P..Pick up a...P...Pick up a Pumpkin

I love this time of year not for clocks going back and making it clear that winter is almost upon us, not for the constant rain that seems to have beset us, not even for the halloween stuff (which is really not my cup of tea) but for the wonderful pumpkin. What a travesty that every year the humble pumpkin grows itself to a good old size only to be dug out, poked holes in and set alight!
On Saturday Amos and I went with friends to a Pumpkin Day at Riverford Organic Farm where this fabulous orange beast had been treated with serious respect. Yes there was an area where you could carve out your own pumpkin but you were also encouraged to take the insides home with you. There was some delicious pumpkin soup being served up, pumpkin pictures to paint and even pumpkin face painting. Amos and his lovely friend Dulcie wanted their faces painted so after an hour waiting in the queue Amos watched Dulcie having hers done and decided he didn't want it after all!!!  There was a tractor ride around the farm which the children really enjoyed despite the dubious weather, all in all it was a brilliant day out. Pumpkins weren't the only stars, there was also apple pressing, chilli threading and some fantastic food and wine tasting.
Please think again after you've shovelled out the innards of your pumpkin, you could make soup, a pie or I've even had some great pumpkin jam!

Busy, busy

As the real Autumn weather starts to set in I am reminded of the trip Amos and I took to Looe beach just a few days ago. The sun beamed down on us as we took off our shoes and socks and headed for the sea. Amos had an amazing time running into the water. We had been commissioned to collect shells for a friend's party the next day - it's brilliant to have a task to do especially where a toddler is involved, we had a fantastic, really busy time searching the tide line for as many shells as we could carry.
It was a real bonus summer's day..... wonderful.
Nb.  We ate our picnic in the playground well away from the psychotic Looe seagulls!

fun, fun, fun - we went home wetter than planned!

Garr - the pirate of Looe beach

Lunch - far from the madding seagulls

On the Riviera?

Last week Amos and I had a little trip into our local town of Saltash to get some shopping, it was a beautiful day so we went down to the waterfront where the town meets the Tamar river. What a great time we had, the sun shone as we searched for the most famous inhabitants of the area - the swan family. As I looked out at the river reflecting the deep blue of the sky, boats gently bobbing up and down on the calm water, the warmth of the sun on my skin,  I felt like I could have easily been on the French Riviera.
Then Amos had his treat of the day... a council cleaning truck started cleaning the boat slipway, this was about a half an hour of free entertainment, Amos was in his element but I must say I was quite fascinated myself - although not quite the stuff French Riviera dreams are made of!

Aah the swan family

Not quite riviera but interesting nonetheless