The price of groceries

 It's getting ridiculous.  I did my "main shop" - for just a few things too - in Aldi.  It came to £29.10, including £3.49 for a bag of compost.  The two priciest things were chicken fillets £3.99 and Cheddar cheese £2.49, oh and cling film £2.39. Strawberries £1.99, Filtered milk £1.75. I got two packs of Loratadine as it's now time to protect my body from various pollens. You are meant to start taking them a month or so before they occur.  Then Tesco - wait for it - £47.99!!!  Big items there were cat food £14.95 for sachets and biscuits; 5% steak mince (500g) £5.19 and my little Friday bottle of wine, £2.80.  Worcester Sauce - special offer, "only" £2.  Panadol Advance £2.15 - as Paracetamol are a waste of money and don't work at all for me.  Tesco's own Panadol are £1 but I prefer the branded for strength.  Tam tells me that Panadol is just Paracetamol under a fancy wrapper but hey, they work.  The final bill had £4.48 off for special promotions.  

The "little things" were a tin of Apricots, Tissues, Ravioli tins x 2, Peppercorn grinder (£2 on offer), fruit and veg, 4 Ancient Grains rolls for the freezer; Cadbury Caramel bars (on offer) and Diet Coke.  They soon add up though. The meat - I would say I would have perhaps 10 meals out of all of it - doesn't seem so expensive when I think it's about £1 a meal, and a bit extra allowing for other ingredients.  l have just forced down the other half of the sausage roll from Tuesday, and had the other half of the (lovely) Cornish Pasty for breakfast yesterday.  Gabby forgot the cheese, so I have that still in the fridge.  It comes to something when a cheap tin of Ravioli (the £1 Tesco ones have actually got tidy ingredients and no nasties) becomes a main meal . . .

I was especially cross as I had a weak moment (and no breakfast as I went out first thing) and bought myself 4 Hot Cross buns but I DID buy ones that were reduced to 84p, only to find them as stale as anything so if I eat them, I will have to toast them. The use by date was today.

I have just been out in the garden, as I went and bought another 5 Raspberry canes whilst they are still about.  I should have enough now.  I bought an American one, Glen Doll, which are meant to be prolific.  I came in to eat, and now it's raining.  May put a jacket on later and go and cut right back the shrub by the original compost bunker. There are compost bins behind it, completely covered by the shrub now.  The photo shows me digging and weeding around a Plum tree, which now has a nice blanket of aged muck heap.    You can see the "pathway" up to the Polytunnel, where I have weeded - and where I haven't got to yet!  To the left of it is where I am digging and weeding for the Glen Doll raspberries to be planted.  Challenging.

I could hear gunfire up on Sennybridge Ranges, where they train soldiers from around the world.  May hear a Chinook in the distance this week too, as there is Operation Agile Warrior 26 taking place over Herefordshire and it was noisy over Leominster last night apparently.  Needless to say its about testing our ability to defend the UK in the event of an attack . . .

Round 2 - find the compost bins!

Ta-dah!  I am now having an energy-boost with some cheap (59p) Aldi peanuts.  There is a LOT more to do there (everywhere, tbh).  Good for me though.

I survived . . .

 I am so glad this procedure has been done and is behind me.  Unpleasant but not painful until I was driving home full of wind (which they pump you up with) and I felt like the Michelin Man and since I had over an hour's drive was really worried about making it before I exploded!  The Dr said that she could see nothing worrying.  Phew.

The motte (or where it was) and bailey of Builth castle, long gone.

The girls are on their way home and just stopped to stretch their legs and get coffee.  I will be glad when they are back here, and even more glad when Tam is back home in Aber.

I stopped at Oakchurch Farm Shop on the way there.  This is what good food costs.  The couple in front of me had bought carrots, parsnips, sachets of custard, bread, and a couple of other bits - came to over £43!!!  The sausage roll was my lunch, but I chose it on size (smaller) and didn't read what was in it and only had a couple of bites before leaving it.  Remember the 100s of ingredients on that other Garage sausage roll last year?  Well, I looked at the back of this one, out in the car, and dang me, if there weren't just as many!!!

