Bonus Crop.

The day began warm and wet then progressed to warm and grey and finally the afternoon turned hot as the sun shone down through the gaps between the lines of clouds.

At least a dozen sparrows, adults and youngsters sat waiting in the hedge for their morning snack. (My neighbour has numerous bird feeders.)

 

Since it wasn't actually raining I thought I'd see how far I could get with the drains at the front of the house.

The first thing I did was to see if I could get the old metal manhole cover off even though the little bars had long since rusted away. I used an old table knife to scrape out the weeds and dirt between the cover and the frame and then carefully using two small pry bars managed to lift the cover off. 

I cleared the rubble and dirt out of the drain at the front and by pouring water in saw that it was indeed running into the main drains. That was a massive relief as it would have been a major job (builders!) to get the downpipes emptying into the main drain.

I sawed off the small pipe sticking out of the wall as we no longer have a sink in the bedroom. Using my small collection of left over drain pipes and fittings I was able to aim the white down pipe into the correct drain. I still need to get a proper bend fitting for the black pipe instead of the spout that I put on for the time being.

I cleared out the other drain which connects to something going under the house. Whether that's a drain leading to the main system (unlikely) or a soakaway we don't know. (Originally the kitchen sink emptied into a soakaway.) Much better to have all the water from the roof going down the drain I know leads to the main system.

While I was out there I also cleared all the weeds growing in the narrow strip of gravel between the house and the street.

Peter was going to cook some chicken tonight (he's since changed his plans) and needed potatoes. Happy to do my bit I dug up the last of the potatoes from the bed where I haven't planted potatoes for at least two years. I might as well throw some of the tiny ones back in for next year.

While we had some sun in the afternoon I sat outside on the terrace. Now the sun has moved round (you know what I mean), I had to squidge into a corner of the terrace though there was plenty of sun down in the garden. Soon I really will have to choose between view or sun.

I ended my working day by finishing off the green sequinned top. Lots of cut sequins on the floor but at last it is done. Now I'm thinking about my original idea of two rows of sequins criss-crossed over at the back. But not today.

Tick Alert.

Today's walk was a bit wetter than anticipated due to the low lying clouds that sometimes came right down to ground level. (We were roughly 360m above sea level.)

I met my fellow walkers at the large layby just before Nant yr Arian. We left some of the cars there and drove in a small convoy a few miles across the hills towards Ystumtuen.

For the first part of our walk we made our way up on to the ridge of Hen Riw (Old Hill) which can just be seen on the left in the above photo.

Up on the ridge we had stunning views across the Cambrian mountains.

One side of the ridge was quite steep so I renamed it our version of Crib Goch (photo from web below). Crib Goch is something I would never attempt even with all the correct mountaineering equipment.

Once we got to the edge of the ridge the plan had been to follow sheep trails round to the other side of Pwll Glas (Blue/lush pool) until we got back to a track which would bring us back to the road. However some of the group were uncomfortable with the fact that we were not on an official footpath even though it was unfenced moorland. There was some debate over if this counted as 'open access' land but I've since checked and it doesn't even though it is over 600ft. I'm sure the local farmers wouldn't have minded but to keep everyone happy we tried to stick to the rights of way.

Crossing over the small road we then climbed the ridge on the other side of the road through very wet heather and bilberries. We stopped at the crest of the ridge to eat our lunch but after one person found sheep ticks on her bag and trousers most of us chose not to sit on the ground.

I was wearing shorts and constantly checked my bare legs to make sure they were tick-free. I think spraying my legs with mozzy repellent earlier helped to dissuade the nasty creatures from coming near. The little poodle type dog that was with us wasn't so lucky. By the end of the walk his owner had to pick out a fair number of small ticks from his golden fur and he was due for a thorough going over and a bath once they got home. Not surprising as for a lot of the time he was walking through vegetation that was higher than he was. 

After all the fuss over not being on an official path we then found ourselves with not even a sheep track to follow but were simply trampling through the bushes as we attempted to reach a cairn known locally as a fairy ring.

We never made it as once we hit the path it was too far to go right to the cairn. Instead we turned and made our way down past another small lake. These lakes are all man made, constructed centauries ago to provide power for the many mines dotted about these upland areas.

As we came down between two ridges we had to cross what at first glance looked to be a bit of level moor but was in fact an extremely boggy patch. (Below.) Water could be seen glinting under long grass and sphagnum moss but even the tussocks of grass and rushes mainly sunk down into water as you stepped on them. I found the best way to cross was to go as quickly as possible shouting (not quite) expletives each time my foot went down into the water after yet another tussock proved to not be as substantial as hoped. Fortunately my boots are waterproof and by moving quickly my feet didn't get as wet as they might have. I suppose by now I should be used to the way water collects in these dips in what are almost the highest points of the local landscape.

