Wasp central

 We were only saying at the weekend, where were the Wasps?  We hadn't seen any all summer.  Well, they must have been on their hols, as they all arrived at my house today and have set up home behind the panelling in my sewing room.  Tam called my attention to a sound like paper being scrunched.  It was coming from the edge of the window.  I thought it might be bats, she Googled it and came up with Hornets or Wasps or mice.  It was amazingly loud for Wasps so I thought Hornets.  Then later I saw a constant procession of Wasps at gutter height . . .

Right, let's see how long it takes Google to put this post up . . .

It's Rip-off time

The white blob is the Egret flying away.

 I had my annual NHS eye check up yesterday.  It was deemed that there was a small change in my reading glass prescription, so we agreed to have new lenses put in my nearly-new specs to save money buying another pair of frames.  (Nearly new as the current prescription on them wasn't comfortable for me - I've been wearing my 4 yr old glasses/prescription as perfectly good and comfy as a pair of old slippers!)  Anyway, there was me thinking, at least that will have saved some money, and then the receptionist worked out the cost, and it was £183!!!  I nearly fell on the floor in a swoon.  £46 odd came off as the NHS charge for the check up, but even so . . .  How would I like to pay?  I thought grimly, the word like didn't come into it!  I was so shocked I said I would have to pay it in two lots, and used my credit card for £50.  Then realized it was the old one I couldn't use now I'd done a balance transfer, as this had a 28% APR!  I was kicking myself all the way to my sewing class and back.  Tam arrived at home just as I got back and checked out the details on the bill, to find I had been - mistakenly - charged over £48 per lens for scratch proof glare proof glass.  They are reading glasses - I don't even use them outside!  So I went and cancelled everything, got a refund and now have to wait for my specs to be returned as they went off with the courier.  I will get them fettled elsewhere, as I have my prescription.

Tam and Rosie are here, which is lovely.  It is cooler and was spitting a bit with rain just now (not holding my breath for a good rainfall though everywhere desperately needs it).  

My 12 cucumber plants in the polytunnel seem to be a batchelor community as despite regular watering and pollinating by me with a paintbrush, there is just ONE cucumber.  

I managed to get the other child's Windsor chair oiled last night and will polish it today.  The head fell off the little paintbrush I was using and after I fished it out of the bottle of Boiled Linseed Oil, I put it on the edge of the path to fix back on today.  Just been out and something has eaten it!

Rosie got very tired last night  - I went upstairs with her to clean her teeth, and then she went and sat in the middle of the guest bed.  I left the room for literally seconds, only to hear a yell and a big thump as she had bounced off the bed head first onto the floor.  I was literally just out of the door!  Then downstairs she was rocking on her rocking horse and went too mad and it reared with her and she fell off and landed on the back of her head and was inconsolable for about 5 minutes.  I was very relieved to see her ok this morning.  

So, a quiet day is planned today.  "Glanma" needs it as much as Rosie!  

I checked Rightmove yesterday to see if my b-in-law's house had been put on the market yet.  It had, and indeed was sold.  Looking through the photos of it empty, with all the furniture out and carpets removed, it looked shabby and dated (1970s house).  Rod had been it since new and put in a lovely big fireplace with a faux-fire and a swimming pool which my three put to good use.  The end of an era.

A busy week

 I have the little Fair on Saturday.  This lovely Dicker Ware bowl will be going.  It's a Sussex pottery which shut in 1955, and this is around mid-Century and a gorgeous colour glaze.   Tomorrow is extra busy with an eye check up for me first thing, and then I'll be off to deliver my quilt for long arm quilting and see friends briefly.  Tam & Rosie here tomorrow afternoon and overnight, as Tam has dental check up on Thursday.  I have been sorting out what I can take on Saturday, and learning how to use my new expanding Gorilla glue.  It looks to be doing the trick with the splits on the base of one of the children's Windsors I got at auction and which had been in the dipping tank.  I found the Pitch Pine stain for the back splat on it yesterday so that is done and ready to oil again.  I will put another coat on tomorrow and then I can polish it Thursday.  Definitely channeling Keith this week!

