Feeling ghastly

 I got thoroughly chilled at the Wassailing yesterday (we were stood around for nearly 2 hours before they went down to the orchard).  I must have been brewing something as when I drove home, I couldn't warm up and in the house, I began to shiver and my teeth were chattering and I was in bed at 8.30, with about a dozen layers of quilts and blankets on top of me and a hotty botty (bed heater had been on too).  It was a long night - my bladder was very painful and I was up and down to the loo all night, and had to take Ibuprofen in the end and finally slept a bit then.

Tam is coming over today.  I tried to persuade her I was better just tucked up on the sofa but she insisted on coming to look after me.  I think I will be sleeping most of the day . . .  Wassailing post when I am better.

Having a purpose in life

 I don't like complaining, but on checking through my Plusnet account, I found that I had not been compensated for the lengthy outage in October, so yesterday I made phoning them a priority, to chase this payment up.  I spoke to a very helpful girl, who put me on hold (with the most ghastly background music) whilst she spoke to someone about it, and was finally told I'd be having £78.08 credited to my account.  So, nearly three months of broadband free. Follow up emails and confirmation of £75 (that'll do) compensation came in due course.  So that's a positive.  Now need to try and get BT to cough up the payment for the cheque that got put in a drawer here and forgotten - it was a repayment for phone and broadband at Ynyswen.  Twice the have told me it will be sorted, and nothing happened.  So, Monday I shall get onto them again.  All incoming monies gratefully received.

Roll on summer (Wisteria at Powys Castle).

Neighbour's friend came up for a chat again yesterday, and helpfully went up the taller stepladder and put some of the masking tape up in the guest bedroom.  He's popping back this morning to finish it off for me, but told me I was NOT to go on the top step of the ladder to paint when I was on my own, as said steps felt a bit wobbly. I will make sure I only do the top bits when Tam is here.  She's coming over on Sunday so if I do all the top bits whilst she's here, I should be ok to do the lower walls with the shorter ladder.

I made a couple of Apple Gingerbread cakes yesterday, and froze one.  Knowing I was to have a visitor gave me a sense of purpose.  That is something rather lacking since I have been on my own. Meals are a bit haphazard - no trying out new recipes - and I fall back on meals I know off by heart how to make, and usually have some for the night and portions for the freezer.  But having a reason to bake is always good and I love to bake.  The door to the top freezer got pushed open the other night and so I had a pack of 4 pieces of Plaice in breadcrumb to be eaten as they had thawed totally (other stuff ok). I managed to eat plaice two nights running before I couldn't face a third and the Carrion Crows benefitted! I'll be back late from the Wassailing today so will have to get something I made earlier out to thaw.  Cajun Dirty Rice perhaps.

Happier days - the kitchen at  Ynyswen.  Flowers from the garden. I must plant more cutting flowers here.

I'll do the Wassailing post tomorrow.  Meanwhile, I have a Hot Date with a vacuum cleaner . . .

Birdsong

 For a little while yesterday, just a little while, with the sun out, it felt like spring.  I wasn't out in it long as I had to drive to Tam's, and it took 2 hrs to get there as I got stuck behind a couple of slow vehicles and the road does not lend itself to overtaking in many places.  I decided not to fret and just plod and enjoy the scenery around me. It had been very foggy overnight but had cleared to a beautiful sunny day when I set off after breakfast.

I pulled into a layby on the way, as I wanted to take photos of another area laid to waste recently by Storm Darragh.  This pine woodland was on the hillside and just this one swathe had been taken out and reduced to splinters by a sudden extra-strong gust.

There had been a very hard frost, and this area and others in the valley bottom and side which don't get much sun, stayed frosted all day.

The hills give rough grazing to sheep and whilst you might think there it very unwelcoming countryside, you can just make out a little farmstead near the right hand side of the photo. I think the farmstead is in the trees, but this is an outbuilding and a trailer I reckon.

The birds also note the slow lengthening of the days and I noted this morning there is the start of a tentative dawn chorus, which is a real positive.  I noted it today because I had to take out the corpse of a little chestnut brown Field Mouse (they have white tummies and big ears too and are seriously Cute . . .) which the girls had run to earth under my BED! I was woken by frantic carpet-scratching in the vicinity of my head beneath the bed and hanging out of said bed, could see Lulu scrabbling at an upturned box of tissues.  They do stake-outs on the cupboard under the stairs where I keep the bedlinen and whatever useful boxes of Stuff I can shove in there, so I guess this mouse ventured forth.  This old house has walls lined with pitch pine tongue and groove and I think they must have made their way in behind them over the years.  Part of the house is also below ground level so I guess that is where they gained entry.

I spent the day at Tam's playing with Rosie (who wants to try standing without holding on now) and tackling the washing up mountain.  I think I must have washed and dried just about every piece of cutlery, every pan, several big oven dishes and various plates, bowls and mugs.  I could clock Jon one for never doing it (and Tam claims Rosie needs her attention . . .)  She actually got several consecutive hours sleep recently and came down with some energy, but that was a one off.  Rosie has been diagnosed with Eczema and has also been constipated, so neither of those conditions have helped her sleep at nights and she may wake up to 20 times.  Jon has Eczema and I have the Asthma gene (which is connected to Eczema) so I really hope she doesn't go on to develop Asthma.

