Barfield Holiday Cottages and Smallholding

18/05/2026

HOLIDAY IN CORNWALL IN OUR SELF-CATERING HOLIDAYS

Still available for June & July 2026 – sleeps six. Pets welcome at nominal charge.

Our self-catering holiday cottage (5* guest rating) has some availability left for June & July (dates as below) – see https://www.barfieldholidaycottage.com/ for more details.

Separate swimming pool 24ft x 12ft (shared with us) available 9-6 and games room available 24/7. We try to fit around your time in the pool.

Spacious kitchen, living room/dining room, and second living room both with TV, DVD players, fast WIFI.

Three bedrooms – a master bedroom with en-suite shower room, Zip & Link double bed. A second with two single beds and third with a double bed sharing a Jack & Jill shower room with the twin.

Outside is a block paved courtyard with ample seating and a S/S charcoal barbecue (supply your own charcoal).

7-night stay – 19-25/06/26 (depart Friday am 26/06/26) @ £ 1746-00
7-night stay – 26/06-2/07/26 (depart Friday am 03/07/26) @ £ 1732.00
7-night stay – 17-23/07/26 (depart Friday am 24/07/26) @ £ 2192.00

There may be a booking fee if it has to go through our agents (please ring for details 07740 639913) and a £ 100.00 security deposit payable on arrival or via bank transfer.

Give us a ring if you are interested. Leave a message if diverted to voicemail and we'll call you back.

15/05/2026

: In another massive win for wildlife, Coles has officially removed all second-generation rat poisons (SGARs) from shelves, with Mitre 10 and IGA joining Bunnings in a commitment to remove SGARS by 30 June.

Our supporters made it clear that removing these long-lasting poisons from retail shelves was critical in protecting wildlife and reducing further preventable deaths. Now, these calls have finally been heard.

The recent announcements are 10 months ahead of the regulator’s recommendation for a full retail ban of these wildlife-killing poisons. After many years of campaigning and thousands of submissions to the regulator, this win belongs to you.

The next step is now in the hands of Minister Julie Collins to legislate a full retail ban.

Head to: https://birdlife.org.au/protect-aussie-birds-from-lethal-sgar-rat-poisons/ and use our pre-filled email tool and send a message directly to the Minister, let’s get this done 🦉

11/05/2026

Maybe we should buy ours like this, ripe-green and then mix them up like shown

South Korea looked at a bunch of bananas and saw a scheduling problem.

So one grocery chain turned ripeness into a calendar.

The real detail is how practical it is.

Instead of buying six bananas that all go soft at once, shoppers get a pack arranged from yellow to green. You eat the ready one first, then move down the line as each banana catches up.

It works because bananas keep ripening after harvest. They release ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone that speeds softening, which is why one ripe banana can quietly push the others along.

Most grocery stores fight that clock.

This pack uses it.

No app. No gadget. No smart fridge judging your fruit choices. Just a small design choice built around the way people actually eat.

Sometimes innovation is not louder technology.

Sometimes it is tomorrow’s banana waiting its turn.

10/03/2026

What if damaged spinal discs could actually be repaired instead of simply treated for pain?

Scientists have developed injectable hydrogels designed to repair damaged spinal discs. These advanced materials aim to restore the cushioning function between vertebrae rather than just masking the pain caused by degeneration.

If successful in further trials, the technology could transform how doctors treat chronic back problems. By rebuilding the disc’s structure and function, these hydrogels may one day offer long-term relief and improved mobility for millions of people suffering from spinal disc damage.

10/03/2026

A creature that looks like a nightmare quietly works the night shift in your home. Those racing legs are not chasing you. They are hunting everything else.

But the detail most people never notice is what those hunts actually remove.

When the lights go out, house centipedes begin patrolling walls, ceilings, and dark corners where other pests hide. Their long antennae act like motion sensors, detecting faint vibrations from insects moving behind baseboards, inside drains, or beneath clutter.

Roaches, ants, termites, silverfish, moths, spiders, and flies are all targets. A centipede is a strict predator. It does not chew paper, spoil food, or raid your pantry. It survives only by catching other pests alive.

The speed that startles people is part of the design. Dozens of legs allow sudden bursts of movement across smooth surfaces while the front claws inject venom strong enough to immobilize insects in seconds.

Most of the time they stay hidden in damp, quiet places like bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms. They emerge only when the house grows still and their prey begins to move.

The unsettling visitor on your wall may be removing dozens of pests you never even saw.

Sometimes the scariest thing in the room is the one keeping it clean.

01/03/2026

The first flowers most people remove each spring are the ones bees search for first.

After winter, hives don’t have reserves left. For several weeks there are almost no open blooms — except what appears in lawns.

To us they look messy.
To a bee, it’s the first real food it has seen in months.

When those patches disappear overnight, the insects don’t move somewhere better. They simply don’t eat that day.

A perfect pollinator garden planted in May cannot replace what existed in April.

Before the first mow or spray, wait a little longer.

Sometimes the season starts lower than we expect.

🌼🐝

27/01/2026

Hawaii is home to one of the most unique creatures in the world, the happy face spider. According to the University of Hawaii’s Department of Zoology, this species, scientifically known as Theridion grallator, is found only in the Hawaiian Islands, making it an endemic species. Its nickname comes from the unusual markings on its abdomen that often resemble a smiling face.

According to National Geographic, the spider’s markings are not random stains but natural pigmentation. These patterns vary widely, with some spiders showing clear happy faces, others sad faces, and some with blotches or streaks that look abstract. This variation is a result of polymorphism, meaning every individual has a unique appearance. Scientists believe this diversity helps protect the spiders from predators, since birds find it harder to recognize them as prey when their markings are inconsistent.

14/01/2026

11/01/2026

Clever

11/01/2026

For Simon

The legendary Corvette name is about to enter a new era. Chevrolet has officially revealed plans for the 2026 Corvette Zora, a hybrid hypercar designed to rival Ferrari, McLaren, and Lamborghini on every metric — speed, technology, and pure driving soul.

The Zora, named after Zora Arkus-Duntov, the “Father of the Corvette,” is expected to produce over 1,000 horsepower, combining the LT7 twin-turbo V8 with advanced electric front motors for all-wheel drive. It’s the most powerful Corvette ever envisioned, capable of hitting 0–100 km/h in under 2 seconds and exceeding 215 mph (345 km/h).

Built on the mid-engine C8 platform, the Zora will use aerospace-grade carbon composites, active aerodynamics, and torque-vectoring tech that allows cornering precision once exclusive to Formula 1. Chevrolet’s goal is clear — to prove that American engineering can stand toe-to-toe with Europe’s best.

When it hits the roads, the 2026 Corvette Zora won’t just be another supercar — it’ll be America’s answer to a challenge Ferrari thought no one would take.