It is lovely to go away but really lovely to get back. After ten very full and happy days for us in Cornwall and briefly Devon we were greeted by a lawn of lush hay and everything looking rather over-luxuriant (including ourselves i might add, after ten days of excess food). Thanks to Janet’s attentions our guests were unaffected by our absence and the only worry we met was a rather wobbly Boots the cat.

Janet had alerted us that she seemed a bit unsteady on her pins. A fight? An injury? Had she perhaps had a knock with a car? Or perhaps it is just old age (it hits us all). Anyway, she isn’t off her food but spends a lots of time licking her right paw.

The Addison Singers rehearsing at the Minack

Anyway, a week ago I promised that the next day you would hear of more of our Cornish outings, so back to our trip. I can see some of you thinking once again, ‘What is this blog? A travel site, book site, cookery site? Most definitely probably not a holiday cottage site.” However, it is all loosely connected with our two holiday cottages are so much part of our life and one of these days there’ll be pure Tom’s and Douglas’s Barn news. Anyway, the next day it POURED, and the best day.

Two of the Addison Singers, Ruth and Flora, outside the Tate (St Ives)

We returned home via the Eden Project after our Cornish week, spending the weekend with my brother John, near Totnes. More fun and nostalgia and general self-indulgence, with a trip to Ringmore where our parents are both buried within sight of the sea and their own house and then back via the Start Bay Fish & Chip shop at Tor Cross on Slapton Sands.

Percy the Peacock

A Cornish Swallow on the Little White Alice pool

Much as we hate leaving home (we always feel bad not being here when our guests are) the groupie/Cornwall instincts took over. We immediately booked a holiday cottage and are happy to pass on a good tip. if ever any of you are looking for a romantic cottage for two of course please look at Tom’s and Douglas’s Barns. However, if you are heading to Cornwall we aren’t anyway near so can’t help. I am sure there are hundreds of lovely cottages there but we would have no hesitation recommending you look at another Premier Cottage property,  Little White Alice

Little White Alice is very new, very ecologically ‘green’ and very attractive. There are seven cottages I think, a natural pool and a wood-fired hot tub, so very different from us but – swings and roundabouts and all that – we are both super but very different and in very different parts of the world so neither of us need have any fears from the other and we are very happy to recommend Simon and Rosie’s cottages whole heartedly.

I didn’t set off the write a blurb for Little White Alice but it sort of took over. Tomorrow I will let you know what we have been doing on our time off – more puffs for Cornwall and things Cornish! And a big puff for the Addison Singers. They are the greatest!

(Just listened to the weather forecast for tomorrow – not good- so plans for a trip to St Michael’s Mount may be jettisoned…)

Hanging my head in shame at the long silence. We’ve been busy but that is no excuse as my headmistress would have said, ‘It is just a case of being organised”. Organised I obviously am not, but we have been happily busy and I am sticking to that as an excuse.explanation.

We went down to London last week, John on the Wednesday as he had a rather nostalgic and fun cricket club reunion dinner at Lords to attend. I joined him on Friday evening, when as far as I was concerned the family/friends/fun began. On the Friday evening we went to see for the second time – last time in Scarborough – Alan Ayckbourn’s latest play, Neighbourhood Watch, in which Frances Grey, a Douglas’s Barn guest, was unrecognisable playing – most convincingly – the part of Amy , the seductress wife of the hapless Gareth. Then on Saturday afternoon seven of us trooped off to the Aldwych to see Tom Chambers (again) in Top Hat. Having toured the provinces for six months this is their London premiere. The theatre was packed and the audience wonderfully appreciative – as far as one could see the production was faultless.

My only problem was the person on my left sang her way through every piece, quite loud and more than quite out of tune. Pointed looks from several of us did nothing to dim her enthusiasm so we just had to try to not let it bother us too much.

The dancing is terrific, so slick, and all the dancers manage to look as if they were really enjoying it; Tom was saying they really do when the audience is responsive. How they all but Tom in particular, manage to sing and dance non stop without ever faltering is most impressive. When we saw Tom at the stage door afterwards he looked as fresh as if he had just woken up from a thoroughly refreshing nap! And he had to go through it all again that evening.