Perhaps marginally healthier . . .  The Cornish pasty is to keep Tam going and the cheese is for Gabby, who is a proper cheese hound.

Stress is not a good companion

 I have my procedure tomorrow, so that is hanging over me like a ten ton weight, and as bad - possibly worse - is  waving my darling daughters goodbye this morning, on their journey to Essex for my b-in-law's funeral.  Their journey includes the M25, and I shan't rest until they are back home safe and sound (and Tam has an onward journey in the dark through the mountains to Aberystwyth tomorrow night).  My stomach is churning with nerves for them.

I have been keeping busy, making up a fresh guest bed, and bringing down the biggest Deed Box (I need to sell them), to check the contents.  Lots of Family History paperwork, 20 or so B/M/D certificates which need to go into my special paperwork box upstairs, the entire Bird Family History tree from Herne Bay in Kent and a few really good old photographs.  I discovered (again) that old George Bird, who went off to war aged 72 (he said he was 52!) was only 5ft 3/4 inch, but boy, full of fire and brimstone - you only had to look at him and his piercing blue eyes!

What came home with me yesterday?  Very little.  A pair of little tables for a conservatory, with Peacocks on.  Colourful if nothing else.

  

A combo set for removing eggs from boiling water and whisking them.  French I should think.  Different anyway.

A small French enamel lunch box for hot food.  The main purpose was a day out and hopefully something desirable coming my way, but no.

I got a dog painting too but that may be a gift, so I shan't share it.

I feel very tired today and think I will settle down with one of my books I found yesterday on the shelves of the Charity bookcase at the Garden Centre.

I had been looking at these on line and debating whether to buy them (I was hoping they would be on Audible, but no).  So for my donation, these came home with me.

I have had to do a return on Ebay for the hypoallergenic soft toy stuffing I bought.  It looked nothing like the clear and labelled plastic bag which was the illustration on Ebay, instead it came looking rather . . .

in fact, distinctly, pillow-shaped.  I contacted the buyer and they told me this was the ticking they used to keep the stuffing clean in transit.  Talk about misrepresenting!  Especially since they normally sell pillows and duvets . . .

Right, off to read, write or whatever whilst Escape to the Country is on.

3 pairs of Magpies = luck at Malvern?

 Well, perhaps, but not luck in the "you will find amazing things today"!  The forecast had been rain all day at Malvern, which must have put a lot of people off (plus Shepton Mallet was on).  As it turned out, the sun shone all the time Pam and I were at Malvern!  It didn't rain until we were almost home.

So, our St David's Day was spent out of Wales.  If you want to read a wonderful post about him, go to North Stoke on the sidebar, where Thelma has written about Wales' special saint.

Well, I have to say it is a long time since I have walked around the biggest load of junk in a field as today's offerings were.  Only the truly desperate and with the least attractive offerings - well, as far as I was concerned anyway.  Yet hundreds of people turned up, desperate to look round the first Fleamarket there this year.  They were still coming in when Pam and I left and people had to start parking all over the left hand side of the showground.  

One of the better outside stalls had this rocking horse, which had truly seen much better days . . .

These were the better outside stalls.  Some just had shed turnouts - think rusty tools, bits of machinery, rusting ironware.  Others had the detritis from poor house clearances, nothing wrapped just bunged in boxes for folk to sort through and discard.  There were the usual stands with jewellery, collectables in glass cases (I walk on by), discarded fabrics, old curtains, chairs you would not care to sit in, let alone take home et al.  Not much to interest me.  Someone had a huge Dalek, and lots of big animal type figures from the tv.  Bargain Hunt were filming, but think they didn't buy from outside.

This tapestry cushion looked good from a distance, almost three D.

Want, but don't need and can't afford!

The stands inside the sheds were much better.

On a friend's stand, a lovely old Welsh blanket and a small single quilt.

The triangular display stand was a great way to show off the little bits of stock.  I wish Keith was here to make one for me . . .

Some folk specialise in colourful china.

This was a lovely stall in the Avon Hall, with some interesting and unusual Middle Eastern and Asian pieces.

If I had had the money (and the room) this beautiful William Morris Sussex chair would have come home with me.

