Warmer now

I was going to post last night but the computer or broadband or whatever was really slow and I didn’t feel like sitting here gazing at it waiting for it to slowly change.

I’ve also forgotten to change the page so that I can see all what I’ve typed so there are probably mistakes.

I’m just off to Cardigan for my oxygen therapy.  Sitting in the chamber, reading the paper, breathing oxygen under pressure.

It does help with MS.  If we don’t do it we miss it, I get really tired and cannot do half as much as I normally do. 

We have a chat and a laugh usually. John is up the field feeding the tack sheep.  They should be going soon, hopefully before they start lambing in earnest.  He thinks there were two ewes lambed in the last week and both times the lamb has disappeared completely.  Taken by the fox or foxes. They patrol all around all the time.  A new born lamb is easy pickings and they can carry them effortless;ly.

Off I go now.  I want to clean the cow s–t off the car.  From the muck spreading that was going on around here last week.

Batteries and chargers

I’ve been on the phone again talking to a mobility place about the charger  for the Powertrike.  Mark has also found a firm in Liverpool that might  have something.  But tomorrow I am going to take the damaged charger, battery and Powertrike to Port Talbot. From there it will be taken to Bargoed in Glamorgan where the technician will check it out and test the battery. 

It might only need a new charger which is the cheapest option.  It’s going  to take a while so ‘patience is a virtue’ as my mother used to say.

It’s sunny and windy here, it looks lovely but the wind is unpleasant and the daffodils are beinbg blown to ribbons.

I’m reading The Secret Life of Bees which is beautifully written.  If I could write half as well I would be v pleased.  B gave me the book and then I noticed it had been on as a film in February.

If I’d seen the film advert, which you might think is a documentary about bees and apiaries then it might not be too appealing and even if you knew it was about a 14 year old white girl in Carolina in the early Civil Rights era  who is ‘rescued’ by a black lady bee keeper it still doesn’t sound very exciting.

Sometimes the book is better than the film, i.e. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.  If I see a DVD of it I might get it and find out how it has been treated.  Either way, I’ll be sorry to finish the book.

Mother’s Day

Sadly, for Jade Goody there will be no more Mother’s Days.  I’m sure she had the usual offerings from her sons, quaint things made in nursery or school, put away as treasures so she had some happy memories of her time with her sons.

Whatever you thought of her she never pretended to be anything other than what she was.  It’s a hell of an experience for Jack, at 21  to have to bury his wife.  Worse for a parent to bury their child. 

I’m having a good  Day here, John has washed my car, he knows what makes me happy.  I’ve cleaned round the windows etc where the green grows, it’s almost like  moss if it gets left.  It won’t last long as the weather is going to change. 

We don’t want the rain, but wet and warm will make the grass grow, although we are a month behind here, up on the hill.

Elfed keeps asking if the grass is growing, not yet.  The sheep are nearly through their bale of haylage already.  The sun is out again and the sky is blue.  We’ve got an easy dinner and we shall watch Dancing on Ice final.  Ray Quinn should win, he is streets ahead of the other two.

Let’s hope …

it will not be too big a problem.  The charger for the battery for the Powertrike blew up on Wednesday, made a sort of pop and a bang noise.  It now has an ominous rattle.  We were going shopping so I had the idea to parcel it up and send it back to pdq (the suppliers).  But pdq finished 6 months ago, apparently so I am now hunting around for a charger.  It does have certain fittings on it.  John and Mark assure me it shouldn’t be a problem.  It is a NEXcell 125v, 10A charger.

I’m posting a request on the MS Resource Centre  Message Board.

I’m going to look in Screwfix and next Wed I’m going to ring Kevin the mechanic, in Aberaeon as he might have an idea.    Mark is going to look on e-Bay for me as well and there is a Mobility magazine I could put an ad in.  It looks like it will take a while to sort.  The battery is charged at the moment.

If anyone else has any suggestions please let me know.

The trike’s long out of warranty but this is going to be a problem for people who’ve bought stuff and the firm has finished. 

Without the trike we can’t think about having another dog yet.  I need it to give it long walks.  John’s knees are painful and it would be enough for him to go up I’s gate and back.   I can go out on the quad but don’t have so much control of the dog then.  With Kim, it was easy but a new dog will takea bit of getting used to.

Another stunning day here, a bit misty towards the hills, can’t really call it a heat haze but it’s all very lovely and the daffodils are radiant in the sun.  Hope we don’t pay for this with weeks of rain.

The sheep will starting lambing the first week in April, ours and the tack, so we hope they will go soon and then we can get the fields harrowed.

Blue skies

We usually have a spell of good weather about now.  It’s excellent for outdoor lambing and young lambs to go outside and good for John to carry on with the fencing.

The daffodils are starting to show buds up on the bank and I have two large tubs of crocuses on the patio.  Some creamy yellow with darker stamens that have been waiting and waiting for the sunshine.  The mauve ones are loving it. The bees don’t seem to like them so much.  M’s bees have been very busy in the heather.  There is even the odd bumble bee about, I hope they get ‘home’ before it gets cold in the evening.

H and I went to the Miner’s Theatre in Ammanford yesterday to see Catrin Finch and Cimarron.  It was in the afternoon which was just as well as although Ammanford is quite small we still had to ask where it was.  So did other people we spoke to.  It’s a nice small ‘theatre’. Really a hall that has raised seats at one end.  The decoration is beautiful, all very well kept.  No cafe.

