St Meilig's Church, Llowes

 

I have three churches to write up.  This is the middle of the 3 I've visited.  If I had a pound for every time we've driven past it down the years, I'd get a decent holiday!  This is St Meilig's Church, at Llowes (not far from Clyro and Hay-on-Wye).  Of course, it's position means that it has links with the Rev. Francis Kilvert - see photos at the bottom.

HERE is an excellent link to the history of the church, and St Meilig too.

Common Mallow growing over a grave.

Stunning hinges on the door into the Church.

A choice of two fonts - the one below was found in a nearby garden, used for flowers!  It is said to be Early English or Norman.  The one above is Victorian, dating from the restoration of the church mid-19th Century.

Sorry this isn't very legible.

This is what I really came to see and it didn't disappoint. The Llowes Cross. Info about it is on the link HERE 2, which is the same link as that higher up the page.

Looking towards Hay Bluff and the Black Mountains.

Meadow Cranesbill.

Sorry, this was meant to be a more in-depth post about the church and the wonderful cross.  I am on my own here and have really struggled with Keith today.  I'll spare you the details but he nearly fell when I was getting him back into bed.   I have another 3 weekends on my own, and am just not strong enough to manhandle him (nor should I be doing so), and I have had to ask the girls if they can help and Tam said she'd be over.  I'd be ok if we had the Carers in place, so Gabby is going to chase those up.  It's a case of waiting for a care agency to pick up the work and could be a couple of months or more.  I am feeling very down in the dumps now and of course, have got none of Gabby's quilt sewn.

An Indulgence

 I rather think I've earned it.  I now have 3 days without D, E & I, so hope to play catch up with sewing and, weather, permitting, garden.  Just hoping I can cope with getting Keith in and out of the bed for Necessary Reasons.  With an empty house, the Atmosphere has gone too . . .  The freezer is working well and being a table-top size, once the old under counter one is out, I have a bit more room in the Utility.  Perhaps Keith's folding wheelchair can be tucked away then

This is my treat - the pattern for Abe's Garden quilt.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I like that I can hand quilt as I go because it's in sections. One for next year I think.  I really love the central roundel and the little Double Pinwheels .  I've not tried those before.  One to take my time over and hopefully little bits from my stash can be employed. It came from a Dutch shop that I was following on Instagram.  I know - I will probably never even start it, but I can dream.

Meanwhile I have screwed up big-time with the hand-quilted border pattern for the applique centre quilt I've gone back to, which I retraced with a very slightly deeper blue marker pen (only one I could get).  The light wasn't good and the 2nd tracing is a bit off so I will have to wet it, dry it and start again . . .  Frustrating.  Back to Gabby's quilt over the weekend.  Though that has it's own frustrations as the layout for it (only just found it in colour) is nothing like my blocks, so I shall just sew them in strips and Gabs will have to use it like that.  (Update - just found some darker colours which iron out, so have ordered them.  Delivery tomorrow . . . sometimes it has to be done!)

Another (necessary this time) purchase was a pretty floaty summer top and new stretchy jeans from Cotton Traders.  Both were in the sale. I can see me turning into Granny C, who used to buy her clothes from Damart when she could no longer get into Stockport to the Sales.  She was also very hot on ironing, and would tell ME off for not ironing the heavy cotton sheets we had inherited from her . . . .  

I've just had to change my shoes and socks, which were sopping wet from going out and dead-heading roses, and tidying up around Jude the Obscure.  Lesser Willowherb, wild Raspberries (have MASSES of them here), Nettles and grass all grubbed out or cut.  I will do more clearing later.  

A Wayleave cheque has arrived from the National Grid for their electricity poles on our land.  That has covered the cost of buying Tam's little freezer almost to the penny.  Good timing.

Here are some reflections from Crossing the Mountains yesterday.  Either side of the mountains the roadside flowers became Meadow Cranesbill, Meadowsweet, Wild Carrot and other umbellifers, lemon and scarlet streaked Horseshoe Vetch tumbling over the hot kerbstones and hedgerow tangles of my favourite, Tufted Vetch.

Foxgloves and Buttercups jitterbugging from passing cars.  Beyond a screen of roadside Nettles and Sorrels, Purple Thistles sway.  A rocky stream threads its way through boulders and shingle spits.  Scads of white freckles of Heath Bedstraw embellish the moor grass. The wind chases clouds across the skyline, where a meandering row of fenceposts lean above the wind-combed grasses.

