After the Storm.

After a couple of early showers the day has been mostly sunny and mild.

Very different from last night when the 0.5m storm surge on top of the high tide sent foam and water over the sea wall and down the road leading to the railway station. I stood out on the terrace at 12.30, an hour after high tide and even in the dark I could see the foaming waves reaching the top of the beach. I expect some of the houses that sit right on the beach would have had waves and stones in their back yards too. Driving along the High Street this morning we had to go carefully over the stones that had been left across the road wherever the sea had come through the little passageways or by the station.

(Photo - Borth Coastguard.)

FB video taken by Ruth Watkins

We were driving to Mach to meet up with our friends in the library for our Welsh practice but had to turn around at the end of the village as the road by the golf course was flooded. The road undulates and there were a couple (that we could see) of flooded stretches. After watching a lorry coming through and then a 4x4 we decided that the water was too high to risk taking our little car through. Instead we turned around and took the long way back through the village and up to the main A road at Bow Street.

In Mach we had our usual lively time going through this week's homework and what we think will be the homework for half-term. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

We were able to go to Mach as the builder had sent a message to say he wasn't coming today but should be here later in the week. (Fingers crossed.)

When we got home I had a truffle making session as I need to send some as a birthday present by the end of the week. Today it was just the middles, two kinds- one with chopped pecan nuts and one with crystallised ginger. While I now have the dipping technique mastered I'm still not quite there with the best way to get nice round middles. I tried two ways, one with two teaspoons and one using a measuring spoon to scoop out the ganache into equal blobs which I then chill before hand rolling. The teaspoon method wasn't that good and the middles look more like lumpy asteroids that have been spinning through the universe for thousands of years. The measuring spoon was better but I've written a note on the recipe to remind myself to scoop out while the ganache is still soft. Once portioned out I chill the middles before hand rolling, a messy business. I've also tried something else which if it works will be very helpful at Christmas when I like to make quite a few truffles. That is to freeze the rolled middles. If successful I can spread out that stage of the process instead of doing it all in a rush and if it doesn't and the middles go grainy or something I'm sure they will still taste nice enough for me to eat. 

Photos of some things that caught my eye on the beach yesterday.

Windy.

After all the dire storm warnings it all seems to have passed us by with just a few showers in the morning and some very strong winds in the afternoon. 

Sometimes I wonder if doing all my different classes is really helpful or if I'm causing more harm to my back. On the plus side is cardio work for my heart, brain stimulation from trying to co-ordinate/remember movements and endorphins from the sheer enjoyment from the different activities against the inevitable follow up aches and pains. But then this morning I realised that in my day to day life I'm finding it much easier to improve my posture something I find myself doing frequently. Shoulders back, ribs up, stomach in and bum tucked in and hey presto suddenly I'm taller and thinner. But that's only superficial, the important thing is being able to stand straighter which reduces the pressure on my spine and nerves which of course helps reduce the pain. So I shall carry on dancing, exercising, walking and riding and having fun.

Back to weather talk - There is a flood warning along the four miles of beach from Ynyslas to Borth when the 11.00pm high tide will be extra high at 5m.  

It was a shame that the afternoon walk was cancelled but I guess there would be the risk of fallen trees, (wow something like a branch has landed on the study roof above me). Instead I emptied out the water butt that sits at the front of the house behind the low street wall. It wouldn't drain when I turned the tap at the bottom and I suspected that it might be clogged up with sludge. I had to use an old ice-cream tub to scoop out the water and throw it down the road and then very annoyingly as I tipped the butt over to ease it through the narrow gateway I caught the tap on the gate and snapped off the top of the tap. Luckily there was another tap on one of the spare water butts that I could use. After cleaning out the water butt I put it back in place but didn't go through the tortuous business of trying to fit the hose onto the tap as the builders will need to move it to get at the wall behind.

After hanging out some washing, double pegged against the wind, I did some gardening in the back garden while Peter carried on with his revamp of his workspace in the garage.

