A lovely day out

 

Tam, Rosie & Jon were a little late arriving, so I had enough time for a lovely walk on the beach at Borth.  The last time we were there was in memory of Keith, last July.  My new (bright purple!) trainers were SO comfortable and money well spent.

There were several Cormorants drying out on the rocks.

Isn't this sweet?  Such a lovely seaside blue paint too.

This is Marin, who was a petting bunny and such a sweetheart.  Rosie loved the bunnies.

I've forgotten her name, but this was a little Rosetted Guinea Pig.

Rosie feeding just the prettiest bunny, with tufty ears.

Not so sure about those big horns, Daddy!

She had the slide to herself and wasn't resting that leg at all, as she wanted to climb the steps, but Daddy stepped in and lifted her up instead.  There was a little Wendy house at the top and Rosie went inside and was selling us ice cream!!

It was a lovely day out, and just right for a 2nd birthday.  We had ice cream too.  Rosie's now big enough to - almost - eat one by herself.

On the way home I stopped at St Curig's Church in Llangurig - something I have been intending to do for months.  I will do a post about that tomorrow.

I've just made the Compost Heap jelly - gosh, it set SO quickly with all the pectin from the citrus.  Made just under two jars.  Lumpy - wouldn't win any prizes - but so tasty and costing just pennies for the sugar and heating it.

I heard yesterday that one of my Hampshire cousins has just suddenly died.  He was in his late 60s.  So I had to pop out for an In Sympathy card for his family.  So sad.

A dusting of Wednesday's snow on the mountains as I drove through. I can't wait for spring to arrive properly.  It is warmer out, and the very slightest mist of green of developing leaves on trees, whilst the Horse Chestnuts by the bridge at Llanelwedd are actively opening theirs.  They are always early.

Back to work now.  Have a lovely weekend all.

Plans on hold

 Well, we have had to postpone Rosie's birthday outing as it is very cold, sleeting and hailing.  NOT the day for a zoo trip, especially as she woke about 20 times in the night, so is tired and will be frazzled .  Tomorrow looks like being better.  Just when we thought spring had arrived too.

I have made a loaf of white bread, and done a quick shop - mostly Aldi, with a few things from Tesco.  I must have read Sue in Suffolk's mind, as first thing (having spoken to Tam, who changed our outing plans) I got the bag of lemons and orange peel out of the freezer to defrost with the intention of making Compost Bin Jelly.  Snap, Sue!  I was going to buy another bag of mixed berries for Jumbleberry Jam but Tesco have changed the fruits to mostly cranberries with half a dozen strawberries now, and the price has gone up.  Back to Aldi to check theirs then.  

I bought different coloured buttons for E. Bunny's eyes so may change them (blue or black).  I am going to get my late friend Annie's Teddy out of the cupboard to finish knitting that this afternoon.

Elderberry Bunny takes a bow

 

She is far from being perfect - an excuse the angle that makes one arm look twice the size of the other (it isn't).  Her eyes are a bit starey as I didn't have (amongst the dozens) any dark eyes of the right size - or even matching.  Her feet were meant to poke to the front, but for some reason, though I followed the pattern, she has feet pointing outwards!  Ah well, Rosie won't notice, and will love her, especially when the little basket is filled with mini chocolate eggs :)

I had a walk on the old railway line this morning, before it came on windy and rainy this afternoon.  

All the yellow blobs of trees in the riverside woodland are Pussy Willow, whose silver paws are now full on yellow powder puffs.

Aren't they pretty?

Butterburs in flower by the Celandines.

The wet windy weather made me decide to use up the two Bramley apples I had on the side, and make an Eve's Pudding, and I chucked in some of the huge commercial blackberries and strawberries from the cheap bag of frozen mixed berries from Tesco.  That's what I make my Jumbleberry Jam with, but makes good puddings and additions to breakfasts too.  This was scrummy.