Drinks at a friend’s house afterwards and an Indian meal for us all, then brunch with another friend the next door and we felt thoroughly relaxed. Then reality struck and the bubble was burst. A text from Janet let us know that the power had gone off in Parwich. Having just had a 15-hour cut only a few weeks ago, we assumed this one couldn’t possibly rival that, but…it did. We got back at 7ish to find Parwich plunged in darkness and the house pretty cold. Our Tom’s Barn guests were pretty cheery because of course they had the log burner and they had arranged to have dinner at a pub, but the Douglas’s Barn guests were very glad to huddle up with us in our house, all in our anoraks, and valiantly consume pizza and red wine to combat the cold. In fact so jolly it was that when the lights came on at about 10ish everything looked so bright and garish we promptly turned them off again and reverted thankfully to candlelight.
These days we are all so dependent on electricity, it is very salutary every so often to have to cope without emails, (digital) phones not to mention lighting and heating. computers, kettles and toasters. But not for ever.

Do you remember that we had another Green Business (GTBS Green Tourism Business Scheme) Inspection in March? The assessor had hinted discreetly that he was pleased but obviously could say no more because he had to make his report which in turn will have had to have been assessed and – finally – approved.

Anyway, we got an email the other day, letting us know that we had reached the Gold Level golden heights. We were very pleased. We had never even thought of that as a possibility because we do not have any of the outward green trappings such as wind turbine or ground source heat pumps, and I think to anyone staying here – if they did not already know about our quiet but serious green commitment – it might not be very obvious at all. Also, there is always the anxiety about inviting comparisons or criticism if one makes too big a fuss about something.

The audit is 36pages long, helpful and encouraging. We are congratulated on a ‘well-desered gold GTBS award’ but warned lest we get too pleased with ourselves that ‘there are areas where tweaks can still be made to improve the business performance’. We will work on those but we will always place the pleasure and comfort of our guests first and do not ever want to do anything that might compromise that. Hopefully we can continue to progress greenly and continue to do all we can to make sure your stay here is the best we can possibly offer you.

Their description, not mine (and the sheep don’t seem that impressed) although it does feel rather good to have completed a ‘magnificent walk’; we’ll gloss quickly over the fact it was only 7 miles long. Let’s face it, the 67 year old man who did 21 miles in just over five hours, jogging down all the hills, and the hills were steeply steep, is more impressive.

The Friends of the Peak District had organised a great charity walking event last Sunday to raise funds for their work supporting the Peak District, with apparently over 200 adults and children taking part. There were various possibilities other than the 21 mile walk. Daughter Ruthie was up from London and she and I opted to do the seven miles one, John preferring to potter about with his camera and (too heavy for long distance walking) lens hoping to get some good bird shots, which he didn’t.

The images convey some of the beauty, they don’t convey so well the ‘up, up, up’ height one climbs.

Ruth and I were however quite delighted with our choice. We arrived late but that didn’t seem to matter. The scenery was truly magnificent, and so was the weather and we both felt it would be a walk many of our guests would probably love too so I will write it up and put it in the WALKS file in the barns. It is worth saying, the walk would not be pleasant if the weather was very wet or windy.

I should have an OS Map in front of me as I write, but I haven’t so will have to rely on my very unscientific description. The walk we did started from Thornbridge Hall, but could just as conveniently be started from the Hassop Station Bookshop on the Hassop roundabout just north of Bakewell, or for a slightly shorter version beginning/ending near a very popular eatery, the Monsal Head Hotel. Both these options would mean one could very conveniently park nearby.

Part of the walk is on the Monsal Trail before – after going through one of the tunnels and crossing a viaduct – one veers off left to start on a large loop ‘off-piste’ up (and up and up) to Brushfield and High Dale, and then down again to meet the River Wye and the Trail before a final steep climb to the Monsal Head Hotel. They must do a roaring trade with hungry, thirsty wakers celebrating the end of their hike.

Ruthie and I had to resist this particular lure, and that of the Packhorse at Little Longstone which did look very inviting, to meet up with John and various friends and colleagues who had also been walking but had all been back some time (we did start rather late…). Even the relaxed looking 67 year old who’d run 21 miles in 5 hours was back, almost limbering up for the next run…

We get the most lovely comments from our guests in the Visitors’ Books which occasionally we like to share with you; sometimes there are some very touching personal comments, which we tend not to share just because they are personal. Idly going through Douglas’s Barn’s Guest book the other day I came across a charming paragraph addressed not just to us, but also to Boots, so i have no compunction in sharing that!

The secret was out… Boots knows in theory that she is not allowed in Douglas’s Barn although that is where she used to live when she came up from Devon with my father 12 years ago so she takes little heed of now being banned if cat-loving souls are happy to invite her inside. She is very old by cat standards and has brought a lot of happiness, first of all to my father Douglas, and then after he died, to us. We are sure she thinks that is her role in life (unless you’re a dog or a bird). She is very clean and she does not have fleas, and loves nothing better than to be cosseted and loved.

