No Surprise, It's Raining.

This morning was a lot greyer and wetter than yesterday. The afternoon is looking a bit brighter so hopefully I can walk to the hall for aerobics (Rachel has promised us a Valentine themed selection of songs) instead of driving.

Before our Welsh class I baked a Bara Brith for Pete. It's an easy cake to make and he enjoys it so much. 

The time seemed to fly by in class this week. We spent the first our in groups chatting about tv programmes, films and radio. Plenty to talk about there. As ever it's the prepositions that trip us up as they don't match how we use them in English. The best thing is to learn the preposition/verb pairs by rote. And of course some of the prepositions conjugate. So far we've only been using i ( can be to, is or simply goes with a verb) which can be iddo, iddi or iddyn depending on who is being referred to. We thought that was hard and then our tutor told us that it's the easy one. Some other prepositions have more complex conjugations. Oh my!

 

Since class I've gone through the drawers in my filing cabinet and loaded up the car with shopping bags, riding hat and more stuff for the charity shop. I'll donate at the Climate shop this week as it's next door to the fabric shop. The lady in the Aberdashers, (love the name) said they might have some muslin by the end of the week.

Grey.

It's been warmer but grey and pretty damp all day. It was only as dusk grew nigh (as they say) that there was a break in the clouds and a hint of sun in the sky. And now it's raining again.

 

Nothing for it but to continue with the spring cleaning. Today I focussed on the shelves next to my computer desk. Most of the stuff there is in white storage tubs of various sizes with a few baskets thrown in for good measure. Putting things in the tubs gives the illusion of orderliness but some of them had been used for dumping all kinds of things from stationary items to tiny boxes and random magnets.

It was very unsettling to see everything spread out on the floor while the washed tubs were drying. A big sigh of relief now it's all back on the shelves.

I'm finding it easier to let go of things at the moment and a lot went either in the bin or in the charity shop pile. All that's left to do in this room are the three drawers of my filing cabinet which again have been used to hide things away.

In the afternoon I needed to get some milk from the shop and had a short walk on the beach to stretch my legs. While not raining it was very misty and wet so I didn't take my camera. 

Although I'm feeling much better this evening (aching a bit after Pilates) I decided not to go to choir. I was still coughing and spluttering this morning with a headache and that means I'm still infectious. There are a few people around my age in choir and several who have recently had or are still having treatment for cancer so I'm staying away. 

Last night all the street lights along the High Street were out but luckily not the ones up on the cliff. Only the street lights, not the houses as far as I could see. I'm wondering if it had anything to do with the workmen resurfacing a lane that runs off the High Street by the shop.

Rain Again.

The day began with some blue patches appearing between the clouds so there was hope for a dry day. It stayed dry for the morning and was warm enough for me to do my weeding at the zoo with my coat on a bench rather than on me. But towards the end of my shift it felt as if it would rain at any moment and no sooner had I got home than the rain came down in earnest. 

By the time Peter had to go out to see a friend the rain had reached deluge proportions and he left clad in waterproof trousers as well as a raincoat. It seems to have eased off at the moment but I shan't be taking any chances and will be driving down to Pilates this evening.

 

At the zoo I planted some more stachys in the gravel garden before picking off all the small cones and removing a few weed seedlings. The gravel is surrounded by a concrete path on the other side of which is grass and a wooden fence. Since I didn't have much to do I used my secateurs to cut the grass between the fence and the path. It's only a narrow strip and doing it that way I was able to lift up and cut any grass that was forming flat mats so that it will be neater when they do get round to strimming. At the moment the ground is so wet that walking on it leaves deep marks.

Having turned their enclosure into a mud pit the pigs, who are now enormous, spend the day in a much larger enclosure which has been empty for a while. I checked and had the okay to empty my bucket of grass and cones in their enclosure which Otis and Truffle really appreciated. That also saved adding to the giant wheelbarrow which then has to be pushed up the road to the muck heap which is in a separate field.

Driving home I stopped to chat to someone from Pilates and it turns out that a lot of people are suffering from this cold that turns 'chesty' with a nasty cough. 

At home I relaxed for a while then cleaned the window sills of my study. A small job that needs doing fairly often to keep on top of the mildew. That might be because I have the radiator turned down to the lowest setting. It's very useful being able to adjust each radiator separately. I don't like it too warm while Peter prefers it warmer for his arthritis.

Just About Dry.

The only evidence of rain today was the brief appearance of dark spots on the terrace. There was sufficient breeze to get the sheet I put on the line dry enough to iron. The towels will need more time on the rack in the utility room but every bit helps. 

 

My main spring cleaning job was to go through the folders in my filing cabinet and winnow out any papers no longer needed. That yielded a satisfying pile of paper to go for recycling. 

Having been out in the back garden to hang up the washing I couldn't resist making a start on the next major garden job which is to re-lay a dozen paving slabs. Originally I had simply levelled the ground as best I could and put random slabs down to access the main path. Today I lifted the slabs and at some point will dig out any weeds, level everything and then add the left over builder's sand which is sitting in dumpy bags on the drive before re-laying the slabs. Quite a manual job which I shall do bit by bit.

