Rowing and Birds.

A proper sunny day today. The official temperatures for most of the UK were in the high twenties. Once you factor how much hotter it is if you are in the sun it was a very hot day indeed.

The beach has been full all day and the reasonably calm sea was perfect for families, kayakers and paddleboarders. It was also a good day for a row though we didn't see any dolphins. Thankfully I'm no longer frightened by the water though I wouldn't like it to be any more bouncy than it was today. This was my second row of over an hour and yes my back was twinging afterwards. But then just about everything I do including shopping makes my back twinge. The real test will be how I feel tomorrow. 

A few bird incidents today. First thing this morning I could hear a commotion down on the rocks which turned out to be some oystercatchers getting agitated by the presence of several gulls and trying to drive them off. This was because the oystercatchers had at least one fledgling with them.

The two seagull fledglings that I watched learning to fly have long gone and two more youngsters are now hanging around next-door's yard. The bigger one can fly perfectly well but the little one is not quite there yet. Hearing a lot of extra peeping from them I looked over the wall to see them begging for food from an adult. I felt really sad when I saw the bigger one take food out of the adult's mouth three times in a row not letting the little one have anything. I know - nature is harsh. Off went the adult, the bigger youngster sat down for a rest and the little one continued to cry for food. I'm such a softie that I threw some pieces of bread crust over the wall which it soon ate. Peter would be horrified if he knew and normally I wouldn't feed the seagulls. There are a lot of young birds around at the moment and I wasn't best pleased when I saw this one in the shingle garden. Sure enough it started pecking at the plants so down I went and chased it away.

Earlier in the day I had seen the geese flying down the coast and then in the afternoon they flew past on their way back to the salt marshes along the Afon Dyfi.

I tried to fit in as much 'sitting outside' time to take advantage of the lovely weather and found some sewing jobs that I could take out with me.

Giant Tortoise Rescue. (sort of)

Sunset last night. 

Although the forecast was for more very hot weather today here the high clouds have kept it a bit cooler. Still warm but not a scorcher.

The little yacht? stayed moored overnight at the bottom of the garden and once it got dark it was lovely to see the mast light shining out.

There was no reason not to cycle to the zoo so that's what I did. It's still hard going a lot of the time and although on the homeward journey I made it around the corner I then jumped off and pushed the bike up the short slope.

I had intended to only spend a couple of hours at the zoo but when I made it as far as the large play area I was greeted by flowering weeds some of which were almost 2ft high. Over the summer the zoo will be busy on Wednesdays as they will be the days they can show the exotic animals. Mainly reptiles and insects but also the wallabies, emus and the other animals in the far fields. There were still plenty of families visiting today. Two small children 'helped' me with my weeding and later a small child chattered to me calling me Mr Farmer. Well I was wearing a camo sunhat and wellies. I also had a couple of minor incidents to deal with, first I was informed that one of the goats had grabbed the paper cup that holds the veg people can feed the animals with, and the cup was now in the goat enclosure. I just went and found a stick to fish out the now empty cup. The second incident was more interesting. A visitor was concerned that one of the giant tortoises was choking on some food stuck in its mouth. I went into the tortoise enclosure and sure enough there was large cabbage or lettuce stump jammed in the tortoise's mouth. I'm pretty sure that tortoises have a strong bite and didn't want to put my finger in so I found a stone, prised out the slobber covered stump and threw it out of harm's way. 

Off now to the last Pilates class for the summer. Rachel has promised us 15 minutes of relaxation at the end so I should be floating home after that.

Mask Done.

Another sunny day in Borth. 

It was a good day for hanging the washing out.

While Peter was at the RNLI shop I rushed through my jobs so that I would have time to sit and enjoy the sun. Whenever we have good weather I can't help thinking that summer has arrived and we'll be having weeks of sun. You'd think by now that I would automatically know that such days are fleeting and plan my day accordingly but too often I start cleaning madly and run out of time to just sit and relax. I have to remind myself that tomorrow might be very different.

 

One thing I did have to do was to walk down to the pharmacy to collect my prescription. That was a very hot walk through the people going to or from the beach.

This boat is now moored in the bay almost at the end of the garden. Peter would love to have a boat like this but that sort of thing is way out of our league. I'm not sure I would enjoy sleeping out at sea either.

I also wanted to decorate my carnival mask. I used whatever I could find in my craft supplies; ancient nail polishes, sequins, stars and a gold pen. I'm quite pleased with the finished mask but I will need to colour around my eyes black for the best effect. Face paint would be good but kohl pencils will have to do as neither of us plan to go into town this week. 

A Walk from Goginan.

Here at the coast it was sunny all day and while it was a lot cloudier inland it was still a very warm day.

