Sunshine.

It was positively balmy today with lots of blue above. 

Hoping for a dry day the builders are due to put up the balustrade tomorrow so I went to the zoo this morning. The weather has stopped me going for a few weeks but so far no weeds have appeared in either of the play areas. But what there is is a lot of water around the place. The ditch that runs along the lane leading to the zoo was filled to the brim with water and there were lakes of water in the fields beyond. As the gravel and woodchip areas didn't need work I turned my attention to the ponies' paddock. It's only small as they spend most of their time in a field on the hill behind the zoo. Lat time I had noticed some ragwort which is toxic for horses. I checked the whole paddock and pulled up quite a bit and then removed all the stinging nettles that were growing along the fence that the public lean over. I also dug out some very large dock roots from the wildflower area and relocated dandelions from here.

At home I've been researching private clinics in Wales and have contacted a number to find out how much (roughly) removing the cyst will be. My plan to have it done under a local anaesthetic was initially because I didn't see the point of a general anaesthetic and now it is also because of the cost factor. 

Meanwhile here are the photos of the abandoned farm we passed yesterday.

The ruined buildings were on either side of the track. Walls and mature trees at the side of the track showed that it would have been a drovers road or even part of the toll (turnpike) road network going back to the late 1600s.

Further along stone pigsties were built into the hillside. There's always plenty of stone to use as building material in Wales.

Then came the farmhouse itself, also built into the hill. It looks quite a substantial building but must have been cold and damp and no doubt would not be worth restoring. We had no idea when it was last occupied but the field beside it looks to have been some sort of garden and was filled with clumps of daffodils almost ready to flower.

 

Water, Water Everywhere.

We had thunderous rain overnight and while nothing like as heavy in the morning I did wonder if the walk would be called off. But it wasn't so I drove to Tal Y Bont to meet up with six others for what turned out to be a pleasant walk. There was a lot of road water on the way including one completely flooded section of road. I drove through the water as slowly as I dared at a steady speed so as not to suck water up the exhaust pipe. On the way home the water had receded leaving a dry strip down the middle but I was still very careful.

From our meeting point by the village green we crossed the Leri which was in full spate. The blue house is where one of our group lives (she's away at the moment). I would be very worried to see the water rising so high up the house wall.

Behind us we could see the clouds sitting low over the hills while in front the view faded into the clouds and mist.

Because everywhere was so wet our route was a mix of woodland paths and country lanes.

Just as we arrived at our lunch spot the sun began to break through the clouds.

Our destination was a small woodland which has been acquired by somebody who has turned it into a community space. There's a covered seating area, more seating outside, a compost loo, paths through the wood and a number of small shelters. The space is already being used by groups for mental, physical and social therapy.

This is where we sat to have our lunch, very civilised indeed. 

From then on the weather became better and better. Oh the joy of emerging from a shady wood into the warmth of the sun.

This stream was in full spate down the hill. 

It should have flowed straight through the fencing but a great mass of leaves and branches had dammed the way forcing the water across the footpath. Even the little gate was blocked by more leaves.

We tried to be helpful by poking at the fence with long branches to clear the leaves but as our leader climbed over the fence to get to the path on the other side a chap called out to us from his garden gate on the other side of the lane. He explained politely that if we cleared the gate the sudden gush of water would send the stream straight into his garden. Oops.

While our leader took the shorter route up through the field the rest of us went round by the road. From there we cut back into the woodland and past a ruined farm (pictures tomorrow). 

Once we emerged from the trees we had the most glorious sunny view across the bog to Borth and the sea beyond.

Eventually we made our way round the hill and back into the far side of Tal Y Bont where we could see the Leri rushing through the fields.

So after an unpromising start it turned out to be a very enjoyable walk if a bit soggy underfoot. Back home there were blue skies overhead with a sea mist blocking out everything to the north and a fluffy cloud layer over Snowdonia.

 

A Mild Morning.

The day began dry and mild. It was so warm when I went to sit outside that I had to remove one layer of clothing (a bodywarmer worn over my dressing gown). For a while there were definite shades of blue in the sky but all too soon we were back to grey. About halfway through the afternoon the temperature dropped and the rain began. It hasn't stopped since so fingers crossed for tomorrow's walk.

