Hoe, hoe, hoe . . .

 Today has been another full-on day trying to sort through stuff in the outbuildings, as well as (me) wrapping up ceramics from the house.  This is such slow work but I am hoping that they are all safely wrapped and double-boxed so they won't get broken in transit.  Outside with Keith and Tam, we have been sorting out stuff for the next Trip to the Tip, going through gardening tools (we have 4 hoes, which is 3 more than we really need!) and I felt compelled to sweep up the masses of oak leaves strewn wetly across the yard.  When I had the horses, that yard was always impeccable - not a stray wisp of hay in sight, and it sends me a-twitching to see it half buried with leaves.

We also got leaves out of the only gutter we can reach, emptied an old stone sink of water and placed it on blocks, and filled with soil ready to be planted (if they are gardeners).  These Belfast sinks are far too heavy to take with us.

We have come to a decision on the lovely old Arts & Crafts dresser which was Keith's gran's.  We had been going to sell it with some other furniture from the house (to the buyers) but have decided it will go with us now instead.  Not sure where it will go yet but perhaps in the sitting room, if we arrange things properly.

I still have a long list of things to do, but tomorrow is another day and now I need to rest.

Little boxes, little boxes . . .

 Well, these ones I've been packing today are little enough but then go into BIG boxes for extra protection.  Some friends up the valley offered us some plastic packing boxes they had used (had no further used for them) so they dropped them round today.  I will have to take them a cake as a thank you as they are going to be very useful.  This morning, after going to Abergwili for fruit and veg and more banana and apple boxes, I came back and went straight into the Junk Room of Doom and packed up 7 banana boxes of books.  That went very quickly and I was pleased with myself.

Then I had to quickly go out to Maggie's stable to put a coat of paint on the dressing table which is for middle daughter G.  I had left around the mirror - back in August, when it was hot!  Today's stint in the stable wasn't anything like as comfortable.

Then it was back indoors and packing away my collection of Torquay pottery.  I had already packed two smallish boxes, very carefully wrapped, but this was a bit more of an ask.  It didn't look that much on the shelf, but then I remembered all the miniature ones on the little cupboard with shelves which has baking things like muffin cases, ginger and cinnamon, essences, glace cherries etc.  Those took forever to wrap up and box - fortunately I had quite a few smallish boxes which suited their size perfectly. Two of those big plastic boxes are now filled with boxes of Torquay ware.  Hopefully they will be doubly safe from breakage in there.

Time to go and unwind now and watch Strictly.  I can see I shall have to make an early start on some more china tomorrow . . .

A day like the Curate's Egg . . . good in parts, and Baking

 Positive things from today:  the old Doblo has been collected to go to scrap, plus a hugely heavy old cast iron oil fire which I knew we couldn't shift on our own, and a few other random bits of metal which hadn't already gone to the Tip.  Plus we got paid more for the car than expected, so a real bonus.  We'd have been happy to give it away, just to get rid of it.  

This is the little Arts & Crafts lamp we bought this week.  I need to give it a little clean up as there are noticable sharp dark streaks down the canopy/lid of it on one side.

This lovely old French ship's lamp has been carefully packed away ready to go to the new house.  We have a couple of these.

    I spent a lot of today in the kitchen, baking.  I made a Chocolate Apple Cake, Apple Dappy, and a big Granary loaf, and then Beef Cobbler (with cheesey scone topping) for our evening meal.  We will have the other half of it tomorrow night.  

A Day of Rainbows

 . . . with storm-clouds in the offing.  I spoke to our Solicitor today, and the wheels of house selling are moving very slowly right now.  It doesn't look like we will even be in before Christmas at this rate.   So Tam and I had the afternoon off and took a lovely walk up the valley for a couple of miles.  20,424 steps so far today.

One of the lovely rainbows which kept us company on our walks.  This has been a day of them.

Without the trees along the riverbank, you get a great view of our bridge.

Above and below - carnage.  I was upset to see that our farming neighbour along the valley had seen fit to decimate the woodland he had planted 15 or so years ago.  We actually saw him on the lane and I asked about it.  Oh, it was all Ash which had dieback (no, these were young healthy trees) and Willow - all trash.  I said it was such a loss of habitat.  He didn't seem bothered.

This looks like the remains of a plastic-covered  greenhouse? 

 

One of the loop walks we do comes down past this old house in the centre of the picture.

Here's where we turned round, just in sight of Nant Gwilw.

The low sun made the leaves on the Oak trees stand out against the mostly Alder and Ash woodland.

Hope for the future - Catkins forming already.

November flowers - Umbellifer (Common Hogweed I think).

Last glimpse of the rainbow.  There were lots this morning when we went to the Tip - it has been a day for them, all splendid and richly-coloured.

Getting paid for something - there's a novelty!

 

A photo from one of the happy carefree days last year (July 2019) - the view from the Botanic Gardens across to Paxton's Tower.

Today we took several antique items which were from stock and would not travel well to our new home.  Difficult shapes and/or easily broken.  Some dealer friends of ours bought several pieces off us and so now we don't have to travel with a large rigged wooden ship on someone's knee, or a wooden "cradle" for a Victorian scythe, or a French coopered toddler's feed/play chair on wheels.  See below - the  rake item in the middle is the Scythe Cradle and to its right is the little child's coopered chair.  It's designed so that they can't get out (!) and can have a meal on that tray or toys on it.  A sweet thing.

