Wet.

Woke to pouring rain this morning which didn't let up until mid-afternoon.

It's such a pleasure to sit at the table staring out at the sea and the sky in myriad shades of blue and green. Often on the horizon we can see what looks to be a chain of islands but are actually the mountain tops of the Llyn peninsula over 30 miles away with Bardsey Island on the very far left. 

There's usually something going on whether it's surfers taking advantage of some decent waves, the chap below was a paddleboarder,

or the local lifeboat crew out training.

Today we drove into Aberystwyth or as it's generally known - Aber. Our main goal was to visit Magnet to book a visit for measuring up for the new kitchen before lockdown restrictions arrive as they inevitably will. This is now booked for Friday afternoon. With all my planning we didn't need to stay long, we just needed to decide between the matt and gloss white doors which handily are half-price at the moment and pick out handles which would be suitable for Peter's arthritic fingers. We've chosen the plain white doors with a gloss finish and quite chunky bar type handles. The really long handles looked nice but were a lot more expensive. Plain doors are easier to keep clean and in keeping with our simple beach style.

We also called in at Lidl to stock up on nicer foods and treats not available at our local shop. Every news update seems to bring yet more areas of Wales into lockdown which as far as I can make out means we can't cross over the county lines. That would mean we couldn't go to the bigger Co-Op in Machynllth 15 miles away and free of uni students. Last week it was South Wales and today it's some North Wales too. So far we've only heard that 2 students have tested positive but when we were at the bank last week we heard of 200 students partying on the beach the night before. We're staying away from Aber for now which is a shame as it's a charming Victorian town made lively by the presence of students during term time and tourists at other times. Lots of independent shops and the retail parks are a few minutes walk away. The Lidl is a bit smaller than the ones in Barnstaple and the layout is a mirror image due to the placement of the doors. There's also M&S, Morrisons, Tesco's and the usual other shops. We came a cropper with the bank. We both bank with Lloyds and though they used to be linked with TSB there isn't a branch now. The nearest branches are over an hour's drive away so we're changing banks. I'm wondering if I looked up Lloyds and didn't realise that I'd got the details for Lloyds the chemist. Still it's sorted now. One of the 4 members of staff has the same accent and speech mannerisms as Sally (Vytas' wife) and is about the same age so we call her Aber Sally even though her name is Charlotte.

When we got home I loaded up the car with washing and went down to the launderette just off the High Street. At the moment my washing machine sits unplumbed in the utility room which has neither outside door nor window and subsequently only block walls. We've had to store some stuff in there which is covered over and I've got plastic over a ladder to keep most of the rain out of the doorway now that the roof over the walkway has gone. I'd checked out the launderette last week and had a long chat with a lady doing her washing but today the single older chap and an elderly couple all remained quiet. I'd thought it would be warm in there but it wasn't and my wet coat made me feel cold. When the other people had left and my washing had moved from the 3 washing machines into dryers I stood with my back against a dryer door to warm up as I kept myself occupied playing Scrabble. I'd been advised that Thursday is a busy day (holiday makers getting ready to go home?) and also the weekends. There are a number of very big holiday parks in Borth tripling the population during the holiday season not counting holiday rentals and B&B places. I'm just glad I can get the washing done nearby. At home I set up the ironing board but then couldn't find the iron so the sheets have gone on the bed unironed. It must have been one of those last minute items that slipped through my listing system.

Yesterday Speedy was officially allowed out to explore the garden. I wanted to keep him in for a week and also wanted to wait until I'd cleared away all the glass in the back garden (from the giant shed). The glass all went in yesterday's skip so there was no reason to keep him in. Because all the wooden house doors swelled up from the damp we can't close any of the room doors so Speedy has access to our bedroom and keeps us company at night. A real treat for him though once the doors have been re-fitted he'll be kept out of the bedroom once more.