The sun…

has been shining through the mist and high cloud today, very Septemberish weather but not good enough.  The Azores High is too weak to kill off the cloud and give us some strong sunshine. 

If I say that hay is very unlikely to be made now then I would be happy to be proved wrong but the weather has to change dramatically.  Going into September now we need enough heat in the sun all day to dry off the land and the grass.

We would consider ourselves fortunate to make haylage. 

I have had the proofs of the October Countryman with my article and it has my photo in it.  This is of the neighbour with the tractor pulling the trailer loaded with big bales out of the field.  When my brother saw it he said ‘Oh it’s blocking the road.’

I hadn’t thought of it like that but it probably is an interesting scene for a more townie person, like my brother. 

I’m going to see The Edge of Love  tomorrow evening with my writing group friends so shall not post after that as I’ll want some supper when I come home.  It’s getting dark earlier especially when it’s cloudy.

There was a big bank of cloud come up tonight with an itsy bit of pink sky.  It’s been quite a nice day today and John sat out with his beer this evening enjoying the garden. 

Small brought a tiny,dead shrew into the kitchen, had a play with it then left it for me to pick up.  He still runs off with my watch sometimes and has the occasional game of snooker.  He hasn’t grown a lot more but has filled out a little.

What a g(r)ay day…

There used to be a rather camp tv presenter in the seventies called Larry Grayson and I think that’s what he used to come on and say and I would say now – what a bleak week.

It looked like it was brightening up a little over towards the Prescellis but no, a nice drop of mist again… will it ever end?

All this damp and chill is not good for the bees.  There was a poorly bumble bee by the front door on Tuesday and Small was v interested.  He knows ‘hot’ which means don’t touch so the bee was hot!   In fact the weather had made him quite cold and I doubt that without food and sun he would survive the night.  I havn’t seen much of the bees who live up the road this summer.  There won’t be much honey this winter as the bees will need it for themselves. 

The orange dahlia is flowering and in previous summers I used to like to watch the bees who were crazy for the flowers.  Always sweeping up the pollen.  The slugs like dahlias as well so the plant has been put up on the picnic table (our slug free zone).  But the magpies attack brightly coloured flowers as well and even they have left it alone.

John’s eye is much the same, he won’t know what has happened with it until we see the Consultant next Thursday.  Until then he puts Atropine in it twice a day.  This paralyses and dilates the eye.  He says it’s like looking through moving water and even when he is sitting still the fluid moves with the heart beat.  The other eye finds this somewhat disconcerting. 

He’s a bit bored so he’s just pedalled a kilometre on the Motomed. 

I’ve been busy ordering a new electric blanket.  There are plenty of under blankets but only oneor two over blankets so I used hsdonline.co.uk in the end.  It’s the one comfort I cannot live without and my present one is not working properly.

I found a site giddyaunt.co.uk which seemed to have a lot of cheap/sale electricals.

The forecast

is not v good this week.  Not really settled enough to think about hay although now we are thinking  that we will probably do haylage.  This is in between silage and hay.  The grass has been turned twice and has dried but is not dry enough for hay.  It has to be wrapped though and the wrap is even more expensive this year. It is all a gamble. 

It is cloudy and cool here today, even the flowers are not very happy. 

John is trying to give the ram some food on his own.  He has gone a bit thin. It’s just as well he only has five wives.  Trouble is the ewes and lambs have cottoned on to this, after the first time and their radar homes in on the bucket so they are all scrambling about after the food so the old boy doesn’t get much.   At one time he would have pushed them out of the way but he’s quietened down now.

It’s the vintage show at Croeslan this weekend.  Last time we went it was cold and I said I wouldn’t go again unless it was a nice day.  It’s quite high up there and after this last week it will be muddy.

John has taken the Scimitar in the past to show with the other classic cars but it still has its’ gearbox problem. 

Might have a look at the Olympics closng ceremony

Autumn

It’s still August and it looks like Autumn and feels like Autumn.  There is a stand of larch on the back road to Cardigan and I noticed today that they are changing colour.  There was water running down the road again and it is very damp everywhere.  We are turning green from lack of sunshine.

John is feeling better after his eye operation.  He looks better although he thinks his eye is ‘not a pretty sight’.  He can see shapes out of it.  I don’t know when he will be able to drive again.

I have moved my pots of potatoes to shelter by the wall so that they dry out as I think they will rot in this wet weather.  I am going to get Chris, the cleaner to help me dig them up on Friday (Weather permitting.)

Where does it …

all come from – the rain – it is absolutely pouring down. 

John is home, I fetched him yesterday.  He’s a bit better today, had the op on Thursday evening.  Yesterday was v tired and shocked really.  Mark and Vivi came last night and are being brilliant helping us.

