Author Archives: Christine Taylor


About Christine Taylor

Charles and Christine Taylor have hosted Luxury Bed and Breakfast at Ednovean Farm Nr Penzance in West Cornwall since 1991 and live there with three cats and eight horses including a Spanish Stallion called Danni. Christine writes a weekly blog about life on the farm and garden with an occasional series about places of interest in West Cornwall

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July in the Garden at Ednovean Farm

Date palms red garaniums and box give a mediterranean feel to the terrace at Ednovean Farm July in the garden and now it almost seems intoxicated with the season, throwing up vibrant (did I really plan that there?!) plant colour combination in a glorious profusion. But then July is the summer ball or the proms for the garden, as it reaches the zenith of its power and it is time for a little bit of razzle-dazzle, after the restraint on the cooler months.

This month we’ve had a visit from a professional garden photographer, very nearly caught up in the Italian Garden and revelled in the vibrant days of Summer.
Continue reading “July in the Garden at Ednovean Farm” »

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Two days in Penzance

Penzance harbour full of pleasure craft backed by the lovley old buildings of the townI spent two days in Penzance this week and just as the UK revelled in the heat wave I was attending a computer course at dpn, tucked away in the mix of granite buildings and courtyards that form the working hub of the town. But in the lunch hour I spent my time visiting the town and exploring the side streets down the harbour, to pick up the glorious cooling breeze from the sea. I had time to explore the sub tropical Morrab gardens, on the way to the sea front with the iconic Jubilee Pool set on Penzance’s broad promenade. Penzance was expecting a very famous visitor on the first morning in the shape of Prince Charles and so the whole town had its best bib and tucker on ready for the royal visit. Continue reading “Two days in Penzance” »

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Summer evenings of memories

A view down through the entrance at Ednovean farm to the sea

The sea is such a startling blue now

This week we finally plunged into summer with an unexpected heat wave that transformed our world with a tide of Mediterranean warmth. We walked down to the coastal footpath of course for a wonderful day on a secluded cove and drank a toast from a bottle of wine given to us by a departing German guest for them enjoy many happy holidays in years to come.

We made a trip into Penzance for supper at the Old Lifeboat House on the harbour and finally celebrated our silver wedding for the second time at The Square in Porthleven so today there are way too many photos and I’m saving our picnic for another day!! Continue reading “Summer evenings of memories” »

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Twenty five years and a week at Ednovean

Sea views beyond the garden at Ednovean Farm near Penzance

A sunny morning o look down over the gardens her at Ednovean Farm

Each year the summer seems to take on its own quiet momentum and yet it doesn’t seem possible that we’ve been hosting a bed and breakfast at Ednovean Farm for Twenty five years now.  Still we’ve had another busy week here at Ednovean farm with our Bed and Breakfast guests but we’ve still found time for a few adjustments to our popular Blue bedroom! Continue reading “Twenty five years and a week at Ednovean” »

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Ednovean’s garden as Spring turns to Summer

View over a formal garden to the sea from a bedroom at Ednovean Farm

The guests in our Apricot bedroom have a view over the sundial garden from their terrace

May and June have sped passed and the Ednovean Farm garden has met the cusp of summer before I almost noticed the passing of time. We’ve been so busy with the Bed and Breakfast this year that I hardly noticed the approach of the longest day – maybe it was the week that I spent glued to the Chelsea flower show, veraciously examining the designs of the show gardens that led me to miss my garden update last month for May.

In this month’s update I’ll show you around the formal gardens softened with wild flowers and share some photos of my favourite garden flowers as the heady days of summer finally approach. Continue reading “Ednovean’s garden as Spring turns to Summer” »

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A visit to Penzance Harbour

The long expanse of the granite Albert pier at Penzance Haarbour

Albert Pier part of Penzance Harbour

With an hour to spare in Penzance the other day I headed down towards the harbour to take a few elusive photos for my blog – in my last walk around Penzance I explored more of the streets, notable Chapel Street but didn’t quite reach the water, so today I set off to visit the sea! The trouble was of course the tide was out and the light a little, shall we say challenging but this is how holiday days can look too sometimes, so I carried on in search of snaps.

