The Winter Solstice and some Christmas crafting

 It is the Winter Solstice today, so in a month we will begin to really notice the days lengthening again.  I can't wait.  I hate the wet grey days we've been having constantly, and there is another storm coming in tomorrow!  I hope it won't be too bad for folk, but they are threatening 50mph winds again. (That's better than the 80mph ones they were talking about yesterday).

Here's the little Dala horse I've just finished sewing.  He is from the Festive Felt Decorations book I got last week.  Took ages though, as lots of fiddly bits of embroidery on him.    I think he turned out quite well, and is to go on Rosie's (well, Tam & Jon's) Christmas tree.

Tam and Rosie were here yesterday afternoon and overnight, leaving 3 p.m. today.  It was lovely to have them here, though they are still getting over the really nasty cold they've had for about 10 days now - still snuffly and coughing, and Tam is mostly deaf.

We have been watching a lovely set of Youtube videos from Northern Finland by Sanna Vaara.  They are very calming and peaceful and enjoyable.  Check them out.

I've now finished Series 6 of Outlander and the first episode from the 2nd half of series 2nd was available to view today, so I've seen that now.  I was hoping to watch the London International Horse Show on iPlayer, but whatever I do, I cannot get the recordings to run.  Tam couldn't either. So frustrating.

Tomorrow I need to make a good loaf of bread and bake a big cake for the farmers up the hill.  For now though, it's bed.  My brain is tired from all the concentration on the embroidery.

Can I go to bed yet?

 Thank heavens it's nearly the Solstice.  I know I am not alone in not enjoying the long dark evenings of winter which start mid-afternoon and seem endless.  Several friends who like me, live alone, have said the same thing recently - we get to about 7 p.m. and think, can we go to bed yet?!!!  Admittedly one of these folk lives very basically (my neighbour who's doing up the cottage) and doesn't have a tv and I imagine you soon get fed up reading stuff on your mobile phone . . . I can remember one of the stories in All Creatures Great and Small and there has been an evening call out to a farm up in the Dales, run by a couple of brothers and a sister.  James Herriot arrives and as he walks past the parlour window to the door, he sees by the light inside (this is 1930s so possibly pre-electricity and it is just lit by a Tilley Lamp) the three figures just SAT, not talking, no radio, nothing.   Just satisfied (one assumes) with the labours of the day having ceased. It is so hard to imagine that now when we expect more from life.  

This year's greenwood wreath.  I'm not happy with the droopy fir on the bottom and would have preferred Ivy, which was in great trailing abundance at Ynyswen but harder to find round here.  Ah well, not one of my best, but I may go for a wander down the Dingle and see if I can find some trailing ivy.

The tree is all decked out in its finery now.  I have to say, 10 days or so before Christmas is quite early enough to make the house Christmassy.  I know some people can't wait to get the decorations out and the plastic tree up  and Tam thinks I'm a spoilsport for taking it all down on New Year's Day (though she swears I do it on Boxing Day!!) but it works for me.  I don't get time to get fed up with it.

This lovely throw has turned up on a Quilting Magazine feed on Facebook and I fell in love with it. I have worked out how it "works" - the central  star is surrounded by half the same block either side. I'd love to do this and have some aqua/turquoise fat 1/4s which would be perfect to make this, and then I could hang it over the back of the oak settle in the kitchen.  

Well, it is of course the middle of the bloomin' night again.  Alfie woke me at 1 a.m. to be Let Out. As I'd gone to bed at nine, I'd had a good chunk of sleep and my brain got too busy for me to nod off again.  I lay there till 1/4 to 3 before giving up and coming downstairs. 

The embroidery I am doing (a gift for Tam) is coming on really well and I am enjoying doing it and watching Series 6 of Outlander.  It is giving me a break from the endless hexies for the blue and red quilt I was working on.

After two years of totally ignoring the Christmas tree, Pippi has this year discovered it! I was sat there sewing and she did a gallop-by, swiped one of my little x-stitch decorations which flew in the air, and put that on repeat with a couple more low on the tree!  Apparently Rosie has also discovered Tam's Christmas tree so has to be deterred from eating it!  She has now learned to say "dada" and says it over and over.  What a lovely Christmas present for Jon.

