Another Scorcher.

Another hot day. 

I cycled to the zoo, well I couldn't have driven as Peter took the car to the garage for a service and MOT. We haven't heard back yet (Peter missed a call when he was out rowing) so we don't know what if any work needs to be done on the car.

At the zoo I did some general weeding including prising weeds out from the gaps in some concrete which I think might be the reason I have a new lump on the joint of one finger. (Update - it's gone down after some pressure so I'm guessing another ganglion cyst.)

At the zoo I also went into the silver foxes enclosure to help S (who is not as tall as I am) to cut back a bush that was growing too close to the sides and roof of the enclosure. This involved some dramatic balancing on the top of a rickety step ladder and the larger branches of the bush on my part.

Afterwards we sat on some old logs and I fed grapes to Blue the male fox. He will take them from S's hand but couldn't quite gather up the courage to take them from my hand even though he really loves grapes. I had to drop the grapes on the ground in front of him. The two foxes (Blue and Lily) are 8 years old and poor old Blue is deaf which I think makes him even more nervous.

I spent four hours at the zoo which included a rest break where I sat in the shade with a plastic bottle of blackcurrant squash. With a bucket of tools next to me, my boots off and my soaking wet socks draped over the wall of the rabbits' enclosure to dry I must have looked like an elderly bag lady swigging wine. I don't care.

After I finished at the zoo I went up to check out the blackthorn bushes in a nearby lane. There was not a sloe to be seen on the first few bushes but then the remaining bushes had sloes hanging like bunches of grapes. It was hot work but I eventually had a few pounds of sloes ready to make sloe gin to give as Christmas presents.

I also looked for blackberries but since these lanes are a regular dog walkers' route as well as a pleasant circular walk away from the bustle of Borth's one street there were not many ripe blackberries to pick. I'll need to go to more out of the way places if I want to pick a decent amount of blackberries.

I thought cycling was getting easier until I reached the two uphill sections on the way home. It was too hot to be worth wearing myself out and I pushed the bike instead. 

Even pushing the bike up the short stretch by our house wore me out. As soon as I got in I changed into shorts and could do no more than lie down on the cool tiled floor of the utility room before I 'came over all funny'. It was good just to lie there and recover. And there was a bonus to my mad action - because of the bend in my upper spine I was advised at Pilates when I first went to put something under my head when we do exercises lying on our backs. I usually roll up my zip-up fleece into a makeshift pillow.

Today I was so desperate to lie down I didn't bother with something under my head. At first I held my head up with my hands but then did a very low 'bridge' resting my hips on my hands. This allowed me to keep my shoulders down and put my head on the floor. Gradually my back eased down until eventually I was able to put my hands by my sides and lie completely flat on the floor. That is something I never thought I'd be able to do. Perhaps if I do this for a few minutes each day it will help my spine to straighten up.

Eventually I recovered, threw my clothes in the washing machine and had a welcome shower. A few small household jobs got done and then I was able to relax out on the terrace with some crisps (for the salt) and a big mug of tea. I finished by unpicking a seam on a light summer top that goes perfectly with one of my skirts but is a little too full in the back. Now that I've unpicked the gathered piece from the yoke I can add a centre seam and re-attach it back onto the yoke which should make it less billowy. 

Nearly Done.

The wind is now coming from the north-east which gives it a bit of a bite but it has been sunny all day. Good for the washing that went out on the line.

My first job this morning was to hoover the bedroom carpet and then wash the grubby bits. I really should have had some bound runners made to go beside the bed as it's such a shame to see the carpet looking less than pristine in those areas. Though I have to say that Peter now takes his outdoor boots off in the utility room to save tracking in dirt. 

I'm in and out of the house so often that my strategy is to take off any outdoor shoes either in the utility room or at least before I go in the bedroom. At the moment I spend a lot of time with bare feet indoors. It's surprising I haven't stood on any of the pins I've been scattering around the place as I go from the sewing machine in the kitchen to my work surface on the spare bed in the study or to the ironing board which I sometimes set up in the sitting room and sometimes in here.

 

Most of my day has been spent working on the black-out curtains. Above you can see the difference adding the cream muslin makes. On the left the curtain has definite grey tinge while on the right the extra layer softens the white making it closer to the wall colour. 

I still need to hand sew down the sides which I left for another day as I had ironing and then supper preparation to do.

Another Curtain.

Today has been sunny but not too hot and with just enough wind to dry the washing.

It's always nice to look out and see a yacht moored in the bay. It adds to the general holiday atmosphere even if it is only Freddy's yacht that he keeps at Ynyslas. 