Hence the very personal message to Boots from Tony who like many others had enjoyed her company when staying here a couple of weeks ago:

“Dear Marion and John +*Boots,
Thank you so much for sharing this most wonderful part of the world and Douglas’s Barn with us…*Boots, we enjoyed your ‘Brrrs’ and purrs when you dropped by in the evenings to curl up on the sofa with us to watch football and DVDs, and to have your saucer of milk – Tony.”

We love meeting all our guests but have yet to adopt Boots’s shamelessly loving approach.

We had an interesting day on Saturday. Those of you who have walked up to Alstonefield from Dovedale or vice versa for that matter, may well have noticed a very beautiful wreck of a house opposite the church. A Grade 2 listed building dating from the late 16th century it had been in the Harour-Crewe family but had been sold to meet death duties in 1951. For years and years it just slowly grew more dilapidated although it was actually inhabited until the owner died last year and the house is to be sold by auction on Thursday 10th May.

What a wonderful project if only one had about a million pounds or perhaps even two… The house could be stunning – the photos may give you a slight idea. The reserve price is quite low but to restore it would take as much again, and more… Sadly we shall be away on the 10th May but would otherwise loved to have gone to be part of the excitement, with hands firmly in pockets and eyes averted from the auctioneer’s in case there might be a terrible misunderstanding and we ended up the already impoverished new owners.

On Saturday was the auction of the contents of the house and farm machinery, all old – some interestingly old and some just plain old. The outside of the house had been tidied up, new gravel laid, and bits and pieces of farming equipment laid out on the ‘lawn’. In the shed was a motley collection of furniture, and general bits and bobs, in the house, ditto. There were some interesting pieces, and some badly in need of repair were snaffled up by people who obviously would lovingly restore them for their home, or perhaps tart them up and sell them on at a greatly inflated price. Obviously many people knew more than we did, and while some things went for a ridiculously low price, others were bid for eagerly in a way that astounded the ignorant among us. Why should anyone want to spend hundreds on an old jug with all the pouring lip side missing? Then there were two pony traps which went for surprisingly little to the delight of the buyer who looked as if she had been expecting to have to go much higher.

There was a lovely atmosphere and it was all great fun. There were so many people there, farmers, families, traders and lots of local people who had just gone along for the experience. It got cold by the end though so we were very glad to retire to the George for a (delicious) late lunch by the fire!

Kingfishers aside, we all decided after lunch to set aside an hour, from the comfort of the Orchard Farm kitchen window (it was January after all) counting the birds that came to our garden for the RSPB Annual Garden Birdwatch. Inevitably at first there were no birds at all. Was Boots around, stalking them stealthily? Or perhaps it was an unseen sparrowhawk circling above? For a while we had visions of making a ‘nul points’ return but fortunately our feeders were soon as busy as usual when the usual ones started flocking in; unfortunately we did not keep the list we made. One enters the totals online for the RSPB and therefore we have no record of the final totals but I can confidently say that we had no wonderful surprises to record.

The faithful Orchard Farm feeders are – not necessarily in this order – Blue Tits, Chaffinch, Long-tailed Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Robins, Dunnock, Goldfinches, Nuthatch, Tree Creepers, Blackbirds, Bullfinches, Pigeons, Pheasants. The squirrel tries his hardest to pretend he is a bird and gets up to the most amazing antics to get at the feeders, usually unsuccessfully I am glad to report. He does look horribly glossy and well-fed, though, so maybe he is clever enough now to time his maraudings when we are not watching like hawks at the window.

The first ten for Derbyshire this year were: House Sparrow, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Starling, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Collared Dove, Great Tit, Robin. Bullfinches come in at no. 20 and overall were only recorded in 8% of the gardens in Derbyshire on January 29th so we certainly buck the trend there as we see them a lot now, to our pleasure, and I know we saw several on the birdwatch day.

The first ten for England were: House Sparrow, Starling, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Collared Dove, Robin. Interestingly, the Bullfinch doesn’t feature in the first 20 in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Next year the survey happens over the weekend of 26 and 27 January 2013 I shall make a point of keeping our personal tally, just for the amusement of seeing how we vary from the average.

By the time Douglas’s Barn came along, we had learnt a lot and were also by now on our greenward trail so we kitted it out with the best and ‘greenest’ equipment we could afford, which is all still going strong. We did have lots of problems with the boiler and were going to replace that. However, since our friend Steve Ogan from Blakelow Farm recommended the most wonderful man (Phil Jennings if anyone wants a good tip) to provide us with a new one – I hardly dare tempt fate, but after a thorough repair the original boiler has gone well. There has been little reason to replace anything, in spite of Douglas’s Barn, like Tom’s Barn, being full nonstop.

