Windy.

We had good drying weather today, warm and windy sometimes sunny too. I got several loads of washing  out on the line for the first time in days. The bedding is already ironed and back on the bed while the towels are finishing off in the utility room.

Working in the garage I spotted another urgent job. Woodworm in the old window frames. I know these windows are high up but you would have thought someone might have noticed the (considerable) damage before now. Especially the builders who replaced the whole roof! Imagine if the woodworm got into the roof timbers. As it is parts of the wooden frames are completely eaten away. I used what woodworm killer we had on the most obviously affected wood and will buy more, and some wood filler tomorrow.

That done I loaded up the car with unusable wood for the dump and some other stuff. I don't put the bags of garden waste in until the morning as I don't fancy insects loose in the car.

My final job (apart from the ironing) was to tidy up the hedges in the front garden. The end hedge was looking a bit bushy and there were a number of stragglers sticking out of the side hedge. Half the work when hedge cutting is carrying everything to the end of the garden; extension cables, stepladder, electric trimmer, secateurs, brush and pan and bags. But at least I don't have to cut the whole thing by hand.

I popped down to the shop earlier to get some mushrooms and a leek for tonight's supper. It's is something I've cobbled together based of a recipe I saw on-line. A quiche with a smashed potato base instead of pastry (I'm not a fan of pastry). On top of the potatoes I've put braised onions, mushrooms and sliced leek and some fresh tomatoes and grated cheese and poured beaten egg over the top. Garlic and oregano for taste as well.

I've stuck it in the oven at the same temperature as I cook everything else and when it looks done we'll eat. Fingers crossed.

Coming back from the shop I looked down at the lavender and as well as the usual white butterflies there was a small blue. That's one I rarely see anywhere. Of course it had gone by the time I got my camera but I did hear and then see a common field grasshopper on the lavender.

I had a couple of encounters on my journey too and from choir last night. Driving along a narrow country lane I saw a bird sitting in the middle of the road. At first I thought it was a woodpigeon as they often sit on the road right until you get up to them and then fly off but then realised it was a small bird of prey, a sparrow hawk. Was it injured? I drove a little closer and it flapped up and then landed back on the road about 6ft away. I drove closer and it stayed where it was so I stopped, leaving my hazard lights on and was about to get out of the car to throw something over the bird to catch it when it flew up the road again then flew upwards and eventually made it over the hedge. Perhaps it was a fledgling confused by the high hedges on either side of the road. If I had caught it I would have driven to choir and hoped that M who is a vet nurse who be there (she was).

My next encounters were on the same lane on the return journey. By that time it was dark and I was just noting the numbers of flying insects in the air when I spotted something furry trotting along the road ahead. Too small for a fox, maybe it was a cub? But as I neared it turned out to just be a cat. The hedges go straight up from the side of the road with hardly any verges so it took a moment before it got safely out of the way. That had been a little ginger car and moments later I came across a black and white cat which soon jumped into the hedge.

Mostly Wet.

After a wet start to the day it got marginally drier with light showers every now and again.

Yesterday Pete had got a message saying that the local pharmacy would be doing 'flu jabs. This was opportune as although we had been sent appointments for our jabs on the mass vaccination day in the Hall we will be away on that day. Pete rang the pharmacy straight away and and arranged for us to go in today.

But when I walked down (Pete decided the threat of rain was enough to postpone) I was informed they wouldn't be doing 'flu jabs until October. Still, I got to have a walk on the beach and surprise, surprise not a drop of rain fell.

Back home I baked another Bara Brith and then carried on with the garage sort out including washing some hanging baskets which I will take to the Climate Shop on Friday. It's far too windy here for hanging baskets and they're just one more thing to water. 

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that the postman brought the black screws I needed to finish the door of the recycling store. And at last it is done. I quite like seeing that it is made with reclaimed wood including posts made from a gatepost that was in the garden. Looking at the photo the black paint behind the lettering on the middle bar makes it look as if there is a big hole in the door but there isn't. I used a gate latch so that the dustmen only have to give the door a push for it to catch and stay shut. Two of the pallets I used came with heavy duty polythene on one side which I left in place to keep the rain out.

This is the ornament I hung yesterday. The words read 'You, me and the sea.' quite appropriate for this house.

Off soon to choir.

Zoo Day.

It stayed dry all day though it did look like it might rain later on which was my excuse for driving rather than cycling to the zoo.

Now that we've had some a lot of rain I pulled up a good amount of mint from my garden (where it has finished flowering) and replanted it at the zoo along the bottom of the main fence. 

I had to remove a few brambles and once I'd planted the mint I continued pulling brambles and nettles from a nearby overgrown corner. Luckily the pigs eat both of those nasty weeds. I watched Truffle happily chomping on brambles and wondered how on earth they didn't hurt his mouth.

 

My next job was to go over all the paths in the grass maze. A good thing I did as I found lots of newly germinated grass busy growing in the paths which are a mix of woodchip, sand, stones and earth. While I was busy digging over the paths I glanced up and saw a young girl, maybe 7 years old, having a rootle around in my bucket of tools and belongings that I had left by a bench with my fleece. As she picked up something shiny I realised she had my car keys in her hand. I called out to her (politely) and told her those were my things at which she put the keys back. It would have been a disaster to lose those.

