One of our guests recently suggested that it would be nice to have a clock in the cottage. Of course there is the tiny LED display on the cooker but hardly what you want. Equally some guests might not want to have precise time intruding. We went hunting for a solution and Mary found a lovely local venture taking beach-combed bits and making practical and decorative pieces, including clocks. So we have bought this one (see image) which is made from lovely driftwood from Sand Bay to the north of Weston-Super-Mare. It comes with small pebbles to mark the clock face.
If you'd like to see more from this local artist check out her website: Luminosa

We are coming to the end of our first year of holiday rental. And things have gone better than we dared hope. We'd like to share that success and we have been looking for a local charity to support. One that is almost on our doorstep and doing fantastic work is Prickles Hedgehog Rescue. 
The humble and shy hedgehog is finding life in the UK harder and harder with reduced habitat and even some of the climate change issues. Many get injured by traffic, humans and pets, or they simply suffer more normal accidents and illness. They are not only cute, but also very important in the ecosystem, particularly helpful to organic gardeners like ourselves as they dine out on slugs and slimy things that munch our veg.
We have had (and believe we still have) hedgehogs in our garden but as they are nocturnal we don't often spot them. Any minute now (after the prolonged winter weather) they should be waking up from hibernation. Indeed there is one remarkable story that when we were away for a week, and our university-age daughter was minding the home, she got really scared when a noise kept rustling in her bedroom at night. Then it would stop. She got up twice. Then on the last occasion she found it was (you guessed it) a little hedgehog who was now walking along the hall (her bedroom is on the ground floor). It had clearly snuck in quickly when the front door was open and found a wonderful warm place under her bed. Drama over as she gently encouraged it out and fed it.
Our other daughter, enjoying a brief post-university gap at home, then got involved helping out at Prickles where they take in the many ill and injured Hedgehogs that people find, nurse them back to health and release them back in to the wild. As with most charities it started through the passion of one person, four years ago, and has grown fast through demand and is desperately needing to move to bigger premises than the founder's home. Last year they cared for 839 hedgehogs.  They need money just to operate and even more to find new premises. And we are delighted to support them. For every booking we get £10 will go to Prickles.
And of course if you'd like to give just a little yourselves they would be so very grateful - just click on the link above.