Just Humans Being...

 Holidaymakers are swarming down to Cornwall, so we are enjoying a couple of days being homebased and it's finally warm and dry... instead of the cold, wet and windy weather we have had over the last weeks or is it months? We have much to do in the garden  jungle, and after being crazily busy for what seems like forever - we were dreaming of spending some quality time at home with the kitties, pottering about outside...and now we have exactly what we have been craving. Yesterday we visited our local farm shop and for the first time we bought some Green Wheat Freekeh from Palestinian company  Zaytoun  and we love it! We cooked up some spicy veggies and added the soaked Freekeh at the end and served on a bed of salad and topped with chopped coriander. We have also been experimenting and decided to have a go at making our own version of a vegan frittata using silken tofu and buckwheat - it was delicious! We'll make it again and share the recipe soon. The weekend wouldn'...

  One thing we learn from spending time with older folks is how NOT to live! We are well aware that we are not like most people and our views on life are probably very different, but is it not weird that so many people happily follow the path of many others? All with similar jobs, houses, cars, clothes...all influenced by something they’ve seen on TV or read in a magazine. Groups of similar aged people all wanting the same; conforming to what they feel is expected of them without question. We can only imagine what it is like to feel the sort pressure that would make someone want what others have and slipping into a strange world where everyone is the same. We only catch glimpses of these lives and from where we are standing the results are not looking good. There are many lists out there for improving lives with recommendations for happy and healthy retirements; most of them are quite twee and superficial, so we thought people need to know what not to do!!! Without furthe...

We take much pleasure in this view...The gateway to our plot. Yesterday we had a lazy day, after a few days of being on hand 24 hours a day supporting a client. We have spent time looking at the garden and thinking about our plans for the little caravan, which was originally used (by the previous dwellers) as guest accommodation.  We would like to eventually wood-clad it and use as a potting shed, freeing up the workshop for other things and as the farm has a hostel and camping field, any folks wishing to stay have those options instead of this little caravan, but we would highly recommend a visit because it really is a lovely place to be. Have a little look at  Holifield Hostel   It was built by the community using reclaimed wood from Falmouth Docks and we believe it's going to become a very popular holiday destination, especially as it's already getting booked for the summer! If you are planning a trip to Cornwall - come and see us...you will of course not only be immer...

There are several growing areas on our plot, so we have decided that the veg bed directly outside the cabin will eventually become a flower bed and picnic area.  The kitties love this space and we have the bird feeders here too.  Our French windows need fixing and then they will open out on to what we hope will be a pretty little space for us all to chill out. We think the bin lid may make a nice bird bath, which Sime wants to set up on a plinth. Our plan for the old polytunnel space is to make a greenhouse, using recycled panels. We are a bit late with getting our seeds going, but so far we have tomatoes which will go into the greenhouse plot and leeks which we plan to put amongst the rather overgrown plot of raspberries and assortment of greens... We are spending a lot of time away at the moment; caring for one of our clients; giving his family a break...it's not quite how we imagined this year to be, but as always, we go with the flow - the garden isn't going anywhere and w...

Do you live in fear of growing old, of becoming ill and dying?  Or do you enjoy your life; living with purpose and seeing the beauty all around you? Our work has evolved in the last year and has taken us on a path which felt right...caring for others.  Going into the homes of older people who have needed help and human contact.  We started with 2 clients, people we have been supporting with housework and pet care for many years and as the months ticked by, they both asked if we would go into various friends too. We are now working pretty much full time, doing whatever is needed...housework, gardening, dog walking, food preparation, sometimes just sitting and chatting over a cuppa.  We feel we have calmed those who were fearful and helped them to see things more logically...there is little virus here in Cornwall and it is very doubtful anyone will catch it while sitting in their house. Those who had become frightened of the outside world, have now started going out ag...

It is important to have some quiet time each day, to turn off TVs, radios, devices and just enjoy the peace. We see how addicted people are to technology and the information they are constantly receiving – it is very clear that these things are having a huge impact on their lives. This unhealthy habit is being encouraged and it almost feels like an obligation to stay “tuned in” and up-to-date with everything that is going on in the world. We are also bombarded with messages about the past - world events to acknowledge, shows to commemorate and documentaries keeping us fixated on a time gone by. Even social media pushes photographic memories. Why do we need to keep dwelling on the past? And then of course, there is “the future” – we must worry about what is coming next... Ask yourself this question: What would happen if you switched everything off for a few hours? Well, this planet we call Earth will continue it’s journey around the sun and the huge machine dishing out it’s sl...

We like to keep our meals simple, preferably in one pot and do eat lots of stews, chilis and curries. We also never throw food away and any leftovers will get added to the next day's meal and so on... All our meals start life as a pan of freshly chopped veg. So far we have: 3 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 sweet potato, 2 medium tomatoes, 1 large red pepper and 1 courgette with a good sprinkle of dried basil, oregano and smoked paprika. This is a tub of leftover stew from the weekend. If you follow us on Instagram @thesmithsontour you will see a post from Saturday regarding the ingredients, some of which is from the garden. The leftovers whizzed up and added to the mix as a thick stock. We also added a little water and stir-fried/simmered for around 20 minutes. Next up mushrooms. Sliced and chucked in for a further 5 minutes of simmering. Then added chopped kale from the garden... and lastly - we added beans (today we used Suma's tinned black beans) and juice of half a lemon. Co...