Grey.

More of a grey day today with the rain arriving just before 5.00. 

It was announced at lunchtime that the whole of Wales will go into a two week lockdown from 6pm on Friday. While the numbers (positive tests) are not that large (and Ceredigion has the lowest in Wales) they are increasing. This is to be a 'firebreak' to coincide with the half-term holiday next week. It's not being said openly on the news but a big factor must be about stopping people from cities in the Midlands with high numbers of cases, coming across to Wales for short breaks/holidays. So no going out except for daily exercise, food shopping or medical matters. It doesn't affect us much apart from our builder not being able to come and continue working.

This morning Speedy went out for a while and came back with a grubby face which made me smile. I went out to collect my prescription form the pharmacy only to be told that they don't even collect the paperwork from the doctors until 11.00 so I would need to come back later, in the afternoon or tomorrow. So why did the surgery receptionist say it would be ready to collect this morning? 

With rain in the air once I'd returned from my five minute walk to the pharmacy I carried on with the back garden tidy. For fun I placed the blue planters and spheres by the old plastic bench.

Then on to the proper work of tidying the space where the second greenhouse had been. With the greenhouse removed and one post completely rotted through at the base the fence panel swayed quite alarmingly in the breeze. We will be replacing all the fence but for the moment I've used some wood to prop up the fence and prevent a complete collapse.

Then my attention turned to the ivy on the opposite wall. I took this photo when I was about half-way through the job. I painstakingly removed most of the ivy from the wooden fence panel then for a change of pace moved across to the left hand end of the wall. There the ivy came off far more easily and I was able to clear the whole of the top of the wall. It was only then, as I stood back to admire my work that I realised the small wooden panel above the wall was actually attached to our side of the wall. Normally I'd be rushing to take down the panel but with nothing more exciting to see than the top of an old shed it would be better to fill in the space and keep the garden sheltered from the wind. My plan is to have 6ft trellis all the way around the garden so we can board over the gap before the trellis is put in place. 

The rain began as I stopped for the day while hopeful surfers floated on the swell hoping for some decent waves. The paddleboarders seem to have more fun with these kind of small waves. On Borth lifeboat's FB page today there was a message about a paddleboard washed up at Aberdyfi (the small town in the mid-distance on the right). They were looking for information about the owner of the board, hopefully it was someone who had lost the board recently and made their way back to shore. Not heard anything else about that.