Then back to my study where I cleaned and sorted all my knitting needles and crochet hooks. I ended up with crochet hooks in every size from the largest down to a couple so small I would need a magnifying glass to use them. A handful of spare hooks will go to the charity shop but the bent or odd knitting needles are staying as they might come in useful for things like plant supports.

On Saturday there was a demonstration in Aber where people made a human chain right around the hospital. On top of other cuts it has been proposed that the stroke unit will be closed. After initial treatment anybody suffering a stroke would then be transferred over 100 miles (across the mountains) to a different hospital. That's just ridiculous. Imagine suffering a stroke and not having anybody coming to visit. Not good for mental well being which is an important part of recovery. There's already been a petition to the Senedd with over 10,000 signatures and now more frequent demonstrations and publicity. Let's hope somebody sees sense.

There was a pretty sunset this evening which was much more vivid than the photo shows.

Still Raining.

The day began dry with some sun in the middle of the day followed by light showers and now really heavy rain. According to the Met Office it has rained every single day in Wales this year. Of course we've had some dry days here at the coast but on the whole it seems like the rain never stops. 

Yesterday evening the coastguard were called out to rescue a car that was stuck in the sand at Ynyslas. The parking area is on sand but the rain has softened it a lot so you have to be very careful where you drive even above the tide line.

I still don't seem able to shake off this cold and subsequent cough. Although it was reasonable walking weather I decided, much to Peter's relief, to have a rest day at home.

After my regular morning routine plus giving the air plants their weekly bath and fed the orchids (who knew plants needed so much care?) I settled down to finishing off Peter's beanie. It's only for wearing around the place hence I didn't bother with a pattern which accounts for the less than perfect shape at the top. I'd picked out the soft chunky blue wool to start with and when that ran out only had the grey in thick wool to complete the hat. It's very warm and Peter is happy with it which is all that matters

Mid-afternoon.

Village windows catching the light of the setting sun.

More Spring Cleaning.

After a grey and very wet morning there were a few dry spells in the afternoon and some evening sun to light up the village. Once again I had to watch the dawn from the shelter of the open doorway. 

It was the perfect weather for spring cleaning with no temptation to venture outside. The radio was my companion as I emptied the corner shelves. Everything was cleaned and with some re-arranging put back on the shelves. There's even enough space for my old dolls' house which I plan to restore one day. It was originally an architect's model of a row of cottages which I guess were being converted to a modern home. My mother bought it in an auction when I was very small. I played with it for many happy years but now it is grubby and dilapidated. So much so that despite a cursory clean today it will stay on the floor until more presentable. Miniature houses or rooms seem to be all the rage at the moment but for me it will be a project for the future. 

I had a headache in the afternoon, maybe caused by a change in the air pressure, so started knitting a basic beanie for Pete as the one he wears is looking sad and I do have plenty of wool. Plus I like to keep my hands occupied.

I found some spare ribs in the reduced section yesterday and they've been in the slow cooker cooking in a barbecue sauce. For Peter's sake I followed a recipe for the barbecue sauce as he's not a fan of my 'chuck in the ingredients and see what happens' method of cooking. He much prefers a tried and tested recipe. The ribs should make a nice supper with Savoy cabbage and potatoes.

Wet.

It's been a grey, wet day today. Lightly falling rain forced me to sit inside the open terrace door this morning for my dawn watch. Even so it was good to feel the fresh air and hear the birds swirling above the waves.

Driving to the stables along the main road I looked in the mirror and there was a police car right behind me. Luckily I do keep to the speed limit though it's only been a few months since that section of road changed from 60mph to 40mph. Of course they weren't interested in me though they stayed behind me most of the way until I turned off the main road. (Because of the mountains it is the only road that goes west out of the area.)

I had my lovely Tex again. I'd remembered that I had the correct brush for manes (a plastic curry comb) at home so I brought it along and at least gave his mane a good brush. His tail will have to wait for another day though possibly not until the mud has been washed out. (Don't ask me why I'd forgotten to run that stirrup up but I did it later.)

We had a good lesson with plenty of cantering. This time I got Tex to canter straight off (almost) each time though sometimes he didn't maintain the canter. We got there in the end. Before all the fun stuff we worked on sitting trot to improve our seats. To the question When is it important to have a secure seat? my answer of When you're about to fall off, was technically correct but not quite what Iola was looking for.

Afterwards I did the usual shopping and got another freebee at Morrisons. I'd gone to the checkouts which were chaotic with lines of trolleys queuing for the only three open checkouts. As I didn't have too much in my trolley I went to the self-service where there was still a queue but not as long. I scanned my shopping but a box of reduced onion bhajis wouldn't scan. I called the supervisor who put in a very long number which still didn't register so she said no charge. Fine by me. 

A few days ago I decided that my scarecrow for the village competition would be Paddington Bear. Something children would recognise. Today I was browsing the charity shops looking for something blue to make his iconic duffle coat. Imagine my surprise when I came across this coat for £1. If I roll the sleeves up the coat may even survive enough to be handed back to a charity shop after the competition. The bag, label and some marmalade sandwiches should be easy enough.  All I have to do is to think about is how to make his hat.

Driving home along the back road I stopped to take some photos of the snowdrops planted in the verge.

It is so much nicer to drive along the narrow country lane than go down the main road with houses on either side and a 20mph limit.