I’ve not seen Catrin before (yes, I spoke to her), but it was a revelation to hear all the different sounds her harps made.  Cimarron come from Colombia, I like S American music, particularly their harps.

There was a lady dancer, in a pretty dress and one man sang, and one danced, all foot stampings and the Spanish equivalent of Ole.  They sang in Spanish and H and I agreed that we prefer the music without the singing.  I shall have a look at Catrin’s CD’s with a view to purchase.  They had got CD’s there for sale, but we desisted.

I’ve told John we’re going to see Slumdog Millionaire and put it on the calendar as it is only in Cardigan for 3 days, as far as I can see.  My brother says it was v good. 

A man making heavy breathing sounds from a phone box told a worried operator, ‘I havn’t got a pen so I’m steaming up the window to write the number on.’  – courtesy of Brian M in Glasgow.

Humour

off the internet.

RAC Motoring Services

Caller; Does your European Breakdown Policy cover me when I am in Australia?

Operator; Doesn’t the product name give you a clue?

Directory Enquiries

Caller’ I’d like the number of the Argoed Fish Bar in Cardiff please.

Operator; I’m sorry, there’s no listing. Is the spelling correct?

Caller; Well, it used to be called the Bargoed Fish Bar but the ‘B’ fell off.l                                                     

Then there was the caller who asked for a knitwear company in Woven.

Operator; Woven? are you sure.

Caller; Yes, That’s what it says on the label, Woven in Scotland.

Tech Support; OK.  In the bottom left hand side of the screen, can you see the OK button displayed?

Customer; Wow, how can  you see my screen from there?

That’s enough for one day.  Mind you, I’ve done my share of stupid things on the computer, except now, it costs me money to put right so I’m extra careful.

A bit grey here today.  I didn’t go in to town for fruit and veg on the market as it is Friday 13th.  It can be a bit of a free for all in there with cars in and out, parking anywhere etc so I didn’t want to risk it.

John’s done a bit more fencing, now he says he hasn’t enough posts. There never is, it’s like painting the Forth bridge. Never ending.

Murky mist

It’s a murky mist up here but down town is a pleasant, spring like day.  It’s like two different worlds.

It’s getting muddy here.  the left  gateway where I. takes the bales up is very muddy and dug up, although he managed ok this morning. 

John is feeding the tack sheep for Elfed but it’s getting difficult as they are crowding by the gate so he cannot get off the quad, open the gate and close it without them coming through.  Which some of them did yesterday, they poured down into the bottom right field and he had to drive them back very vigorously.  It meant that half the sheep that stayed got all the food.

The fencing in the bottom right field  is not finished yet so they cannot come down in there.  He wants to keep the bottom left field fresh for his sheep.  Had a prolapsed ewe this morning, it really is a problem.  Our neighbour has had more than last year so far.

Fortunately this mornings one went back nice and easy so hope she will be ok.  She’s an enormous size but not due for a few weeks.

With the wind it was drying up nicely, now it is sticky again.  I have tulips, pansies and daffodils out.  Apart from the heather in the wall so it’s good to have some colour.

Have homework to do for Scribbler’s meeting on Monday and waiting to hear from youwriteon that the new cover is in the pipeline,

Cold weather and jokes

I thought it was quite pleasant in town this morning, vaguely spring like.  It seems colder now.  John is feeding the tack sheep for Elfed, in two days they have leant that hearing the quad bike engine means food.

It supposed to be windy and wet, so they need enough nutritiom now. They are getting through a big bale of haylage in five days.  There are two lambs up there, singles.  Fortunately there is shelter under the gorse bushes.

I will put some amusing snippets out of John’s newsletter here.  Courtesy of Brian M. of Glasgow.

Actual call centre conversations.

Customer: ‘I’ve been ringing 0800 2100 for two days and can’t get through to enquiries, can you help?

Operator; Where did you get that number from, Sir?’

Customer; It was on the door of the Travel Centre.

Operator; Sir, those are our opening hours.

I expect yoou guessed that one.

Samsung Elecronics.

Caller’ Can you give me the telephone number for Jack?’

Operator; I’m sorry sir, I don’t understand what you are talking about.’

Caller; On page 1, section 5 of the user guide it clearly states that I need to unplug the fax machine fom theAC wall socket and telephone Jack before cleaning.  Now, can you give me the number for Jack?’

Operator; ‘I think you mean the telephone point on the wall.’

!!

A herd of wildebeeste

Catty’s idea of exercise is scampering up and down the passage.  She doesn’t go out much.  If she ventures to put her head out the back door she can guarantee Nasty, the Tom is waiting to pounce.  So she takes her exercise as best she can.  It’s a lot of noise for a little cat. 

Small is out and about as usual, he is cautious though.

There are lambs up the field, somewhat earlier than we expected although I don’t think Elfed will be surprised.

John is fencing over in the bottom right and looking up noticed lambs.  He quadded up and found, 2 alive and 2 dead.  The ewes are wild though so he doesn’t want to risk handling the lambs and putting the ewes off,

The weather seems to be going wet and colder, not good for them, the wind chill will be increased.  Not good for a damp, new born lamb.  They will have to take their chances.  Cannot bring them down, they cannot get out of the bottom left field now but the right is not sheep tight yet.

Am very busy with writing.  Cardigan tomorrow, unless it does snow and I cannot get out.  I don’t t hink it will be that bad – but we never know.