As I was making my way back through the zoo I suddenly realised that one of the Welsh mountain goats was standing on the grass outside of his enclosure. The zoo staff noticed at the same time and between us we ushered him quietly back. A new fence is currently being built along one side of his enclosure and despite some extra temporary fencing and the wide span of his impressive horns he had climbed through the fence for a little wander.

Once back home I did some diy before settling down for a rest. I'd finally found a suitable hook for a sea themed ornament which I stuck on the kitchen wall with builder's adhesive and then went on to use the same adhesive to fill a long gap by the side of the big garage door. That's another couple of small jobs done.

Then I still had time to do some piano practice. I haven't played the piano for ages which was making me feel really guilty and yes I did make quite a few mistakes even though I play the same pieces every time. That's what happens when I don't practise every day.

Farewell To Summer.

Whilst it has remained warm the strong winds and wild seas made it feel as if autumn has arrived. It did get sunnier and warmer in the afternoon and I may even take a break out on the terrace in a bit.

My goal today was to finish off the recycling store. An achievable goal I thought as there was only the door to do. There were many trips back and forth from the recycling store by the porch to the garage where all the tools are and eventually the door was cut to size. This did involve not one but two adjustments (ie hand sawing) to the width partly due to there being metal staples buried in the wood right on my cut line and partly because seeing the door get smaller and smaller was making me nervous. That done and all the newly cut edges treated with wood preservative all that was left to do was to fit the hinges and latch. Unfortunately neither of those came with screws and despite there being sets and jars of screws in the garage we didn't have the ones I needed to do a neat job. Pete has ordered a set of the ones I need which should arrive in a few days so completion will have to wait until then. 

With some time on my hands I went into the garden to do some cutting back. Much as I hate to lose the silvery foliage of the curry plants I've cut them right back to their greener foliage. If the autumn stays warm I should get some silver leaves back quite soon. I also planned to start cutting back the lavender so that we can walk along the path without getting soaked by the wet stems brushing our legs. But there were a few small bumblebees desperately visiting the few remaining flowers. No way could I deprive them of this last food source so that job has been postponed for the time being.

Today I noticed that a blue fescue has finally sprung back into life. It has been looking dead for over a year ever since a cat peed on it but I wanted to give it a chance and how right I was.

Rhaeadr Bwa Drain

Today has been wet. not all the time but when it did rain it was intense heading towards deluge levels this evening (and still raining at 9.00).

This afternoon's walk was along Cwm Rheidol and then up to Rhaeadr Bwa Drain [rye-a-dir boo-a drine].

 

There were only four of us on the walk today. I guess that was due to the wet weather and the fact that it is a Bank Holiday weekend and people are either away, at one of many festivals or spending time with their families.

Before setting off on our walk we made a diversion to see the falls. Since I avoid having random people in my photos I had to position myself carefully to hide the family group having a picnic on a rock right in the middle of the river. Just behind us were another family having a picnic on the shore with dogs and children playing in the water.

E and S had other plans. Not to cool their feet or even have a paddle but to stand in the water and let the minnows nibble on their feet. Like those fancy fish pedicures you see on the internet. I would have joined them but my leggings wouldn't roll up high enough.

Instead I busied myself watching the wildlife. There in the middle of the river was a yellow wagtail. Although pied wagtails are common and often seen in car parks, the yellow wagtail is a summer visitor from Africa and the numbers are so low it is on the red list. Not only that but the distribution map from the RSPB site doesn't show it in Wales at all. Update, not a yellow wagtail but a grey or water wagtail. I hadn't realised there was a third species. Excitement over.

The next thing to catch my eye was this female golden ringed dragonfly. I know it was a female because it kept stopping to dip its abdomen below the water's surface to lay eggs.

And then I started seeing splashes as trout jumped out of the water to catch flying insects. Not the best photo but I couldn't spend longer waiting for the perfect shot. S, who lives nearby and is an eco-activist was especially pleased as there haven't been any trout in the river for years. There were certainly plenty today.

As we watched to see the trout jumping S spotted a small bird and using the camera we were able to see it was a dipper. I had always wanted to see one of these birds that hunts underwater for small creatures amongst the stones.

Moving away from the river we climbed the side of the valley into the temperate rain forest that covers the slopes when they aren't manicured into useless conifer plantations.

At first the path was quite easy to walk along but then we diverted into much more overgrown areas where the whole path was on a tilt and the downhill side of the path was often crumbling away. It took a lot of concentration to walk along the path and when I got home my my legs certainly felt the strain.

Eventually we reached our goal, a bridge which gave us a good view of the Bwa Drain waterfall.

While much reduced after the recent dry spell it was still impressive seeing the water flowing down from the top of the hill. We had seen the very first trickles of the waterfall from above on our recent walk to the hillfort of Bwa Drain and it was interesting to see it from a different perspective.

We then had to retrace our steps back through the woods and got caught in a downpour just before reaching S's field and then her house. A welcome cup of tea and cake were had indoors this time, usually we sit outside and watch for the smoke of the steam train on its way to Devil's bridge.