I really loved the paintings inside the lid of this trunk.  Someone had been out in India and painted scenes from their life there.

This lady always has very interesting things on her stall.  Photo below is her stock too.

However, my day was made when I found a chap selling plants, including these stunning Hellebores.  Both colours high on my wish list.  £10 each.

So very nearly black . . .

We stopped at the garden centre by Kings' Acre garage in Hereford as I needed potting compost, and I couldn't resist this pack of Anemones.  That colour!

So, all in all, perhaps the Magpies did bring some luck our way.  Pam wanted a small colander and found a lovely heavy white enamel one on my friend Ann's stall, and also found a lovely big tile picture for her kitchen at Ann's too.  I clocked up 13,500 steps.

I was tired when I got home (two poor night's sleep - I was awake 2 1/2 hours in the night and woke when I was married to Telly Savalas, thinking, I don't fancy you at all!)  I filled up my little velvet covered hot water bottle for my feet and had a Time Team nap.  I woke up with Pippi on my body and Lulu at my feet, and the boys in with me too.

Gabby is arriving in the next hour or so to stay overnight.  Tam will arrive tomorrow and they will both drive across to Essex to Keith's brother's funeral.  I won't rest until they are home as they will be on the M25.  They'll be back Tuesday evening and Tam will then drive straight home, over the mountains in the dark, so no rest again until she is back safely.

That was a bad decision

 Yesterday was a nondescript day - raining steadily half the day, but I did get a walk in along the old railway line in town.  

As you can see, it was very dreary.

The first Canada Geese have arrived though. A sign of spring, as were the first fledgling leaves on the Elder bushes.  Spring was a bit further along in Carmarthenshire, as the first leaves were on the Hawthorns, lots and lots of Daffodils out, two sprigs of Cow Parsley in flower on the lane up to P&D's house, and amazingly, I passed a solitary Cowslip in a sheltered spot.

This was the problem with my sewing machine.  I removed the thread carefully with a pair of tweezers but think it must be doing the same again to have jammed once more.

I have done a bit of long-overdue vacuuming, and listened to my body and had an afternoon nap, before doing a bit more on my Hobbs/Russill/Allsop line on my family tree.  Poor Elizabeth, my g. grandmother - to give birth to 9 children and bury 7 of them . . .  She and my g.grandfather had such big hearts, as they even adopted a little boy when they were in their early 70s.  I don't know if he was actually related, though I presume so.  I have found a Hobbs/Gregory marriage which could fit.  

I then made an error, having been seeing what else Youtube had to offer, and it came up with Marvin Gaye.  I loved his music, back in the day, so put that on.  Then it started playing other 60s music - Keith and I both loved it - and then came the tears.  Thinking we would never listen to it together again.  More tears just writing that. . .

On the plus side, I was looking for my little bag which I take on walks, that had fallen into the brass bound barrel in the kitchen.  At the bottom I found a vintage Jecta Mark I fishing reel on a cork handle, which Keith had found many years ago at a car boot sale.  I will take it to the next Fair, as it has a little value - £20 or £30 I think.  I also found a very vintage kennel huntsman's or beagling whip, worth more than I had on it when it last saw day pre Covid!  So, bonuses.

Now I need to go down to town to get some change for Malvern Flea tomorrow.  We have sunshine so I may try to clear the space to plant the Glen Ample raspberries.  Update: I cleared 5 areas of grass and tried to clear most of the grass in between too, planted the 5 raspberries, put cardboard down and a bag of muck heap along there, but it will need more when I have some energy.  Car packed with what I need, a fresh loaf of bread made, Manderin Muffins made to take tomorrow, and I will make up my rolls when I've had tea.  My back will probably be complaining bitterly tomorrow now, but tough, you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

Back to my Quilting group

 After months of being on holiday, being ill, and family over on a Wednesday, I finally got back to my quilting group again yesterday.  This is a pattern I bought from Cross Patch, along with a 5" charm pack last month.  It is raining this morning so I will be able to carry on with stitching the half square triangles I paired and pinned and divided yesterday afternoon.

I'm not sure how it will look until I lay it out.  I'd like to do the bottom one for a present for someone come Christmas.  

