Still Wet.

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

Off on a trip today, back soon.

 

Very Wet.

It was very grey this morning. I just about managed to drink my coffee outside before the first drops of rain sent me back indoors. For the rest of the day we've had extremely heavy showers interspersed with occasional brighter moments. By the time I got home the sea was looking quite wild which was lovely to watch from the comfort of an armchair.

At the stables I rode my lovely Tex again. Beforehand I had time to carry on with brushing out his wet mane. I've nearly reached his ears but there's still more mane flopped over on the other side.

In the lesson we did a lot of work in sitting trot plus for a lot of the time several of us rode without stirrups. Tex is so comfortable in the trot which made it easy so as usual I concentrated more on asking him to be on the bit. Each week he gets a bit better which is very satisfying.

The rain got so heavy that a young girl who was having a private lesson in the arena came in and rode in the school with Chloe who was teaching her, running by her side. We are used to avoiding each other so it didn't make a lot of difference to us.

 

At Morrisons they now have clematis in the garden section. I couldn't resist picking up two more and then when I noticed the 3 for 2 offer went and chose another one. 

Last week in Charlie's I advised a chap looking at the clematis that he would do better getting one from Morrisons. Okay the Charlie's one was a lot bigger but at £18 also a lot more expensive.

In town I donated yet another bag of stuff to the Climate shop where I bought three ring binders for Pete and a dark blue sheet to turn the boat into the sea for the carnival, for the grand price of £2.

By the time I got home I was, as usual worn out. I planted the clematis in the back garden, put a saucepan of apples on to stew, prepared a salad for supper and had a shower before finally crashing out with a big mug of tea.

Done.

It wasn't much of a surprise to look across the bay this morning and see snow on the mountains. Just a light layer which was gone by the afternoon.

This was about the only break in the clouds that let the sun light up the snow and the wisps of cloud forming in the valleys. For the rest of the day it has been grey with the kind of damp cold that gets into your bones.

I carried on sorting and cleaning the utility room and at last it is done. Peter seems to have given up on sorting the garage/ workshop so I may have to tackle that (for my own sanity) at some point but for now my spring cleaning is done. Now I can get on with much more interesting things like gardening and creative projects.

I will admit that unlike the other rooms which really are very tidy I moved some stuff which sits on the worktop and on top of the freezer making it look messier. It has had to go back for the time being. But I was taking the photo as part of a before and after series to go in a photobook so I wanted the room to look its best. 

2019, when the builder had already removed everything bar the old boiler. Both walls and the roof had to be replaced and when we moved in several years later there wasn't even an outside door.

Originally this had been a second kitchen but soon after Chick and his friends moved in (in the 1980s) they decided they were happy living communally. 

Off to disco aerobics in a while and that's my day done. Yesterday at choir there were only eleven of us and most of the songs were new to me. I was the only tenor so it had to be a very fast learning curve. I'm sure it's good for the brain.

Chilly.

It has been grey and very cold again today. For a while in the morning there were strong winds sending plants swaying and bin lids down the road after which things got much calmer. Now that it's night it has started to rain lightly so there may be ice by morning.

 

I had a baking session today and made cookies. I started with my basic recipe some of which I used to make ginger and dark chocolate cookies as I have both crystalized ginger and powdered ginger in the cupboard. I have to say they turned out to be rather tasty but then I love ginger. The rest I made into the usual peanut butter and chocolate chunk cookies which everyone likes.

I also managed to do some more tidying in the utility room. It's not completely organised but a lot better than it was.

I'm off to choir in a minute with plenty of warm clothes as the large village hall can be cold.

Off To The Zoo.

Despite a promise of sun we've had a thin layer of cloud all day that has kept things quite chilly. But at on the other hand it hasn't rained. 

Since it was at least dry I took myself down to the zoo for a spot of weeding. On my way I stopped to chat to a couple of women I know who were off to swim in the river. Rather them than me.

The first thing I did was to plant some ground cover sedums in 'my' gravel garden. I know it's too early to be transplanting stuff but there's plenty of the sedum at home and it's worth a try to see if it will establish nice and early in the year.

My main task was to go over the woodchip of the small play area removing every tiny weed (with their not so tiny roots) and turning over the woodchip in an effort to let it dry out. I have been promised that some of the new woodchip, which is in a pile off-site, will be brought down and put on top of the old woodchip.

I'd spotted some nettles beginning to grow by the bird enclosures, pulled them up and came across a tangle of bindweed roots trying to escape from the overgrown empty enclosure. At least they were easy to remove from the wet soil.

As I worked my way across the woodchip my thoughts turned to what was the large play area. At least I won't be needed to weed there. And of course I then had one of my ideas. If I weed some paths for children to run along through the weeds it would look a lot better until maybe one day some new equipment gets installed. And it wouldn't cost anything. I put my idea to the owner and he has given me the go-ahead. 

Now all I need to do is come up with a design, possibly incorporating the bare patches, remove the remaining wood and make the paths. That will be fun.

Since coming home I got my very muddy trousers washed and have done some more cleaning in the utility room. I'll do some knitting and then it will be time for Pilates.

Windy.

Wild and stormy today but despite the grey clouds not a lot of rain.

 

It was the perfect day to carry on with the spring cleaning. I have made good progress in the utility room which hopefully will be finished by the end of the week. I turfed out the cupboard under the sink, sorted and cleaned but I'm still wondering what to do with some things. We need the plumber to deal with a minor seep from the pipework when he comes to service the boiler. I've got a container underneath it to catch the water but that is probably the reason why the cupboard is ever so slightly damp. 

I've also cleaned the shelves and all the glass vases. I really don't need so many and at least one of the larger ones will go to the charity shop.

Later I needed to get out in the fresh air and went for a short walk down on the beach. On the way I met our neighbour and he told me they will be going to Plaka again too. They will be in the apartment above us for five days at the same time as we will be there. (There are only five apartments of varying sizes in two buildings.) 

I didn't spend too long on the beach as the wind has turned cold again and it was just beginning to spit. 

Never Ending Downpours.

That's what it felt like today. The winds blew from the west bringing the darkest of rain clouds. There was a hint of sun later in the afternoon but after sunset the rain returned.

As my spring cleaning is reaching an end I'm turning my attention to the utility room. Although the smallest room it is probably the messiest. Not only has it tended to be a general dumping ground but in past years my spring cleaning stopped before I reached the utility room. 

Today I cleaned the wall cabinet and had a successful sort out of the stored cleaning materials. That done I went through some of my files and cleared out a load more un-needed paperwork. 

My final job was to photograph Peter's parents' documents and some photos for Vytas who has expressed an interest in finding more about the family history.

I ended by starting knitting another pair of fingerless mittens using the blue mohair wool I bought on Friday. It's quite fiddly as I'm knitting in the round with double ended knitting needles. I do like challenging myself.