This week's walk started at Goginan, a small village 7 miles from Aber on the main road that leads out over the mountains. We began by walking through a hayfield where the farmer was driving his tractor and turning the cut grass to dry in the sun while above red kites called incessantly.

After passing some plump black sheep we turned onto a track running above a meadow in which lives a small herd of Shetland ponies. The stallion was a very handsome fellow and came trotting up the hill as soon as I called him. I suspect he may be used to getting treats from passing walkers since he greeted us all in turn before going back empty handed (hoofed?) to the rest of the ponies. (I had vetoed anyone giving him a treat.)

Below us in the meadow was the sweetest of fluffy foals along with a youngster and a couple of mares.

We walked alongside a tiny stream which has the grand name of Afon Melindwr (Watermill River). This stream eventually runs into the Afon Rheidol which does at least look like a river.

We climbed up the side of the valley through a lush meadow where we stopped to eat our lunch and enjoy the views. Across the valley we could see Goginan which sits on the main road leading inland.

Eventually we crossed back over the stream,

before turning back to walk through the woods on the other side of the valley. We ended our walk at the home of one of our group sitting in her garden drinking tea and eating the lemon drizzle cake which she had made that morning. She moved there less than a year ago and has been reclaiming the totally overgrown garden which is packed full of mature Japanese acers some of which were 20ft high or more.

I gave one of our group a lift home and after returning home much later than usual, something to do with tea and cake I did a bit more work on the carnival stuff. In the morning I used the stencil and black spray paint to create a venetian skyline a la Banksy which looks very effective and painted one side of the stern pieces which then got a second coat this evening. 

Chalkfest.

It was  very much a day of two halves weather-wise. A great deal of rain in the morning which cleared away in the afternoon. Walking down to Chalkfest in the afternoon it went from pleasantly warm to hot with a tiny bit of cool depending on how much of the breeze you were in.

Once again the alarm was set for before 7.00 though by the time it went off Peter was already up and making tea. He doesn't like an early start but I guess that an 8.00 row was enough to get him out of bed.

By the time he was ready to leave it was raining heavily but when he met the rest of the crew nobody wanted to be the first to call it off so out they went. Not only was it raining but the waves were big so everyone, except for Peter who was coxing wearing his yellow coat, got very wet. But they all had a wonderful time.

I spent the morning watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony while throwing together my carnival headgear. Safety pins and elastic bands were used as well as needle and thread and hopefully it will all stay together on the day. Although I'm not that interested in the actual sports I enjoy the spectacle of the opening ceremony and this one was certainly spectacular.

With the clouds beginning to roll back in at the end of the afternoon I headed off to see how they were doing at Chalkfest. After such a wet morning people hadn't begun until much later and there seemed to be fewer participants than usual but it still looked good. It is run by Dean, from the zoo who is a mural artist and anybody can turn up to have a go. He provides all the materials and there is no charge. It is just a fun thing to do especially for families.

The village itself was full of holidaymakers making the most of the good weather. People on the water, people on the beach and others sitting outside the cafes or perching on a wall eating ice-creams. Just how a summer should be.

Saturday is the usual change over day for holiday accommodation and there were a number of families trudging down the High St. pulling their wheeled suitcases behind them. Most likely they had come down on the train and were heading for one of the several holiday parks that are at this end of the village. At the other end of the scale as I walked past the house of the chap who flies here in his helicopter his garage door was open and I could see a shiny 4wd parked next to a RIB (inflatable boat) the same size as the lifeboat. Over his the garden gate I could see the tail of his helicopter which he parks in his garden.

Since I'd never been in before I went into what calls itself an antique shop but is more of an emporium stuffed with vintage objects and clothes. It was interesting to look around but nothing caught my eye. It would have to be something really special as I'm working hard on de-cluttering and have more than enough beautiful things still packed away.

At home I cut out the card to make the stern of the gondola, painted a simple Rialto Bridge on the the back of the card for the back of the seat and made a stencil so that I can spray a venetian skyline on the side panels. Those are still bending so I've laid them flat with bricks on top.

A busy day but so far I'm on schedule.

Sunny.

There were a few clouds around first thing this morning but the strong westerly wind blew most of them away giving a fine sunny day for everyone to enjoy.

When I got to the stables I found that for a change I was riding Cadno. He's an experienced horse and it wasn't hard to get him going with his neck nicely rounded. The next exercise really confused me, something it's not that hard to do. We had to trot a 20m circle and instead of simply making sure the horse's body was following the curve of the circle we had to maintain the curve in the back but ask the horse to bend in the opposite direction in the neck. At first I thought the instructor had mixed up left and right but eventually I understood and even managed to get Cadno to do it. The purpose of the exercise is to create suppleness in the horse but it was the first time I'd ever had to do it. The last exercise played to Cadno's nature which as a mature horse is to slow down whenever he can get away with it. We had to keep them on the bit but slow down the trot as much as possible without falling back into walk. Cadno managed this brilliantly and I got a few nice comments which always boosts the ego. 

