Journaling.

It's been dry all day and not too cold. We even had some sun in the morning.

 

I had two things to do today which have been done and soon I'll relax in the sitting room (sea view, tv and cake). 

The first thing was to get the recycling out. We've done our best to use up the food in the fridge but even so some things had to go. If I have any resolutions for next year one would be to not buy/ prepare so much food when we have visitors. I just can't help wanting to make sure there's plenty of food on the table and extra in the fridge in case anyone wants a snack. We do have a decent shop just down the road if we were to run short and it's not as if they stay for more than a few nights.

The recycling and food waste went out so of course there's been no sign of the recycling lorry. At least our bags are in tubs safe from marauding seagulls. Most people just put the clear recycling bags on the pavement and although there shouldn't be any food inside those bags people especially holiday makers aren't so careful at this time of the year. I've checked on the council site but there were no updates so we should have had our scheduled collection. Update - they're on their way. Thank goodness for that.

While Pete went out for a row I settled down at the kitchen table and updated my Hobbit journal. Summer, Autumn and Christmas 2025 are now written up. I don't have a good memory for dates and when you're doing the same thing every year I find it hard to recall the other events of each year. A quick glance at my journals brings everything into focus and suddenly I remember even the smallest details. 

There is a party at the Star of the Sea tonight but we will be content to stay home and just pop out onto the terrace if we hear any fireworks.

Grey.

It's been a mainly cloudy, grey day with barely a ripple on the sea.

I've had a quiet day. I did some ironing and some admin. 

In the afternoon I walked to the pharmacy for my prescription (it's confusing when we use the same word for the paper form and the actual medicines.) There I picked not one but two bags of medications. One had been there yesterday all along but for some reason they had the wrong date of birth on their computer which was why they hadn't given it to me. So now I have extra tablets which is a good thing as I had depleted my 'spares' which I had put aside for times like these when the pharmacy mixes things up. At least we don't pay for anything though I noticed that having your ears syringed, which used to be done at the doctor's now costs £55. Better not get any ear wax build up.

 

Naturally I walked along the beach to the pharmacy. The beach was busy with families walking dogs and children plus there were five chaps beach fishing. Either the fish are in, they got new fishing tackle for Christmas or more likely they're escaping the post Christmas chaos at home. 

Here Today .......

I started the day with a spot of bird watching from the terrace. 

I didn't get up early since for me this is my week to have a break. The house is tidy and festive while the cupboards and fridge are full of lovely things to eat (that don't need cooking) and my schedule is clear. Time to take things easy at least for a while.

 

Straight after breakfast I walked down to the pharmacy to find out what had happened to my repeat prescription of which there had been not a word (they send a text when it's ready to collect). 

On the way I passed the empty space where the falling over house had been demolished.

At the pharmacy they told me that they had sent the prescription to the surgery in November but nothing had come back. (A likely story.) Rather than wait for them to resend my prescription they gave me a note and I stomped my way to the surgery. Thank goodness both the pharmacy and surgery are in the village. There I explained the situation and of course was told that they always order the prescriptions once they get them. Who knows where the fault lay? My prescription will be back at the pharmacy tomorrow morning and I'll pick up the medicines in the afternoon. What a palaver.

To cheer myself up I walked home along the beach. 

It was lovely walking with the warm sun on my face though the minute the sun disappeared behind the clouds the air was icily cold once more.

Here I'm standing at the bottom of the slipway which has been completely covered by shingle. From the tracks I could see in the sand the lifeboat tractor had to take a different route (over on the right) to get the lifeboat into the water. I guess they'll need to get some sort of digger in to clear the slipway.

And now for something that quite spoiled my enjoyment of the holiday. A case of 'Hair today, gone tomorrow'.

Here I am with the long plait I nearly always wore my hair in. 

To me, especially when I brushed it out in the morning my long hair symbolised my refusal to conform. I was a confident and content rebel and thought turning 70 next birthday was the funniest thing ever.

