Welcome to family, friends and visitors. Here you will find interesting (hopefully) pictures of my part of the world, news of our household and probably, long ramblings about anything that catches my interest.

Saturday, 26 July 2025

Windy.

The morning was a bit cold and grey but eventually it brightened up whilst remaining windy.
In the morning I drove down to the community gardens for the monthly jumble sale. My main reason for going is to meet and chat with people while we eat cake but somehow I always end up buying something too.
This time one of the things I came away with was a very soft cotton skirt (50p). It's a bit loose but I can add some elastic for a better fit. I also bought one of those ultra light padded walking jackets, the kind with horizontal stitching. I'd been eyeing some up in Charlie's but hadn't got round to justifying buying yet another jacket. But the jumble sale price of £2.50 was too tempting. This one is black without a hood and big enough for either of us. Peter also benefitted from a notebook with a leather cover. He wanted the cover and I've claimed the notebook as it has plain, thick art type pages which he wasn't so keen on. To finish off I got a couple of plastic folders with clear pocket pages, always useful and in purple too.
I took the giant courgette along and Mary said if no one else wants it she'll use it to make a chocolate courgette cake for the next jumble sale. I've had her cake before and it was delicious. 

Back home I threw some washing in the machine and then got out the pressure washer and went over the mess on the pavement. It's a lot better now but the builder needs to come and clean the rest off with the special cleaner they have. I also turned the pressure washer on the street wall as I plan to paint that soon.
Much as I'm keen to get on with sticking the glass blobs on the windows I didn't want to do a rushed job. Instead I tried out all the different types of varnish/stains we have on an offcut of wood that the builder used to make the bench in the porch. Sadly none of them are quite right so I'll need to buy some varnish next week.

Friday, 25 July 2025

Square Halt.

This morning the sun was shining but already there was a hint of the haze/ sea mist that closed in later in the afternoon bringing tiny speckles of damp chasing the holiday makers off the beach. (Can't really call them rain drops.)
There were only four of us in the riding lesson this morning which gave us more room to fit in lots of circles to encourage 'bend' in our horses. It also meant that we could do transitions on the track as well as across the school. I rode Hazel and she went so well. Hardly any head tossing and mostly on the bit on a very soft rein. A lot of this is due to the schooling other riders are doing but I feel my riding is improving too and I chose to do a great deal of sitting trot. The main exercise today was coming to a square halt inside four cones. With just four of us that meant we could take our time to try and nudge whichever leg was out of line into a better position. Hazel did have a couple of tiny spooks, once at either a water bottle or a swallow swooping past her and the second time at Katie holding the muck scoop. (Any droppings have to be picked up straight away to keep the school surface which is chopped up rubber (tyres?) clean.)
Afterwards I did the shopping and found these H&M sports leggings in the Oxfam shop for £5.50. They will be great for disco aerobics and maybe for other occasions too.

Once I get home on Fridays I don't tend to do much. I throw everything in the washing machine and have a large mug of tea out on the terrace. Today I also finally got round to planting the white lavender in the shingle and harvested one of our round 'courgettes'. I'd thought about making a courgette and cheese loaf but when I checked the recipe it only uses 200gms of courgette and this little beauty weighs seven times that! I may pass it on to someone and use the next courgette which is a little smaller.

Sunset last night. 

When I zoomed in I could see sun spots on the sun's surface. To make sure I wasn't just looking at dust on the camera lens I went to this site. I have no idea what the different categories of sun spot mean but I was impressed at seeing so many.

Thursday, 24 July 2025

Lost and Found, and Lost.

The weather kept chopping and changing today. One minute would be blisteringly hot and the next the cold and clammy sea mist would blow in.
Last week I lost one of the studs I wear to keep the piercings in my ears open. It was gone after I had washed my hair. I looked everywhere but to no avail. Then today I found it, nestled in my gardening shoes under the airing rack where I'd hung the towel. I bought a number of sets of studs in the January sales but of course that pair is my favourite so I was very pleased.

