Almost Spring.

Whilst not exactly warm today's sun gave a good impression of springtime. There was even some wind which helped to part-dry the washing I hung out on the line.

I like Saturdays because I can if I want have a 'rest day' but today the sun lured me out to work in the garden.

My first task was to re-lay some paving slabs in the back garden. When I was first sorting out the back garden I laid some random slabs straight on the ground (with a little fine gravel beneath) to make it easier to get to the path that runs down the centre of the garden. I wasn't too surprised when some of the slabs ended up being a bit wobbly. More recently, when there was sand left over from one of the building works I earmarked it to use to re-lay the slabs. My first step had been to pressure wash the slabs which I did a while back. Today, while Peter had driven to town I shifted the sand from the drive to the back garden and re-laid the slabs. Having a base of sand made fitting the different sized slabs a lot easier. All I need to do now is brush some dry mortar mix between the slabs.

After a short rest my attention turned to the front garden where I gave all the clumps of pheasant grass a trim. I love seeing them blowing in the wind but they were getting quite bushy. Hopefully cutting them back will keep them at a more manageable size. And if I've cut them back too much I have a number of young plants that I let grow in the vegetable plots. The front garden all looks a bit too tidy and flat for my liking but plants do have a habit of growing! If only they would get to the required size and then magically stay that way.

 

I spotted this dog having a wonderful time digging up a stone to play with down on the beach.

My too tidy garden.

The usual spring bulbs are already flowering but I wasn't expecting to see so many other flower buds.

Slightly Warmer.

Today has been a little warmer and the rain has confined itself to a gently falling (?) mist. 

Since coming home from our weekend away we've been even more appreciative of our view, always the same but always different. And how instead of a background rumble of distant traffic the air is filled with the sound of swooshing waves and the occasional boom as the waves hit the cliff. I don't think I shall ever tire of spending time sitting out on the terrace or as was the case today sitting inside the open door with that welcome cuppa to hand.

There were only four of us in the lesson today and we were all on our favourite horses which for me was the lovely grumpy Tex.

Katie taught us today and for a change she set out poles on the ground for us to ride a square instead of the usual circles. We had to keep on a straight line and then make a fairly sharp turn at the corners using pressure from our legs rather than relying on the reins to change direction. It was quite interesting.

In Morrisons I had a long chat with a lady I know from the RDA. They fatten on cattle and she told me how a new youngster had got himself completely wedged between a metal gate post and a wall after panicking when coming off the lorry. It couldn't go forward and it couldn't go back. They left it there while they dealt with the rest of the cattle then had to get the tractor, remove the gate and then lift the gatepost out of the ground to free the daft animal.

Then I did the usual run around town taking the last bag of clothes to the Oxfam shop and and in another charity shop found what may be a suitable cardigan (50p) for Peter to wear for the carnival. It could do with being bigger and baggier so I'll stick it in the washing machine. It's acrylic which I'm hoping will lose its shape after washing.

 

Guess What?

It's raining again. It was dry first thing but then the deceptively gentle wet of the morning's sea mist intensified by midday to torrential proportions and continues still. I'll definitely be driving down to the hall tonight for disco aerobics.

Our Welsh class today was all about the prepositions that conjugate. Much repetition to help us learn the different forms to go with I, you, he, she , it etc. Plus those prepositions are used where we miss them out in English. And they can be different if the noun being referred to is a person or a place.

Before and after class I did some small jobs such as putting a suitcase up in the loft and setting up the digital piano. I thought I'd found a better place for the piano on the other side of my study but then the curtain made it impossible for me to put the sheet music on the stand. So it all went back to how it was before.

Now for the last of the photos from our weekend away.

With a garden voucher burning a hole in my pocket (there is only one small garden centre near us that accepts vouchers) I carefully planned our homeward journey with a stop at a large garden centre close to the motorway.

Having settled Peter in the restaurant with a bacon and egg bap I first went to the plant areas. It's a bit early in the year for them to be fully stocked and I can hardly fit another plant in the garden so it was only a quick look.