Once that was done it was far too nice to stay home so I took myself off for a beach walk. Since the wind was blowing from the south-west it wasn't too cold. With the wind in my back it was easy heading up the beach to the first sets of rock piles but coming back was another matter. I had to put my head down and battle against the gusting wind. Thankfully I'd remembered to put on my safety glasses to protect my eyes from the wind.

Somebody else taking advantage of the windy afternoon.

Sunny.

 A blue moon?

Today has very much been the calm before the storm as we wait for Storm Ashley to blow in tomorrow. Even the Sunday walk has been cancelled though the forecast looks to be windy rather than for rain.

I don't mind about missing the walk as I'm feeling a bit rough today. It was only when I re-read the two page leaflet that I was given after my jabs last week that I found out that headache, nausea and dizziness  are all possible side effects of the covid vaccination. Not very nice but I'm sure a lot easier on the body than getting covid even in its currently reduced version. Also I had been worried that I might be reacting to some of my regular tablets or picked up a random bug from somewhere. I've been taking things a bit easier and drinking lemon and ginger tea.

Jobs done have included fitting the rainwater diverter though I did the one thing that I had been dreading and cut the hose too short. That was only because I needed to turn the water butt around as the hose wasn't flexible enough to have it in its original position. Luckily I was able to use the hose from another diverter. Then I moved the remaining plant troughs that I'd been storing in the space between the house and the street as there's a rumour that the builders may be coming to do the rendering next week. Finally I did some cutting back in the front garden before putting the empty muck bucket down in the middle of the shingle. This was not me being randomly untidy but a failed attempt to persuade myself that I don't need to buy a large textured sphere as a garden ornament. It's in Charlie's, is big and  quite expensive but I suspect I may be buying it next week.

This morning the coastguards were out practising throwing abseiling themselves over the the cliff when the sea behind was choppy. By the afternoon the waves had picked up and there were hordes of surfers out having a wonderful time.

Wet.

Last night's Super moon.

It was dry first thing this morning with just a moment of pink which correctly foretold of a rainy day. For me the showers began around midday but with a south-westerly wind it hasn't felt too cold.

For my riding lesson this morning I was on Margaret again. After riding with a crop last week this week I was allowed to have my schooling whip which I'm more used to. I had been quite happy bobbing around in a slow collected trot with Margaret nicely on the bit but now that I'm being encouraged to create more energy a gentle touch with the end of the long whip saves my poor old legs. There were only four of us and we had to ride two in one direction and two in the other. That meant that as well as doing the exercises we also had to be aware of the other horses the same as if we had been warming up before a competition. Not that I plan to do any competitions. Today we did some extension in trot and leg yielding before moving on to turn on the forehand (front legs stay on the same spot while the back ones turn the horse to face the opposite direction). Then we went on to cantering whenever we felt like it, yay, and I had improved since the last time.

On the way to town I called in at Screwfix and bought a joining piece for the drain pipe for just over £2. To be certain I got the correct size I had a short section of pipe with me. The bloke at the counter laughed when I admitted that I might possibly have cut the pipe in the wrong place.

Then it was Morrisons where at last I found some Glengettie tea which is the brand Peter prefers. They haven't had any at all for a while and last week there card was there but the shelf was bare. Needless to say I bought several boxes. Ever since we left the EU supply chains seem to be not working and it's not uncommon to see empty spaces on supermarket shelves something I never remember from before.

In town I had planned to walk to the framers to check if the replacement mount for a painting was ready but once the rain started apart from me not getting wet, no coat of course, I wasn't sure how well protected the mount would be.

At home I picked over 3lbs of tomatoes and put the frozen blackberries and more sugar in the gin. All I need to do now is stir once a week and make some fancy labels. The rest of the afternoon was spent giving my feet a nice long soak and generally resting. There's no getting away from the fact that I need to take more breaks during the day when I've been busy.

Showers.

First thing this morning it looked as if we were going to have a lovely sunny day. Then, just as I was washing the salt off the front windows down came the rain for the first of many showers.

After breakfast I used a tube of caulk, or as I like to call it - squidgy stuff, to fill in all the tiny gaps between the shelves and the battens as they they really showed up against all the white paintwork. It looks much better now. 