More fun and games as we made our way carefully down a steep slope through tall wet vegetation. Many of the bilberry bushes had fruit on them. I ate a few but between the large pip and the skin these tiny fruit do not have a lot of goodness in them. You would have to pick an awful lot to use them for food.

Eventually we found the path and then the road back to the cars. 

Wet.

While the weather is still warm for the most part today has been very wet.

As usual on a Saturday it takes me a while to emerge after my busy Friday (and disco on Thursdays). But luckily it was still dry when I went down to sit in the garden with my coffee. From my perch on the garden wall I was able to watch the waves splashing up against the end of the concrete outflow.

Only minutes after I went back inside the rain started and continued for the rest of the day.

 

With my plans for outside work scuppered I've been doing very housewifely things; cleaning, cooking and sewing. The sewing consisted of replacing the elastic in a pair of new black leggings which I haven't yet worn but have been in storage for so long the elastic perished. (Who knew of that happening?) and doing a bit more work to the green sequinned top. I was going to wear it on Thursday but realised the sides needed altering first. So far I've done the sides but still need to shorten the front.

On the cooking side it's been tomato sauce day. My big metal casserole dish doesn't work on the induction hob so I can't to do all of the frozen tomatoes in one go. But there are still plenty of tomatoes on the plants and I'll do a second batch later. Once the sauce is cooked down it will go back into the freezer in small tubs to use throughout the year. Much better than supermarket sauces with a whole list of dubious ingredients my sauce contains only tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and seasoning.

While my brain is still in prepper mode I'm thinking of getting a Kelly kettle. Being able to boil water for hot drinks or things like cous cous and noodles sounds like a sensible idea to me and we would always be able to get small driftwood from the beach. (I have a feeling I've been watching too many disaster movies.) There are some gas cannisters for the camping stove up in the loft and the barbecue as well. Okay we probably will never need them but it's reassuring to know we have options.

Shopping Around.

Although the forecast was for a sunny day this morning the only sun to be seen was shining down on the hills of Snowdonia (or at least some of them). Later the sun broke through the clouds and brought some welcome warmth which increased as the day went on.

This morning I had Cody again but maybe because I made sure to lengthen my stirrups to my preferred rather long length, I was a lot more comfortable and doubt if there'll be any after effects.

Today we worked on shoulder-in. At times I found it difficult to communicate clearly with Cody but we eventually got there. I prefer to aim for gentle co-operation with the horse rather than using strong aids which I guess are needed when you're working with a school horse rather than your own but that's just the way it is. 

Somebody posted on the Borth FB page looking for two people who would be willing to exercise a couple of local horses regularly. While that initially sounds ideal and is how I rode horses in London when I was in my twenties no doubt you would also have to commit to mucking out and generally looking after the horses as well which I know would be too much for me.

 

After riding I did the usual round of dump, shops and town. I've started buying extra following govt. advice to stockpile two weeks supply of food in case there are supply difficulties. The suggestion was also to have food you can eat even if there are power issues. They're stating that extreme weather could cause these problems but who knows what the Russians will do or even have done already? Since I'm able to buy extra each week I might as well to be on the safe side.

For immediate consumption this afternoon I stewed another large bag of apples to go on our morning porridge. We do like a bit of fruit with our porridge Currently we add blueberries or blackberries, stewed apple and banana with sultanas and chia seeds cooked in the porridge.

A few days ago I got a letter from the RAC with details of my automatic renewal for next year's breakdown cover. When I ploughed through the figures I was shocked to see that it was going to cost £377! We haven't called them out for over 7 years and yet the price continues to rise every year. Since we've always had older cars it has been a sensible precaution to have breakdown cover. I know that a few years ago when the renewal was nearly £300 I got a quote from the AA and it was almost identical. But I thought I'd try the AA again and was astonished to find I could get cover from them for £76. That was for basic roadside assistance so I added on 'take the car to any garage we name not the nearest one and take the vehicle's occupants to their destination' and 'replace broken or lost car and house keys' which brought it to £92. That's a massive saving. I know that the price will jump next year but I can shop around again when the time comes.

Wet.

The day began warm and grey but dry enough for me to spend some time in the garden.

I've begun cutting back the crocosmia before I move them over to the other side of the garden as they didn't do well in the raised beds during the hot weather. Also the big lace cap hydrangea that forms part of the hedge is getting too exuberant and is being cut back as the blooms finish.

Next I pulled up all the mint that has happily been growing through the herbaceous beds. It gave the garden a cottage garden feel and provided food for the bees and butterflies but now it's time for it to go. I don't mind if more appears next year to add to permanent mint bed and a number of planters of different varieties of mint.

