Ghosties . . .

When I was chatting to the Librarian last Tuesday, we were nattering about ghostly experiences and I - rashly! - said that at least my lovely home wasn't affected by anything spooky.  Think I must have spoken too soon, or tempted fate!  Perhaps it was because my guard was down and I wasn't grounded after losing L. Whale so suddenly.  Anyway, on Friday I was going upstairs when I heard a loud sort of grain sound - like my big bag of rice had fallen out of the kitchen cupboard onto the floor.  I went downstairs to check, but nothing out of place.  

Then yesterday I went up to early (7.30 ish) to my craft room to work on the quilt repairs, and suddenly the harp was plucked - just one string, but loudly!  I looked up sharply, and then went to check .  There were three broken strings - I was trying to remember how many there were before as Tam stopped playing it for that reason.  I thought perhaps a string had just suddenly snapped for some reason, although that seems odd.

Then a little while later, suddenly the SACK of grain sound again from the kitchen, very loudly.  Pippi was with me and ran away.  Lulu hurtled up the stairs, scared, and when I went down, Alfie was hiding under the table.  Nothing to be seen, but I had the feeling what had happened was a sort of time-slip with one of the grooms from Victorian times, heaving a heavy sack of oats off his shoulder onto the floor.  It was very much that sort of sound.  The kitchen and Utility were the old stables, from Georgian times, with the stalls at the front and so probably the back part of the kitchen was the feed room.

Ruinous old farmhouse and barn ("held in Trust") up in the Ceredigion hills.

I have made sure I am grounded today and we will see if anything happens after this.  I know some of you will be sceptics, but I have had this sort of thing happen to me all my life - starting with knowing when letters were going to arrive, or who was on the phone, or even what they were going to say, as well as experiences with atmospheres and emotions.  The old house was quite challenging in this respect!!

Single track lanes - we had to back up when we met a van coming up the hill at one point.

Anyway, I went across to Aber to help Tam, but as Jon had a meeting with a friend, we weren't able to achieve what we had intended, to finish painting Rosie's bedroom.  We needed Jon there to lift/mend the broken wardrobe.  Anyway, Tam got smaller jobs done and then took me out for a lovely drive up in the hills, so that we could get Rosie off for a car nap.  It was SO beautiful.

Lovely now, but a bit bleak mid-Winter!

This is part of Ceredigion's industrial past.  The Pont Ceunant Generating Station, associated with the nearby Lead Mines.

More lead mine workings further up the Cwmnewydion valley.

Sea Campion, a first for me.  Don't know how it got inland here.

The spoil heap where nothing grows because of the lead residue in the soil.

As you can see, it was a lovely drive out.  Such beautiful scenery and interesting history too.  Frongoch mine had a terrific output at the height of its working life, silver too of course as that is always found with lead.  Plus it was important for a mineral, "brilliant hair-brown" pyromorphite crystals, which are rare.  

Quiet here so far this morning.  I will get ready to venture out to the Charity car boot sale in Llandod.

Hay-on-Wye on Market Day

 

This is the wonderful cheese stall at Hay Market.  On the other side they have grains and nts and dried fruit and spices.  A great stall to shop at.

Fabulous breads and baked goods in the Cheese Market building.

Lunchy snacks here.

Yarn and Gonks? or Gnomes, in the Buttermarket.

More lovely loaves, down by the Clock Tower, but at about £5 a loaf, I am glad to make my own.

Tam and I resisted the temptations on the Plant stall.

However, I did buy a lovely studio pottery dish, of the colourway (turquoisy/blue) that I like to have on my stall at Fairs.  It attracts people and sells well.

Now some shop windows for you . . .

I loved this cat.  May try and make one - hah, in my "spare" time!!

It's hard to imagine that at one time something as shabby as this old display cupboard would never have had a market.  How things change.  Now it's all about "the look", whatever that is when it's at home!!

Tam and I both loved the painted box at the top.  The decoupage box below it has given me an idea, as I recently found some Victorian decoupage pieces when turning out an attic box.  I could put them to good use.  Just need to see if I have a suitable box (sure I have, as Keith kept such things).

A fun cat . . .

Rather like the pony too.

What a lovely doll's house.  

Then we needed to exercise Rosie, before she went back in the car.  So out of the push chair and time for a hurtle round by Hay Castle, "Chase me mummy" . . .

Today I am off to Aber to help Tam get Rosie's bedroom finished (I hope!)  One more wall left to paint and a wobbly wardrobe to fettle.

Yesterday I kept busy and made a big pan of beany mince (you couldn't say it was Chilli, as no chilli powder in it) with grated carrot and some courgette.  Filling, with rice and broccoli. Two meals, and 3 in the freezer.  I made a Spicy Dorset Apple Cake too.  That will go with me today.  I also sorted out the missing centre for the quilt I bought, and that is a work in progress.  I will need to buy some batting for it now and ask Alex if she will quilt it on her long-arm quilter. 

Enjoy your weekend.

R.I.P. Little Whale

 Yesterday was a sad day here, as L. Whale suddenly became very ill.  He had been very fussy about eating for about 3 weeks, not eating any biscuits. Yesterday morning though he suddenly ate his AND Alfie's, so I thought oh good, he's back to normal.  When we got back from a couple of hours in Hay-on-Wye, we found L. Whale's breathing was very laboured and so we took him straight down to the vet.  They put him on Oxygen and I left him to have an X-ray.  The results were not good.  His heart beat was very rapid and his lungs surrounded with fluid - congestive heart failure.  There was only one decision to take.  Fortunately Tam was here - he was her special cat - and we both went down to give him such love as he passed from this world.  He was 16.  

It is hard to remember a time without him.  He was one of three kittens born to a stray, Miffy we called her, who had lost an eye in an accident before we got her.  Danny named him Jarvis, but he was always a well built cat and soon became known as Little Whale.  His black and white brother, Tippy, was sadly poisoned by a Gamekeeper on the next property over.  He and Alfie would hunt rabbits, and sometimes L. Whale would be gone for a fortnight, feeding himself.  Tam reminded me of how they used to play hide and seek together :)  

They carried on hunting rabbits here, until the rabbits got Myxi, and then they gave it up as a bad job.

He leaves a gaping hole.  With his claw operations this year he has had lots of extra love and cuddles, and slept close to me on my bed every night.  He liked to sit out on the little lawn where I have my patio set, soaking up the sunshine, brother Alfie nearby.  Rosie has been putting her arms gently round him, and kissing his head, and telling him how much she loves him, bless her.

I am not fit to be seen, as crying has made my eyes so puffy I can barely see, and a cold flannel isn't helping much.  I will need to keep busy today.  I have had to cancel the wet felting I was going to go to tomorrow, and won't go to the History society talk tonight either.