He has to have drops in his eye.  The docotr cannot say how it will be, down to time and good luck how much sight he gets back.  It will be 2-3 weeks before he starts seeing much. 

Mark has got him some classic car magazines.  I just seem to be busy trying to catch up and talk on the phone. 

We are lucky to have a good family who rally round, it is a pity they live so far away – or – that we live so far out west.

News

I don’t usually write personal items on here but this is more for local friends who read this blog.

We have serious news that John is going into hospital as he has a detached retina of his right eye.  This has come on rather suddenly and got dramatically worse.  Unfortunately the potential problem of it was not seen in A and E in Carmarthen on Sunday and because the macula is affected the damage is done.

He will have to take life v quietly for some time so if and when the hay is cut he cannot be around.  He hates the thought of doing virtually nothing but it cannot be helped. They don’t know what causes it – it’s just bad luck and he will almost certainly lose at least 50% of the field of vision of his right eye.  #Fortunately the left eye is good.

So I am really pleased I have the wheelchair hoist so that I can be independant and get in and out of the house on my own.  I have tried to organise as much as possible today. 

Mark will come down when he can but I don’t want him driving down here when he’s had a long week.

All quiet on the western front

now as Mark has gone home this afternoon.  So we are getting back normal in our wrinkly ways. 

I think he enjoyed himself getting all the vehicles and bikes out, with plentiful use of WD40 spray to keep them starting.  They couldn’t sort out the Scimitar gear box which is a disappointment for them.  I think John should go on the Scimitar club chat room to see if anyone else has this problem. 

I have been busy writing, my soldier character has just come home injured from the Battle of Waterloo.  His thigh was badly stitched so (in the story) he has had his wound cleaned out with mead (a strong honey drink) and re stitched.  It’s actually a long time since I used to drink mead.  It’s very painful for him but at least he doesn’t die from his wounds.  Not yet anyway!

Before we were married John and I used to go to a pub called The Bell at Little Horwood out from Aylesbury.  It was very old fashioned, the owner was from New Zealand, called Ian and made no concessions to modern living so in the late ’60’s it was probably like somewhere from the 1940’s or even 1930’s.

He had folk music sometimes and I used to drink martini and mead – quite potent.  He had a large skittles game.  The place smelt of many years of cooking ingrained in the old brown woodwork.  I expect it was modernised years ago and became like everywhere else.

We’ve had a reasonable sunset but that doesn’t mean anything.  I must ring a friend to see about her birthday lunch and perhaps ring Helen to see about meeting in Carmarthen.  I don’t fancy it if it’s going to be wet and windy this week.

Another wet day here ….

but in Cardigan it was almost dry.  The nearer I got to Cardigan the drier the road became.  We certainly catch it here on the hill. 

So I’ve been for my weekly oxygen fix today.  The price is going up per session from £7 to £8.50, next year it will be £10.00.  Can’t grumble as it is all voluntarily run.  We could do with more people coming.  It’s not only good for MS but other conditions as well.  

I think Mark is enjoying himself.  He sorted out Paul’s brakes on his Skoda this morning, thereby saving him a hefty garage bill.  I’ve just caught him taking photos of the TW9 vehicle parts with my camera.  The TW9 is a Reliant three wheeler pickup, no longer made.  John had two and the one  he has now is completely in bits, all being restored.  De-rusted, painted etc- quite a long and ambitious project.  And John is still trying to sort out the stiffness in the Scimitar gearbox,  they think  a spring is missing. 

I have escaped Big Brother and have Mozart on – much nicer.

Brilliant

I went to see Mamma Mia at the Theatr Mwldan in Cardigan last night.  It was great, I’ve never seen an audience applaud a film before.  Julie Walters was so funny.  It was sheer entertainment, of course you’ve got to like the Abba songs and Meryl Streep breaking into song every so often.  The scenery was beautiful, blue sky and soft sand and a turquoise sea.

I think most of the people who came out were smiling and happier – it was that sort of film.  The writing and direction were v clever, all sorts of little touches. 

Mark is coming tonight for a few days.  They will be working on the vehicles and I expect he will want to take the Land Rover down the field and see what is happening in the wood.

There is low pressure and heavy rain coming to the south but we should not be too bad, Mon and Thurs will be best days, Tues and Wed will be light showers.  Not hay weather yet. 

I am going to clean the inside of my car today, it’s been ‘promised’ for a week.  Amazing where all the dirt comes from. 

John says there is an advert for a 3 year old collie in the horse shop in town but it is v nervous and thought to be suited to a home that already has a dog.  It wouldn’t like it here with two cats who think they own the place- they do.   I don’t want to go there yet.