Then it was time for Welsh Class. Eight of us today as some people were away on holiday. It was so warm at that point that I had to open my study window.

Afterwards I did some work in the garden or rather corrected a mistake I'd made when fitting the diverter to the water butt. I'd woken up at 4.30 this morning and after musing on the fact that the butt had already filled up in a few days I then realised that my disregard of the instructions was going to lead to not quite disaster but a mess. Because the lid of the water butt already had a hole in it instead of fitting the hose to the side of the butt I fitted the connector to the lid and sited the piece that went on the drain pipe too high. That was fine for water going in but stopped the mechanism that would send the water back down the drain pipe once the butt was full. The result was that the butt filled to the top of the lid and then overflowed creating a puddle on the paving below. After emptying out some of the water I drilled out a new hole in the correct position at the side of the water butt then rain fell before I could re-position the diverter on the drain pipe.

I ended my day with an hour of cavorting around in disco aerobics.

 

Wet.

I woke this morning to find it very wet and incredibly warm and it stayed that way for the rest of the day.

Even I had to admit that it was too wet for our planned walk in the mountains and as my back has been sore today it was probably a good thing we didn't go. I've had no ill effects from yesterday's vaccinations but Peter was feeling even more tired than usual. Bless him he still went into town to get petrol and a few other things. 

For my part I went up in the loft to look through the remaining boxes of ceramics for items to go on the new shelves. I'm not sure about the Bristol glass, the green looks a bit vivid for my taste but I shall leave it there for a while to see if I get used to it. The earthenware pot in the middle on the lower shelf is 16thC Japanese (my mother used to take things to the V&A for identification) and rather sweet. I was also able to bring down a few more ceramics to keep in the kitchen or even take to the charity shop since there is no point in keeping them in the loft for the family to deal with when we are gone. 

The last job of the day was the homework for tomorrow's Zoom class which was to listen to a conversation and answer questions.

A splashy snowy egret photo suitable for a wet day.

Warm.

The day has been dry and quite warm. By the early evening it felt even warmer and it was only much later that the rain began.

My day began with Covid and 'flu jabs, one in each arm down at the village hall on my way to the zoo. There was tea or coffee with biscuits to be had while you waited 15 minutes before driving but I went off straight away to drive down to the zoo. Naughty me. There I spent four hours weeding the larger play area which was so overgrown I only managed to get half of it done. The consequence of too many weeks when either it was raining or I didn't feel up to weeding.

Afterwards I drove round to the lane by the community gardens to search for blackberries. As I'd only been able to pick half the amount of sloes I needed for the sloe gin I had thought I would add blackberries to the mix. A great idea but the weeks slid by and suddenly I realised that I may have left it too late. Not only were most of the blackberries shrivelled up but in the last few days the farmer had cut back the hedges and verges all along the lane destroying most of the brambles. I had a wander around the allotments checking out the bramble thickets in the abandoned plots finding a few blackberries here and there. By walking all along the lane towards the railway I found just enough blackberries to make the Christmas present sloe & blackberry gin.

Finally back home I put the sitting room shelves in place. I'd painted them again in the morning before I went out but as I wanted to give the battens one last coat of paint I went over the shelves too. After all that there was just enough time to sit down for half an hour before going back to the hall for Pilates.

This was how the corner of the sitting room looked when we came to view it back in 2019. The fake wood panelling was also on the wall with the window but covered over with thick wallpaper.

Now with the carpet and all the furniture removed.

Tempting as it was to keep the open fire I'd had enough of chopping wood and cleaning out the wood stove so we had it blocked up. It turned out that the chimney above was in poor condition, not great in the face of stormy winds so we had that taken down.

Since we moved in the shelves were low on our list of priorities but at last they are up. Now all I have to do is go up in the loft and find some nice things to put on the shelves.

Sunny.

Today has been sunny with just enough wind to make it worthwhile hanging the washing out on the line.

Since we were otherwise occupied yesterday we had our 'Sunday' breakfast this morning listening to The Archers Omnibus with croissants and fresh coffee. We also ended the day in Sunday mode eating in front of the tv and watching Strictly. 