We had a windy start to the day again yesterday, but it was just that - windy - though apparently there were gusts of up to 60 mph in some places and there has been plenty of rain with it and flooding in certain areas of Wales.  I am glad to be on a hill . . .

Right, I shall do Hexa Stack and make my brain tired, I hope.

Window shopping in Hay, part 2

 Having bought a replacement battery and a charger, I now have my camera working again and when it is charged, a spare battery.

Apologies for the reflections of vehicles, but isn't this cute?  I knitted a couple of meeces like these for my Aunty Betty one year, to amuse her.

I have begun the day considerably poorer, as I went to do the Christmas shop in Llandod - it soon adds up when there is wine (both red and white), IPA beer for the menfolk, some more chocolates, a BIG double cream, dark chocolate to make the roulade, two bags of spuds rather than one, ice cream, and some meats and stuff for the freezer, and the usual cat food and biscuits (an extra big one for the girls, which alone was £15) and what have you.  Tam's bringing our M&S curry and a bottle of wine for Christmas Eve, and Gabby is bringing the cheeseboard, veg, wine, nibbles etc for Christmas Day.  I have yet to get the beef and venison, although I got some venison burgers today which are going to be the filling for a Spicy Venison Pie for when Danny comes up.  At least I won't need to do a shop, bar fresh fruit and veg, until the New Year now.

Now for some for around the market.  Photo above has gz's name on it!

Fresh fish is a rarity these days.

This is where I normally get my herbs and spices and dried fruits etc.

I'm sorry gz, I didn't get the stalls in the cheese market for you, but they were very busy and a queue for the bread and baked goods there right across the other stalls. The other bread stall, down the bottom past the clock tower, just below and opposite where Ian used to have his stall, had NO such queue!

One of Kath's window displays.  I say that but I know she was moving near to her daughter, so not sure if she is ever in the shop now.

A back window (looking towards the castle) of the Antiques Emporium . . .

Some quilt photos for the quilt makers amongst you. This top one had some age - the others not.

This was one thing which I did like but I'd rather pay the auction price on it and not £180 retail!

Nice cushions, but cheaper to make my own.

I still have a soft spot for good authentic horse brasses too and this was a lovely example.  Needed to find it before the dealer put £88 on it though!

This should give you an idea of some of the stuff on offer. Not for me.  Cranberry glass is pretty but SO yesterday!  Fashions soon change in the antiques trade.

Someone obviously has a keen eye for glass - loved the giant cocktail glass near the bottle, with smaller ones inside it for effect.

Since unpacking the comestibles for Christmas, I've popped out to the greenhouse and rustled up a wreath (photos tomorrow).  Not fancy-pants one but something that reflects my love of nature and the countryside.

Now I am about to make up the dala horse and the mistletoe templates.  Watch this space.

Strata Florida - Vale of Flowers

 Well, today has grabbed me by the throat somewhat!  The day carried on a little from last night, when the farmers up the lane cut my hedge for me and came in to ask had I noticed that I had a side light bulb gone on the car? He got me to open the bonnet catch and checked it for me and said he'd be down this morning with a replacement bulb, as they always had plenty of oddments in store. Before heading off, he helped me with the Christmas tree, which needed an inch or so sawing off the bottom, so I could put it in water (the tree holder has a water reservoir too) and we got it set up in the living room.  So that saved me some hassle.   He was then as good as his word and fixed the light for me this morning, and I sent him back with a Date Gingerbread cake and a pot of Jumbleberry and Apple Jam.  He has two brothers (they all run the farm together) and his mum is no longer up to cooking or baking, so they should enjoy that.  I have promised them another (bigger) cake for Christmas and some more jam as a thankyou.  Since Keith died, they have  said they will look out for me, and they are, bless them.  How wonderful it is to have such good neighbours.

Sorry it's so dark but it was a gloomy day yesterday.

 I have been for a nice walk along the lane for a mile and a half and cut snippets of holly with berries, dried Oak leaves twigs, Ivy blooms, and picked up no end of pine twigs wrenched off the tree by the storm.  These are now currently in a bag in the greenhouse, and I have already made up a small wreath base using some of the Clematis vine rescued from Tam's when Jon cut it down.  One job off the to do list and some fresh air and exercise too.  I'll make up the wreath tomorrow.