The Dairy Bowl and the Bushel (in the front) have been sold with the house (on a separate listing)so will add charm to a corner.

    After selling those items, we drove back across country - and boy, the weather was FOUL, constant drizzle and low cloud surrounded us, with light levels which put a very early end to the day.  Last week we had seen (and Tam and I had fallen for) a hanging copper Arts & Crafts lamp (with glass panels).  It was just what we wanted to go in the kitchen or hallway at our new home - so we bought it as a little indulgence.  I'm hoping we haven't tempted fate by buying it.  

    It was almost dark before 4 p.m. when I was outside picking up windfall apples to cook up.  This is a "sofa job" whilst watching Antiques Roadtrip.  I put all the (10 or so) big apples in the wok, and have a pan of cold water by my feet, and peel and chop the apples whilst relaxing and watching one of our favourite programmes.

    Tomorrow I want to sort all the lamps and shades that are going (I even know where they are!) and put them in the big oak coffer down in the Dairy flat for safe keeping on the removal journey.  There are some we bought years ago in boxes labelled "Lamp for new house".  

    I am feeling far more tired than I should be, so I think it will be an early night tonight.

The winter nights draw in and memories of houses past

 4.25 p.m. here and it's virtually dark.  I have helped Keith and Tam clearing the main shed today (I hardly dare call it Fahly's stable these days, though it was), cut back the spent and sagging stems of the Sedums, and cut back the big Hydrangea down in the little plot that was mum's.  I also cut back the other sprawling summer flowering plants, and then it came on to rain steadily and I had to retire indoors.

  Dyffryn Camp, dating to the Iron Age.

      There was another trip to the Charity Shop this morning, this time to the Green Shop in Llandeilo, who were pleased to be bequeathed yet more balls of  wool, a lap quilt made for my late m-in-l, a hand-quilted pre-printed quilt top that never got made up into a quilt, one of those Indian or Chinese-sewn patchwork quilts which once graced mum's bed, some books, some wide scarves/shawls (how did I come to have over 15?!), handbags, and some clothing and Victorian jugs from jug and basin sets where they were the only thing to survive.  I am glad they will be able to earn the charity some money from them.

    This afternoon Tam and I had to collect some medication for me from the Pharmacy and we stopped off at Abergwili for more banana boxes to pack books in, as well as salad stuff and some apples.  Whilst I have enough apples to keep an army going, none of them are eaters.

    The living room is strewn with detritis from yesterday's foray into the back of the Junk Room of Doom.  Lots of old paperwork of Keith's, plus family photographs over a century old - Great Uncle George when out in India around 1910, pictured sat with his fellow team-mates from the Hockey team, and lots of trophies and awards in front of them.  Great Uncle George sat in his Masonic regalia, with his Indian Lodge.  Not photos to necessarily display, but certainly ones to keep for family history's sake.

    Wedding photos too of Uncle George and Aunty Ethel, long pushing up daisies.  She had a stunning bouquet of orchids and flowers and a long lace veil embroidered with flowers.  Family members to each side for bride and groom, looking quite solemn considering it was a wedding.  

    Flat and house purchase details from half a lifetime ago, and more recently, details of houses we viewed in hope.  We could recall them all, and in most cases they didn't suit at all when you got there and had a proper look.  One place had 5 doors/staircases coming and going from the main central room which rendered it into a large hallway, and the chap's sons' rooms reeked of smelly socks and trainers and in both cases the lads had clearly just been hauled out of bed but stayed defiantly in their rooms whilst we peeked in the door and thought, this is not the house for us!

    Another house had a spectacular view across a valley strewn with apple orchards, but was approached by a steep flight of steps downwards - that was no good to us with all our boxes of stock which we took to Fairs, plus the kitchen was of a 1970s ilk (and not the best look from that time) and a later addition to extend the property in one direction made the rooms it was extended from very dark and gloomy and to no end as it just provided a corridor and a storage room to the side which had the lovely view.

    Another was one Keith really fell in love with, as it had an Arts & Crafts look and a fabulous staircase, but it was all about the staircase and all the other rooms (bar the living room) suffered for it.  I could see it, but he couldn't see further than the staircase, unfortunately, and anyway, it was just a field away from a very busy road.

    We still regret not being able to buy a fabulous historic old hall in Shropshire, with a garden full of David Austin roses (70 of them), soft fruit, orchards - oh it was so US, but then it would have begun to be a burden by now - if I find 4 apple trees a problem in a bumper harvest year like this, imagine how I would have felt when  terrorized and held to ransom by an orchard of them! I have picked up a wheelbarrow full of spent fruit from the path today - hate to not be able to rehome it or use it but when you have hundredweights of fruit on a tree, you are bound to lose the fight!

    Now I need to go and check on my bread dough and put a meal on for Keith.  

If I were a Reindeer, I'd be Dasher

 Oh goodness, there is little time to sit and relax right now.  I dash from one job to the next, and am about to dash off to the Charity Shop with another lot of "stuff".  

Desirable seaside properties at Aberporth last week.

I counted the duvets last week and a recent cull had got them down to the correct numbers (some being Tam's).  There are some quilts-from-the-past to go to the Charity shop today - a mass-produced hand-sewn one, a hand-quilted "top" which needs making up, a lap quilt I made for my late mother-in-law etc.  All the others, and pillows, duvets and cushions have been squished into vacuum bags and take up a lot less room now.  

Now I must away to the Charity shop.  Wish we had a moving date . . .