Lots of dried grass hereabouts, unsurprisingly.  My heart is breaking at the ghastly destruction being wrought by the wildfires in the country and in France and Spain (Canada too, come to that).   This is from my walk on the old railway line yesterday.

A very poor photo (my phone camera doesn't do good zooms at ALL) of a Small White Egret on the Wye. That white blob in the middle.

The River Wye is low, needless to say.

The big tidy up on the showground is in full swing now.  Marquees are being taken down and there are long lines of bins to be taken away (I assume they empty them before they transport them).  You can see this side of the road has been used for parking too, hence the numbers on little stakes.  Rubbish to clear up here as well.

Tea tonight is going to be prawn fried rice, which I haven't had in years.  I cooked it regularly when the kids were small, and you could buy tins of small prawns.  What happened to those?  I am guessing they went the same way as the tins of crab meat you could once buy, which we had sometimes in the summer for Sunday tea when I was growing up.  Did I write that recently, or was I telling someone about it?  I only have to see a Battenburg cake and I am taken back 65 years . . .

Nearly forgot, when we were downsizing I gave away to the charity shop many boxes of books, and included was one book I am kicking myself about offloading as Tam wants a copy now . . .  It was fetching really stupid money on Ebay etc (£80 - £150!!!), but just been to Abebooks and found one with a damaged spine but good inside, at a sensible price, so I bought it and can lay that on one side for Christmas.  

Now I need to make another loaf, so had better snap to it.

Note to self - gardening can HURT!

 

The fields and hilltops are all so brown.  We had a little rain but not enough to make a great deal of difference.  It is cooler though, and we have clouds in the skies - so pleased to see them!  It is so awful seeing the wild fires in Scotland, North Wales (and nearer to home, at Kington, about 15 miles away), Torvaen (S. Wales),  Yorkshire, Derbyshire etc.  Then Spain and France - well, imagine being told to grab your animals, children and just DRIVE.  How terrifying.  So much wildlife will have been killed too and people's homes and livelihoods destroyed.  Yet there are still idiots who in such a draught, decide it is a good idea to have a bonfire, or take a portable BBQ to a nice dry heather-clad hill . . . And then there are the arsonists . . .

It was cool enough to get out in the garden yesterday.  I weeded the first 4 feet or so of the new raspberry patch, removed two very dead raspberry sticks (they never had much of a root on to grow in the first place, having come in a bundle).  I replaced these with the two "yellow" - actually red! - raspberries I found at the little car boot sale in June.  These are well rooted and well grown and have fruited.  This is the first one planted (at the back).  I was trying to get out all the criss-crossing grass roots, which have grown through the membrane under the paltry amount of stones which need topping up.  It was a struggle getting the bark out of the bag, and it was coming out in big "flakes".  I did some weeding in the yard too, and now this morning my back is complaining bitterly!!  This is a two-Panadol backache . . .

By means of a rest, I wrestled with the destruction and re-construction of two new pillowcases to accompany the Heatwave quilt.  Should have been straightforward but have mucked up the 2nd so need to get busy with the stitch-ripper in a minute. 

 
 This is the border on the first pillowcase.  One way of using up the extra blocks I'd made.

Podcast listening has been good - all four episodes about the 100 Years War, and yesterday it was a brilliant one about the East India Company, and now I am half way through Trafalgar.  These on The (Rest is) History of Britain.  

Tonight's tea is already made - I threw a Kedgeree together last night.  Enjoying it with fresh runner beans from the garden.  Despite copious watering the Scarlet Emperor are threatening to turn tough and seedy, so are being picked small.  The others (White Lady) are doing better.  I'd not grown them before.  

