On the 24th February, the shout will go up “Town and country do your best. But in this parish I must rest”, marking the start of another annual game of Cornish hurling.
Most of the town’s shops and businesses will prepare for the event by boarding up their windows to protect them from the silver coated ball which is ‘hurled’ throughout the streets and local countryside.
No one knows exactly where the Cornish game came from. There are some suggestions that it originated in Ireland and made its way to Britain in the 12th century. Others suggest that it is linked to a fertility rite celebrated by Pagans, or that it is a derivative of a handball match which used to be played all over Cornwall.
What is sure, is that only two remaining towns now play the game – St Ives and St Columb. Despite this, hundreds of spectators will turn up to support the event and watch as two teams “battle it out” for possession of the apple sized ball (manufactured locally from applewood coated in silver).
The merriment then continues well into the evening, with the winner touring the local pubs and consecrating gallon jugs of beer by dipping the silver ball into them.
19th January - It's officially a blue, blue Monday...
Well – here it is, today is officially the most depressing day of the year – Blue Monday!
Blue Monday is the one day out of 365 that makes us feel well and truly fed up.
Why? Well, the first day of the working week is typically a day that most workers groan at the thought of. Secondly, pay day is STILL not here, even though the bills are now dropping through the door for all those Christmas festivities and pressies (that seem such a long time ago already!)
On top of that, the diet / trips to the gym / quitting smoking (insert other New Years resolutions here) just haven’t been going to plan, the credit crunch continues to hang in the air (as does the flu and recurring colds!), and the weather is just….eurrrgh.
All of which will take its toll and researchers expect around 25% of us to call in sick today (up 2% from last year).
Martin Hird – Leeds Metropolitan University Snr lecturer in Mental Health and Psychological Therapies has suggested a few ways to cheer yourself up:
“Force yourself to take a proper lunch break with other people. Take a balanced diet, with enough water over the day. Another thing which is known to have a benefit on mood is exercise and that’s something most people can do.
“Knowing that Blue Monday is there and that it affects other people can be valuable. I think it’s a useful way of raising awareness about a problem which can affect a lot of people.
“Talking about it means you are interacting with other people, building relationships and support.”
cottages4you suggests an additional pick-me-up, with many properties offering up to 20% discount between January and June, and the option to arrange your holiday for only £25 initial low deposit*, why not put aside the Monday Blues and start dreaming of a peaceful, relaxing Spring or early Summer holiday.
We are happy to announce the three grand prize winners of the 2008 cottages4you blog photo competition and we want to congratulate the winners with their prize. The grand prize consists of a £ 300 discount voucher for a cottages4you cottage holiday*
We think the competition has been a great success with over 125 photos send in over the few months the competition has run since the launch of the blog. The quality of the entries has been very high and most of the entries perfectly captured the holiday and cottage holiday feel.
We hope to run another competition later this year so watch the blog !
So….without further ado, the three winners are:
Cottage Life: Beach Days by “Dog Hook”
Jury comments: “This shot says everything there is to say about an English holiday by the sea, Dad with his makeshift shorts and sleeves rolled up, the pier ubiquitous of an English beach resort shot and the expression of the child subject – Wonderful.”
“I love this 60’s black and white photograph with dads rolled up trousers and your frilly swimsuit. I’m ready for an ice cream now!”
Nature: King Penguins by Roger Litton
Jury comments: “Call the national Geographic….A stunning shot.”
“One of those moments when you know it’s the shot of a lifetime!”
Action: Surfer at Sennen Cove by “soopercity“
Jury comments: “Great shot, great composition and a classic feeling of freedom and adventure”
“A great shot, dramatic action frozen in a split second. Timed perfectly and framed well enough to forgive the ’sloping’ horizon.”
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Again, our congratulations to the winners and the holiday vouchers are in the post to you! Enjoy!
We have recorded our highest number of internet bookings in one day last Sunday 4th of January. [article]
A record number of consumers booked a holiday online last week to escape the New Year blues. It looks like the great British break is the most sought after holiday for the first half of this year. We have already seen a 30 per cent increase on bookings for Easter, with the February half term holiday also up by 5 per cent on last year.
Geoff Cowley, our managing director, said:
“The demand for UK holidays has already been exceptionally high for this year, proving the predictions that people are looking closer to home in light of the uncertain economic climate and escalating costs of foreign holidays. And I’m sure the surge in internet booking is set to continue with more companies providing user friendly web content. Our comprehensive online system makes it easy for holiday makers to find their perfect holiday cottage and book with confidence – and with fantastic discounts available online, there’s no reason for people not to be taking advantage.”
Posted by cottages4you 
We have recorded our highest number of internet bookings in one day last Sunday 4th of January. [