However, we couldn’t help noticing that condensation had started creeping in between the double glazing in the front door, looking horribly – whenever the sun shone – as if it just needed a good clean! Yesterday the glass unit was replaced by local Parwich man, Roger Cundy, and it now looks as good as new (which of course it is).

We also have decided to have wireless access points fitted in each barn. Up until we now we have relied on a router and booster but although the reception in Douglas’s Barn seems fine, from time to time guests in Tom’s Barn have experienced problems. They have always been very understanding and non-complaining but we advertise free (permanent understood) wi-fi and feel strongly that guests should not ever have any problem that we can humanly avoid. It isn’t just wanting the Internet for Facebook and Twitter either, we know that a lot of our guests have to bring their work with them if they come away at all, so they must be able to do access the Internet without a hitch. So that is another developmen,  happening in the next week or so.

The big item I am keeping until last. As from this afternoon, Douglas’s Barn has the full Sky package…! Mike the Sky man who came to set it up was a bit shy about having his photo taken but there he is at the top of the page, working away behind the TV! Both barns have had FreeSat and from time to time we have wondered nervously about providing Sky but the sheer cost instantly put us off. Also, when we asked guests if they missed it/would like it, they always said no. It took us some time to realise that we were not asking the right people, because anyone that desperately felt the need for Sky would not have chosen to come here in the first place!

But recently, thanks to a suggestion by Neil our aerial man, we have been able to apply for an additional ‘multi room’ package for Douglas’s Barn which is next door to the room where our telly (with Sky) is, at a relatively modest monthly rate. We would not be able to do the same in Tom’s Barn for technical/phone line/financial reasons. So that means another choice: log burner or no log burner? Dogs or no dogs? Sky or no Sky? We are pretty sure we know that some wives or partners of sport fanatics will have some interesting discussions before a possible compromise has to be reached on that last point.

Two weeks ago we were watching our guests slowly attain a deep tan while we all sat in the sunshine, barbecued outside and strolled about in light summer clothing. The flowers bloomed, the grass grew, the birds sang fit to burst. Unfortunately it was all too good to last.

We heard unimpressive rumours about snow but didn’t believe them for a minute until on Wednesday morning we woke to see the world had gone white overnight and snow continued to fall most of the day. Heavy winds blew, trees fell, power lines went down and we experienced a series of temporary power cuts followed by a very permanent one which eventually lasted from about 9.30am until half past midnight.

It was all strangely liberating. You realise how much of our day to day activity depends on electricity, from turning on a light, making a cup of tea to sending an email. Apart from the Aga and our log burner we had no light, heat or telephone and no communication with the outside world apart from, as we did discover eventually, a very old non-digital telephone which meant we were able to phone out for updates about the situation which changed alarmingly each time we rang.

One becomes strangely resourceful. It was fun to see how we could, as it were, beat the system. We could have cheated too, with the shop and pub being open but in the circumstances it felt better keeping warm indoors. I tidied my desk; our guests read, played scrabble, did the crossword and one happily managed a lot of knitting without the sense of guilt she would normally have experienced knitting during the day.

Of course, we felt responsible. We worried most about our guests in Douglas’s Barn, which is all-electric. Fortunately it is very well-insulated and kept warm all day; however, a warm bath or even a cup of coffee became an unattainable luxury. John and I kept them supplied with hot water in a thermos and mugs of soup at lunch time. Our Tom’s Barn guests were much more fortunate: they were able to keep themselves as snug as the proverbial bug with the log burner and could boil up pans of water to make hot drinks. They could have baked potatoes had they wanted to or in fact fried themselves eggs and bacon.

The only trouble was, no one knew how long it was going to last. Come the evening, as darkness began to fall, suddenly it threatened to become less than funny. We checked torch batteries, gathered up dozen of candles and tea light, stoked the log burner and invited our guests in for a candle-lit supper. I meanwhile scuttled about, making a casserole with some lamb steaks we most fortunately had in the fridge and all the lovely Riverford organic vegetables which we most fortunately also had. Some generous measures of red wine to help it along its way and into the by now worryingly cooling Aga the whole thing went!

And what a fun evening we had! The six of us talked and laughed our way through the evening and it was well past midnight before any of us thought of moving. As they said their goodbyes and stepped outside, suddenly the world came alive – all the light came on, fridge and freezer buzzed and whirred and life suddenly and rather disappointingly returned to normal. It hadn’t actually, as it turned out. My computer had been badly affected so i spent the whole of the next day still without access to the internet and with the digital phones still not working. It was 6pm last night before, thanks to Dove Computers in Ashbourne, life truly returned to normal.

For once, I had a very genuine reason for not having written a blog post.