The farmhouse which is waiting for funding for restoration.

I've done two loads of washing, so am up to date with that.  Then I decided I really HAD to use up a tub of plums I bought more than a week ago and popped to the Co-Op for Pears and Lemons. I was just going to do the first stage of High Dumpsie Dearie Jam this afternoon, but it was going so smoothly I carried on and have made three BIG jars, 2 small ones and some leftover for my breakfast toast for a few days. I have to say, down the years I have made so much jam it is automatic and no problem.

I've got chicken curry from Friday for tonight's evening meal, and then I shall put on Outlander (Series 6) and dress the tree, then sit down with an embroidered tote bag I'm working on.

I loved the scroll embellishments on the stonework.

Also the fact that EW made their mark in 178?

I assume this was a baptismal pool?

The Abbey was very well provided for, having a number of secondary Granges which kept it supplied and funded - there was a Mill, a Fruit Farm, an Arable Farm, Fish Lakes, an Oxen Farm, a Pig Farm, a Dairy Farm, a Great Meadow and many many acres of sheep grazing up on the mountain pastures.  Ffair Rhos was the local market.  There was also lead ore from the Abbey owned mines.  You would think this would have kept them very well provided for indeed, but things went pear-shaped when they leased off the land and lived from the rentals, and by the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, there were only 6 monks remaining to evict!  Many thanks to the Local Drove Roads site which provided this information.

If you have followed this blog for a while you may remember Tam and I doing walks just outside of Rhayader, where there is a beautiful area of Nature Reserve at Gilfach.  That was also part of Strata Florida land once - and this extended up beyond Hafod, the estate we visited this summer.  There was a Monks Trod from Strata Florida to Abbey Cwm Hir, a distance of some 24 miles as the crow flies.

The Abbey has the most tremendous history and proudly houses the remains of several sons of the Lord Rhys, ruler of the ancient Kingdom of Deheubarth, who gave the Cistercian monks huge tracts of land which supported the sheep and cattle of the Abbey and provided their sustenance and income. Mind you, he had seized Ceredigion in the first place!  HERE is a time line of important events at Strata Florida.

There were more burial stones than this behind us.

The names in bold show who was buried here.  The good and the important in Medieval Welsh history.

The Lord Rhys (Rhys ap Gruffydd)(1131 - 1197) was buried in St Davids Cathedral.

One of the small chapels.

Putlogs (for scaffolding) in a section of remaining wall - these went right through the (very thick) wall.

The remains of Medieval Welsh poet Dafydd ap Gwilym were laid to rest beneath one of the ancient yew trees near the church.

Some of the remaining Medieval tiles, which included Birds, Griffins, Fleur de Llys and an enigmatic Man with a Mirror, possibly symbolising vanity or else self knowledge.

I hope you have enjoyed visiting Strata Florida. It has SUCH a history.

A proper post tomorrow - a glimpse of Strata Florida tonight

 

I drove across to Aberystwyth today to choose my Christmas tree with Tam, and grab a bite for lunch, and then we drove on to Strata Florida Abbey- I'd not been here since about 1996, on an Archaeology Field Trip.  For some strange reason, I remembered the site as being much bigger.  We got rained on a bit as we ate our lunch amongst the ruins, but Rosie was covered in a little baby waterproof and what's a bit of rain?  We couldn't go into the church as there was a funeral being held there.

Tam set up a sat nav route on my phone to get me back via Devil's Bridge to the A44 -not as adventurous a route as I had imagined, and I remembered bits of it from a previous x-country route home, plus we went close to Hafod, so I remembered the area around there too.  It was shocking to see the damage wrought by last weekend's storm - pine trees the girth of a dustbin snapped in two, many many others uprooted - some in joined root systems which took half a dozen trees out as bedfellows.  Elderly Elders smothered in ivy had fallen out of hedgerows, a few shallow-rooted Beeches otherwise in their prime were felled, branches torn off, trees twisted in half the length of their trunks. Not far after coming out onto the A44, there was about an acre of conifers just absolutely torn and flattened - that was a BAD storm.  The only worse one I can recall was the Great Storm of 1987 which ravaged the South. One of the reroofed barns at Strata Florida had had several roof panels ripped off and a long length of lead capping ripped up and twisted.  

