A slightly watercolour-effect photo from Laugharne the other day.
We've had a slightly full-on weekend, very tiring, and sleep is at a premium where I am still struggling with my asthma and STILL on a full steroid dose, which isn't seeing me through 24 hours, so I am back to the GP today. The crux of the problem now seems to be at least half (or more)from a leaky gut and low DAO enzyme levels, allowing histamine to flood my body from foodstuffs too - despite trying to eat a low-histamine diet. (Update: just remembered what I ate yesterday and it was Dairy that was the culprit - I had two choc ices and then some ice cream at teatime, THEN a piece of cheese later on. I have had a break from the probiotics for a week too, and my gut microflora report showed there were several gut "friends" which should be in my gut and there isn't ONE of them, Lactobacillus family included.
We had a Flood on Saturday night. Keith was in the bath - we both twigged to it at the same time as gallons of water hit the kitchen floor (via the airing cupboard and contents). He carried on laying in the bath, shouting instructions. Pull the switch in the attic, he said. In full panic mode (no half-measures, gallons of water pouring through house!) I shot upstairs and flung open the huge doors which hide the header tank etc in the attic. No sign of any switch, pull cord, whatever - moved a couple of things, no good. For some reason it did NOT occur to me to put end of pipe with water pouring out of it BACK INTO THE TANK. WHY? Because I was looking for the switch and because Keith had said that the header tank was overflowing. Ye Gods - I must learn NOT to panic. I was still yelling at Keith all the time, but he was still soaking in the bath . . . no sense of urgency. When he DID get upstairs, turns out the gizmo I am meant to be looking for is a tiny little toggle on a 1/2" piece of black cord BEHIND a plastic wotsit on a piece of wood at the back of the header tank. Yeah, sure, I'd recognize that straight away wouldn't I? Kitchen floor awash by this time, airing cupboard contents soaked on one side.
Anyway, whilst we were out yesterday, we bought a new jacket for the hot water tank, as that had needed replacing for quite some while as it had gotten ripped, but fitting the new one (4 separate strips which you tie together at the top and then we belted round using the metal girdle from the last one) was something else. Keith is still not very dextrous because of his shoulder and arm problems, so I had to put my arms behind the tank, knowing there were oodles of spiders and webs there (yuk) and managed to get it all tucked in and sorted. In time-honoured fashion, the eyelets at the top are secured with binder twine as the piffling little length of cord they included was too short . . .
We spent a long morning at a car boot sale yesterday, and did very well (made up for the shortcomings of the last two Fairs), and we have decided that 90% of what we took and didn't sell can go to the next auction at Brecon. It will make what it will make.
Despite being tired, I couldn't get to sleep last night and was still awake at 1.30 a.m. I finally dropped off to sleep and then after just two hours, my asthma was bad. I thought Keith hadn't washed the pollen off his hair and so went into the spare room, but by 5.30 I had to get up and take my inhaler, early. Now it looks like it was something I ate (in the middle of the night! a piece of baking with Raspberries in it - raspberries are high in histamines) which have made me bad.
Still, I have already gone through my Literary bookcase and had a BIG purge (only left the books by or about Thomas Hardy and the Brontes.) I should have room to move my Edward Thomas books in there now, or most of them at any rate. Next purge are the Cookery books downstairs. I have far too many books purely because I have always had them, and we won't have room when we downsize. In fact, SHOULD we sell this year and buy the cottage I like the best, 9/10 of the furniture will also have to go. That should be quite liberating. I am thankful to our son, who was here to help with some jobs on Saturday, who when I mentioned the cottage which was "too small for our furniture" said, well, you don't NEED all these big lumps of furniture. We don't want them when you're gone, and he is completely correct. We were trying to find room for the pieces they HAD spoken for though, and would need to use up bedrooms for storage until an outbuilding could be put on the ground above this particular cottage, should it come our way.
Right, that's me done. Off to find something bland and low-histamine for breakfast.
Well, sadly I am not writing "We're under offer!!!" today. We had the estate agent phone us yesterday . . . just to give us feedback. She had spoken to the husband of the couple who viewed and he said it was an amazing house, but not for them. She loved it but I guess they weren't both in agreement.
Onwards and upwards. After one good night's sleep in the past week I was still awake at gone 3 a.m. this morning and having taken a new probiotic to help my gut, found I had a really negative reaction to it and am feeling somewhat fragile today. Middle daughter Gabby is here in half an hour or so for lunch, so that will cheer me up I'm sure. I shall have today off and then tomorrow our son is here to help with some work we are struggling to do (up a ladder) and I will try and get the windows all cleaned again, ready for the next viewing. Power of positive thought and all that . . .
We were at Laugharne yesterday, at the small car boot sale which is held there every Wednesday. Gosh, I can remember doing that one many years ago (10?) and it hadn't changed. Chatting to one of the regular stallholders, he said he had been there since 5 a.m. (!) to get his regular pitch. Crazy- then you have to wait 5 hours for the first customers!! Laugharne being a tourist stop, folk obviously considered it worthwhile to sell there. We didn't! Ah well, at least it's a lovely spot to be and when I was bored, I had a wander round with my camera.
