That's it - our holiday for the year is over!

Well, that's it for another year.  Our do-it-in-a-day go away holiday.  We had sold a chest of drawers we won't be taking with us when we are able to downsize and needed to deliver it to a friend in deepest Dorset.  We set off Saturday morning, and had a lovely visit with her and her family, looking over their new house (much to do - reminds me of when we first came here, 28 years ago).  I will respect her privacy by not showing any photos, but believe me, it is a lovely spot, and I want her orchard!!

We spent Saturday night at a camp site in Cheddar.  Very convenient - you could walk up into the town, BUT boy was it noisy.  I had forgotten quite how noisy it is when you are in a tent and can hear the least thing.  Let alone passing traffic (the nearby road turned into Le Mans after dark), the barrage of Fireworks in a field close to the site, followed by the Disco with the most awful music (I could have enjoyed 60s or 70s stuff!), then drunken revellers with loud voices returning to their tents and talking outside for ages, then a late returning car passing our tent. Not to mention people snoring, yappy dogs barking etc.   This would have been just about bearable had there not been an extremely loud church clock striking EVERY quarter throughout day and night.  We were extremely bleary-eyed after that, I can tell you!

Of course, we couldn't leave the area without going down Cheddar Gorge (and we had to drive up it in order to come down again.)  We stopped several times for me to take photos.  They are a bit hit and miss because I was so tired, but you get the general idea.  It is hard to imagine that it was once the most immense cave which lost its roof . . .

This cave entrance (crawling in!) was close to the road and some work had been done on it recently to clear debris.  I'm not sure whether this was done by potholers or archaeologists.

There were feral goats, and some Soay sheep grazing the steep valley sides.  A perfect location for them.

As you can see, nature has made the most of what is available and slippered itself into every nook and cranny!

Well, we had stayed at Cheddar because we had heard there was a HUGE car boot sale there every Sunday (along with market stalls too).  Of course, that was a temptation too great to pass by (much as I wanted to spend the night down on the Moor and have my fill of Dartmoor for the year.)  Had we had a better night's sleep we could still have had the day down there, but it was not to be.

Anyway, the car boot sale WAS huge, and we spent three hours walking round, buying some nice pieces for the Unit, and just generally relaxing.  We found a little cafe that did a good cup of Earl Grey, which please my OH.  We had started the day (at 5 a.m.) on very basic rations!  Home-made Banana flapjacks, but no hot cuppa.

Then it was time for home.  We didn't linger because we were both so tired.  We got back indoors mid-afternoon, which hadn't been our original intention, but at least the cats were glad to see us early (not that they had starved as a neighbour had been down to feed them).  Now it's back to normal and a huge clean up before T and her boyfriend arrive at the weekend.

Hoping against hope - house hunting in Herefordshire

There's a lot of "H"s there.  A bit like "In Hertfordshire Hurricanes Hardly ever Happen"!  You will have to indulge me - or should that be Humour?!

Yesterday we set off to view two properties in the area between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.  No, we haven't got a buyer yet, but felt it was a good idea to check out two of the possibles on our list.  A friend has got an offer on her house and has been rushing round viewing properties, but faces losing her buyer as the property she has offered on has a vendor who also hasn't gone out looking yet.  I suppose there are two schools of thought, but we are in the camp that feels you should be able to move quickly if necessary.

I persuaded K to stop near Bwlch at the head of the Usk Valley so I could take some photos.  I've taken them there before, but couldn't resist the views.

It's a little further out than we ideally want to be, but it's tempting to consider properties this side of Abergavenny . . .

The fields lay dreaming . . .

We were early at the first house, so drove beyond it to the nearest village to see what it had to offer.  I had only seen the village on Google-earth, but it was every bit as pretty in reality.  A quiet, pleasant place with a pub, but not much else.

The house was one which, on screen, I had picked up on a lovely peaceful atmosphere.  Yes, it is a good deal smaller than our house, but suited us on all sorts of levels.  It was light and homely, with French windows out of the kitchen to the wrap-around garden (I've always wanted French windows!) It had an Aga-style cooker which provided cooking, heating and hot water (perfect). It had a small greenhouse and room for a polytunnel, and a big double garage for K's workshop/storage.  Two wood-burning stoves, and a master bedroom with a double aspect and en-suite.  Lots of boxes ticked. I was amazed to see a copy of a book about Edward Thomas on the coffee table and in the next room, scanned their bookshelves for more - which there were - and I had to be dragged from the room before I sat down and started browsing them!  So - we shall see what transpires.  A miracle may happen to send a buyer here for our house . . .

Anyway, our viewings on the two properties were mid-day and 2.30 so we had even more time to kill before the next viewing 2 miles up the road.  So we drove into Fownhope and stopped for a pub lunch, which was excellent.  Near the pub was this pretty cottage - it would do nicely but were it on the market, would probably be above our budget.

Although we ate slowly, we still had time to kill so after a walk around the village we drove up past the next cottage to get our bearings, and took some photos from the top of the hill.

Looking back at the village.

This was the view across the valley from above the next cottage, looking over at apple orchards.  It was a sublime spot, but unfortunately not the right place for us, as no outside storage and a steep flight of steps which although OK in the normal run of things, would have not been such fun when packing/unpacking for a Fleamarket or Antiques fair . . .  A shame as the garden had quite a few established apple and plum trees, something I always look for.

