The Swenglish Home

Polar bears and clotted cream...

(Click on the image if you want to see the whole "post card".)

A few weeks ago, we were talking about what to do over the Easter holidays. We decided that a change of scenery, and preferably one involving a beach, sounded like just the thing we needed. 

With the Easter weekend approaching, we were becoming more and more worried that our idea of sand castles on the beach and nice long walks along the coastal path, might involve risking coming face to face with polar bears and having various body parts freeze and fall off, but having booked our little cottage in St Ives in Cornwall, we resolved to adopt the British 'stiff upper lip' approach and ignore the weather.

Hey ho.

Hum.

Ignoring the weather when the winds are the coldest you have ever experienced (and I am Swedish, so that should say something) may have proven a little difficult...

However, with views like the ones above and this...:

... and this...:

... who cares if you waddle along the wharf looking like a bank robber on an Arctic expedition (scarf and hat only leaving your eyes visible), if you have to force yourself to have an obscene number of Cornish Cream Teas (for those of you who may not be familiar with the splendid concept of cream tea, it means a pot of tea of your choice, together with a couple of yummy scones with delicious jam and clotted cream), and if, in the end, you are eaten by a polar bear anyway ...?!

And again, to my delight and surprise, I found evidence of feisty floral assertiveness. These flowers grew in a border in the middle of the Downalong area of St Ives, only a few streets away from where the sea embraces the "tip" of St Ives on both sides, where the gales come in with full force and where it felt like these cocky purple petals were showing the rest of the world what flower power is all about. No moaning about cold feet. No sheltering from the elements. Simply an undefeatable unison chant...: 'You can't stop us now! We are starting it! We are "springing" it! 

Flowers, I salute you!

I wish you all a day filled with inspiring flower power!

Helena

Next time, I will show you some photos from what I think may just have become one of my top two favourite garden destinations in the UK. A clue? Despite otherwise hinted, I found them without any difficulty! Can you guess where I have been?