Cute or what?

I will do a proper write-up later, but it's 5 a.m. and we have to be down the M4 with G to catch Megabus in Cardiff by 8 a.m. We had a lovely day out yesterday. The piglet photo is just a taster . . .

As for the queries as to "what on earth is that?" - ref. the last post. The item is a butterchurn. I will have to set it up with handle and take some more photos for you.

Day out

OH and I are off to Acton Scott shortly. Ive wanted to go there for years, even before they filmed The Victorian Farm there.

We should have been in Cardiff at this moment, having dropped off middle daughter to catch the Megabus back to Uni, but when she ordered the ticket she didn't double check and has discovered she's booked the wrong date! Sigh . . . So that's re-ordered for tomorrow now . . .

Will report back later.

A DAY OUT FOR THE FUDDY-DUDDIES!!!

I've written that in capitals as it's been such a rare occurrence in this household. Don't think we have had a proper day out since late last Autumn . . . that's a LONG time. We had to go to Brecon, to collect some yellow pigment to add to lime wash, so of course, the default setting of Hay-on-Wye kicked in the moment we knew we had to go to Ty Mawr for the pigment . . . Having dropped D off at the bus-stop for his 8 a.m. bus, we fled, we were in Brecon by 9 a.m. After going to Ty Mawr Lime, we parked up in the town and had a wander round. As per usual we visited a couple of charity shops, the outdoor clothing shop where OH bought some new walking socks, the bookshop, where I bought a couple of cheap books (£5 worth), and I indulged myself with a stroll along the frontage of the shop which sells plants and pet supplies.

What a lovely jug - with a lovely price way beyond our pocket . . .

OH fell in love with these bookshelves and made me take photos so he can make some like them for our next house . . . They're in Addyman's I think.


We were in Hay-on-Wye by about 10.15 and bought 4 hours' worth of parking, so we could just stroll round at our leisure. We made a beeline for the little cafe which does the most fabulous bacon baps (though I had sausages in mine) and washed our brunch down with a cup of Earl Grey. We had a wonderful time just walking very slowly round the bookshops, including going to a few ones we don't normally visit. We bought two books each - mine came under the category of countryside/nature, so that will give you a clue. I'll review them tomorrow.

You can buy all sorts in this antiques mart. I loved the embroidered piece below, but not the price . . .


Our son thinks we are the most boring old fuddy-duddies because we have a routine which we enjoy and follow whenever we go to Hay. To be honest, it's a small town so it's difficult too do anything other than visit our favourite shops! There is something very comforting about a routine, either on outings to favourite places, or during the day at home. We always go to the Antiques shop which is on several floors, with different dealers having a room each. We tut-tut over prices, admire some of the stuff for sale (though to be honest, you won't ever find me forking out £20 plus for a little embroidered tablecloth, however beautiful.)


It's nice to window shop too.

We stopped in a layby just outside Brecon so I could take photos of the mountains.

Here are the twin peaks of Pen-y-Fan, still with snow on their shoulders.

If you enlarge this, you will see the snow on the Carmarthen Fans, just to the edge of the big tree on the left.

I'd love a doll's house, but know they can be had, new, for a third of the price on this splendid one.


The old fuddy-duddies also stopped at the less up-market antiques mart on the way home, but nothing to tempt us there - as has been the case for the last few visits. Times have changed . . .

Gardening

It is close enough to my birthday to have begged stuff for the garden as a present this year, though at the moment I've paid for my own present as OH stayed in the car and I used my debit card!! I didn't have a lot of choice of where to buy, as Wyevale is the only option in town these days. However, I took my time and bought sensibly. Seeds - Courgettes, Mirabilis (which I've not seen let alone grown before), Black Cherry Tomatoes. Some young perennials for the border - Malva Alba, along with Delphiniums Black Knight and Guinevere (one dark, one light blue). Cosmos Astrosanguineus (the chocolate plant), Gladioli King's Lynn, and a Dahlia Crazy Love which I am going to plant by the Gladioli to compliment the colours of the latter. I have dug off a sharp corner of the lawn so it is circular all round now, and in the new corner I have planted the Gladioli. The young plants are on the draining board until this cold spell goes, and then I'll put them in the cold frame to get accustomed to living outside. The Dahlia is in a big pot to grow on, at the bottom of the seed stack, and the Mirabilis are in seed trays in the airing cupboard. I also potted on 24 Roman Bronze Aquilegias whilst I was out there, but the sharp wind made me glad to come indoors again. I have started off a dozen courgette seeds in the cold frame too, tucking them in next to my pots of Auriculas, some of which are blooming now!



The wild birds have been VERY hungry again and I will need to get more peanuts and seed tomorrow. I have had to top up the feeding stations several times today - having had a gang of more than 20 Blue and Great Tits coming to the peanuts, including Peg Leg, the little one-legged Blue Tit I have been feeding all winter but only just noticed his disability.



Oh, and one of these devils too - but then I suppose Squirrels get hungry too . . .

Bear with me . . .

You will have to bear with me at the moment as things are incredibly stressful over trying to get things sorted on the house before we can go on the market. Problems have reared their ugly heads and are the sort which will Cost Money (which is in short supply right now), and OH and I have been at loggerheads . . . Anyway, things have now been sorted financially and at least we can stop the leaks now!!! You would not BELIEVE the relief we are feeling right now.