Above: Laugharne castle, overlooking the salt marshes and the river Taf. HERE is a link to its history and lots more photos.
A little glimpse of Dylan Thomas' boathouse around the corner . . .
This is Maxine, who belongs to the early-rising stallholder.
Looking out across the mouth of the Taf. The light keeps changing on the water, making for some atmospheric moments.
Above: this is Island House, which has long fascinated us - we would LOVE to see inside!! It's had the scaffolding up for a couple of years now, but not a lot seems to be happening.
Colourful hanging baskets. Wish I could plant some up like this (the secret is the bigger the basket I believe).
Walking up the hill towards the Bell Tower, past (below) the entrance to the Castle.
I turned left at the Bell Tower and up the little cobbled street which leads round in a loop, down this little lane (well, lane is a bit grand for it really!) and a row of small cottages.
A glimpse of the marshes . . .
Then down the pathway which takes you along the bottom of the castle walls and back to the car park.
Codlins and Cream! (Greater Willowherb).
Purple Loosestrife. I have 3 clumps of this in my garden, and the Codlins and Cream also blooms about the place though I had to evict some this year . . .
The Taf starting to come in - at very high tide parked cars are sometimes encroached upon if parked in the wrong place.
White Mallow - isn't it beautiful?
Right, I've spent long enough on the computer. Time to crack on with the ironing.
I wasn't feeling too well this morning, and had only slept until 3 a.m. again, so I thought I would have an easy day. I had to turn down a craft meeting, where we would have been doing marbling, which I've always wanted to try, but I thought I would be sensible for once. We changed our bed and I vacuumed the room, then put the smart new bedding on the Master Suite bed (how grand!) and fresh bedding on Tam's bed too. I was just resting after that when the phone rang - could we possibly do a viewing today as someone was very interested in our house (turns they had just done a drive by, having planned to come and look around the area - although the husband knew bits of it already). It was just gone 11 - I said I could do 2 p.m.
Then I went into speeding-bullet-housewife mode and hurtled round, hoovering up a few more dead bees, in fact hoovering from top to bottom, slinging "stuff" in cupboards, drawers and wardrobes (just had to retrieve it whilst I still remembered where I put things - my bumbag went in with some plates!!) After just ten minutes I didn't have a dry hair on my head - a symptom of histamine imbalance is getting hot very quickly or cold very quickly. This was a hot day . . . I have been pretty well on top of the housework but I wanted it all looking perfect of course.
It was a VERY (that's VERY) positive viewing and they are cash buyers and business people and LOVED the house. So, we shall be holding our breath now . . .
Cross your fingers for us . . .
I love my new header photo so much I'm going to have it done on canvas. It will cheer me up in the dark days of winter.
We spent the weekend doing our favourite Fair at the Botanic Gardens. However, setting up on Friday was a hard task as it was so humid in there, but at least we weren't there more than a couple of hours before we could escape. Saturday was overcast and it was warm but bearable. However, yesterday was another matter entirely and I had to spend half the day sat outside, trying to breath - already maxed out on all my asthma medication, steroids included. I have to say, I was scared by the feeling of suffocation - it was like working in a gigantic sauna for 9 hours . . . I have vowed if we do this Fair next July we will take an outside tented stand - at least there is a flow of air then and it is half the price. Customers were very thin on the ground and I have barely covered my costs, which is a pity. I am not impressed by customers who try to bargain an already good price down by claiming I should lower it to what they want to pay because it is "the wife's birthday!"
I sell what is called an eclectic mix in the hope of appealing to the masses. It failed this weekend!
Anyway, we need to unpack the car now, and then I will spent an hour totally repacking my boxes as I was past caring what went where last night - though it still took an hour and a half to take down the stall, pack it and load it . . . I couldn't breath easily when we got to bed and my heart felt like it was doing somersaults and so I was still awake, exhausted, at 1.30. Since I had been awake since 3 a.m. and up since 3.30 a.m. the previous night, I think I shan't be doing much today . . . Sorry for the moan - feeling a bit sorry for myself at the moment. I shall go and take an Ibuprofen as that was the only thing which seemed to help yesterday - by reducing inflammation I assume.
Busy, Busy, Busy. Can't manage a post at the moment, but here are a couple of sunshiney photos for you.
A few photos from the Botanic Gardens to show you how gorgeous it looks there at the moment. Wonderful plantings.
Have a great weekend all.
Apologies for this being light on words tonight, but it's just taken me over an hour to load these pictures and get them in some sort of order. I shall type up the little leaflet about Sir Rhys ap Thomas tomorrow - he was a very important man in the Towy Valley, and the family from our house answered the call to support the future Henry VII at Bosworth. This resulted in Gwilym ap Sion of Ynyswen being made Esquire to the Body of Henry VII.