It was the most beautiful late afternoon drive home. I wish there had been somewhere to stop as the road climbed up into the mountains out of Aber, as the sun on the dead bracken was so beautiful.  I stopped at a layby higher up though - this is a favourite view of mine - and took a few photos of the lengthening shadows.

Today I have the heater boiler service so need to turn it off in the cupboard - I need to GET into the cupboard first as it is blocked with 3 different sized baby car seats, cat food boxes, bottles of fizzy mineral water etc.  I may be gone some time . . .

Yawning - and a recipe for Lemon Curd Biscuits

 Whenever I need to be away early the next day, I have a broken night's sleep the previous night, and today is no exception (nor was yesterday).  Yesterday I was seeing my friend Pam before I went to the Quilting group, was awake for 3 hrs in the night, and didn't wake again till 8.30.  I didn't get much done at Quilting group - too much background noise spoils concentration but I began another block and sewed part of that before leaving early so that I would get home before dark.  I had shut the cats in for the day and just as well as the foot hunt was round after foxes and still here gone 5 o'clock looking for stray hounds, one of which was in my orchard.  You never know when they are going to be over this way.

The mountain route to Tam's

Today I'm going to see Tam and Rosie, which will be lovely as I've not seen them since Christmas.  It will be a foggy journey though, taken steadily.  I have put the red cabbage (8p at Christmas!) I got her on the side, so hopefully I shan't forget it.  I will see them again on Saturday as we are going to a Wassailing at an apple orchard near Llanidloes (about an hour from here on the way to Aberystwyth). That's something I've always wanted to do (I'll add more info about Wassailing later).

Excuse the blue background - recipe copied from an earlier blog post of mine.  They are a shortbread type biscuit.  I made a batch of these this week and they were swooped on at Quilting Group yesterday (and one lady asked for the recipe), plus Ed's helper was making inroads into them too!  Right, back to bed for an hour or so and let's hope I sleep, but as I'm going to set the alarm that normally prevents all thought of sleep occurring!

LEMON CURD BISCUITS

150 g (6 oz) plain flour (3/4 American cup)

1 tsp baking powder

100 g (4 oz) cornflour (1/2 cup)

100 g (4 oz) butter     (1/2 cup)

100 g (4 oz) caster sugar (1/2 cup)

2 egg yolks

Grated rind of 2 (washed) lemons

Sift the flour, baking powder and cornflour into a mixing bowl.  Melt the butter and stir into the sugar, egg yolks and lemon rind.  Add the flour and mix all the ingredients together to give a smooth biscuit dough.  Roll into a “sausage”, wrap in cling film and chill briefly in fridge – not too long or it goes like concrete!

Preheat the oven to moderately hot (200 deg. C/400 deg. F, Gas Mark 6).  Roll out the dough onto a floured surface to 3mm (1/8” thick).  Place the biscuits onto a greased baking tray and bake for about 10 mins.  Cool slightly then lift with a knife onto a wire rack to cool.

Just a normal little Welsh town

 I slept well again last night (writing that should put the kibosh on a good night's sleep for a 3rd night!) and went into Llandod straight after breakfast.  I got my paper from the newsagent (I like to support local shops), posted my letter to Holland, and had a wander along the High Street to look in the charity shop windows.  In the Bracken Trust shop I spotted a red/white/brown checked coat which looked the right sort of weight to wear on holiday.  I went in and it was my size, and having tried it on, it came home with me. £6 well spent.

Then along to the wool shop, where I managed to get some Anchor threads to match the DMC colours I was looking for. Will have to put those on winders tonight with the DMC number on them.  These are for the Benjamin Bunny x-stitch.

I wandered down to the other charity shops, but left empty handed, as I did from the book/art shop as they didn't have the Liberon Gilt Cream I was after.  I need it for touching up the horse picture frame and the jar I have has dried up.  I have tried adding a little White Spirit since coming home and hope that may just revive it enough for me to use.  I don't need much and don't want to spend £15 on another one just for this little job.

Llandod has a few nice little shops, including a good health food shop, and in the summer, the Rock Park and Spa is pleasant to wander around, and there are nice walks around the Lake and through the nearby woodland too.

Then a quick trot round Tesco, sticking to my short shopping list and then back home. I set to, making the bread base for the Apple Yeast Bread for Alex tomorrow, then some Lemon biscuits. My temporary neighbour who is helping Ed out, popped up to see what I bought at Malvern, and we had tea and biscuits and a good natter. He's going to pop up on Friday and put up some masking tape for me in the guest bedroom, as I can't reach. It was good to have company and he had been feeling a bit lonely down there on his own too.

Now it's time to read my paper and do some sewing.