But since my hair had thinned even more after being given beta blockers which it turned out I didn't even need, the end of my long plait was a bit on the straggly side. So after our Boxing Day dip I asked if one of the youngsters would take off 2-3 inches to tidy it up. Vytas volunteered and as he is a scientist I thought I could trust him to do the job. That I should not have done because he decided I needed more taken off and cut it to the length you see below. I simply did not know what to say as I felt utterly devastated. Gone was my long hair and so too has my confidence. Now when I look in the mirror all I see is a slightly overweight elderly woman with a stooped back and a wrinkled face. I've joined the ranks of the invisible old women. 

Saying that it will grow back did not take into account that hair growth rate slows with age or that genetically I happen to be someone whose hair grows very slowly. To me that comment was on a par with someone telling you they had run over your cat but you could just go and get another one. That's how bad I feel. I know that feeling things so deeply and being unable to cope with change is part of my brain wiring but that doesn't help either.

Rant over, I know there's nothing I can do. 

Foel Fawr.

Still sunny today with more in the way of clouds and less of the icy wind. In other words an excellent day for going out for an afternoon's walk with friends.

Five of us met at Furnace for a walk up Foel Fawr (big baldy) the hill that rises up from the main road. After crossing the road and stopping to admire the water rushing over the dam built in 1755 to power the furnace waterwheel we scrambled up the wooded slope .....

.... to the old toll road with it's wonderful moss covered stone walls.

We stayed on the road as it zig-zagged up the hill cutting off some of the bends by following narrow paths that went straight up through the bracken and brambles.

Eventually we turned off the road onto the path that runs along the side of the hill giving great views out to sea.

We stopped at the official viewpoint and perched on the rocks to eat our lunch. A robin was hanging around hopefully so I crumbled up a couple of oat biscuits for it to eat once we had gone.

As we continued along the side of the hill the darkening skies inland made the perfect backdrop for the spotlight effect of the sun on the bare trees and the golden bracken.

We came to the lone tree in the sheltered dell favoured by the ponies that live out on the hill and sure enough above us were three white ponies. It's not often that we see the ponies so that was a treat for me.

More views across the Dyfi as we made our way down the hill across some very wet sections of path before picking up the old toll road at the bottom of the hill. We then followed the toll road back to Furnace, crossed the main road and were back at the car park before dark.

Back Again.

Here I am again with things almost back to normal after a lovely family Christmas. 

The weather has been crisp and clear for the whole holiday and looks to remain so for a little while longer.

Vytas and Sally arrived Christmas Eve for our traditional meal. Christmas Day began with a light breakfast after which we exchanged gifts. The grunting pig provided much merriment especially when we played 'There and back Again.' a Hobbit dice game in the evening. (Vytas is a keen gamer and usually brings something interesting for us to play.)

Then, after I'd prepped the vegetables I took Vytas and Sally out for the same walk I'd done on Sunday. Up the hill behind Cletwr stopping to investigate various mine buildings and then back down again. The icy wind on the top of the hill fair took our breath away and frost still glistened over the grass that had stayed in the shade all day. 

Meanwhile Pete had been at home juggling the chicken and veg in and out of the oven so that we returned to a delicious roast dinner. I'd caved in and bought a Christmas pudding at the last moment for those of us who could find space for desert.

Next day we took part in the annual Boxing Day Dip in aid of Amnesty.

Plenty of smiles before we went in.

Followed by somewhat shocked expressions as we emerged. It was a lot colder than last year's dip but I still swam 10 strokes which I felt was quite an achievement. Here is a YouTube video (stills and video) of the event.

Vytas and Sally left this morning planning to call in at our friends on the way to deliver a hamper. I've been busy putting my study back to rights (it now looks so spacious and peaceful) and getting the first lot of washing in the machine. There was some wind so I hung the washing out but things aren't ready to iron yet. 