We have just had a couple of pieces in a catalogued auction which sold well and have surplus furniture and a few boxes of china and a pile of picture frames to go into auction too. We should have a bit more space when they've gone, if nothing else.

I am just NOT in a writing mood at the moment, though I have a post in my mind I would like to commit to print, when I can encourage myself.

A Downhill Walk

Black Mountain, with the flat-topped twin peaks of Pen-y-Fan behind it . . .



I got my husband to drop me off at the toppety-top of the hill going towards Brechfa this afternoon, having been tempted out by the warmer temperatures. It was about 2 miles home and I took my time as I had my camera with me and kept stopping to look at the view, listen to birdsong, gaze at the mountains, take in the view, and gaze at the mountains some more, and in between all this, look at what leaves of wild flowers were starting to poke through the winter debris.

I have to confess I could have just sat down on a damp bank and gazed at the mountains for quite a while. There were a pair of Red Kites kii-ing to each other overhead and a robin carolling to me from a Hazel thicket, and then, joy, I heard the first Skylark of the year, way out of sight above me, throwing its song to the breeze. The hedgerows were sprinkled with Dogs Mercury, and Primroses, and just one or two Windflowers to keep the Celendines company. This higher land bids spring come slower, holding onto cooler temperatures and basted by today's cold wind. As the lane dropped towards home it became noticably warmer, especially when the high banks reached above my head and cut out the wind.


Walking into the view . . .

I could still see the mountains from lower down, and wanted to be up by Black Mountain today.

Hawthorn silhouetted against the sky.

Looking along the valley, where the little farms punctuate every few fields.


Red Kite.


Another Robin bounced along the hedgerow in front of me. Whilst the Primroses and Celendines are late, the Windflowers, though few in number yet, are on time. A quarrel of Blue Tits shot straight up into the air from a hedge, feet and wings flailing as they had their argument. As I dropped lower, the overgrown thickets edging the grazing of the nutty hippy neighbour we try and avoid, gave cover to what I am certain was a Chiff-Chaff. I know their song, but this seems to have arrived early? (Just checked on Wild About Britain and perhaps not so early after all). There was another - probably migrant - birdsong, but I haven't identified it yet and the memory of it is fading already.

You can just see, on the dead bit of bramble in the centre of the picture, what I took to be a moth, but it had the shortest stubbiest wings and a big fat body. Hmmm, need to go away and do some research I think.

Windflowers.

I have lived here a good many years now - 22 in fact - I try not to take the scenery for granted, and never tire of looking at the distant Brecon Beacons - but I have to confess, my yearning for Dartmoor grows with each passing day. I cannot wait until we can go house-hunting.

Spring has sprung

I'm inclined to think that the dryness and chill winds we had in early March (resulting in more than a peck of March dust in these parts - we had dust-devils whirling around in front of our gate!) was what was holding spring back. Within 2 days of the first rain we had leaves coming out on gooseberries, blackcurrants and roses, and also the daffodils all across the county suddenly blooming, several weeks later than usual, but showing their sunny faces now.

Just after I got up this morning I had a little wander around the garden. I am so sick of winter and want more signs of spring to cheer me up. Last year, in my intake plot in the paddock, I planted half a dozen Lidl fruit trees. Several pears, a Victoria plum and a.n.other plum, and a Pippin apple. I was delighted to see the sturdiest of the pears, which has of course lost its name tag, has put out some huge buds which are bursting into leaf now. I think planting trees (especially fruit trees) is so rewarding and I can't wait to see whether I will have fruit on mine this year. The Pippin gave me one delicious apple last summer, though it set fruit of a dozen or so more, but they dropped. I just hope the cold spell (snow again? Eeeeeeeeeek!) doesn't put paid to those next week. I will have to drape it with an old sheet. The other trees have small buds on but not bursting forth yet. All the other soft fruit bushes: black- and red-currants, gooseberries, raspberries, loganberries etc are sprouting leaves to and I am relieved to find that my Rhubarb plants (I am notoriously good at murdering them) have all survived the winter, so we are looking forward to our first Rhubarb Crumble.


This week I made a little bed at the foot of the young Rowan tree by the front wall. Having yanked all the ivy off the wall, I was told off by my husband for removing the covering of a few loose stones at the wall base. Feeling suitably guilty, I have now tidied the area and planted it up with all sorts of self-sown seedlings from the main borders: Feverfew, a tall plant with blue flowers whose name I have forgotten!, Foxgloves, Aquilegia, Welsh Poppies, Teasel, a big felty-leaved Greater Mullein, and lots of baby Cowslips, and about 100 Nasturtium seeds which I'd saved from last summer. It should look pretty when it's all flowering.



Yesterday the big Honey Monster had to go to the vet's as she had an abscess on her mouth. It had started to drain but I wanted it checked and a course of anti-biotics. "Do you want pills or liquid medication?" I was asked. Remembering only too well the fun and games we had a couple of weeks back when I had to worm them all, and Honey put up a battle (from which I still bear the scars!), I settled for liquid, and the vet said, "Hmm, that's what most people opt for . . ."

Well, this won't do. I had better get cracking on the brambles with my trusty secateurs before it starts to rain again!