Day one on my own nearly over, but Keith has been really stroppy tonight.  I'm trying to make him comfortable, but he is fighting that.  Bet he's good as gold for the D. Nurse tomorrow.

Off to borrow a freezer

 I will have to get D to help me haul the old one out to go to the Tip - though he'll have to come with me as they don't help you unload the other end . . .I'm off after breakfast to Aberystwyth to borrow a small freezer Tam has going spare.  It will be a flying visit.

The main problem yesterday was Keith's new painkillers - we had gone from a spoonful of Oramorph now and again to a stick on patch, which made him so spaced out and - frighteningly - then unable to swallow.  I ripped the wretched thing off (having left a message for the D. Nurse) and apparently did the right thing.  The effects soon wore off and I was able to get his meds down him, but he didn't eat much yesterday apart from rice puddings.  

I had a stupid falling out over ironing something earlier too, so something of an atmosphere here then.  I hope that the air clears today.  Having spent large chunks of my childrens' childhood ironing clothes and bedding, folding things neatly to go away, things seem to have changed for the younger generation.

Thanks for your kind comments.

It's a struggling sort of day

 

Sorry, having an anxiety ridden day today.  Will try and post when I can.

Update:  Made even BETTER by the freezer dieing on me.  Hoping changing the fuse may bring it back to life but have lost half the contents and will have to very quickly cook up chicken breasts etc.

A Quick Round-up

 

Rosa Violette - a rambler tolerant of poor soils . . . just as well, as that's what we have here alright!  It was being over-shaded by the beech trees at the end of the pond, so Danny and I pulled down overhanging branches at the weekend and cut them back so it has a bit more light.  I need to get a tree surgeon in over the winter to cut them back harder.

Today Tam has the dentist in Llandeilo again - just 1/4 hour appt this time thank heavens - and so I will have Rosie to entertain.  I could have done without the hour's drive to Llandeilo though, as it's the worst thing for my sore foot.  I shall have to trial various shoes to see which ones offer most protection when driving.

I have just been mending a hole on the heel of my favourite (Seasalt) socks, which have black and white cats on.  I was minded of the only times I saw my mum sewing - threading a darning needle with whatever colour cotton that came to hand, to mend the shoulder strap on her vest.  Sewing was NOT one of her skills, yet her mother made all the childrens' clothes and was a very good seamstress.  I get a bit of that from her, though I prefer hand-stitching (embroidery and quilting) and obviously use the sewing machine for quilt-making.  The only clothes I've ever made myself were maternity nighties when I was pregnant with Tam. I won't count the sleeveless, collarless, everythingless blouse I made in Needlework at school which, by the time I'd eventually finished it, didn't even fit! This is what you get when you dishearten your pupil by making her unpick even her TACKING STITCHES time after time because they weren't neat enough!

I made a lovely Oaty loaf at the weekend.  Needless to say THAT didn't last long!  Fresh home made bread never does . . .

In the greenhouse, my cucumbers have FINALLY - we are in JULY - decided they might grow beyond one inch high and I potted them on yesterday.  When (IF?) they get a bit more vigorous I will put them in the top polytunnel. I don't know if it was the compost (think that didn't help - I have baby Hollyhocks with yellowing leaves) or the temperatures - cold at night and too hot some days or what.  NOT a good year for growing anything. However, some things are growing happily.  Here's a photo of the Cranesbills I planted along the top of the old mansion house wall last year:

(We will pretend that the tall grass behind it doesn't exist . . .)

I even got up onto the bank and cleared head-height nettles and Enchanters' Nightshade from around my DH rose Jude the Obscure, who loves it up there and has put out so many blooms this year.  I let the Hedge Woundwort stay to keep it company though. See photo below.

D. Nurse not due until Thursday now (back to twice a week instead of daily) so that's a positive.  

I need to cook tonight's meal after breakfast, as Tam & Rosie are staying the night and so I can't get to five minutes before I eat before deciding what it will be! and it would be nice if I could do a few more blocks of Gabby's quilt this morning.  I need to retrace the quilting pattern on the border for the applique centre quilt too as it's come through too faint.  It doesn't help that the fabric is almost the same colour as the marker pencil.  

Right, time to take the recycling and rubbish up the lane and get my prescription and Keith's newspaper in town.