I was not so pleased when at the end of the afternoon I saw that the stachys I'd planted in the gravel at the zoo on Tuesday had gone. It was there earlier when I added  some thrift plants that I'd grown from last year's seed heads. I can only assume that one of the many children visiting the zoo had pulled it up and probably fed it to the goats. I have more stachys at home that I want to shift but that was annoying. I had been advised that the plants would get trodden on especially while they were still small so there's nothing precious in there but I wasn't expecting to have whole plants pulled up.
I usually only garden at the zoo once a week but the weeds had grown so much I felt a second day's work was needed. Apart from planting the thrift I had a quick weed of a flowerbed and then set to work clearing the gravel area by the guineafowl. I cleared about three-quarters of the gravel which includes several picnic tables. The very end has little gravel and is constantly walked over so is difficult to weed which is why I left it for another time.

When I had a walk around at the end of the afternoon I was shocked by the amount of weeds in the large play area. I think it's going to need some serious digging and raking to clear that lot.

I ended my afternoon at the zoo with Otis and Truffle. 
They both like to be scratched at the same time so it was hard to take photos. They remain in their relaxed positions for a brief moment once I stop before getting up and giving me plaintive looks.

Merlin the zoo cat also came over for a quick stroke.
I didn't do a lot when I got home apart from giving the pavement by the porch a going over with a metal brush and a broom. It now looks a bit better than the way the builders left it. (Below)


Wednesday, 23 July 2025

New Shoes.

The day began with the sea like a mirror, perfect for the early morning paddleboarders. However it wasn't long before the wind began to pick up. A chilly and misty haze appeared on the hill tops and by the end of the day conditions were more suitable for kite and wing surfers.
This morning Peter had to go to the hospital for his regular knee injection. I drove him as not only is he not supposed to drive afterwards but it's almost impossible to find a space in the hospital car park or the nearby streets so whoever is not being seen at the hospital has to do the drop off and pick up. 

Once I'd dropped him off I drove down to Lidl to get a couple of things and then went round to the Matalan car park where you get three hours parking. From there I walked to Craft to check out their glassware but nothing caught my eye today. 
That was until I glanced at the shoes. I have a bunion on my foot which I'm convinced was caused by the cyst and my current walking sandals, the kind with Velcro straps, aggravate the bunion. I had intended to go and try on some sandals in Mountain Warehouse but there in the very limited choice of shoes in Craft was a brand new pair of soft blue leather Fly Flot sandals. They were about my size and when I tried them on they were really comfortable. Although they were more 'old lady' style than walking sandal comfort won me over. At £15 they were not cheap either but I've looked on-line and they sell for £35 so still a bargain. 
Back home it was cold and windy so I postponed my hedge cutting plans and instead gave the porch a thorough clean. The plastic is easy to wipe down though I wish the builders had been a bit more careful where they put their sticky fingers. I also wish they hadn't dropped lumps of cement all over the asphalt pavement. (I'll wait and see what they plan on doing about that mess.) It took several hours to remove all the dust and grime but now the porch looks even better. Fingers crossed for a quick return by the builders to do the finishing touches.
Finally here is Pacman (my jiggity joggity mount for the all day ride) being ridden by Manon Davies at the Royal Welsh Show where they won the trekking class. That's a great achievement. 

Tuesday, 22 July 2025

Back To The Zoo.

Odd weather today. At first it looked as if it was going to rain, then didn't. Got cold and then became very hot in the afternoon.
This morning we saw the builders' van pull up but after a bit they drove off again. We think they must have been checking to see how the render was drying.
I spent the whole afternoon weeding at the zoo. After an absence of eight weeks the weeds had taken over the woodchip play areas and the gravelled areas. It was hard to know where to start as everything looked urgent with many of the weeds in flower.
In the end I began with the gravel by the wolf dogs as I was interested to know which of the plants I'd put in, if any, had survived two heatwaves and torrential rain. The self seeded lemon balm was flourishing and there was so much of it that I moved some to the other end of the gravel and some to fill in the gaps in a narrow border by one of the paths. The pheasant grass, linaria and ground cover sedum were doing well but I only found a couple of the thrift and a single santolina. That's better than I expected and today I added more sedum and a rooted stachys.
Once that was tidied up I weeded the whole of the small play area as there were nettles and brambles growing which are not the best for small children. My last complete weed was inside the barrier by the guinea fowl as the weeds there were tall and about to go to seed. I meant to stop there but cleared part of the gravel patch there before realising that my back had had enough. 

