Yesterday being Sunday, I decided to take a day off. I drove over the the village of Pumpsaint and picked up The Sunday Times for us, The Sun Telegraph for John and the Guardian for Tim and Chloe. I picked vegetables from the kitchen garden, fresh leeks and crispy cabbage to shred and braise in a little butter, a large sprig of rosemary from beside the rockery slowly baked in the oven with a shoulder of Welsh lamb and we found some potatoes in the polytunnel to roast in olive oil until they were really crispy. Desert was raspberries that I picked in the summer cooked with a little golden sugar and stored in the freezer to make quick and delicious puddings.

John took his Telegraph over to the Orangery, we sat in front of the inglenook fireplace enjoying the warmth of a log fire. Joyce just kept on working, she is a one woman dynamo. The orangery has never looked so pristine, not one leaf out of place. Tim and Chloe took off on a long walk around the Estate, I think they have enjoyed their stay. http://www.walesholidaycottages.com/