I need to get organised for next Saturday's Fair today.  Tam and Rosie here overnight on Wednesday as she has the Dentist in Llandeilo on Thursday so I will have to look after Rosie whilst she's in there.  

For some reason I don't really remember Keith acquiring that red sheathed Kukri.  The kids did and wanted me to keep it as they remember him telling them about the deal (swopsy for Army clothing Keith had).  Probably Brecon Militaria Fair then.  Instead I will have to sell an alternative item . . . 

Remembering Keith

 Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of Keith's death.  We had all agreed to meet up at Llansteffan beach, which was the nearest one to our old house when we lived in Carms.  18 miles I think it was.  Beaches are the perfect venue for little ones and they really enjoyed themselves.  They would have been happy to sit in the nearest bit of sand (which they did for 5 mins or so, before we walked them further).  

We had chips for lunch (fish is a bit prohibitive and I find a whole piece too big - Keith and I always shared).  Then later on, after the playground, ice lollies/ice cream after our lovely walk along the beach, with "I" and Rosie stopping regularly to sit in the sand and play.

Tam, Danny/Rosie, "I" and moi.

Then Gabs took one of all of  us.

Looking across the River Towy to Ferryside.

Sadly, there were no rock pools to explore, and we had to be close to Rosie unless she slipped and hurt herself on the rocks, but both the girls loved it here.

It was too hot to climb up to the lovely castle.  We have done that many times in the past though.

On our way to the shop for ice cream/lollies.  I had arrived first and was hot earlier, so treated myself to a Mint Magnum, so it was a two ice-cream day for me :)

It was a lot of driving for me, as I went to the Unit first.  Best part of 200 miles including going down to Llansteffan after . . . I still had only sold one thing, so my bank account took a hit for next month's rent.  It took another hit when I had to fill the diesel up on the car, before prices go up even more (got some for £1.69 point 9.  It was up to ten pence dearer a litre elsewhere.)  Another £40 out. Half of it will get used next week when I go to to my quilting class, and then 3 days later, the next little Fair.  I would love a day out somewhere, but simply can't afford it.  I will be living from the freezer for meals as long as I can.

Tam and Rosie didn't come and stay in the end, as she didn't want to give me her summer cold.  I had been to Chris Thomas for my fruit and veg, and had brought extra with them in mind.  They went home with the strawberries, but I have oranges, extra apples (no problem there), BIG cherries which I have cooked up the softest ones from, donut peaches and some potatoes.  I may turn the oranges into jam . . . I have a recipe for Dried Apricot Jam with Oranges.  (Another £11.50 spent there).

Oh, I took my old camera in to see if it could be fixed.  No, they think the mother board has gone.  Having just paid £22 for a new battery for it, even more money hitting a brick wall.  Then the arm fell off my specs in the evening, but I have managed to do a home repair job involving Superglue . . .  Everything's going at once.  Hope that is the 3 things breaking, full stop!

We had rain overnight and it's beaujtifully cloudy today and spitting with rain off and on.  I will try and get my two raspberries bought weeks ago at the Llandod car boot sale, into the ground.  Or it may still be like concrete . . .

An unexpected outing

 

Give us this day our daily bread . . .  Today's loaves - I made two smaller ones, planning to freeze one, but now Tam and Rosie will be here tomorrow night, so they will both be needed.  20% Rye flour (to use up) and the rest strong white bread flour.  Brushed with an egg-wash and then sprinkled with organic porridge oats.  Scrummy!  Tam's still not very well, so I shall let her rest up whilst I deal with Rosie.  Hoping I don't get the bug next . . .

Anyway, I finished the quilt border this morning, did a load of housework, watered in the greenhouse, and around lunchtime Pam phoned to see if I could accompany her to have her car MoT'd.  We hoped it would pass but you never know . . .  We popped along to Midway Plants and had a slow wander round, and she came home with 4 more for her newly dug bed.  The people at Midway sell a few collectibles too, so we had a slow browse around those, to kill time, and then went down for tea and cake at The Thomas Shop, which also has the original shop still all pretty much as it would have been more than 100 years ago.  I've done a post about it before but several years back now.  Lots of photos now . . .