I'd set the alarm for 7.30 in the vague hope that the builders might turn up but we haven't heard anything. At least it got me up for a good start. The good weather saw me out in the garden straight after breakfast and I got three things done. First was sawing off a couple of branches from the hedge that would have been in the way of the side piece of the balustrade which we decided to have to add strength against any stormy gusts. Next thing was filling up more bags with turf for Peter to take down to the dump. The bags waiting for the builder are very full, heavy and mucky (those adjectives seem to be able to go in any order even though English has a strict order for types of adjectives) so it was better to fill some more for the car. The pile of turf is now down to about a quarter of its original size. My final job was fishing out blanket weed from the pond. I had to laugh when one of the robins came down and sang at me no doubt asking for worms. No luck at the pond though I had thrown plenty of worms on to the soil for the robins earlier. 

Once the rain had driven me inside I knuckled down to writing up all those yes/no variations, all twenty of them, with questions on the flip cards. I filled up two sets of fifty cards each and it took me hours. At least now we have plenty to be getting on with. Either revising on our own or being competitive and quizzing each other.

The birds were very quiet when I first sat out on the terrace, perhaps because I was a bit later than usual. Then a small bird on top of our neighbour's roof began singing persistently if not as beautifully as a robin or a blackbird. A closer look revealed it to be a pied wagtail. They are not frequent garden visitors but are often seen running around carparks.

He moved away from the seagulls' mess, had a little clean up and carried on singing for a while before flying off.

 

Happy Birthday Vytas.

We had some rain in the morning but eventually things brightened up with hints of blue later on and a golden sunset.

Today is Vytas' birthday. 38 years old, how time flies. The biggest change for him and Sally this year has been homing a rescue kitten as a companion for their older rescue cat. (I'm not sure how thrilled she was about that.) Vytas came up to see us in the summer and they both came to visit for several days after Christmas. As usual they have a busy and active life either outdoors or going to heavy metal gigs.

They went to northern Spain last September which included hiking up mountains and snorkelling in the sea. They did more of both on a holiday in Lanzarote this year.

Celebrating the Winter Solstice at Stonehenge.

At the stables I rode Margaret again. All the horses were a bit feisty after going out on a 2 1/2 hour hack yesterday. As we were trotting round Margaret suddenly started messing about and going sideways instead of straight. I even wondered if there was something awry with her tack. I checked with Katy who was teaching us and it turned out this is something Margaret does when she gets over excited or thinks she is about to canter. Each time she started doing it I rode her in a small circle and for a while I rode further away from the wall so that she had to concentrate on where I was asking her to go. Got it sorted in the end and she went nicely on the bit as well.

After doing the food shopping at Morrison's I called in at Charlie's. Initially to buy some mirror screws which didn't even come to a pound but then I had a wander over to the equestrian section. There amongst the few remaining sale items were the very jodhpurs that had been the ones I had been contemplating buying after Christmas. Only two pairs on the rail, one pair in my size and almost half price after a second mark down. How could I not buy them? It's good to have a second pair in case the others haven't dried after washing (that's my excuse anyway). It was a bit disconcerting to see on the receipt that they are called riding tights. They are like heavy duty leggings, petrol blue in colour with a grippy pattern across the seat and inside of the legs. And that wasn't the end of my shopping spree. I spotted some necktubes at a silly price of just under £2 and as they are something I wear most of the time to hold my hair back and keep my head warm I bought one in a random blue pattern.

Things were just brightening up when I got home so I used the pressure washer to clean the terrace and the steps down to the garden. The hardest part of the job was hauling the pressure washer from the garage. It wouldn't fit past the boiler at the side of the house so I had to wheel it through the drive, down the pavement to the gate at the bottom of the garden and then bump it back up over the stepping stone path. I'm glad I was able to clean the terrace before the balustrade is fitted as I hadn't realised how grubby the stones were. I could see a sheen of green but it was only as the concrete joints turned from black to pale grey that I could see the extent of the winter grime. Since it had been difficult getting the pressure washer in place I went on to clean the original paving and steps down to the garden. Washed the concrete slabs turned a very bright terracotta, almost red but I expect they will tone down as they dry.

 

Dryer.

Not quite as much rain today though it felt generally damp and gloomy. For most of the morning all I could see was grey and more grey. But later between showers the light improved and the sea had changed colour each time I looked.