I haven't touched my work in progress quilt since October, so will have to get back to that and the dress I had begun to pin in place to cut out (for Rosie).  I spent yesterday evening, sewing E/Bunny bits together until I had to lay it aside as I can't do the next bits until I have the stuffing (which is waiting on Evri to decide to deliver).  

I did turn this - in fact, I photographed it right way up.  Blardy computer!

  I always grow a few Sweet Peas and thought this mix would be very pretty.

I was hoping to do some more out in the garden today, but it depends on the weather.  I weeded about 6 feet of the path up to the polytunnel on Tuesday (which my back can affirm!), and when I needed to straighten up for a bit, pruned the young apple trees, the Buddleias and a couple more roses.  On my way back from quilt group yesterday, I stopped at the nursery near Llandovery, and bought two 6 foot stakes for apple trees, and a mixed packet of Sweet Peas.

It's Malvern Flea on Sunday, so my friend Pam and I are going for a wander round.  It will be lovely to see my friends again.  Which reminds me, I need to go and get some ham for sarnies and cat biscuits (not for sarnies!)

OK, I knew I should have taken my sewing machine along yesterday.  It has just jammed, and I have unscrewed the front housing but cannot remove it!  Talk about frustrating.  I had sewn 10 of my blocks too and was doing so well . . .  I wanted to make good progress with it today too.

Some church bothering - St Brides, RHayader (locked) and St Gwrthwl at Llangwrthwl

 

I was very disappointed to find St Brides was locked, BUT in the porch . . .

Isn't this amazing?  A wonderful very early Medieval stoup.  I was delighted to find this and it was so unexpected.  The current church is Victorian, but this clearly survived (thank heavens) from a previous church.  Strictly speaking, the church is not in Rhayader but in Cwmdauddwr, as it is the other side of the River Wye.  I shall return in the summer as apparently it is a very wild flower rich meadow in the churchyard, and is only mown biannually to allow the plants to set seed.

This almost totally underwhelms with its casual mention of the Lord Rhys (Rhys ap Griffith, of Dinefwr Castle in Carms) gifting a vast area of land to the monks of Strata Florida in 1164.  Mind you, he had SEIZED vast tracts of Ceredigion so was able to be very open handed about giving it away again!  Just to imagine him standing there though - SUCH history in one small area.  Plus, just as I was driving out, I noticed what was originally a Holy Well (now a tap!) beside the road, so this site really is ancient.

A family table tomb grave of about 7 burials, with the memorial slabs on the top.  Not seen that before.

Then it was back towards Newbridge-on-Wye , and Llangwrthwl, the little church with the huge standing stone in the churchyard.  Keith and I visited it when we first moved here, but it was Covid times and the church was locked.  That was a shame as it has a stunning font . . .

This has been a special site for thousands of years.  There are many more standing stones on the common (I will explore this summer), but this one must have been a pagan site to have the church built there to Christianise it.

The view down to the altar. Then turn around and . . .

Isn't this an amazing Medieval font?  It has four carved heads on it - I presume Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Originally it graced the interior of Abbey-Cwmhir, above Llandod.  At the dissolution of the monasteries, however, it was rescued and brought here.  The pillars from Abbey-Cwmhir went to be used in St Idloes church at Llanidloes.  They were apparently made by the same craftsmen who worked at Worcester Cathedral, as well as Llandaff and St David's, so it likely that they also were responsible for this font.

Some lovely stained glass windows.

In memory of the fallen of this tiny village.

Memorials on the end wall of the church, from the late 1700s.

Opposite the church, a drystone barn survives well still.

Yesterday it was sunny all day and I spent an hour or more out in the garden in the morning and half an hour later.  I alternated between pruning and weeding about 6 or 7 feet of the stone chippings path up to the polytunnel - prior to digging and ripping up all the grass on the left hand side of that.  I am going to plant raspberry canes up along there.  It will be a slow business though.  I pruned the Buddleias, the apple trees and a couple more roses yesterday.  Progress.

Now it's off to my Quilting Group for the first time since I went to New Zealand.  It will be lovely to see everyone again but I probably won't get much quilting done!