Flooding

Heavy rain, the roads are awash. John couldn’t getthriughthe flood by the cheese factory.  It was up to the door of a 4×4 he watched.

He says he’s never seen so much flooding. We have enough milk and bread for a few days. He’ll probably try again tomorrow.

It’s stopped at the moment, Hollyis running about up on the bankj,

Simone is …

 planning a writers’ day at Ceridwen on March 13^th from 10am till 5pm with short talks, readings and a book fair. Also a murder mystery evening with dinner on Saturday March 13^th in the evening from 7.30pm and a crime writing day here on Sunday 14^th from 10am till 5pm – tutored by Sally Spedding.

The rain is raining, The trees are complaining…

What a foul day.  But it could be worse…we’re more fortunate than a lot of people, especially those up in Cumbria.

A quiet afternoon…

I took Holly out this morning as John has taken the Fox for its MOT.  It is very windy up here.  I can’t say it was pleasant out although at least it wasn’t raining. 

So I’ve caugh up on emails etc and I can now do some writing on Southwell’s, novel two.  My revised books should come soon but I am going to leave the launch party until after Christmas.  There is always a lot going on in Dec.

Hope Vivi is getting on well in her new job started today. 

 

I thought…

the broadband was down but have just realised it was off because we had thunder last night and the elec went off for a few seconds. which knocks the router box off.

The ash trees make so much noise moaning in the wind, the conifers are so much quieter.  It cleared up slightly with blue sky but the rain is lashing down again. 

Our small grill oven has broken, a throw away job. We have a gill in the elec cooker but it is too big and slow for a quick pizza. Am thinking of getting a halogen oven.,  The sites/ads say they gill, roast and bake and the reviews are good.  But would they gill John’s lunch time pizza or cheese on toast?  Should do.  They certainly seem energy efficient.

Argos have sold out of their cheap one.

The rain…

is doing a fantastic job of washing my car windscreen. It’s blowing across like a pressure jet – a squall and a half, John has just said.

The last time I said Holly wouldn’t get a walk it cleared within the hour so let’s hope it does the same today.

Have just written my homework, a smuggling tale with a twist.

Bill Wyman

had a brilliant evening last night.  Went to swansea Grand theatre and saw Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings.  John and H L came with us.  They (not John and Helen) are brilliant musicians, some of them have worked with the top musicians/groups/sin gers in the world and you can tell. 

A lot of it was 60’s, a bit 50’s so might not have appealed to the younger generation.  In fact the audience was predominantly over 50.  We saw one young lad of 15′ish.  Georgie Fame plays with them, we remember him from the 60’s and his voice is still distinctive.  Apparently he still has his group The Blue Flames and also does concerts with his two sons.

Anyway, we got home at 12.15 to a somwwhat dubious welcoming sight,.  It’s the first time Holly has been left for so long in the evening – she had had the yucky contents of the black sack out and carefully stashed items on her chair, having first removed the cushion.  P’s and p’s… Anyway John cleared it up and she is just as happy this morning. 

It’s fresh, grey, wet here and I’m tired, but going to Cardigan so I’ll be even tireder and grumpier  later.

It’s…

actually a lovely day here.  Blue sky and sun, high cloud but looks lovely out. A frost down in the valley this morning, I expect it was very cold down with I in Cwmpengraig  - all along that deep valley.

Holly settled down with Mark and Vivi who were here at the weekend.  Couldn’t quite be friends but bumped her nose on Viv a few times, which is her way of friendship.

She was barking at Mark when he teased her.  She seems to have found her bark now, which means she is feeling more settled and that this is home.  We just watched her playing with her ball on the lawn and then standing by the edge and watching it roll down out of sight.  She got bored with that so the ball is still down there, but she will fetch it when she wants  it. 

 

Drizzle and a…

I went into town this morning to get fruit and veg and as I backed into my space here in the yard I knew I had a puncture.  John said ‘it’s hissing out’.  So we immediately blamed L who is busy trashing back all the local hedges.  There is a lot of debris on the road, some like spears with sharp points.

But when John took the tyre off  he found some sort of a rivet thing stuck in, and it had probably been there for a while and chose to puncture the tube today,  It was lucky it didn’t happen when I went down to Cardiff last week. 

Anyway, he’s gone off to ATS with it to get it repaired.  There is a steady drizzle blowing across and Holly won’t be going out today.  She seems happy to sit in the kitchen.  Catty is sitting on Holly’s chair.  We have had 3 clean mornings !!!   No p’s and p’s. 

Possibly because John’s been getting up at 7.30 to let her out. One morning she was still asleep.  Today she had started playing, banging about, pulling her bed about.  She looks so much better in herself now.  Her tail has grown, almost plumey, her coat looks good, and she is letting us pat and stroke her.

Mark and Vivi come tonight, but I doubt she will be friendly with them.  She can’t do that yet.  We’ll tell them to ignore her and let her come round in her own time.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow and Sunday. 

Lunch time now.

Windy here

but at least it’s not raining.  It seemed like a gale at 9.00am this morning but according to the weather forecast it was only 20 mph.

At least it’s better for John to take Ellie over to Llanllwni incinerator.  She died yesterday. She’s been a very good fostermother for Elvis.  She had a hard lump, some sort of  tumour on her side.  Fri morning she didn’t want much food and yesterday she was by the hut.  When he went over at 3.00pm she had died, peacefully, no signs of threshing about.  He thinks it might have been a strangulated hernia. 

Elvis is weaned anyway but he has stayed down and still likes to keep to the paddock and go in at night.  The lambs will be going soon.

Small’s leg is a bit better, he stilll limps, mainly because he can’t resist jumping about.  He has a quiet day in, walks better and then goes hunting. 

Holly doesn’t like this wind much.  I think she’s a bit frightened by it.

I need to tidy up an article for the Countryman and get it and some photos off.

Nice to be home

I’m safely home from  my Cardiff trip.  I went up yesterday, the time has flown by.  The Ibis Cardiff Gate hotel I stayed was basic but my room and bathroom were fine.  The bathroom was excellent, all grab rails etc, and immaculate and spotlessly clean.  It was quiet there, only 15 guests but the staff were friendly and helpful.  I had a broad bean and asparagus risotto ffollowed by treacle tart and ice cream.  Only small portions, but quite enough.

This morning, after breakfast I set off to find the St Mellons ?County Hotel where the MS training day was.  I started  off ok but got lost. In the end I asked a lady in a petrol stationa and she said follow us, my husband will flash his lights where you turn right, but he didn’t, he stuck his arm out opposite the entrance by which time I’ve passed it.  Anyway, I was there. 

It was an interesting day, there were three of us would be volunteers, a young man, Alex had come down from London.  He runs the MS Helpline.  One lady there, W tended o dominate the conversation.  She has been a Samaritan so has all the listening skills.  A bit of a know-it-all.  Liked talking about herself. 

We had a nice lunch but I think that  hotel is not a good venue for disabled people. It’s probably expensive to hire a room and after all, the MS Society is using funds donated by people.

I told them the Ibis would be much better, but it’s not so ‘posh’ and the food is more basic but you’re not there for the food.

I think it’s raining again.  I shall o to bed earlier. I’m  reading about Lady Godiva (pronounced good-eva).  Did you ever wonder why she rode through Coventry naked?

I’ll tell you next time.