Afterwards I went and spent some time with the pigs. Even though they had been fast asleep in their shelter as soon as I opened the gate and called 'piggy, piggy, piggies' in a high voice they came running over for tummy scratches. They've grown a lot in the past eight weeks. When they first came they were about the size of a corgi but now they're more like a large and chunky labrador with very short legs. I suspect they may get even larger.

It was quite late when I got home but I still had time to put up the wood in the utility room and add a row of cup hooks to store small items. And then since it was warm and dry outside I used the rest of the mastic in the tube to seal up the cracks around the back door so that it will be ready for when I get round to painting it.

Monday, 21 July 2025

Funnel Clouds.

The showers today while even more frequent than yesterday's downpours haven't been as fierce.

It was hot and humid as I went to drink my morning coffee outside. I had to forgo my usual perch on the edge of the raised beds and instead leant against the rockery as I didn't want to disturb the sparrow fledgling on the furthest wall. I guessed it had been left in the hedge while the adult birds went foraging.

It sat there quite happily in the sun and even had a little preen. I was getting concerned about it sitting out in the open like that when sure enough a seagull followed by a rook made a low pass over the garden. I clapped my hands to scare away the predators and the little sparrow hopped back to safety.
A bit later I caught sight of the little gang of sparrows feeding on their morning ration of seeds.
It was too wet to work outside so I got on my DIY jobs. Another coat of paint on the hook bar followed by more mastic. This time around the kitchen window. Naturally everything that lives on the wide window sill had to be cleaned before being replaced. A real mix of treasures and practical kitchen equipment.
While I was in the middle of doing that the builders turned up. The boss wasn't with them so I very diplomatically (I hope) pointed out the tile I was unhappy with and it is being replaced as I type. They have put up the light, one of my lovely torchieres from Dingles' sitting room and the bench seat is also being fitted. 

Earlier during a wet spell I spotted a funnel cloud emerging from the blackness above and then two more closer to shore. To my disappointment none of them touched down to form a waterspout and they soon dispersed.
I'm blogging early today as later on I'm heading back to the dentist later to smooth out the tiny hole. Actually I don't notice it now but I need the dentist to file/sand/grind? some of the gaps between my teeth as they have become very difficult to floss since they have been built up.

Sunday, 20 July 2025

Very Wet.

The day began hot and humid but later the first of many heavy showers arrived.
Even before the weather took a turn for the worse I'd already decided not to go on the walk this week. Instead I planned to get on with a couple of small outstanding DIY jobs. I don't know why but I don't feel like wielding tools when the builders are here. Or by the time I've realised they aren't coming I've made other plans. 
Photos from yesterday.

Back to today - my first job was to pre-drill some holes in a length of wood which is going to be a hook bar in the utility room for small items. I'd already gone over the knots with the varnish stuff and today I gave it a coat of undercoat in the morning and a coat of vinyl silk in the afternoon.
A much bigger job was to seal up the cracks around the sitting room and dining area windows. I'd been noticing dust and grit building up on the sills and at first blamed it on the not very good window fitters we had in the beginning. But then I realised those windows take the brunt of the storm winds and it was probably just natural movement which had caused the cracks that were letting in the grit. 
At first it sounds like a simple task to run some sealant around the windows but of course there was a lot more to it than that. All the collections of glass, ornaments, shells and stone needed taking down and washing. And of course the plants which left the venetian blind accessible for washing. Then the frames and sills needed washing after which I carried on to wipe down the skirting boards and anything else that was dusty and in reach. 
It was only considerably later that I was ready to wield the sealant gun and fill in those cracks. Being unskilled I've found the best way is to wear latex gloves and smooth the sealant down with my finger. Not a perfect finish but it will do and that's another job out of the way.
There are some lovely but expensive things in the Aberystwyth Museum shop and look at those wonderful stairs. (It used to be a cinema.)

Below- inside the bandstand at lunchtime.
Yesterday we had a different leader for our warm up. Neck exercises are a standard part of singing warm ups but we also had to turn our heads very slowly and take note of things around us. My mind immediately focussed on the amount of blue I could see. The room was full of chairs and 150 (or more) singers dressed in many shades of blue. Being a seaside location blue was also the accent colour in the room and I could see blue; chairs, curtains, pictures, signs and an accent wall. Once I looked through the open doors behind me there seemed to be blue everywhere as well. 
That inspired me to try and create a series of 'blue' pictures on my lunchtime walk around Aber some of which are in today's post.