The Cornwall Blog

I want to draw you attention to a true find. Steppes Farm is a 14th Century farmhouse offering 3 self catering barn conversions. The standard of the accommodation is high, a true home from home. With views that wrap around, a spa including sauna and hot tub and even the opportunity to go horse riding. Steppes Farm creates an idyllic getaway, I personally love the idea of being on a farm - all that country charm; geese, lambs, chicks and ponies! Set in a truly romantic situation, on the edge of Bodmin Moor and close to the dramatic, captivating North Coast, Steppes Farm is ideally situated. The accommodation comprises of three cottages, Dove, Owl and Goose all comfortably furnished with log burners for those chilly Winter evenings. There are private gardens, a barbecue area and endless walks around the 20 acres of farm land. Of course in our recent snow this turreted retreat is picture post card material! Emma Julian

There are now only two and a bit weeks left until the deadline for the Govyn Kernewek Award 2010 - don't forget to send us your ideas to be in with a chance of getting £5,000.00 to make a short film! The GOVYN KERNEWEK AWARD is a competitive annual commission of £5,000 to make a short film using Kernewek. The award is supported by Cornwall Film Festival, MAGA and awen productions cic. We are looking for a great idea for a short film that uses Kernewek (the Cornish language) wholly or substantially in an interesting way. It must be viable to make within the £5,000 budget and be completed and delivered by 30th September 2010. We accept ideas of any genre. The suggested title for GK10 is ‘Yn Termyn Eus Passyes’ (Once Upon A Time…) SUBMISSIONS Your proposal must be for a short film with a maximum duration of 20 mins. Your proposal should include a synopsis of your idea, relevant experience, and, if appropriate, details of your proposed production team. Entries are welcome from individu

The Govyn Kernewek Award is a competitive annual commission of £5,000 to make a short film using Kernewek. The award is supported by Cornwall Film Festival, MAGA and awen productions cic. What we’re looking for is a great idea for a short film that uses Kernewek (the Cornish language) wholly or substantially in an interesting way. It must be viable to make within the £5,000 budget and be completed and delivered by 30th September 2010. We accept ideas of any genre. The suggested title for GK10 is ‘Yn Termyn Eus Passyes’ (Once Upon A Time…) SUBMISSIONS Your proposal must be for a short film with a maximum duration of 20 mins. Your proposal should include a synopsis of your idea, relevant experience, and, if appropriate, details of your proposed production team. Entries are welcome from individuals or teams where the writer, director or producer is resident in Cornwall. To submit your idea, please email a two-page proposal and two-page CV to: info@cornwallfilmfestival.co.uk with GK10 as

The familiar Cornish fudge brand, Buttermilk Shop, are launching their new look packaging. Fudge shops are an essential feature of Cornish towns, especially the ones beside the sea, and Buttermilk Shop have been supplying them for many years. Buttermilk approached local design company Pickle Design to give their traditional brand a fresh look, but wanted to make sure the Cornish nature of the fudge was not lost. The boxes and tapered bags display a picture-postcard style, illustrated scene of Cornwall, and the array of flavours are characterised by vibrant colours. They have all your favorites from Clotted Cream fudge to Turkish Delight and a few strange ones to like Coconut Ice fudge! This range is soon to be appearing in their famous Port Isaac and Padstow stores, so keep a look out.

"My adventures cycling from Cornwall in the UK to Cape Town in South Africa by bicycle" This is the title of Sean Maher's blog reporting his experiences, trials and tribulations of cycling day after day in foreign lands. Sean himself confesses he is not a pro at cycling, and has never done anything like this before. His witty accounts, though, make the onlooker feel very supportive of his quest and routing for him to achieve his desired goal. Sean took on this cycle ride because he was out of university and didn't have a job to go to, so he decided to make the most of this opportunity and 'ride out the recession'. He did not just do this for his own experience though, but raised money for some very worthy charities - Pump Aid who work with communities in southern Africa, UNICEF who look after children in mainly developing countries, Wooden Spoon a charirty working to enhance underprivileged children's lives and the Robert John's Leukemia Fund.

Grey Heron at Marazion, Cornwall - 20/10/09 Looking out to sea at Marazion you observe plenty of turmoil in the restless waters, sometimes a bit like life. Take a 180 degree turn and you face the opposite in the tranquil waters of the marshes. Look at the water the heron is standing in in the photo above - not a ripple! Bird watching can be so peaceful calming & relaxing. All you need is a modest pair of binns, a pocket bird book for ID and a little patience. Don't worry if you can't ID a particular bird...just ENJOY the bird. The whole ambiance of the experience can be rewarding and there are plenty of places in Cornwall to visit. This month the fabulous starlings are putting on a full roosting display at Roughtor car park Nr. Camelford. My wife Steph & I were there last Sunday, there were 100s of thousands of them, what a spectacle! You need to get there at about 4pm. Don't miss it. Norman Greaves

Thanks to all the people who added captions to this photograph. Norman has read through them and selected a winner. The winning caption was written By Estelle: "Now look 'ere, you said there'd be other gulls in fancy dress!..you mean I've got to stay in this swan costume all day?!..how embarrassing..." Thanks for all your entries, we will definitely have to do another one soon! To see the others have a look at the original post here ...