 

By the time I finished with the mint it was raining steadily so I retired indoors to play the piano, do some paperwork and generally potter about. Luckily the rain has stopped for the moment as I'm about to head down to the hall for disco aerobics.

Oops !

We had heavy rain and strong winds last night, I found a few things blown around the garden this morning but once again it's been a pleasantly bright day.

This morning Pete took the car for its service which along with a wax treatment to the underneath means that it won't be ready until tomorrow morning. Together we'd worked out that today would be a good day for this as I wouldn't like to miss my Friday riding lesson.

It was only half an hour ago when I went to organise my bag that I realised I wouldn't be able to go to choir tonight either. I'd even been practising some song parts that our choir leader had sent out for a tricky song we worked on last week and thought about what I'd be wearing. Not so much in terms of a fashion parade but thinking about how warm or cold it would be in the large village hall we practise in. Oh the joys of getting old and forgetful. 

I picked another three pounds of tomatoes this morning. It's getting hard to find space in the freezer for the bags of frozen tomatoes that look and sound like billiard balls. Soon I'll have to start cooking them down into a herby tomato sauce which has so many uses.

I've also been doing some diy jobs. First off was to use the resin filler to repair the garage windows from the inside. As soon as my neighbour's bush is cut back I'll repair the outside of the windows and paint them. I did a bit more general sorting out in the garage too. Little and often is my method with that job.

Years ago I saved some galvanised metal mesh from the builders thinking that it would be useful to cover the open drains below the gutters but it was never a priority job. I got round to the first one recently and today I did the other two at the back of the house. One of the drains doesn't lead to any drainage system but is simply a soakaway into the garden. However years of leaves and dirt falling into the drain had created a stinky anaerobic sludge, lots of it. Almost half a bucketful which I cleared out by hand. I knew it was only rainwater from the roof but it was not a pleasant job. Hopefully the mesh will keep the worst of the vegetation out in the future. Afterwards I still had some mesh left over and went to check one last drain on the street side of the house. To my dismay this drain which takes water from two sides of the roof looks to be another soakaway. There are actually two holes, one which the gutter from one side goes into is definitely a soakaway and the other one - needs investigation. Thank goodness for heavy duty rubber gloves. But I shall do that job on another day.

While the drive was empty (that should have given me a clue that I wouldn't be driving tonight) I cleaned out the drain that stops water getting into the garage. I clean this one regularly but it does fill up with dirt and what seems like a thousand valerian seedlings blown in from my neighbour's garden.

I feel I've achieved quite a bit today. Just a shame about choir especially as I had practised the tenor part of The earth says to the earth. (The last tricky line is missing from this recording). It's a hard one to learn as a choir but satisfying when we get it right.

'Hello George.'

After a night of torrential rain today has been windy and quite sunny (and warm) too. I chatted to someone at the zoo who is staying in a caravan in the holiday park behind us and she said that she thought her caravan was going to be blown right over last night.

My idea of putting a dumpy bag over the garden gate worked a treat and first thing this morning I gave it a second coat of 'proper' varnish which has dried nicely in the wind.

 

At the zoo the first thing I did was to plant more mint along the boundary fence. I like having mint in our front garden but now is the time to take out all the mint apart from the 'mint bed'.

Above - the new fence around the mountain goats' enclosure is almost done so hopefully no more wandering. At the moment the gaots are confined to the paddock area (the bit with the trees) so that work can continue. Before I left I spent some time giving one of the goats a scratch on his head and neck. I never remember their names and usually call them 'the stinky boys' as they can be a bit smelly at times but I noticed their ear togs are numbered 1 and 2 so maybe I'll call them Goat 1 and Goat 2 ala Dr Zeus.

I spent most of the time weeding the gravel by the ferrets, one of whom came out to say hello, and other odd bits in that area. The recent rain has caused so many seeds to germinate that I couldn't pull up each one but had to be satisfied with turning the stones over.

George the cockatoo was in a very chatty mood today. I spent some time interacting with him before I left and there were lots of 'Hello George', 'Goodbye' and 'What are you doing?' some of which sounded very much like S, another volunteer who talks to him a lot.

One lady asked how old Mr Pea the peacock is as she had fond memories of seeing a peacock on a visit 19 years ago. None of us knew how old Mr Pea is as he was here before the current owners bought the zoo. I've just had a look and apparently peacocks can live up to 50 years in captivity so he could quite well have been the one she remembers.

I haven't done much since getting home apart from preparing my supper (Peter is off on a curry night with the rowing club) and getting ready for Pilates which starts up again after the summer. Despite my best intentions I have not managed to do a daily exercise session using one of Rachel's FB reels so I guess it's going to be hard work tonight.