Freddy is part of the RNLI crew and this morning's training session seems to have been  'boarding and towing a vessel in distress'. 

I decided not to go on the Sunday walk but finish off the curtains instead. But before I got to the black-out curtains I had a more pressing sewing project - making a muslin curtain for the terrace door. With yet another heatwave predicted it's handy to keep the door open to let air into the house. But that also lets in the flies which are not wanted in the kitchen.

I had a length of white muslin (the one that wasn't quite 3m), some left over black-out fabric and a long 2" wide strip left over from making the silly seagull curtains, everything I needed to make the curtain. 

But before I did any sewing I had to create a second curtain pole which I did using some plastic tubing that I cut notches into to fit over the existing curtain pole brackets.

I used the strip of fabric at the top of the curtain to strengthen the flimsy muslin and a wide band of black-out fabric at the bottom to add weight and also so that the muslin wouldn't catch on the threshold.

It all took lots of pinning and checking before two rows of stitching at the top and two at the bottom and it was done. 

I didn't carry on sewing as I had ironing and supper preparation to do but I left the sewing machine out on the table for tomorrows endeavours. And I still had time to sit outside for an hour with a cuppa.

As I was sitting outside I heard a clatter and when I looked down there was a crab claw dropped by a seagull or maybe a jackdaw. A nautical version of manna from Heaven perhaps?

Although I didn't go on the walk today I still got to see the countryside .... on the tv. I iron in front of the tv and today I thought I'd try watching Am Dros to see what I could understand. This is a reality show where four people go for walks in Wales. They take it in turns to lead a walk that is local to them and tell the others some facts about the area. They also provide a picnic lunch and organise some sort of game. At the end they score each other's efforts to make it a bit of a competition. It's more about seeing different parts of Wales and for me it's a chance to tune in to basic Welsh conversation. I can understand more now but I still had to refer to my dictionary and guess to understand what they were saying. Once I've seen the whole programme I'll watch it again with the (English ) subtitles.

The second walk today was around Bwlch Nant Yr Arian taking the route that goes past the Big Chair and on to Llyn Melindwr and finished with the red kite feeding. Places I know well and fun to see on the screen.

Shh !

It's been a lovely sunny day today though by the time I went to sit outside in the afternoon it had clouded over and become cooler.

I slept straight away last night and didn't wake until 8.00 this morning. Late as it was the village was completely quiet. 

Apart from a couple of swimmers the beach was empty and almost nothing was stirring in the village. A result of people partying in the field or dancing the evening away at the Star of the Sea. My heart would have loved to be dancing too by my feet would not. 

This morning I drove to town to Next to collect a swimsuit I'd ordered. I have a perfectly serviceable Speedo swimsuit but after seeing so many lovely swimsuits advertised on FB, (worn by slim young models and would not look good on me.) I had a browse of M&S and Next's swimwear and chose one that I hope will be flattering. (Not the £210 I liked from M&S.)

But although I had an e-mail saying it would be there to collect after 3.00 Friday it still hadn't arrived in the shop this morning.

But I did find this pretty cream jug which matches two small coffee mugs I already had. Although the same blue calico design as the Burleigh mugs the jug was made by the Heron Cross pottery which means it was dates from before 1900. 

Back home I cooked up a pot of apples and painted the concrete bit by the back gate grey. Not wanting it to look just like concrete I lightened the grey paint (which is oil based) with white water based paint which created a marbled paint and then did my best to create a muted mottled effect to mirror the grey ceramic tiles of the drive. It might need a touch up before I'm satisfied with the result.

A few more photos from yesterday's carnival.

Sunset last night.

Carnival Day.

Hedge cutting yesterday took its toll on my sleep and resulted in having to stay up until 2.00 to take another painkiller and then still not sleeping properly until a final tablet was taken at 4.00. Not the best before a busy carnival day. I have a feeling I'll be out like a light tonight.

By 10.00 I'd walked up to D's house where a group of us transformed the skiff into a watery scene with lifeguard themed flags and bunting. I went and registered us as 'Cardigan Bay Watch celebrating 25 years of lifeguarding.' Not the usual pithy name but one that reflected our location - Cardigan Bay (we wore silly cardigans too) and Bay Watch / lifeguards. I'm glad we went for the new Bay Watch outfits of blue tops the same shade of blue as the rowing club colours as a large group of walkers had also chosen lifeguards as their theme and were in the traditional yellow tops with red shorts.

Above - having pulled the skiff round to its position with all the other floats we retired back to D's house for drinks and snacks. 'Pamela Anderson' was there with her dog Ziggy and Jake accompanied his shark costumed owner.