Here is a photo shamelessly borrowed from my Yahoo newsfeed tonight credit to NRW and Wales Online. THIS is just how badly Wales was hit.

It looks like a nuclear blast . . .

Above the roof of the old farmhouse, is a figure of a Pilgrim.  In the ladies' loo were a couple of hymns I remembered from school, including  To Be A Pilgrim: "He who would valiant be, Gainst all disaster. . ."

I have spent late afternoon and evening watching Outlander - the last two episodes from Series 7, then back to Series 6 which I didn't recall.  I've been listening to Drums of Autumn on Audible in the car too.

Christmas in Hay

 

I had a really LOVELY morning out in Hay yesterday, wandering slowly round the town, chatting to old friends, window shopping and a little spending too. This is Booth's shop window display. Do visit the link as it gives a history of the town and lotsof photos.  Unfortunately the bulk of MY photos are on my Panasonic camera and it transpires that the battery (which ran out yesterday) is a rechargable type and doesn't charge from the computer.  So I have just had to find a replacement battery and a charger and they won't arrive until Monday or Tuesday. So I won't be able to put the other photos up until then. The old battery lasted me YEARS and would charge through the computer but this one is not proving willing to do the same.

A nice take on the Nativity figures.  

Now for some window shopping . . .

Oops - sorry it didn't turn out very sharp. I took it from outside.

I just LOVED this Swallow (checked tails, and definitely not a Swift).  I didn't even check the price as it is NOT displayable in this household - if the cats didn't have it, then Rosie would! Plus certainly out of my price range - £200 or so at least I reckon.  I've just checked.  It's bronze.  Probably closer to 4 figures! One of those "Price on Application" pieces. Someone will have an amazing Christmas present.

 This shop always has a well-set out window display, but I have to say, apart from the little houses on the tatty trunk at the front, there is nothing I would like for my house!

A peek through the Window at Kath's shop, with the old dresser prettified with Emma Bridgwater? china.

This is the antiques shop which has lots of Units.  I went in for a snoop around (!) but the Unit contents are not that impressive.  Not one thing that I would have wanted to buy tbh.  I took inside photos but they are on the camera . . .

So, what did I buy?  Lunch.  Eaten in the car (bearing in mind I am a tightwad when it comes to grub and easily pleased, and the thought of forking out £15 for a sit down meal never surfaces).  It was a big open apple strudel sort of tart with icing round the edge and absolutely wonderful.  From that bakery I also bought a nice-looking Spicy Pasty for my tea, which was OK but not very tasty.  That was £3.   The market vendors - several do food - aren't very good value for money.  A chap was selling interesting-sounding nibbles but by gum, that's all they were, literally two mouthfuls of something (a tablespoon of filling to a little deep-fried shell) for £3.50 a hit.  They were tiny, but probably more tasty than the one I bought.

gz - the sock man is still there, and even still selling yellow boot socks!  I took photos of the market, but they are on the camera so will get put up next week.

I  spent an age in Booths, looking at craft books - but all the ones that interested me when Tam and I were there, have been sold and the current offering didn't tempt me.  However, I did spend £6.99 on a little book by Corinne Lapierre - 20 Festive Felt Decorations to Make, and I bought four squares of felt to make up Mistletoe and a lovely little embroidered Dala horse.  A night shift needs to come into play I think!

I had a leisurely stroll round the cooking part of the Ironmongers and bought a silicone baby food freezer tray for Rosie (to keep here as Tam has one at home) and a pack of 80 Jam/Preserves labels as I was nearly running out.  These should last a while.  The Red Cross shop had its Charity Christmas cards reduced to half price, so I stocked up there, with some nice ones which were a great improvement on the all-I-could-find pack from Builth.

Now, Friday morning and I have errands to run in town, so had best get myself suitably dressed.

Learning to laugh again

 Well, despite a broken night's sleep, I tucked the cats up in the house (making sure Pippi was in as I saw her on the lane yesterday . . . which always worries me so).  Getting fuel was not as straightforward as expected as with the small Asda shop and accompanying garage still closed due to the flooding last weekend, demand on fuel at the garage opposite had resulted in them being right out of Diesel and only two Petrol pumps still functioning.  I had 1/4 of a tank left, which should see me to Llandovery, but fortunately on the way I passed the garage at Garth, and quickly turned round and put some Diesel in on the principal that then at least I had enough in the car to get me to Tam's this week too, and I could top up at the cheap garage on the way to hers.  I didn't want to get to Llandovery and find out that I couldn't top up there (unlikely though that was).  I also passed the normally-expensive garage I'd forgotten about in Llanwrtyd Wells and it was the same price as everywhere else.