Afterwards it was off to the shops as usual and in Charlie's I bought a Senecio Angel Wings that I had been thinking since I saw it last week. At £10 it was a bit more than I usually spend but should it survive the winter rains it will make a lovely addition to the shingle garden. And because it was on the reduced rail I bought myself the long sleeved version of my blue riding top to wear when it gets colder.

While I was planting the Senecio I heard the familiar piping of young seagulls. The next door fledgling has been gone for a few days but this pair of younger birds was walking around on next door's terrace. One of the families that comes down is obviously here but must have gone to the beach so I left a note on their drive warning them they might get attacked by the parent birds.

Before settling to enjoy the sun on our terrace I gave the carnival cardboard pieces a coat of paint on the back. I wasn't going to do this but as the paint on the 'good' sides dried it made the cardboard bend. Hopefully it will now bend back the other way and straighten itself up.

Cake & Cultivate.

The day began by looking quite grey with a warm wind blowing. It stayed dry and by late afternoon the sun had reappeared.

I've had a busy day starting with a walk down to the surgery to hand in the 24 hour ECG. Naturally I had had fewer incidents of palpitations but at least last night I was woken half an hour after falling asleep by the usual thumping. That often happens and is very annoying. At my last appointment the nurse kept saying that the palpitations were probably due to being anxious but I'm not sure how I can be anxious when I'm sleeping. The nurse this morning (a different one) said I'd get a phone call to let me know the results one way or another but of course they phoned when I was out and although they said they would phone later they never did. I do dislike waiting for a phone call and then when they don't even phone .... 

Next on my list of jobs was giving the cardboard for the carnival another coat of paint after which it was time to go down to the community gardens. I drove rather than cycled in case it rained plus I was feeling a bit weary. I brought along a bag of seeds that I had collected from the Welsh poppies in my garden and scattered them along the main track and in the wildflower bed that was sown this year.

 

The wildflower bed.

Because pesticides are not allowed some people grow companion plants among their vegetables while others grow flowers simply for their beauty. There are a number of overgrown and neglected plots too. After trimming around the benches by the watershed we chatted and enjoyed delicious blondies made with blackcurrants from the garden.

Next on my list of things to do was to use the curtain that Peter bought for me to make the skirt of my Venetian carnival costume. It was only a single curtain and though wide wasn't quite sufficient to go over the hooped underskirt, hula hoops are a lot bigger than I thought. Luckily the curtain was very long and the excess was enough to make an extra panel. Now the skirt is done and looks so much better than my first attempt.

Last of all was disco aerobics, the final session for the summer. Numbers were down a bit as a lorry had overturned on the main road to Aberystwyth causing long tailbacks so some people gave up and went home. 

Wet.

A mix of light rain, heavy rain and sometimes but not often - no rain.

I've been up and down the road a number of times today. First time was right down to the surgery to be fitted with a 24 hour ECG monitor to see why my heart thumps at random times usually when I'm sitting down. I was told to keep on with my normal routine but today is one of the few days when I have nothing active planned. I decided to at least go for a cliff walk and having given up waiting for the rain to stop went off in the drizzle in the afternoon. 

The other trips down the road were to the boat park to measure up the boat and make a template for the thingy that goes at the front of a gondola. I took paper and scissors down with me and then Gill, who manages the RNLI shop gave me some big pieces of card. Having made a template I used it on a piece of old hardboard then when the rain wasn't too bad went down to check it on the boat before taking it home and painting it white. I've also cut out some large cardboard pieces to make the gondola seat etc. and painted them white too. I found a large tin of white paint that doesn't smell too good but I'm sure is okay for temporary carnival stuff.

When Peter said he was going into town I caved in and asked him to buy that red curtain for my carnival costume so that I don't have to look like a Disney princess.  

I thought the seagull fledgling had gone this morning as it was very quiet first thing but it's still around. Down on the beach many young seagulls have joined the general crowd of herring gulls, lesser black backed gulls and black headed gulls. 

It was good to get out for a cliff walk despite the light drizzle. I managed to set my heart pounding by the time I'd walked up to the Monument but that was all even though I went down to the beach at Aberwennol, the next cove along which of course meant coming back up again. I had a stroll along the shingle at Aberwennol and fortunately I wasn't near the cliff edge when there was a small rockfall. One rock was double the size of a loaf of bread which would have done some damage if it had hit anyone.