As I reached the dry dock I had to pause for a moment as car drivers vied to take the narrow cobbled lane up into Chapel Street and I could see all that was left was a few desultory mounds in the silt bottom, that told of bait diggers at work before they went fishing and the other side of the road the smaller pleasure boats lying on their sides. Still I had an hours lunch break from an SEO course and believe me the fresh air was a treat after a morning indoors so I walked on over the Ross bridge and felt the rhythmic vibration of the passing cars through my feet as I walked accompanied by the audible clatter from the road before crossing to the larger working harbour. Some passers by heading for the Promenade paused smiling, for me to take photos. Continue reading “A visit to Penzance Harbour” »

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Land’s End to St Ives

Cape Cornwall - the only cape in britain

Cape Cornwall from the air

The final part of the Penwith tour will take you from Land’s End to St Ives and surely this drive  must be Cornwall’s own route 66. The road contained by ancient banks twists through farmland flanked by tiny fields whose boundaries date back to the bronze age. with the sea an eve present backdrop it is not surprising it has been voted one of  the nation’s favourite drives. Expect to pass through tiny hamlets and farmyards; to see remnants of the Cornish mining industry romantic now in their decay; to see villages flanked by towering moorland cairns on a winding road that will almost transport you back to an earlier era.

I am indebted to Mike McNally photography for the aerial views I am about to share with you. Mike and his wife took a scenic flight from Lands End when they stayed with us at Ednovean Farm and kindly sent us a disk of snaps of West Cornwall.

Continue reading “Land’s End to St Ives” »

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Morning call – a little enchantment

 

Ednovean Farm has a courtyard garden and fountain

The first rays of morning sunshine in our courtyard garden

There’s always a feeling of anticipation for the day ahead as I open the door to let Spud-Cat pad out on his morning patrol, Will there be a spot the sunshine pooling lazily around the parterre – is there a little enchantment in the air as the sun slides across the courtyard gardens to start the day?

This morning was glorious and I popped back with the camera to record the shadows on the gravel terrace still damp from the overnight rain and it was just as a lucky after thought that I glanced around the corner to see Spud perched on the fountain for his morning glass of water in a moment made magical by the glow of the dawn sunshine holding him in a spotlight. Continue reading “Morning call – a little enchantment” »

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Find Ednovean Farm in 25 Beautiful Homes

Ednovean Farm magazine article in 25 Beautiful Homes

Read about us in this month’s 25 Beautiful Homes

Ednovean Farm is included in the July issue of 25 Beautiful Homes just arriving in the shops now. We were so pleased to be included and enjoyed a wonderful day last year with professional writers Pat Garrett and photographer David Giles.

Charles has scanned in a couple of pages to give you a flavour of the article headed by our lovely view out across the Date Palms in our garden towards St Michael’s Mount. To read more about our story that began when Charles carried me over the threshold to the current day up to the current day when we have just celebrated our silver wedding anniversary read on! Continue reading “Find Ednovean Farm in 25 Beautiful Homes” »

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Coastal walks and harbour pubs

Trebarvah beach linked to Perranuthnoe

Just east of Perranuthnoe, a hidden slipway leads to Trebarvah Beach reached by a hidden slipway or walk along the sands from Perran at very low tide.

There is something so evocative of the memories Cornish holidays of spending the days wandering around the coastal footpath before finally settling in a secluded cove to picnic and then later, much later, driving around the Bay to find a traditional harbour side pub for supper. It has to be Fish and Chips of course anything else would be sacrilege to tradition!

This bank Holiday the weather has been so kind to Cornwall and we have basked in the sunshine and we were tempted to walk again down to the coastal footpath to see the last of the spring flowers with the tide lapping the rocks below us. Continue reading “Coastal walks and harbour pubs” »