Then I had a lovely long browse around all the indoor stuff. I began by finding an acceptable hand cream tester (I can't bear a lot of perfumes) which made my hands lovely and soft.

A lot of the ornamental stuff was on the twee (or even tacky?) side. I tend to like more natural looking things but it was fun looking around.

This display with wooden carvings and glass caught my eye. Eventually I chose the little mouse sitting on a toadstool. Now it sits on the bedroom windowsill as a reminder of a lovely family weekend.

I also bought a long handled hand-fork and another air plant to join the gang on their branch in the sitting room window,

Crossing the Severn Bridge into rainy Wales.

A Trip To Newtown.

A break in the clouds allowed enough sun through for me to enjoy my morning cuppa out on the terrace listening to the waves and working out a plan of action for the garden. The sun was still shining for my visit to Newtown (Drenewydd) making it feel pleasantly mild. 

However, once I returned to the mountains the sky turned grey and increasingly wet. I hoped that once I reached the coast that the rain would be gone but no, it was still raining.

My trip to Newtown on the far side of the Cambrian mountains, was to collect my digital piano which has had the faulty parts replaced. It's a very easy journey, from Aber, head west on the main road through the mountains and at Llangurig turn left and go north to Newtown. No Satnav needed. The second road was almost empty and even at a steady 55-60 mph it was stress-free driving.

 

I collected the piano from the music shop and then went to the nearby Tesco's for petrol, the loo and some shopping. Peter had asked me to pick up some tomatoes and of course I checked out the sale rail in the clothes section. There I found some black leggings reduced from £15 to £5. Black leggings are my everyday, out of the house outfit unless I'm doing a specific activity. My current pair have gone baggy on the knees but when I put on my 'good' pair last weekend the zip pinged open and I had to wear the old ones. They don't have changing rooms at that Tesco's so I tried the leggings on over the ones I was already wearing and then bought two pairs as the price was so good.

I then drove to the main town car park and had a leisurely stroll around the town checking out the charity shops. I didn't find anything this time but looking is part of the fun. I did see some cardigans that would have been suitable for the carnival but didn't fancy paying £7.50 for a single day's use.

There were lots of interesting buildings in the town but many were for sale and there were a number of empty shops. All signs of a town in decline or at least from its heyday.

This is the market hall. I got excited when I found a place that sell 'barefoot' shoes but they were closed. I've been wanting a pair for a while as they look the right shape for my broad feet but have heard too many horror stories about buying them on-line. Going somewhere to try them on first is what I need so it was a shame the place was closed.

On the way home I stopped in the mountains for a coffee and some shortbread that I'd bought in Newtown. I enjoyed the view, what there was of it and then found myself behind a tractor and trailer going to 25mph. There were too many bends in the road for me to overtake and by the time he pulled into a layby there were about a dozen cars behind.

I had every intention of going to choir tonight but by the time I got home late in the afternoon my aches and pains and general fatigue got the better of me. Plus the road inland out of the village is closed while they do work on one of the railway bridges. This morning I took the coast road instead but to get to Tal Y Bont I would have to go the long way round nearly doubling my journey. So instead I am having a quiet evening at home.

Sunny.

An unexpected sighting of the sun today. It was so warm and sunny at the zoo that first off came the coat and then the fleece leaving me in just a vest top.

I felt so tired this morning and could have done with a long lie-in followed by a day of doing nothing. But I have several things scheduled for each day this week and there won't be time for a rest until Saturday.

First stop this morning was the Post Office to send Romas some stuff he forgot to take with him on Sunday. 

After that I went to the zoo and spent nearly five hours making curved and spiral paths through the grass and weeds in what was the large play area. Last week I'd had a conversation with the owner about my ideas and also briefly about making a willow structure. And this week a circle of tall willow sticks has appeared next to the play area. I do hope it gets finished off properly.

