Pigs in the Piggery

Summer is arriving and as well as the garden growing like crazy, we too have been very busy with guests. The Byre, Piggery and Hermitage have been mostly full since Easter with the latter proving very popular. See the bottom of this blog for exciting news on our Themed Retreat Weekends - Seeing the Light in Life and Bags full of Soul.

So, what else is new at Treargel?

Well, we have a new resident in the Piggery named Hammy, kindly donated by some guests. They also did some much needed 'Monastic Gardening' for us on the Labyrinth. If you are interested in gardening while you retreat, we have a special Monastic Gardener's Fare. We also have a Pilgrim's Fare for those who are walking the Cornish Celtic Way and want to stay in the Hermitage on their way round. Martyn has already cooked a delicious English Breakfast for one couple and we have 3 more Pilgrim bookings already.

We are slowly using the Chapel more, but need more prayers, so if you have any, please send them our way.

Thanks to House of the Open Door for our lovely Dove/Wild Goose and ceramic cross and Sclerder Abbey for our extra bench.

The Wild Goose reminds me that Martyn did the worship for our recent Pentecost Family Day. This was ran by the Chemin Neuf Community with Churches Together at Sclerder Abbey. It was fascinating to learn about the nuns who lived there until very recently, the amazing reconciliation work of the Chemin Neuf community and the changes for local Catholics. And especially to see the Holy Spirit at work in people's lives on the day.

We also have a new swing in the garden. Apparently they are very good for your physical and mental health, according to the Huffington Post. I know this is a big claim, but I think this must be the best view from a swing in the world, as you look over Artie and Clare's beautiful Azaleas and Rhododendrons out across to the bay in the distance. Come and try it sometime to see if you agree.

Since our teenagers are very much involved in the Climate Change campaign, we too are trying to be responsible with what we buy. So where possible we use products that are; environmentally friendly, fair trade, organic and locally made.

Please let us know what else we can do to look after our planet.

We are planning to run a couple of themed retreat weekends, but need to gauge interest. They would run from Friday night to Sunday afternoon and would be fully catered. Using our cottages and local venues we have space for up to 12.

Seeing the Light in Life is with Steve Radley who has done retreats for places such as Penhurst and Sheldon retreat centres. Seeing the Light in Life was established by Steve following his career as a military chaplain. He found photography helped bring healing from some of his experiences in places of war. Today he leads workshops & retreats sharing his journey and the techniques he found helpful for his mental wellbeing. Used mindfully the camera (or smartphone) can lead to a greater sense of happiness & contentment in life by reducing stress & anxiety and discovering new ways to see.

Bags full of Soul, includes making your own cloth bag, whilst considering how God has made you. Sarah Goode who will be running the weekend says; "I'm delighted to be combining my 3 favourite activities; meeting new people, growing spiritually into who God has made me and encouraging others into growth too, and sewing. My sewing hobby with upcycling unwanted jeans into bags has developed into an enterprise, and you can see my creations in my Etsy shop; or facebook page Love Denim by Sarah"

Bags full of Soul will be 11th-13th October 2019. We need bookings by the end of August to know if this is viable. Dates for Seeing the Light in Life are likely to be in Spring, depending on the level of interest. So please contact us ASAP for more details if you want to know more.

I leave you with 2 quotes from a recent Airbnb guest and Retreat guest;

"The photos don’t do this place justice, great place to stay and right on the rugged Cornish coastline and just a few minutes by car to the beautiful village of Looe. Naomi came to greet us on arrival and made us feel very welcome and had even left some small provisions (milk, bread, shortbread) to help get us started till we had got some shopping. Perfect place with space for family and children."