                                  

In between we got on with more diy. Peter finished off putting up the battens in the alcove while I sanded and painted the shelves, filled in all the extra holes in the wall and painted a final coat on the battens. Not to mention all the clearing up, hoovering and wiping down. I also got two coats of the anti-mould paint on the wall of our wardrobe. Then because the wind keeps blowing over one of the still to be connected water butts I fitted the diverter to the down drain pipe. There are two other water butts waiting to be connected up but I thought it wasn't worth doing until the rendering and painting were done as it would be a bother to have to empty out the water butts before moving them away from the wall. Hence the delay even though I'd already bought the diverters. It wasn't as if I needed to look up how to fit the diverters as there are step by step instruction printed on each packet. The one I did today is by the garage wall and won't need moving. And later the ironing needed doing. A good day's work.

One bit of good fortune today was finding my missing gold sleeper in the oddest place ever. I always wipe inside the double seal round the washing machine door opening after every wash and then wedge it apart with a piece of wood so that it can air. This I did today and then had a look to check that it was all clean which was when I discovered the sleeper in there. I'd been quite sad to lose the sleeper as it was one of the pair with which my ears were pierced nearly 50 years ago.

Even though I set the dash cam to 2 minute clips they are still too to put on the blog. All I can offer is a screenshot of when we were heading south with Cadair Idris on the right. And of course that lovely snowy egret.

Up, Up and Away!

Today at last the dry, albeit slightly hazy conditions were good enough for Peter to have his flying lesson. We were up early to get everything done before setting off for the two and a half hour dive up to the flying club on Anglesey. (I haven't gone through the dash-cam footage yet.) Much further north than we've been before though we did have a holiday with friends in North Wales when Vytas was a baby. I wasn't sure what to expect in the way of scenery but had thought there would be a bit more in the way of mountains but of course the road followed the flatter lands around Snowdonia. For most of the way it was a good dual carriageway but with an awful lot of roundabouts. 21 to be precise, 18 of them in a comparatively short stretch.

 

We found the airfield without difficulty and while Peter went up for an hour of flying, dual controls obviously and not take off or landing I walked from the airfield over to the Anglesey Showground where an antiques fair was being held. But I didn't feel it was worth paying £5 to look around the stalls since we are in the decluttering stage rather than the acquisition stage of our lives. There was one chap with a stand outside and I chatted to him for a bit. He was being charged £50 while the stallholders inside the building had to pay £200. That sounds like a lot to me.   

From the showground I had a good view of the other side of the mountains on the Llyn that look like islands when we look out from here. 

Once I'd walked back to the airfield, had half a cup of coffee and played a game of scrabble on my Kindle in the car (I could have had tea or coffee in the clubhouse) Peter was back on the ground and we were ready for the next stop on our trip.

This was to Trearddur Bay about 15 miles further up the coast, a place that a friend had recommended to us. It was a rocky bay with a lovely sandy beach. There were lots of people walking on the beach and a football match going on next to the beach so it was a real shame that the public toilets were locked up. Maybe due to vandalism but an essential facility. The rather smart restaurant had a sign up saying their toilets were only for their customers. We bought fish and chips, from a chip shop not the restaurant which we ate sitting above the beach. They were absolutely delicious but I really shouldn't have eaten them as I'm not used to so much greasy food. Thank goodness for Gaviscon.

Afterwards we had a walk along the soft sand. That's something I miss here as the dry top part of the beach was covered with hundreds of tons of shingle twenty years ago as part of the village's flood defences.

There must be plenty of fish in the rockpools because first I saw a heron and then a snowy egret out fishing. (I got some lovely shots of the egret so expect more later in the week.)

At one end of the beach there was an area of preserved peat and tree stumps that looked to be about the same age as the submerged forest here in Borth.

By the time we got home we both felt quite tired. I think this has cured my wanderlust for a while as the time in the car was about my limit especially as Peter doesn't like to stop when he's driving and he doesn't like being driven by me either. It was lovely to be back home and to be able to stand and watch the calming view of the sea. Speedy was very glad to see us as it was waaay past feeding time, at least half an hour and now that he's older he does like company in the afternoon ie a lap to sit on.