Finally, Llanarchaeron revisited

 

There are two cats at Llanarchaeron.  This is the mardy one - an elderly stray who took up residence but hisses at you if you approach . . .

As you can see, the brewing of beer was very important to the Estate.

As was bread making. There would have been several of these dough bins, which sell as decorative items for farmhouses now . . .

Part of the dairy, where cheese making was carried out.  The slate slabs kept everything cool.

For several years I had the top half of one of these butter makers down in our Dairy at Ynyswen.  Many had a Haverfordwest maker.  There's another complete one in Carmarthen museum, if you're down that way.

 

The loose boxes with hay racks.  Below, an unusual design of hay rack with the back built into the wall.  Not seen that elsewhere.

The tack room, with below, side-saddles.

The kitchen garden, with lots of herbs, flowers for cutting and fruit trees.

The bees absolutely adored this Wall Germander, so it's on my planting list for next year.

Well, this hasn't been the best week here - Keith has a UTI and for the first 4 days the antibiotics he was given didn't work at all.  He's got some different broad-spectrum ones now and they seem to be helping.  Broken nights this week and the previous one haven't helped Keith at all.  I stupidly forgot to give him his lunchtime pills on Thursday and then got the time wrong for his appt. with the PD nurse - she phoned and we got in as last appt. of the day.  Of course, by the time it came to leave, Keith was tottering so much when he stood up from the wheelchair and I don't know how we managed to get him in the car.  They wished me well the other end - and I was dreading it - but we managed it somehow.  Anyway, Keith's sudden worsening of symptoms generally has resulted in being booked in (God knows when that will be) with the Geriatric consultant at Hereford.  I am praying that the appts. with the MSK physio will help his neck and mobility, as that is what has made him find getting around so difficult as it greatly affects his balance for the worse.

PD nurse is also going to get someone out to try and improve on our method of Keith getting up and out of bed in the middle of the night - she didn't seem at all impressed with what we had in place!  (Heath Robinson and all that . . .)

I have just been out in the garden, having a sort out and taking a saw to the Mullein and then the reverted rose.  It's been here many years but just puts out white single-petalled roses now and does nothing for the look of the garden.  I am thinking about planting an apple tree there instead - perhaps a dark red crab apple.

The low wooden fence fronting a rhododendron has started to collapse from rot, so that will need replacing too. Getting someone to do it will cost more than the fencing!  I may have to try and do it myself.

Today I went to St Mary's Church at Clifford near Hay-on-Wye, so will write that up tomorrow.  

Enjoy your weekend.