It was lovely seeing Pam again and we exchanged Christmas gifts and cards and had a good natter. She's pleased that she will be seeing me regularly again when I go to my quilting group.

I had my arms full of stuff to take into the group - a big bundle which was Gabby's quilt top, soft cotton batting and extra-wide backing, then my quilting bag full of accoutrements, and then the rather stiff folded-into-4 Victorian quilt, which everyone loved.  I've left Gabby's quilt top with Alex and will pick it up in the New Year.  Today I worked on measuring up the diamond template for the Victorian quilt, and extras as the quilt had the backing put on whilst the card templates were still in place.  Hence it is rather stiff to work with and I have to be careful that the velvet fabric I am sewing into does not pull away.  It's going to be very slow and steady.

It was lovely to be amongst old friends and meet new ones - there are three of us Jennies in a row!  I said I'll have to be called JenJen like I was in one of the offices I once worked in. The atmosphere was a happy one and several times I found myself laughing out loud - laughter has been somewhat in short supply this year.  In fact, I relaxed so much I became the person I was when I lived up the road and went every week.  I have definitely made the right decision going back. It was lovely to see people working on different things, some quite technical but when people say it's difficult, Alex always says, no it's not, it's EASY! and we believe her.  She has built up my confidence just in the short time I was there today.

I left early so as not to be driving back in the dark, and as the cats had been left since 10.30.  The first class of 2025 is 8th January, and I can't wait.  I think I will FINALLY start my William Morris heirloom quilt.  I've had the fabric about 6 years - the girls took me to Calico Kate's in Lampeter and bought all that I needed, bless them.

Now an evening of embroidery ahead and probably another Hardy film on iPlayer.  

I may go into Hay tomorrow, to get the last little bit of Jon's Christmas present and of course, to have a look around Booth's craft corner . . . Watch this space. 

'tis a struggle

 

A happy little memory of a day out for Keith and I on Hay market day. We always used to stop at this stall and buy a small cake each - Keith loved the Apple Strudel.  I used to get a patisserie cake with fresh fruit on the top.

The kitchen table is currently strewn with wrapping paper, a couple of wrapped presents, the library books which have not advanced further into the house yet, two partly-read newspapers, Christmas cards, an address book, a hot glue gun, 5  x JD Kirk novels to read, my camera and a couple of unopened white-envelope letters . . . I will crack on and finish the cards today.  I had to go out and get a pack yesterday as I didn't have as many as I thought.  The remaining selection down the town wasn't very inspiring, but short of going to Hay, the pack I got will have to do.

Alfie woke me, standing on me and wanting to Go Out, at 3.30. I couldn't get back to sleep so have come down for an hour, which is then going to upset my plans for the day as I'm off out to my Quilting Group this afternoon, and popping in to see my dear friend Pam beforehand. Timing also needs to factor in stopping for fuel and sorting out the ingredients for a lunchtime Car Picnic.  

I set to and stewed up another pound of windfalls yesterday and made two big Apple Gingerbread cakes.  I always use my 2lb loaf tins for them.  One for me/family and one to take along to the Quilting Group, as I always used to.  I could make this cake with my eyes shut as down the years it is the recipe I have made more than any other cake.  It is scrummy.  Here's the recipe.

I never bother with the icing - too much faffing around!

The A44 (main road to Aberystywth) is still partly closed because Storm Darragh ripped down power cables which lay across the road.  Tam was saying that it's partly open now (one lane) but hopefully when I go over on Friday or Saturday, both lanes will be open.  It truly was quite an epic storm as a local to Tam Facebook  group showed a picture of pine woodland about a mile up the road from Tam, and a swathe of it was absolutely FLATTENED.  It reminded me of a photo of the Siberian meteor event at Tunguska in 1908 - where the trees were blasted flat.  

Well, this won't do.  I need to finish those Christmas cards.