A glimpse of the lovely cottage.  Someone will fall in love soon I am sure.

Summer is passing so swiftly and there is more than a touch of Autumn in the air now, especially when it is a cold wet morning as it is today.  The red in the hedgetop hawthorn growth and sycamores and the Scarlet Herb Robert has passed and the predominant colours of the verges are pinky purple and lilac and cream from Willowherbs,  Knapweed, Thistles, Meadow Cranesbill, Purple Vetch, foaming Meadowsweet and tall Umbellifers of every description.

A breath of sea air

As you will have seen from the change of header photo, we headed for the nearest bit of beach earlier in the week.  Our nearest beach is either at Llansteffan or opposite at Ferryside.  Both have good clean sandy beaches.  One of the first things we saw was this upended jellyfish.  It was interesting to see what it looked like underneath - 6 central bits, and then 12 external divisions and 12 arms . . .  I think it is probably a Moon Jellyfish.

Here on the beach, looking across the estuary mouth of the River Towy, towards Pendine in the foreground, and Rhossili Downs in the distance, which is where I clambered a year ago with daughter Tam and my friend Deb.  I couldn't manage it at the moment as I have scarcely walked all summer (though I did do a walk today and surprised myself by getting up our steep hill with just one stop.)

Rounding the point past the castle, and looking across Scott's Bay towards the last spike of land on the Laugharne side.

Looking up at Llansteffan Castle.  Neither of us could face the prospect of climbing up there, and we settled for a beach stroll rounded off with sitting on a bench with an ice cream.

The trees are bent sideways by the wind, and grow nearly to the beach.

The retreating tide left some pretty patterns in the sand.

The clouds were starting to stack up as we looked back up the Towy estuary.  In 1971 and 1972 I stayed with a penpal who lived in a cottage up on the far hillside.  I thought it was so beautiful in Carmarthenshire and it was the main reason we ended up here!  She had to move, but the odd thing is our eldest daughter's best friend lived next door to my penpal's cottage. . . . a few years on of course.

Iscoed Mansion - or the remains of it - snuggled into the hillside.  General Picton lived there.  Sadly it was destryed by fire and is now just a lofty ruin.

More clouds arriving over the cockle beds.

Looking back towards the cottages which fringe the beach, with a lovely house on the hillside which reminds me of the ones in the Puddle Lane childrens' books my girls used to have, back in the day . . . Gosh - that's just brought back some memories . . .  Old Mr Gotobed, The Gruffle and the Griffle and many more!

One last look up the beach, and grandad is doing well with the kite-flying.

The beautiful kitchen garden at Chatsworth

Pictures, rather than words today.  I wish I could grow huge rows of SLUG-FREE Delphiniums here!

Achillea looks wonderful en masse like this.

Love in a Mist - Nigella sativa.

Drifts of Campanula.

I think this is Variegata di Bologna rather than Rosa Mundi.

A pretty unnamed rambler.

Colour everywhere.

Camera shake, but it looks rather nice like this . . .

Almost black sweet peas.

Then finally, it was on the bus back home, with Sheffield in the distance . . .

Lastly, an update on the grotty corner:

From this -

To this -

All my potted roses enjoying the sunshine there now.  I did a bit of "sweeping under the carpet" on that left wall as where there was some loose sand left that was hard to shovel up, I just swept it against the wall, put compost on top and planted it with (on left) scented leaf Geraniums, and further in, several pots of Dahlias which needed to get in the soil.  Now I am totally shattered . . .

A quick random catch up post

Just a quick catch-up post or such things will lose all relevence.  This is the book I treated myself to at Chatsworth.  I can recommend it - some lovely recipes, and not just what it says on the cover, but baking too, as a way of using up your preserved goodies.  I don't often pay full price for books, but on this occasion I had a Sod-it moment.

I bought this too.  The print is the same as one of the beautiful wallpapers in the house.  It was £6 - I'd normally pay that for a pack of lesser teatowels - and I can't quite bring myself to use it yet!  I feel it ought to be framed!

One job done - cutting back, weeding and some extra plants in the apple tree bed.  The French Lavender came from Lidl recently, where they had a two for £6 offer.  I got two white ones too, which are in pots.

Tidying up along the path edge too as the ferns had grown so enthusiastically you couldn't pass without getting soaked.

After the chap had come to clean the guttering and windows, I had little alternative but to do the insides too.  The dining room windows (20 panes) are a right royal pain . . .  All those corners.

Another job to be done, but fortunately NOT one with my name on it.

Work in progress.  OH fitting the new catflap in the new door which we bought on Ebay and had a lovely little jaunt down to the hills above Neath to collect.

This was the view from the chap's house where we went to collect the door.

And the remains (nearby) of what must have been Neath Castle.  But I digress . . .

Fitted and awaiting my painting . . .

Another corner (by the gate) which desperately needed tidying up.  I think we get so used to seeing it we don't realize how awfully untidy it looks.

Still a work in progress, but MUCH better than it was . . .

Oh, and I forgot my home grown garlic, now dried and as of yesterday, roughly plaited up.  Three plaits, so enough for one each for me and our daughters.  You can tell it's home grown as the root bases are still grubby . . .

Today I am dissecting too-narrow curtains to make up into a pair that fits . . .