Today's Achievements and what £29 bought me

 Today has been a day of rest because I got very tired yesterday - driving in the dark for a good part of the route didn't help.  It took lots of concentration and I couldn't help but notice car-sized holes in hedgerows along the way, where folk had met black ice last week.  It takes a lot of concentration looking round the Fleamarket too, as I scan the stalls as I walk along - years of car boot sales and Fleamarkets have taught me to quickly appraise what is on display.  Many stalls aren't my sort of things at all and I can move swiftly on. Some take more inspection, and I might stand for long enough to see what is on display.  Some you can tell that whilst there is nice stuff, it is going to be beyond my price range - I need to be the person that had it before them!  Some are worth lingering at and going through boxes, but the stand I wanted to be there yesterday wasn't.  So, here is what I spent my £29 on.

I've polished it up since, but it's a nice antique crotal bell of some size, expertly (as in by a saddler) attached to this loop of leather and with a (broken) small loop on the back. I thought it might have been attached to the collar of a big dog, but equally could have been worn by a sheep or goat or even a reindeer!  It polished up nicely anyway.

A pretty pierced tin bowl.

A wooden caravan which lends itself to having fairy lights (already ordered) put inside.  The stripes are shadow.

Today I have:

written a letter to my Dutch penpal

ordered my inhalers from the Surgery

bought another role of masking tape for decorating upstairs

tidied the kitchen table

finished reading two JD Kirk books (I was on the last few chapters of each, not complete book from cover to cover)

watched an oldish Youtube video(Archaeology) by Neil Oliver

wrapped JD Kirk books (5) ready to return to my friend G

ordered heating oil

had a video call with Tam and Rosie

done a few pieces of my jigsaw

rested

Last night I was so exhausted I was in bed by 8.30 and have my tiny bottle of wine to look forward tonight.  Last night I barely had the energy for a cup of tea. I was very glad I had thought ahead and defrosted my half a home made pizza for tea. I slept about 11 hours but had to get up for the loo and to let Alfie out.

Tomorrow I will spend sewing I think.  Many thanks Sharon for trying that block out yourself (looks gorgeous) and I just need to take it slowly.

D - thinking of you and of R.  

I go Commando at Malvern .. .

 I went to bed early last night, but was still awake at midnight as I was TOO HOT!  I had a restless night and was awake again at 5 a.m.  I got up at 5.30 and got dressed in the dark. I was late getting to Malvern though as I drove steadily as it was pitch black and I was tired before I started. Then there was a detour at Llyswen as the A479 was  shut for repairs, so I had to go out onto the Brecon road to Bronllys and back to Glasbury. I would normally take the B4350 through Boughrood and Cwmbach, but wasn't sure whether it might still be sludgy/icy like our lane was here yesterday.  Anyway, it was 8.30 before I got to Malvern, and the car park was heaving and nearly full (Malvern opens at 7.30 and I am normally there for that).

Not much on offer in the way of quilts, but this pretty little pinwheel would have been £13 (or near offer).

Outside, there were a lot of cold and desperate house clearance bods. The chaps with the fur coats and kilts weren't there . . .  There was a LOT of poor quality and unremarkable "stuff".  It was ages before I bought anything, and even then I only bought 3 things today.  £29 worth.  I have never had such a bad day.  Keith would have been better off as there were probably 15 or 20 stalls selling various militaria, including two which both had de-activated machine guns.  I saw friends Simon and Mike and had a chat, but no other friends stalled out there or walking round.

In working order and only £45.  I used to have one just like it (but with a darker and better top and drawers).  I regret selling it now.

Antique dolls, and in tiny boxes, equally tiny bits for dolls houses.

There was a lot of dross like this.

Slightly better.

Now for  some much better tables.

I had been walking round for half an hour perhaps when I became aware that all was not well in the undergarment department.  In fact, there was quite a disastrous wardrobe malfunction!  I had grabbed a pair of pants from my underwear drawer in the dark, and it soon became apparent that these were Elderly.  (I had been having a shuffle through the drawer the day before and these had obviously got pushed to the front).  I could feel them sliding lower and lower and thank heavens I had trousers on or I'd have been stepping out of the wretched things!  I made my way back to the car and then had a struggle to cut the blardy things off.  It was not helped by the flattened zipper on my new warm coat (shut in the door the other day).  I didn't dare undo the coat for fear of not being able to get the zip up again.  So it was a bit of a battle, although fortunately I wasn't overlooked.  I got the giggles thinking what Keith would have made of the situation.  He would thought it was hilarious and I don't doubt offer to help!!  Anyway, I spent the rest of the day walking round knickerless!

I don't think this chap was having a very good day.

These last half dozen photos taken in the Avon Hall, which is a bit more civilized and has heating.  I walked past the sweetie stand where Keith always bought some dark chocolate gingers, and when he couldn't go any more I bought them for him.  It was so sad thinking about it. 

Anyway, time for the other half of my pizza that I made last week and froze.  Then I have a tiny 2 glass bottle of white wine.  Cheers.