The Summer Holidays are a busy time for us here at Coombe Mill. On the plus side there is no more double school runs taking out half our day, but with 6 teens bounding around the house and the business full with holiday makers life can be hectic. Now the autumn has arrived and the kids settled back into the routine of school and college Farmer Nick and I took advantage of our eldest son’s last week before the new term at University to pop out to Greece to catch up with family and chill out with some of our favourite scenery outside of Cornwall.
Galaxidi on holiday in Greece
It was only a week, but that was just perfect to recharge our batteries and leave us looking forward to returning home, appreciating Coombe Mill and our family life here with fresh eyes. The worst part of holidays abroad is the travelling, with unsociable flights it took us 48 hours to get home and I was quite exhausted and felt I could have slept for a week. To open the door and walk into a spotless kitchen was so refreshing. Whether the kids were covering up from a wild party or just being kind I’ll never know, but it made the perfect home coming. This week has been all about family time, family banter over meal times and feeling reunited. I love going away but I also love coming home to beautiful Coombe Mill and the life we have here. The guests praised Amber our duty manager and all the kids for keeping everything running in our absence. It was a pleasure to pick up the reigns again and see the changes over the week on the farm.
A lovely warm home coming at Coombe Mill
Our chicks have grown and lost their baby fluff while we were away
Making beach time at home with my girl
This isn’t the best photo, it is simply a snapshot on my phone through the fog, but we had such fun in the giant waves on body boards together. The mist and dampness of the day couldn’t have mattered less. It is moments like this that make me looking forward to returning from holiday.
Autumn and winter I’m ready for you now!
Do you enjoy holidays and home coming in equal measure?
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Welcome to Country Kids from Coombe Mill
Country Kids is the original outdoor family fun linky designed to:
“Encourage family fun outdoors, in an age where technology and screens are such a draw to a sedentary indoor life”
Welcome back if you are a regular to Country Kids and if you are new please join in. You will find plenty of inspiration for enjoying outdoor space and please do share your own adventures. We support the National Trust 100 things to do before you are 11¾ along with all other ideas for family fun outside.
Goodbye September
Here in Cornwall September goes out as it came in, full of sun and showers. One day is like summer returned, the next like mid winter rain. Our trusty tractor and trailer goes out come rain or shine delivering farm learning regardless. Fingers crossed you are finding some outdoor fun between the school runs and nursery runs with an adventurer or two to share on the link up below.
Guidelines for Joining in:
- Post must be predominantly outdoors such as in the garden, the park, the woods or the beach with crafting, learning, exploring or playing.
- Despite the title, both countryside and urban outdoor adventures are welcome.
- Unheated covered areas like a barn or tent count as outdoors.
- Please comment on my host post and a minimum of 3 others of your choice.
- If you use #CountryKids when commenting the post owner will know where your found them and hopefully come back to visit your post.
- Please take my badge, without it you won’t be considered for winning the lovely Rockfish Wellies.
- Linked posts should be written and made live within the last 2 months.
- I understand sometimes you need to do catch up posts and write about something from a couple of months ago but the publish date should be within 2 months.
- By joining in with Country Kids you’re giving me permission to email you weekly as a reminder.
- There is no restriction on the number of posts that can be linked up, however please be sensible, if you have more than 3 consider linking over a few weeks.
My top commenters from last week:
- Becky from Lakes Single Mum who commented on 21 posts.
- Keitha from Keitha’s Chaos who commented on 20 posts.
- Sara from Mum Turned Mom who commented on 19 posts.
We have just one guilty blogger link dumping this week, Please go back if it is you. Do remember I comment count on Thursday after lunch so get your comments in before then if you want them to be counted and please approve your comments by then if they need moderating so I can see others leaving you the blog love.
Rockfish kindly sponsor Country Kids
Win a pair of wellies from Rockfish Monthly
I am delighted to have Rockfish as the sponsor for Country Kids. Rockfish are a local Cornish company specializing in stylish quality wellingtons for all the family. We have been offering their country wellies in our borrow room here on the farm for over a year and they are always popular for their style, comfort and durability.
Each week my favourite #CountryKids posts, which include my badge or a link back here, will be considered for a free pair of Rockfish Wellies at the end of the month; the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors whatever the weather throws your way. Keep your posts coming, it could be you winning next!
For more more information on the Rockfish Wellies on offer with us and terms and conditions to win see here.
Favourite posts from last week added to the shortlist for winning the September Rockfish Wellies:
Top Commenter : Becky from Lakes Single Mum
I’m a sucker for a lovely beach post. I love this family meet up from Little hearts Big Love.
Mummy from the heart shared a lovely seasonal post about fruit picking and apple pressing to make delicious looking juice.
Country Kids Communities
I’d love you to join me:
Pin on the Pinterest Board Just ask for an invite to pin and include Country Kids on your pins for me to stop by on your boards too.
Follow Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays’s board Country Kids from Coombe Mill on Pinterest.
Join the growing Country Kids Instagram Community with #CountryKidsFun.
I'll like and comment on all and share my favourites from the week with a tag on a Friday on Instagram and Twitter. With over 6510 posts this community is flourishing with outdoors photos.
