Windy.

Bright and breezy again today.

First thing after breakfast I made a start on sorting out brick supports for the final two troughs to go by the street wall. I tried using the last of the old chimney bricks but I couldn't get them to stack without wobbling. I guess I'll have to use my handy new cold chisel and bash off the mortar that's attached to the bricks. At least it's mortar and not concrete.

But soon it was time to cycle down to the community gardens. My confidence is slowly improving and I'm very pleased to announce that apart from waiting to turn into the High Street I made it all the way home without stopping. That's the first time I've made it right up the steep slope by our front door though there was a certain amount of weaving across the road as I refused to give up for that last bit. And there was a lot of puffing and panting afterwards. But it must be doing me good, surely?

Our gardening task was to pick blackcurrants. That's a nice job when done with others. One of the group will be making jam, or possibly jelly (the person who offered to make it usually makes jelly but one of the group was keen to have jam with the skins and pips in) with the fruit and either result will be sold on the open day which is part of the carnival festivities. There's a lot going on for a village with only 1,200 inhabitants.

I brought along more lettuce to share and took home some broad beans and new potatoes. I podded the beans while we sat and chatted so that I could put the pods on the compost heap. I tried some of the beans straight from the pod and they were very tasty though I think like peas the sugars start to degrade once they are picked from the plant. Also very tasty was the Victoria Sandwich made by my neighbour.  I think all cake eaten in the open air with company is great and made even better when it contains fresh cream and raspberry jam. 

Back home after I'd recovered from my bike ride it was time to get on with the house painting. I got right to the last few square feet and ran out of paint. So I had to change into non-paint covered clothes and drive to town to buy another tub of masonry paint. I've now know enough Welsh that I could have asked for the paint in Welsh but I didn't as fewer people in Aber are likely to be Welsh speakers. As I was there I made a quick stop in Morrisons to pick up a few things. I felt as if I could reward myself for all my hard work (okay any excuse to eat cake) and even went over and gazed at the good selection of fresh cream cakes and desserts before reminding myself that 1- I'd eaten cake that morning, 2- the painting wasn't quite finished and 3- I'm still hoping to lose a few more pounds. Instead I bought a mango and some fresh apricots and a box of frozen hoy sin duck dumplings to try. Supper tonight was mango and cottage cheese and I'm saving the dumplings for when the painting is finished. When I got home I finished off the third coat on the last bit of the wall. Not much more to do.

PS Yesterday evening the sea birds were plung diving again close inshore and we were able to identify them as gannets not arctic terns. I'd been led astray by the information board at Ynyslas which said to look out for arctic terns plunge diving.