the world around you."
I really enjoyed it...even though I kept losing my bookmark (thanks Sunshine!)...another book with no chapters...not sure how I manage to pick them!!

Wildlife in the garden

We have a bit of a wild garden at times...an although I cut the grass intermittently, it is a bit rough most of the time! Anyway, when we were raking after the last mowing, Peter found a slow worm...They always seem a bit bigger than I think they should be! Sunshine seemed to be intrigued and wanted to run off with it..but I just don't know if they bite..!
Just reading the facts...it would be great if there were enough in the garden to keep the slug population down, but saying that there don't seem to be too many slugs at the moment so perhaps there are...
Given that they have a protected status, we really should be more vigilant when mowing....

West Country Holiday

We have just spent a week as a family in the West Country. Accompanied by my parents and of course by the clement 'Cornish sunshine' (=rain).
We stayed at the Crylla Valley Cottages which is a well laid out, I hesitate in the use of holiday park...it's a collection of cottages which overlook the valley of the River Lynher at Notter Bridge (just down the hill from Saltash). The accommodation couldn't be faulted and the location is ideal for the nearby beaches of Looe, Downderry and Whitsand Bay. If the weather had been nicer, then we would probably have spent more time on the beach...but it's difficult to tell as Sunshine has a fairly short attention span (being a toddler)! A definite bonus was the leisure membership at St Mellion Golf & Country Club as we could take Sunshine swimming which she really enjoyed especially when we bought her a float...I think if she had had a float suit or a ring she would have been off on her own! Her confidence in the water has dramatically improved and she is quite happy throwing herself into the pool at her parents!
A favourite was the Aquarium in Plymouth...each time we have been it has been slightly different...I am still mourning the absence of the Weedy Sea Dragons...and it was a shame there wasn't very much in the touch pools...I think they were gearing up for the school holidays!
As tradition dictates, I had to take a picture of the fish/crustacean/sea bird thingy which stands at Mayflower steps on the Barbican... Unusually, we only managed a cup of tea at Cap'n Jaspers.
I think we all enjoyed the Eden Project, although I think my visit may have been enhanced by not wrestling or watching Peter wrestle Sunshine all afternoon! I was amazed at the sheer size of the place and the organisation was brilliant. If I went again I think I would spend more time in the biomes before exploring the outside gardens...there was so much to see and read and by the time we got inside, Sunshine had lost interest...
All in all a pleasant week, even with the rain, but trust the sun to come out for our journey home!
There are some more photos here...

The Time Traveler's Wife

Absolutely bloomin' fantastic read! This is by far the best book I have read so far this year! Peter kept having to tell me to put the book down and go to sleep! I don't know why I was worried about reading it...perhaps it was the thought of a genetic condition that made it a bit repellent...but it was a great story and in no way gory. Once I got my head around the space-time fluctuations a beautiful love story developed.

If you only read one of 'my' books, this has to be the one!