Poor Alfie had more blood taken this morning.  The vet phoned back at teatime and said that they had mixed readings about his kidneys and would know more if they could take a urine sample next week whilst he is sedated for teeth scaling.  It looks like he has stage 2 kidney disease. She also suggested that one of the other vets had suggested a scan of his stomach, just in case there was something amiss there.  Another £43.  I agreed, but said that I was widowed and a pensioner and didn't have endless supplies of money, so couldn't afford any other tests.  They know how to charge.  Anyway, last night Himself promoted his sleeping quarters to the other pillow beside me (Lulu cuddled my back instead and Pippi stayed in her nest downstairs, keeping LW company in the living room).  So now I have another week to worry about his problems.

A day out for Rosie's birthday tomorrow, when we take her to Borth zoo.  She will love that.

Off to watch Cadfael.

Into battle!

 

This is the Iron Age sword, one of only three in the country of this type, and two of them are in Wales, which was found locally to Builth Wells, but the owner doesn't wish to say exactly where (even though it was found 30 years ago) in case there are metal detectorists all over his land.  The other sword was found not far away, at Cwmyoy, up near Llantony Priory in the Black Mountains.  It has been examined closely by Cardiff Museum, who think that both swords came from the same maker.  How exciting to have proof of the Iron Age presence around Builth, although obviously they were all over Wales and indeed Britain. Many hills round here have hill forts on top of them. I hope you can read the details below.

Well, I have had a stressful few days.  For the past week or so, Alfie hasn't been eating his biscuits.  I have bought several different sorts, getting ever more expensive.  I have had to give him all sorts of different sachets - he was very fussy over those - but now we are on the Sheba (expensive) sort, in gravy he is wolfing those down.  I was worried sick it was end-game Kidney problems - the boys are 16 this year.  I have been losing sleep worrying about him, and so off to the vet it was today.  He had the full blood test (e.g. that is the most expensive sort too) and it included Thyroid function.  The vet has just phoned back to say can I bring him down tomorrow as their blood machine threw a hissy fit (as it does sometimes) and recorded he had no red bloodcells . . .  So Poor Boy, he has to go back tomorrow morning for more bloods so we get the full picture.  From what they took, Thyroid function seems good and although Urea levels above average, Kidney function seems just within limits but we will have the full picture tomorrow and he will probably have to have a change of biscuits (I have 4 packs of the Purina Urinary care ones, which he can't eat at present).  However, he DOES have Gingivitis and very inflamed gums and is booked in next week for scaling and possible tooth removal.  This is all really going to hit my bank account - nearly £400 with the op, today's examination and blood test.  Jeepers.  I will have to put a red light over the door at this rate!!  It is just as well I have a full freezer and lots of tins in the food cupboard.

So this morning to take my mind off things I went out and had a good clearing of the area at the end of the bank, just before it reaches the pond.  There are three "raised beds" here, and I may as well use them so have been cutting back wild briar roses and brambles, and hoiking out the Lemon Balm and Marjoram which was everywhere.  I will need more bags of bark - £10 each I noticed, when I went to Hay and Brecon Farmers to get more wooden pellet cat litter.  Ah well, needs must.

I had to really be brave to take Alfie to the vet, because having to deal with the possibility of him having to be pts had turned me inside out.  I just cannot deal with the thought of death yet. Losing Keith is still so close to the surface of my memory.  I had to bite my lip and control my breathing so as not to  burst into tears at the vets, and have been crying on and off this morning.  When the time does come, it will be here at home, after the ghastly experience with a terrified Theo, who was so scared with the background noises (heavy slamming doors etc) and fought the anethstetic.  That still haunts me.  Keith would always come in with me and tell me to sit outside when the time for the final injection came.  I find it very difficult to have to stand up and be counted now and go in alone when the time has come.  With Ghengis it was obvious he needed to go immediately, and I coped better with that.  Danny was here then too, and dug his grave and buried him for me. Being brave is hard.

A lovely family day

 I had a houseful of my family here today and it was lovely.  Rosie's limp was better and she was bending the leg a little, but then after all the running around here, she was feeling sore by the end of the day.  Resting a bad leg does not come easily to almost 2 year olds.

I baked a loaf, made a Manderin Orange Cake, had made soup for whoever wanted it and had the boughten pizza.  I'd bought ice cream but Rosie so tired that she didn't want to eat anything.