My favourite photos from the week came from @emmyandthebears, @aarmajo, @marley_and_us & @days_of_henry_and_florence. Please do check out these lovely folk on Instagram if you are not already following
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Who doesn’t dream of owning a beautiful home with stunning views over rolling hills, a pool inside a walled garden and a tennis court? My kids have loved this particular home of family friends for as long as they can remember. The friendly elderly couple who own it have spoilt them rotten with picnics and ice creams over the years, a poorly written thank you letter and a load of lost tennis balls all they seem to receive in return! However the excitement of visiting these lovely folk and enjoying an afternoon at their mansion, as the kids refer to it, has never lost its appeal.
Outdoor Pool Antics
We planned on visiting on a warm sunny day. In the end a stubborn cloud hung over us but that didn’t stop our enjoyment. The kids were in and out of the pool, splashing, pushing each other in and avoiding my camera – not too successfully!
They even managed a race or two
Anyone for Tennis?
If they weren’t in the pool then there were tennis games in play. I think Farmer Nick was a bit of a pro in his time and spent a good deal of time, coaching and umpiring games for us all.
The orchard was blooming under the weight of the late summer fruits which I couldn’t help indulging in, whilst being careful not to be caught by the eager wasps.
Beautiful gardens at the Mansion
Clio was taken with their beautiful flower borders and paths. One day I will have a garden like this.
Even the tortoise made an appearance lured by some freshly picked tomatoes from the greenhouse. This began round two of why we can’t have a tortoise at Coombe Mill from Guy. My reply was when we own a mansion!
It was a lovely happy afternoon on our summer trip to Sussex that keeps visiting this kind couple and their beautiful mansion right up there in the fond memory bank of childhood days.
A Mansion with a pool and a tennis court in Sussex
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I have discovered a company that has it all for those who enjoy a good game. Whether you have a mansion with a billiards room aka Cluedo or just a space in the garden for a spot of skittles you will find it all over at Hamilton Billiards Snooker Tables and Games.
Anyone for Snooker
OK we don’t have a mansion but we do have a games room with a Pool table and now I know just the company to restore it at the end of a busy season. These folk have thought of everything from the trendy apartment space to the full on traditional Billiards room. Want the style but don’t have the space? No worries, how about a dining table that converts into a pool table; now there’s a thought for the ultimate dinner party.
Guild of Master Craftsmen
Buy from these boys and you are assured of quality. As part of the Guild of master craftsmen you know you will be receiving the best workmanship from a company steeped in history and traditional values of craftsmanship and customer service from antique tables dating back to 1800 to the latest in contemporary gaming design. If you are lucky enough to live near Baldock in Hertfordshire why not pop along to the showrooms and see for yourself. For the rest of us the website has it all from the table to all the accessories you could need.
So what about the other balls?
It isn’t just Billiard tables you’ll find, these guys have a wonderful range of outdoor toys that caught my eye. From sophisticated boules and croquet to family fun with giant darts or snakes and ladders and all at really affordable prices.
Win £50 to spend as you like with Hamilton billiards and Coombe Mill
Have a good look around the website and see what £50 would buy you. Will it be Garden chess, dominoes or darts, may be chess, pick-up sticks or money towards that dining room pool table you always wanted. Whatever takes your fancy you need to be in it to win it so follow the instructions below. Good luck to all taking part.
£50 to spend on outdoor games at Hamilton Billiards.
Disclosure
I have yet to try the products myself, although I fully intent to. I have been compensated to write the post but all content and thoughts are my own.
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Spot on time Sally our breeding sow gave birth to 11 healthy little piglets. That was back in the first week of September just after the school children had left and our curies little preschoolers were back on the farm. The first morning with new piglets is always a delight. Much as we want to step in and cuddle one we are always mindful of a little mummy and baby time alone for Sally. With this in mind we just peered over the wall to watch the sleeping Sally recovering after a hard night’s work while her curious new born piglets fought with one another for space against the warmth of Mum, ventured round the pen and suckled away on Sally’s ever available nipples.
New Born Piglets on day 1
Every year I am astonished by how fast the piglets grow. They literally double in size within a week and each day become more of a challenge to lift out of the pen. If you ever wondered where the expression “squealing like a pig” came from, I can safely confirm that it originates from the squeal a piglet makes when you take it away from their Mother. In our case it is only for a minute or two while we say good morning and give them a cuddle, but it is designed to alert Mum to possible danger to her piglets. It has to be said I think Piglet squeals are a little like baby squeals, a tuned mother knows a whinge from a proper cry. Sally happily ignores her piglets squeal as we lift them out. She knows they are safe and is far more interested in sifting through her breakfast pile.
New born Piglets just days old
Piglets doubed in size at 2 weeks old
Checking out Mum’s breakfast at 2 weeks old
The Squeals of joy will continue.
Just as growing children laugh, cry and squabble so do the piglets. Over the coming weeks there will be plenty more squeals as they start to compete for Sally’s food, argue and play together around their sty and garden. Come and see them if you can. Pop over to Facebook and you could be bringing your family for Christmas all paid for by us and seeing some growing piglets.
