A recent walk by the river

My usual walk.  Some good lighting so interesting photos.  Eldest Daughter here, so no time for words.  Enjoy.

A long day out at Malvern

Bank Holiday Monday is always a very busy day at Malvern Flea Market, when the world and his wife comes to peddle their wares.  The weather was good - misty to start with, which meant a tiring drive up there, calling on concentration (I did all the driving because of Keith's recent cataract op).  Anyway, here are a few photos from the inside stalls.

The trio Vintage Class who sing a repertoire of 40s and 50s music.

Quite the ugliest rocking horse I have ever seen!  The maker was obviously not strong on horse anatomy . . .

In the Avon Hall are 8 or 10 huge wall photos of the Malverns area.  Here is one of them.

This stall always has interesting stock.

Finally, the obligatory view across the fields a few roads up from the showground.

My buying plan was totally different this time as I was looking for period jewellery, about which I know very little, but Tam tells me I bought some nice thing (and none of them were expensive).  I love this paste or glass pendant, which Tam thinks dates to about 1900.  I will know more when she comes to stay in a couple of weeks' time.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

The Swallows and House Martins (I think the latter are still here) are forming disorderly lines on the power cables between our house and the farm.  My heart sank when I saw them as I don't want them to leave yet.  They have been flying around, getting higher and higher until they were out of sight.  Then some came down and sat at the top of the twiggy-topped Ash trees at the side of the yard.  They were chattering away whilst I picked Damsons and then some blackberries (both in the yard so I didn't need to go far).  

Before migration was known about,  country folk used to think they spent the winter in the bottom of ponds.  Hmmm - logic a little dim on that one I think . . .

Their chatter and swooping about brings me such pleasure and it's so quiet after they have left.  I can't wait for them to arrive in April - we had a pair on 7th April, then a singleton, but more must have arrived in early May as 3 birds didn't have THIS many youngsters!!!  I think the Swifts have already left - I didn't see or hear any in Hay last time we were there - and soon these will be heading South.  We still have warm weather heading up from that way, so I doubt they will want to fly into a headwind, so perhaps we have another week or so with them.  Safe journey.

Managed a day out

On Thursday, we went to Gloucester to auction, and then on to Nature in Art, an Art Gallery and Museum showing amazing artwork and sculptures,carved wood etc.  It is just two miles from Gloucester, at Twigsworth.  We went to see the Exhibition of work by Norman Thelwell, whose pony cartoon books I had as a child, but he was a serious artist too and was ahead of his time as he seemed to have a real grip on what was threatening the countryside.  Alongside this was an exhibition of goldwork embroidery - gosh, some talent there - and of course the main delights in the form of wonderful art work.  

Just the first room we went into blew you away with the incredibly skilled paintings.  A huge canvas of a magpie by Henry Bismuth:  https://natureinart.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/thumb/HenryBismuth.jpg

Elephants by David Shepherd:  https://natureinart.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/thumb/DavidShepherd.jpg

and a lion by Anthony Gibbs which was so real we expected it to step off the canvas and into the room.  I thought if I touched its mane, I would feel the very texture, it was so realistic.   https://natureinart.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/photo-gallery/thumb/AnthonyGibbs1.jpg

Outside were some wonderful sculptures including a pair of cheetas running and, below, this lovely carving of an owl.

Now it's the Bank Holiday weekend.  We don't normally go into town because of the snarl up of traffic, but Keith had his 2nd cataract operation scheduled today, so we got some shopping at the same time.  We went down to Aldi for some bits, then had to queue for 15 minutes to get OUT.  Crazy.   

The operation went smoothly and I hope will make a difference to his vision, although this eye is the one with the astygmatism, so possibly just a bit clearer than it was rather than sharper vision.  We shall see.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday - looks like it will be dry and sunny here anyway.

A Wander Round Brecon

We were in Brecon today, so I got to have a wander round, camera in hand.  Here's the start of my walk, close to the Indoor Market (just behind me).

This old building obviously has a different use in a former life - looks like it was a warehouse of some sort.

This is St Mary's church with its Perpendicular Buckingham Tower.  

A statue of Wellington (and Carmarthen's General Picton gets a mention on the back.

The Old Shire Hall became the Brecon Museum, still currently closed for complete renovation and extension.  It was meant to re-open last November I think, then it was April, now - who knows?

I have forgotten the name of this wonderful house.  Will have to try and find out which it is in the morning.

The old Mill on my way down towards the Canal and below, the not quite finished extension to the Museum.

Down by the Canal, this old building was ruinous back in the 1990s, when the Canal Basin was constructed (the canal once went a little further and ended in the builder's merchant's yard.) This was probably a sort of weights and measures office for goods on the canal boats.  Lots of ducks about today, some canoeists and a couple of narrow boats and others.

Beautiful cottages and floral displays.

I walked back along by the river, where this old house overlooks it, and below, this beautiful piece on a cottage wall.

I crossed the road to photograph this plaque.  I never knew that the bridge dated back to Elizabethan times (plus update).  Just shows how bad flooding can be on this river (the Hondu).

Below is the lovely Castle Hotel with a little bit that remains of the Castle.  The house behind that tree was for sale recently, but whoever bought it must have good flood insurance . . .

Looking back towards the town from the bridge, and below, some pigeons having their Sunday ablutions.

Above: looking back towards the Beacons , and below, our reason for being in Brecon - we were doing the Militaria Fair.

It knows how to rain here

Well, I am guessing it rained right across the country today.  I got soaked when we ventured into town this morning - me in search of Goat's Milk Yoghurt (didn't find any) and to do some forgotten banking.  I had rising damp from being splashed by the water underfoot and my shoes are still drying out, whilst my sopping wet socks went straight in the laundry basket.  At least I had a dry jacket in the car so could hang up the wet one over the back of the seat.

I made a big vat of vegetable soup today, with some spicy beans in it, and lots of dark green cabbage.  All in the name of anti-inflammatory food.  I casseroled two big chicken breasts and added half of one of those, still hot, to a bowl of the soup which I had as my main meal tonight.  I am still feeling stuffed.

A work in Progress.  I know they look a bit haphazard, but they aren't finished yet and when trimmed will be the front and back for a Lynette Anderson bag I am making. I will do feather embroidery along the joins. There is a fold-over flap which will have an embroidered design and a bit of applique.

Every time I sat down on the sofa today I was surrounded by/covered in cats - the two tabbies, Theo and Ghengis both wanted my lap, whilst Alfie sat on my shoulders and purred.  Little Whale was a queue of one outside Tam's bedroom door, but was disappointed as I didn't let him in - he was wet!

I had the dentist again yesterday, for another round of canal root treatment - they have been cleaned out again and filled and the old crown has a temporary filling again.  We shall see if it all settles down - if not, then the toof will be out.