Back into a routine again - oh and update: Elephant hawkmoth caterpillars (at end).

 Wonderful sunshine here again today and not as oppressive as it's been the past couple of days as there is a good breeze blowing.  I stripped the beds first thing, and intend to do four lots of washing to get it out and dried before we are back to rain again.  I have a loaf in the breadmaker, have put the rubbish out, emptied the compost bin and been down to town for the paper.  I also got a walk in early, down on the Groe and fell into conversation with a lovely Irishmen who bred Section A ponies.  Now I must make the beds before I forget and it's bedtime and I'm staring at a bare mattress, which has happened before!

    On the Sunday at the Fair, I met some really lovely people, and had great conversations and of course, saw old friends.  THAT is what keeps me going - meeting like-minded people.  One lady bought both the Gwili bowls from me (her husband treated her to the 2nd) and told me she was SO happy to have them, and I was delighted for her. It also boosts my ego to be told by customers and especially by fellow dealers, that I have some lovely stock. I will see where we are in the spring, as Tam and Jon will happily come and help out, but it depends on the state of play with Keith's health.  Buying a few bits here and there keeps us both going, even though Keith finds it hard to get to the Fairs now, but we are hopeful he will be a bit perkier for Carmarthen Flea in a couple of weeks' time.

    A few photos from Builth Fair for you now.  Enjoy.

This chap had come all the way down from Scotland!

I had a lovely chat with the chap who had this gorgeous quilt for sale (£365 or so).  His stock in trade was beautiful old Persian rugs.  This was double-sided - imagine the work!

Neighbours, stand-wise, who bought a few pieces off me. We had similar tastes.

This stand always has hundreds of bits of china and glass. Oh my goodness, the setting up and putting away - it would drive me MAD! I filmed it through a net curtain they had up, hence the blurring.

As you can see, people have all sorts.

Right, I'd best go and make the beds now.  Keith is manouvering with a walking stick today but by 6 ish is really tired and it's still hard work getting him to bed a few hours later.

Here is Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar - one which I found beside the front path the other day and rescued to the Rosebay Willowherb plantation.  This afternoon, as I was reading my book, Pippi bought another one in and laid it on the carpet!  I promptly rescued that, and as I was coming back down to the yard, she had found another.  Well, all rescued and hopefully as she seems to have a soft mouth like a Retriever, they are none the worse for their experience.  Shows that the Elephant Hawk Moths have been busy in our garden anyway.  The first year we had much less wildlife as the last owners used chemical sprays everywhere.  I only remember bees on the Lavender.

A funny sort of week

Pretty sunrise clouds from last week sometime.  However, in the way of much of August so far, I think it came on to rain later - thus proving the old saying, Red Sky in the Morning, Shepherd's Warning . . .



I had a silly old day the Saturday before last, when first of all I managed to tangle my feet up as one of them encountered the coffee table leg (which is a strange semi-circular shape and sticks out from the top) and I fell flat.  Later, hurrying to get the paper, I rounded a low wall too sharply, hit my thigh and my keys fell out of my pocket as I lurched, but I stopped myself from falling over.  I got right through until gone 6 p.m. before the 3rd thing - I was making pizza for Tam and her partner, and we'd used a small tin of Anchovies.  Normally I get a glass jar of them but they had suddenly shot up in price and I got the cheaper tin.  Never again - I was rinsing it out under the tap, went to push the lid down with my thumb and the lid sprung sideways and I nearly sliced my thumb off on the edge of it. It was as sharp as a razor blade. There was blood everywhere! That necessitated a trip straight to A&E where it was glued back together very efficiently and a big fat dressing and finger-stall put on.  That stopped me doing anything much for a couple of days, although I was still able to drive with it and we did a small Fair on the Sunday.  It is healing well now but I put a fabric plaster on if I am doing anything messy, to keep it clean whilst it heals.   So, gardening is off . . .

Tam and Zane went away for a couple of days and I decided to go for a walk to explore a new trackway which a neighbour (who had bought the land) had generously given me permission to use.

So I walked along by the river, which now has some water in it again . . .

Then up towards Ty Coch and through a gateway.  It looked very inviting, and I was thinking to myself, oh, this could be my new favourite walk . . .

However, just around this bend I encountered some goodly growth of Himalayan Balsam, but nothing so bad that I couldn't find my way through as it wasn't entirely covering the track.

However, I got to the quarry, and the trackway beyond that was 5 feet deep (and more) in tall Himalayan Balsam and though I tried to get through it, I'd have needed a machete, so I turned round and headed back the way I had come.

A shame, as the views through the trees were very pretty.  I may try again (wearing walking boots) when the Balsam has died down a bit this autumn, but probably then it will be ankle-deep in mud.

Near the old Mill, this Soapwort was flowering.  I have seen it there in the past and often wondered if the housewives of old used this to soap their clothes. 

Back at home, I noticed (for the first time in years) this huge Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar amongst the herbage (cut-back Codlins and Cream, which is its plant food).  I wish I had seen its parents flying about the place as they are equally huge.

Anyway, today we have been up to Malvern Fleamarket, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but poor Keith was asleep with his nose practically on his knees for a good bit of the way back.  He's coming down with a cold and getting up at 4 a.m. just brought it on a bit sooner I think.  An early night for us tonight.