Early morning today.

 

Happy Holidays.

We had a visit from Santa this afternoon but in true Borth style he came on his jet ski. 

I was up early again this morning. As I sat out under the stars with my tea I needed a few extra layers (big coat and a throw) on top of the bodywarmer and dressing gown that usually keep me warm. The easterly wind brings the crisp cold which is okay so long as you have the right sort of clothing.

Later I saw someone from the council topping up the salt in the bin at the corner of our road. There's quite a slope going down past our house and an icy road there could easily have cars slipping out to the cliff.

I have spent the day preparing for kucios, our traditional Christmas Eve meal. 12 dishes, no meat and no dairy (ignore the butter). There will also be a couple of hot dishes, traditional mushroom filled koldunai (super sized ravioli) and spring rolls (non traditional).

Things were a bit frantic this morning when I realised that if I hurried I could get rid of even more packaging and food waste before the bin men came. That was the fastest I've every peeled eggs having seen the bin lorry going up the next road but I did it in time.

We're looking forward to seeing Vytas and Sally who should be arriving in the next hour or so.

More Shopping.

It looked grey and gloomy this morning. Later, when I was in town there was quite a bit of sunshine but as I got to the crest of the hill overlooking Borth and across the bog to the mountains I could see the haze of a damp mist covering the whole area.

A pair of blue tits came to feed on the insects in the hedge at the bottom of the garden this morning. Perhaps I should think about a bird feeder for them now that we don't have a cat. (I haven't ruled out getting another cat but not while we're going off on three week holidays.)

I got to town at 10.00 this morning which was a bit later than I had planned but although the roads and shops were busy it wasn't too bad. I got everything on my list including the free-range chicken and didn't try and go in any of the charity shops. 

I got back in reasonable time and then had fun and games trying to fit everything in the fridge. You couldn't fit another thing in there now. In case of emergency I have a clean storage tub with lid sitting in the cold garage for overflow food storage.

Then it was back to the schedule, my study is now a guest bedroom, the ironing has been done and everything is tidy. While I was out Pete had cleaned the bathroom and done the hoovering and then he went off to discuss RNLI shop matters and rowing club stuff with his mate Dave. That means that all I have to do tomorrow is prepare our traditional Christmas Eve meal which is mainly cold dishes.

A few more photos from Sunday's walk.

Turkey tail fungi. It is reputed to have medicinal uses but is currently banned in the UK as it wasn't generally eaten in the past.

My dream restoration project needs a bit of work.

With family coming to stay tomorrow I may not get a chance to blog for a while. So see you on the other side.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and enjoyable Christmas.

Busy.

No wind, no rain and a calm sea today.

 

It was already light by the time I had my first cuppa sitting on the terrace. The recent heavy rains have given the ground a thorough soaking forcing the worms up to the surface. Out on the cliff there was a steady stream of birds; oystercatchers, rooks and seagulls, searching for the worms.

I've been busy all day long working my way through my to-do list. Plus a few extras.

Yesterday afternoon Pete went to a Christmas gathering of the RNLI shop volunteers and somehow came home with among other things a whole load of ripe bananas. I made banana ice-cream with most of them which might provide Sally with a lactose-free alternative to cream and with the rest I made two banana loaves. They nearly weren't banana loaves. I'd put the cakes in the oven, set the timer then turned to see the mashed bananas still sitting in a bowl on the counter. Thank goodness I noticed.

       

Another baking task, which was on my list, was to make the meringue case for a pavlova. That's still drying in the cooling oven. 

Pete had offered to pick up the chicken from the butchers' tomorrow but as I added more and more items to the shopping list I thought I'd better do the shopping myself. 

Other things done today were finishing packing the hampers, a bit of mending, washing the floors, and clearing my study so that all I need to do tomorrow is set up the trundle bed.

This evening's sunset kept getting prettier and prettier until the light got too low for photos.