Just Humans Being...

               We came across Heidemarie Schwermer recently, she is a German woman in her 70s who back in 1994 created a Gib und Nimm (Give and Take) sort of swap shop/LETS scheme. Two years later, she decided to give up her job, apartment & possessions to try out a life without money & continues to enjoy her fascinating & inspirational journey.   Here's a link to a film all about Heidemarie:  LIVING WITHOUT MONEY . Please take time to watch it as it really is an interesting film. It has made us think more about where we are right now...  We are in the process of decluttering our home & it feels great, very soon we will have so much space as we free ourselves of furniture, books, etc. We have toyed with the idea of starting up the B&B again, but both feel it's really too much pressure. Instead we are thinking about welcoming people into our home with the Give and Take principles in mind - helping each...

Photograph by Ryan Barnier This lovely chap has died... Well known in Cornwall, Ralph entertained the shoppers of Truro for many years. Sal's partner, Ryan took this beautiful photo back in 2007 & we wanted to share. If you'd like to see why Ralph was so popular - watch this great short film: Eighty Eight . You'll be glad you did! Kay & Sime xx

We have been busy sorting through all the stuff on our laptop & have found these 2 videos of Bebe taken in November...  A lot of what she's saying in this first video is make believe, but it just shows how she can somehow be totally convincing & is quite a storyteller! This is just a few days later, but you can see how low she would get & how irritated we were feeling too. These are just small examples of what life was like towards the end of her time with us. Her manic high moments would sometimes go on for hours, talking & singing non-stop. Eight hours was the longest stint, which was on her last night here. As her behaviour escalated, so did her voice - she became louder, full of aggression & threats, in the end we called for a doctor. She finally quietened down at around 1:00am with sedation, but had been on the go since before 5:00pm.  During her restless periods she was like a tired out toddler getting her second wind. Sometimes ...

Apart from telling us that she's feeling like a prisoner...  Bebe is actually settling into the routine of life in care. We know she is safe & on the whole quite happy. One of the good things for us is being able to walk away if she starts getting agitated during our visits - knowing we can leave & let someone else deal with her difficult behaviour is liberating! The staff are doing a great job, although Bebe is probably one of their most difficult clients...  Hard to believe when you see her so happy, but when the camera comes out - she loves to put on a show! She has been in care for a month now & we are still appreciating every moment we have to ourselves. Being able to do everyday stuff like going for walks, cooking, watching a film, visiting friends, turning up for work on time & sleeping is all just wonderful... And one of our favourite pastimes has to be crawling out of bed & walking down to the beach before breakfast.  On...

Vegan, gluten free pizza is so easy to make... Polenta is a quick alternative to wheat for pizza dough, but it is pretty bland - so we always try adding extras to cheer it up... For a large pizza - we measure out 1 litre of boiling water, using a little to fry garlic & onions in a large saucepan, along with basil, oregano & smoked paprika. We also add sea salt & lots of crushed black pepper (otherwise it's just too bland for us). Once the onions & garlic are softened, we add the rest of the water & bring to the boil. Take the pan off the heat & stir in the polenta (250g to 1 litre of water). A hand blender is good to make sure it's mixed in properly & we use greaseproof paper so it doesn't stick on the tray. Once it's spread evenly on the tray, stick it in a hot oven for about 15 minutes - until it's just starting to brown. Leave to cool. Choose your veggies... We started with a layer of passata, then scrambled tofu...

Us chatting about work, family, etc & a glimpse of the view we have to put up with!!! We've looked after this house for over 7 years, one of the first jobs we took on when we started up our business.  It's now a very successful holiday let, attracting groups of people from all over the world & we spend most of our Fridays there... Which is nice! Kay & Sime xx

We set out today after a late breakfast & in search of snow... And found some on Dartmoor... We enjoyed a stunning, incredibly chilly walk up to Buckland Beacon & saw the rather weathered  & underwhelming 10 commandments carved into the rocks below the Beacon.  Will share more photos of our day soon, but for now here's another video: Kay & Sime xx

Sun setting over Carne Beach on the Roseland today... Weird sun halo... Last rays of the day... Moon at the end of the lane... Moonlight at high tide in Portmellon...  Our usual waffle & talking about getting over our exhaustion since Bebe has been in care. Kay & Sime xx

Our vegan feasts in & out over the last few weeks... Scrambled tofu, sun-dried tomato & guacamole pizza at Samphire in Plymouth... Absolutely delicious! We love mushy peas - especially home made, but at Samphire they make fabulous mushy broad beans... As well as yummy cheeselesscakes! The Chai Shop in Bishop's Castle was just underneath the house we stayed in & we were thrilled to find out that all their veggie options were actually vegan.  Authentic home cooked Indian food lovingly prepared by mother & daughter - Tahira & Rozie. So good we visited twice!!! A selection of vegan starters, a sample of all the vegan curries with rice & a lovely cup of tulsi tea! An afternoon spent in The Great Oak veggie cafe in Llanidloes, Wales. Plant milk hot chocolate... Served with a date slice & chocolate fudge cake... Yummy yum yums!!! Breakfast at The Good Life cafe in Shrewsbury, afraid it was just ok... ...