Take that, Seagulls.

Warm but with plenty of heavy showers today. In between showers I got the main part of the recycling store done, just the door left to do. Because I'm not a very good carpenter there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing as I checked each piece at every stage. I know from experience that trusting to my measurements and racing ahead is a recipe for disaster. But it is done; the side, four posts, and a solid top finished off with a layer of roofing rubber. And the only materials I had to buy were a latch, hinges and some clouts. Once the door is done any seagulls with mischief on their minds will have to go elsewhere.

During a rainy spell I got on with the big garage tidy moving some of the bigger stuff around. At the moment the large open space in the middle looks impressive until you see everything piled up at the far end. But slowly things are being sorted, some things will go to the Climate shop or the zoo and some to the dump.

Now for the final instalment of our trip to St Ives (though pretty sea pictures will probably keep appearing for a while.) - 

I was given a sizeable garden voucher by our good friends and having spotted a Dobbie's garden centre near St Ives when we arrived of course there was no question about where our first stop on the journey home would be. Pete is always happy to stop for a cooked breakfast though we had read some dreadful reviews about the cleanliness and service in the café. As we were going to be there as soon as they opened Pete thought it was worth a chance. But everything was as clean as possible and the service was excellent. Possibly due to the presence of an lady inspector  checking everything and asking lots of questions.

Meanwhile I was out in the garden centre and first found some ceramic spheres that match some big pots I already have then a really pretty planter that reminds me of the sea and another aeonium. I had bought two green ones from a local craft shop and already have a large specimen of the black one. Due to the climate (no frosts) aeoniums grow everywhere in St Ives as do agapanthus. The ones I moved from the back garden are looking healthy and the new one will replace a dead hydrangea in the front garden.

This photo (from the web) shows St Ives many beaches and yes the sea is often that colour. Starting from the top Porthmeor is the surfing beach. Moving clockwise past the island you come to Porthgwidden a sheltered beach suitable for families with a line of buoys stopping boats from landing there. Then comes Bamaluz beach a very small beach that disappears at high tide. Then there is the sand behind Smeaton's Pier which is mainly underwater but is a great place to watch the waves from the rocks or piers. Then comes the harbour which even at high tide has a strip of sand under the harbour wall. Porthminster, a long sandy beach great for families is just out of sight to the left. Even if St Ives didn't have the pretty jumble of Downalong the beaches alone would make it a fantastic holiday spot.

After our stop at the garden centre the drive home was fairly plain sailing. The motorways were busy but we didn't come to a grinding halt anywhere which is one of the perils of there being only one way back out of Cornwall and the south-west. 

We had one service station stop where shocked at being charged £5 for a cup of coffee I only bought one. We happened to have one of our large ceramic mugs handy and with the coffee decanted into that there was plenty for both of us along with some bacon sandwiches I had made before setting off. It was quite a civilised breakfast (second breakfast for Pete) sitting at a picnic table on a patch of grass.

I think the whole journey including stops took just over seven hours which wasn't too bad.

The view from the 'balcony' doors. A shame they didn't open especially when it was very hot though there were a number of fans to use. The sitting room also had a porthole window looking out towards Godrevy lighthouse.

Looking out of the kitchen window one afternoon I watched a couple of squirrels running along the cables that ran between the telegraph poles.

Still More St Ives.

It seemed odd not to be heading down to the stables this morning but on the other hand it was nice not to be sticking to a schedule. 

At first it looked as if we were going to have another wet day but by the afternoon things brightened up. I didn't bother going to Morrison's this week but just did town and Lidl.

When I got home I unpacked the shopping, cooked up more stewed apples, had a rest and then carried on working on the recycling store. So far I have the side cut to size and all four of the uprights cut so that the top will slope. All those parts have been painted with a random tin of wood preserver to give them a chance to last longer.

Now back to sunny St Ives and Monday - (I've corrected yesterday's typo),

 

Vytas and Sally called in to say goodbye before they set off for their journey home. It had been lovely to have their company. Once they'd left we walked down to town joining the melee of ambling visitors and traffic making our way as quickly as possible up to The Island stopping on the way to buy a couple of pasties for our lunch.

We ate our pasties in the shelter of one of the buildings at the top of the Island as by then the wind was very strong, Pete reckoned force 5, well he is experienced in such things. We also made sure to keep our pasties safe from marauding seagulls. The ones in St Ives will literally swoop down and grab food from your hands if you aren't careful.

After a walk around the Island Pete then headed back to our apartment while I had a leisurely walk around reliving childhood memories.

Of course the harbour beach with the three distinctive arches of Smeaton's Pier had been my main playground being only yards from my home. No adult supervision needed in those days.

Smeaton's Pier was built to shelter the harbour from the force of the wind and the Atlantic waves. The far side is now a popular place for people to sit and watch the waves crashing on the rocks and against the pier.

Eventually I had to take my leave of the sea and head back up busy Fore Street. At least I knew we will be retuning soon otherwise it would have been so hard.

Our dinner that night was the remains of the previous night's take away which was still a large amount. The night was hot and I woke after a few hours eventually getting up and watching the 24 hour news.