"I" and Rosie looking for cats!

Danny before I set him to work!  I wanted a tidy edge put on the new bed at the back with the Hellebore and Boscobel rose in.  A job well done.  Before they left, I also got him to move my heavy sacks of bark chippings close to where they were going to be used.

Danny and "I" working out how the Wendy house went together.

It was soon put to good use and when it was time to go home, Rosie was crying out for "house" . . . I know she will really enjoy it.

Well, I haven't stopped all day, and have clocked up 9000+ steps!  I shall sleep well tonight.  So good to see the girls playing nicely together, and to have two thirds of my family here for the day.  I don't think I shall be doing much tonight!

A Day Borrowed from Summer

 I couldn't wait to get out and on my way to the Elan Valley today.  It was just such a beautiful warm morning again. I parked in the quarry car park, as always, and strolled along beside the Caban Coch reservoir.  The sun was glinting off the dark waters and Robins, Great Tits, Blue Tits and Chaffinches serenaded the walkers.  

A place of real history too, for Barnes Wallis did a test run for his "bouncing bomb" which destroyed the Nant-g-Gro Dam here.

There was plenty of gorse in bloom and if you dared to put your nose close enough, that faint perfume of Coconut could be smelt.

Butterflies out too - I saw several over-wintered Peacock butterflies.

As you can see, the hillsides above the reservoir are very steep.

Beneath the waters, the remains of Nantgwyllt Mansion lay - they can be seen when the water levels are low.  In 1811, the poet Shelley lived here and wanted to buy the house.  The Cwm Elan estate belonged to his Wiltshire uncle.

No leaves have been tempted out yet.

I turned around at the bridge.  This is the Foel tower (or pumping tower).  I walked for an hour in all, with a couple of rests on a bench on the way - it was just so lovely to sit in the sun and listen to the birdsong.

The church which was built to replace the one at the bottom of the reservoir.

A little water is still escaping over the top of the dam.

I stopped for lunch at the Visitors centre.  Needn't have bothered - the "Steak Pasty" turned out to be mostly potato and so a not-very-good Cornish pasty really.  At least I enjoyed my Elderflower Presse drink.  The trees the other side of the river had the sun on them and absolutely gleamed.  The very tips of some had spider silk drifting from them in the breeze.  Oh, and I was just on my way back to the car when a lady was at the back of her car, speaking to a dog.  I thought, I know that face - and it was my friend Nia!  Talk about serendipity.  We had a nice chat and will meet up again soon.

I came home and took two Panadol as my back was complaining (post-gardening ache) and went out and did just half an hour before my back began to complain again.  Progress though . . .

More weeds out, roses fed with muck heap, as is the Paeony.  Then a couple of trugs of mulch.

What a sunny day

 Well, I got my wish for sunny weather answered.  Two days in a row so far, and more to come.  I am going to blow my diesel budget for the week and drive the 20 miles to the Elan Valley for a walk tomorrow.  Weather like this is so rare in March - it's been 18 deg + today - and I will use it tomorrow to lay down a memory.  

Some of the beautiful wild Primroses at the bottom of the holly hedge (from which the house takes its name).

I was out in the garden this morning.  Checking the seed trays in the garden - and have lots of Cosmos coming through already.  I should have a good display this year.  The beautiful dark Hellebores I bought at Malvern have put out lots more flowers, and I plan to get them planted with the BIG Hellebore I bought from the garden centre which is absolutely covered in flowers.

Another area of the garden where I have my work cut out.  I have hardened my heart and started pulling up the London Pride which are sprinting towards the lawn. I will leave it up on the little bank.

Just a tad overgrown here . . .

Slight improvement - weeds out at the front, and all the brambles removed behind.  I'll return to this tomorrow and hope to get it cleared and mulched.

I did a half hour walk after my afternoon cuppa.  Look at the beautiful blue sky.  I laid my fleece down on a bank and sat and looked at the view for ten minutes or so, as I listened to Dan Snow talking about Greenland and its colonization and abandonment in the 14th C.

My view from the bank, looking back towards town and the quarry beyond.  River Irthon on left.

Lambs enjoying the sunshine too.