 

Above - The judges (in orange vests) came round quite early and we did our best to explain all aspects of our float. We emphasised the fact that lifeguards have been keeping us safe and there hasn't been a single shark attack in Cardigan Bay in the last 25 years (okay we don't have sharks that attack but you never know). 

I took a few photos of the activity before the start of the carnival but will rely on FB to see and share the other floats, walkers and decorated houses.

It's a long walk all the way down the High Street but the crowds, music and general atmosphere made it enjoyable. It was even nicer when people I knew waved or came up for a chat. I had the bubble gun and did my best to keep a steady stream of bubbles floating over the boat.

The float behind us had taken 'The Sound of Music' as its theme and had speakers playing the main songs which kept us dancing along and often joining in. 

At the end of the carnival we pulled the skiff straight to the rowing club's compound rather than the main boat park by the beach. We took time to have a proper break before taking everything off the skiff. 

Peter and I then carried all our stuff home. After unpacking and an ice-cream I went back down to 'The Field' to wander round and take in the party atmosphere.

You really need to be with a group of people to enjoy the rest of the afternoon there. I walked round, had a long browse at a stall selling cheap plastic tat including lots of 'squishies' which are a bit of a draw to someone like me who responds to tactile stimuli but there wasn't anything that was just right. I did buy a metallic green, small jointed 3-d printed dragon for £2 but wasn't going to buy any of the expensive food on offer. Maybe not so expensive if you're making an occasion of the event but I was happy to wait until I got home and we'll have something to eat later.

Carnival Preparations.

Sun and wind today.

The butterflies were back on the lavender this morning. About a dozen of them including a single hummingbird hawkmoth and plenty of bees. Not wanting to disturb these seekers of nectar I've taken to walking over the shingle to get to the end of the garden rather than along the stepping stones close to the lavender.

After breakfast I drove to the other end of the village for the first stage of preparing the skiff for the rowing club's carnival entry. The sun was shining on the many holiday makers thronging the village and the bunting strung across the High St fluttered gaily in the wind.

We are fortunate that one of the club members has moved to the far end of the village and has space round the back of his house where we could put the skiff. Although all the painted cardboard can't be fixed on the boat until the morning in case it rains in the night we got a long rope tied round the boat and were able to work out how everything was going to be put in place. Much better than having to do it all tomorrow morning.

When I finally got home Peter went off to do the shopping and I cut all the hedges. All that earlier hard work reducing the height and width of the hedges certainly made today's trim much easier. Usually I have to spread the work out over several days but although my back was hurting by the end at least it is all done.

Nature Reserve Walk.

There was the very occasional shower this morning but the day has mostly been characterised by strong winds.

Maybe not the best day for a walk but as it's so rare that we manage to find a time that suits both of us to go walking we took a chance anyway. And it stayed dry.

 

I've been wanting to try the boardwalk around Cors Fochno (Borth Bog) for some time as it's so close and gives the chance to be right out on the raised peat bog which once covered all of the flat land between the hills and the sea here. 

It is possible to drive right down to the start of the nature reserve 

but as the boardwalk is only one mle long we decided to park just off the road and walk along the half mile track to the reserve. On one side of the track were blackberry bushes with already ripening blackberries. If we get a sunny day in the next few weeks I might go down to pick blackberries for the freezer and look for more wildlife at the same time.

The first part of the walk takes you through light woodland, mainly silver birch and willows. It was lovely to hear the wind rustling through the branches.

Then the boardwalk takes you right out onto the bog, a vast expanse of heather, bilberries and sphagnum moss. Over time men cut the peat turf for fuel and later dug drainage ditches to create dry fields at the edges of the bog for stock. 

The raised peat bog is full of specialised plants and small wildlife. Adders are common, too cold today though I did catch the swish of a lizard's tail as it scurried off the path. You can read more about the flora and fauna here.

A red-veined darter.

This noon fly was almost one inch long.

Back home I gave the concrete by the back gate another coat of paint. The brick-red paint which I'd got from the dump had dried to quite a vivid red which I'm not that keen on and is possibly why the can had be taken to the dump. Always up for a challenge I mixed in some black paint which has dried to a maroon brown. It still doesn't fill me with joy so next will be either black or dark grey. Even better, I've just been to check and another of my dump finds is a tin of navy blue which should do the trick.

I had been planning to go to choir tonight but in the afternoon my knee began to be very painful. I'm sure that's not from the walk but maybe either from working on my knees to do the painting or one of the random exercises I've been doing to make up for the lack of exercise classes this month. Peter's gone off for a quiz night with the rowing club and I shall be at home with an ice pack on my knee and some ice-cream inside me. That should take my mind off the pain.