I carried on with the Spring cleaning and turfed out the other side of the pine cupboard. Even though I found alternate homes for some of the stuff it was still a case of playing Jenga to get everything back in.  I've left out our collection of binoculars as I'm sure we don't need all seven pairs. The smallest pair I take out on walks are just right for me, I only see double using the fancy Praktica ones no matter how I position the two halves. Quite often when we've been out walking my camera is useful for zooming right in on something in the distance.

No Welsh class today as it is half-term but I went through all we've done in our course book and wrote down nearly a hundred questions and the corresponding replies. Since there is no yes or no in Welsh you have to answer with something that relates to the verb in a particular form eg I did, I was, I will be, etc. And of course for most of those there are different versions depending if it is I, you, he etc. One of our friends came up with the idea of writing the questions and replies randomly on flip cards to help learn the replies and at last I'm getting round to doing that. I still have to write out it all out on the cards but at least half the job is done.

Since Thursday is Cake and Cultivate day down at the Community Gardens (too wet to think about going today) I thought I'd put in a link to this video about the community gardens which was made as part of a project promoting allotments, gardens and community food growing in Ceredigion. I'm looking forward to the summer when I can meet up with people again and enjoy the tasty cake.

(I'm finishing off this post after supper.) There were some dramatic red streaks in the sky as I walked down to disco aerobics. It has been much warmer today and the leaping about had us all sweating copiously by the end. So much fun and good for the heart too.

 

Still Wet.

What a surprise! It has been raining again today. Not the weather for putting up a balustrade.

Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that there have been some special moments in your day. Peter got my hints about not wanting to go overboard with sweet stuff and as well as some Lindor and roses, white ones this year there were raspberries and strawberries for healthier treats. We're treating ourselves to a meal of barbecue spare ribs, new potatoes, mangetout and mushrooms tonight.

In the morning when the rain wasn't too heavy I went out and did a bit of gardening. The buds on the hydrangeas are already opening so I cut back the bush right in the middle of the garden to stop it from blocking the view of the rest of the garden. That was followed by some general weeding in the flower beds until it got too wet to stay out.

Back indoors I carried on with the Spring cleaning and emptied out one side of the big pine cupboard. All the china and glassware was washed and I aired my stash of blue/grey furnishing fabrics. There's enough there to make some toning cushion covers to go on the sofa, that is once I've bought some good quality inners. The priority will be cushions for the chair that will live by the bookcase in the hall but I don't have a chair there yet. A few things have been put aside to take to the charity shop. I still like them but don't have anywhere to display them so they might as well go to a new home and raise some money for charity at the same time. Much as I hate to part with stuff it's quite liberating once the decision has been made to let it go.

I don't usually eat lunch but sometimes get tempted to have a snack with my coffee when I stop for a break. Today I had a real treat, ricotta cheese, raspberries and rye bread. That may sound like a strange combination but think of it as a deconstructed (I've seen the term used on the posh cooking shows), healthy alternative to a raspberry cheesecake. It had to be healthier minus the sugar, cream and butter normally used to make a cheesecake. Anyway it tasted delicious.

 

Wet.

A wet day beginning with a light drizzle that gradually increased to steady rain.

I didn't have the best start to the day as I woke with a pounding headache, I think due to the low pressure and my dodgy sinuses. Peter left me sitting in bed clutching a mug of tea and even the radio turned off while he went to exercise on his rowing machine. From there things got interesting. I had just decided that I would get up when our fun doorbell did it's cock-a-doodle-do. Knowing Peter had his headphones on I had to throw on my dressing gown and answer the door. Where I found the builders as the parts for the balustrade were being delivered today, in two separate vans even though they were coming from the same place. The glass turned up while I was quickly getting dressed and it was put in the garage while I was making tea. A phone call to the suppliers confirmed the metal parts were coming later and that they didn't need the builders here to help unload. All being fine with the weather the builders will be here tomorrow to put the balustrade up.

While we were chatting about the work I was doing in the front garden the builder offered to dispose of the turf/soil in his fields, an offer I gratefully accepted. Since it was going to be a strong builder heaving the bags about and not us I could fill up the bags rather than only a third full which is all we can heave in and out of the car. I stayed out in the rain and added an extra bucketful to each of the bags already waiting by the gate. The spoil heap is now a lot smaller. It all helps.

Pilates this evening followed by a bowl of tasty beef and barley stew that Peter made in the slow cooker.