A local mangle, too, Builth made by Price and Williams.  Keith's g. grandmother and grandmother used one like this (his g. gran had her own little laundry business, in the home, in Scarborough).

Keith would have loved this Green Man.  It's a nice one.

A modern Marie Lloyd and friends.  The real ones were an actual horse's skull.

I knew Thomas Crapper made toilets.  Didn't know his company also produced "bathroom tissue" too . . .  An improvement on squares of the News of the World or Izal (which was like using greaseproof paper!)

Those J & P Coats drawers would be a good seller . . . And the really old sewing machine too.

Curious weights, with a slot to hold them on an upright.

We sat outside with a pot of Earl Grey each, and shared a huge piece of chocolate cake with icing.  It was lovely watching birds across the nearly dried up river, in the trees and fields opposite.  Have a lovely weekend all.

It's all over for another year

 

The Royal Welsh is all over for another year.  The actual showground is behind the trees, middle right of picture (where you can see grass).  I watched some more of the coverage on tv yesterday - the barren Section C mares, a Section B class in the ring at the same time, and a part-bred Welsh won by a stunning dark skewbald filly with such quality, and beautifully marked.  I hate the Jack Russell look in coloured ponies - e.g. mostly white with a few blotches of colour, that you get bred purely for cash (vanners).  I forgot to mention something that made me laugh in the cattle classes I watched the previous day, as the Holstein matrons had very pink udders (they don't milk them that morning either, so they have a Big Bag!) It's apparently a coloured udder balm but it looked like they'd gone mad with the foundation or the Pan Stick! and it had rubbed off on the top of their legs as they moved.

The town can breathe again, the pubs are rubbing their hands with glee at their takings - though they had to insist on card payments only after so many fake £20 notes were being proffered in payment.  Both Builth Tyres and Hay & Brecon Farmers shut their doors for the week.  Several places had to employ bouncers, so it is not all good for the town.  I shouldn't think takings were up that much with the extra people in town, for the non-pub or non-food shops.  

I pieced and sewed the borders onto the quilt yesterday.  Set the last stitch, looked down (properly!) and saw I had just sewn the last one on with the wrong side out, so spent yesterday evening unpicking it.  Twit.

It was cool enough this morning to do a bit of tidying up in the garden.  I have a low growing shrub which the bees adore when it's in flower, and I hadn't noticed it creeping further and further to the left.  Now I can't walk up past my Roserie de l'Hay rose so cutting back needed.  Not helped by it rooting wherever it touches earth, so some digging needed too.  SO much to do out there as the hot weather has kept me indoors and I haven't been able to do more than water round and a bit of dead-heading of roses.

I popped into the Library to return a couple of books yesterday.  Found a couple more to bring back - A Different Kind of Evil by Andrew Wilson, which has Agatha Christie as its detective, on her way to investigate two murders.  She is working for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).  I started that one last night.  I also got Mr Campion's War, by Mike Ripley.  I think that's one that Sue, over at My Quiet Life in Suffolk, read this year.  Then my friend Gay sent me The Woman Downstairs, the latest by JD Kirk.  Plenty to keep me quiet.

I have been doing research on the Nepalese Kukri in the red leather sheath that I found when clearing the top of the old fridge-freezer.  They were special and given as gifts to notable figures (Sir Edmund HIlary was given one), and for retiring Army Officers.  This sort is a Kothimora Kukri and more valuable than I first thought.  Keith DID have a good eye for such things.  I can't find one exactly like it, so have contacted Gurkha Antiques, with photos, to see if they can give me more info.

Quite a high status one with the enamelled design on the handle.  Sadly,  the other little knife (Chakmak) is missing, which will affect its value.  One for the Unit probably.