This evening's Pilates helped ease my aching back. Five hours was far too long to be gardening on my knees but I really hate leaving a job half done.

Now for some photos of Whitchurch.

This was the pub where we had our Sunday lunch. Most of us chose the roast lamb. The portions were generous and I ended up giving two of my delicious roast potatoes to Vytas and Romas.

There are many old and interesting buildings in the town. This was another pub currently being refurbished.

Snowdrops in the churchyard.

The River Test runs through the town. Large trout could be seen in the clear waters of the shallow chalk river.

We walked along the river, past the uprooted willows and across a very soggy water meadow with more snowdrops. 

The village pond next to the silk mill was filled with ducks and trout waiting for offerings of bread.

A Family Weekend .

We have just returned from a most enjoyable weekend in Hampshire spent celebrating Vytas' 40th birthday.

We drove down on Saturday, past the last remnants of snow on the mountains and into the balmier climes of the home counties. It took us almost three hours to get to our planned 'half-way' stop at a service station this side of the Severn. It was raining so we sat in the car eating our cream cheese and smoked salmon bagels thinking up dramatic stories about the people hurrying past on their way into the service station. That had started after speculating about the owner of an expensive Merc parked in a disabled space (no blue badge of course). Let's just say I have a vivid imagination and my ideas would have made good film plot lines.

[All the photos in this post are from the party on Saturday evening. Above, the cake made by Sally.]

After our stop we still had a few more hours before arriving at Vytas and Sally's house in Whitchurch. Once we came off the M4 onto the dual carriageways we were surprised by the amount of traffic and the frantic speed at which everyone was driving. And by the number of deep potholes even in the main roads not to mention those in the motorway. 

Once we got there we helped load Vytas' car with food and drink for the party which he ferried round to the nearby venue. It was especially good to spend time with Romas before the party. He, along with a number of the other guests were staying at a local pub.

The party was held in a very smart modern community building which includes a library, in Whitchurch. Part of which is built over a stream with a glass panel set in the floor so that you can see the water underneath. There was a well stocked kitchen with everything needed for all sorts of functions and the main hall had an easily moved dividing wall. 

(Sally in the green dress and Vytas behind in a green shirt.) Vytas' friends had travelled from all over the country to help him celebrate with family. You wouldn't think it by the way they dress but most of them are scientists. (Or maybe you would.) It was a lovely party as it was more about chatting and having fun so the music was kept in the background until right at the end of the evening.

It was also great to catch up with our friends whom we have known since Rachel and Alex were born.

Later on after the children had been taken home we made a start on clearing up which for some reason included seeing how many helium balloons were needed to lift Vytas' plait. That was after we had played Pass The Parcel which had sweets and silly forfeits for the adults (not adult-themed I hasten to add).

After nearly all the clearing and cleaning had been done and we were waiting for a lady to come and collect the key some of the party goers danced in what I can only describe as a free-style fashion. And why not?

But the evening was not yet over and some of us walked to the nearby very old rabbit -warren style pub. The pub was open late as they had a band playing. Although their audience were obviously enjoying the performance the music was dire and very loud. We quickly opted to sit in the heated outside area to socialise for another hour or so.

I had wondered how we 'the parents', being of an older generation would fit in with Vytas and Sally's friends and if conversation would just be of the polite sort. But to our surprise we had so many things in common especially with the smaller group at the pub. For a start they were all active members of the Sealed Knot (Civil War re-enactment society). We took Vytas to his first muster when he was only 3 months old and were active members for a number of years before we moved out of London so there were plenty of stories to exchange and songs to sing. A couple of the guys at the party were Welsh speakers too so we had fun chatting and singing in Welsh. Vytas' friends are nearly all scientists and after chatting with several of the women (mustn't keep thinking of them as girls) who have had official diagnosis, it seems that most scientist are ND so we had a lot in common.

Clearing up after the party.

More tomorrow.

Still Wet.

A different sort of wet today, a pervading grey sea mist in milder conditions.

Off on a trip today, back soon.