The travels of Mary Loosemore

Herefordshire Week 047: Tuesday 17 – Monday 23 November 2020

The last of the lettuce.

A couple of good walks.

Greenhouse construction part 5.

I spent some of Tuesday morning weeding my recipe folders before heading out for a walk. I had a good seven mile leg stretch to Kerrys Gate – Stone Street – Cockyard – Duffryn Farm – Camp Crossroads – Wellfield.

Low cloud but warm, and the hedgerow shrub that has the funky pink flowers now has red / orange berries, which means I now know it’s a Spindle (aka Euonymus europaeus).

Pink flowers + Red / Orange berries in the hedgerow = Spindle tree

Opening the downstairs curtains first thing on Friday, I saw a buzzard down by the log store. After a microsecond Mexican Stand Off, it flapped off slowly up the slope and towards the rope swing. Amazing.

The rest of Friday was a getting things done day: fixing a Contract Express glitch at work first thing, then into Hereford with Phil for a big shop (Aldi, Sainsbury’s, ASDA), flu jab, petrol and library click and collect (by the skin of my teeth, having run all the way there from the ASDA car park).

Got the wood burner going as dusk fell for a lovely FaceTime with Janette followed by Blackberry G&T then pizza plus Pubs and Puppies.

G&T - It's a small bottle, not massive glasses .... — G&T – It’s a small bottle, not massive glasses ….

On this day in 2019, we were crossing the 5,780m Amphu Lapsta pass in Nepal – crampons, ice axes and ropes on the way up, carabiners, ropes and abseil descent.

Our porters start their descent from the Amphu Lapsta

Caught up with Rachel and Carl on Saturday – a grey day. Hoping to get down to Wilts to see them in December.

Sunday provided a pick-me-up: a gorgeous sunny morning and Phil and I did a smashing walk up to Kerrys Gate – Bacton – Tremorithic Road – Cwm Hill – Abbey Dore. Super sunshine and technicolour colours.

Home for lunch then an afternoon of bonfiring the brash followed by an early evening FaceTime with Jenny over in Silicon Valley.

I picked the last of our lettuce and dug some ash from the wood stove into the soil of the “herb bed extension”. Felt like A Good Idea. Who knows….

A quick trip into Hereford on Monday morning to deliver hotel toiletries, chutney and boxes to Hereford Food Bank, and more Greenhouse Construction in the afternoon.

We got the bloody doors on. Next up: installing all the glass….

Telly: more of series 2 of Educating Greater Manchester, Intelligence, DNA (top tip from Catherine), plus the aforementioned 12 Puppies and Us (sob) and Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge.

Podcasts: A whole slew of excellent History Extra episodes plus dogs on The Essay. I think someone’s trying to tell us something….

Photos: Herefordshire week 47 on Flickr.

Phil: Weeknotes for w/e 2020-11-22.

Herefordshire Week 046: Tuesday 10 – Monday 16 November 2020

More greenhouse construction. Christmas Cake made. Sorting out and reading.

Overdoing things.

But, the sheep are back!

Phil and I did the Bacton square on Tuesday morning, bumping into the farmer who has the sheep in the field opposite and adjacent to Forty Acres. A good chat. He’d bought the sheep at Hereford market – they’d come from Builth Wells – and raises them over winter to sell on in the spring. He’d lost eight to acorns, down by Abbey Dore Court.

Afterwork Zooms Tuesday (Rach), Wednesday (VWW) and Thursday (family). I’m trying to stop myself working through to 8pm and a commitment to a Zoom helps, although I did spend the first 15 mins of Family Zoom finishing up an email…..

Too shattered for my planned FaceTime with Janette on Friday, and Jenny’s work foiled our catch up on Saturday.

A lovely surprise parcel arrived on Thursday. Completely unexpected. But we now have 6 posh wine glasses – thanks Cat 🙂

More greenhouse construction on Friday morning, getting the frame up and the roof beam in.

I made our Christmas Cake in the early afternoon and I realised I was overdoing things when I blew the motor in Jean’s old Kenwood Chef and then hit my head on the worksurface getting out mum’s old Magimix. I do have a bad habit of wanting to get everything done, and not realising when I’m done in.

So, cake in the oven, I settled in the lounge with a book. Having finished Madeline Miller’s excellent Circe, I started on Ben Aaronovitch’ s False Value – lots of fun in the high tech world of Silicon Roundabout. And there was time for a chat with Val too.

Pizza for dinner, and we took a break from our current TV staple (Gomorrah) to watch some more factual fare courtesy of the BBC, starting with the first episode of 12 Puppies and Us (educational – we are still playing fantasy dog, and I’m still holding a candle for a collie….) before moving on to Saving Britain’s Pubs with Tom Kerridge.

Spent a rainy Saturday sorting stuff. Phil and I worked through the “junk shop” piles in the spare room – bundling clothes hangers, rationalising the wardrobes and clearing bubble wrap and boxes. Much more under control.

I then tackled my personal filing, reintegrating the letters etc that have arrived here since January with the filing folders that came from London in September. I now have another box of old papers to burn. I also came across a notelet that my mum sent to “Aunty Carriage” right after I was born, which ends “VERY SUPER” 🙂

Jobs done, time for more reading in the lounge.

Decanted my Blackberry Gin, and had a small taste. It is a lovely dark purple but doesn’t taste very brambly….

Blackberry Gin - Decanted — Blackberry Gin – Decanted

More rain on Sunday, which foiled our plans for a walk in the morning but we managed to get up to Kerrys Gate and back in the mid afternoon. In between, I chatted with Tom, read and pottered.

The day’s highlight was a St Andrews’ Ladies Zoom organised by Helen W complete with Quiz. Smashing. I’m really hoping we’ll manage our weekend back in St Andrews next May.

Greenhouse construction part 4 on Monday morning doing more work on the roof, preceded by a walk to Wormbridge where I spotted the red brick farm sells its spare free range eggs. Handy.

(Not really visible, but we got the first bit of glass in – the window / vent in the roof.)

We also got a quote for the loft insulation/boarding out. As Jean says, we’ll have to get used to “Herefordshire Time”.

In Nature News, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of watching the small birds visiting our bird feeders, and we can get really quite close. We’ve now got Coal Tits accompanying the families of Blue Tits and Great Tits, plus Chaffinches and Robins, Blackbirds and greedy Greater Spotted Woodpeckers.

The Fieldfares seem to have flown, with Starlings (I think) roosting in the Oak Tree in Kiln Field (aka where the Sheep Field). No sign of the cock pheasant that used to strut around the place. Perhaps he had too close an encounter with a car….

We are still making good use of the Usborne Spotter’s Guide to Birds, which is definitely the best of the bird identification books we’ve got here.

Photos: Herefordshire week 46 on Flickr.

Phil: Weeknotes for w/e 2020-11-15.

False Value – Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant goes undercover in the high tech world around Silicon Roundabout, and he, and we, have close encounters with some American Practitioners, a Mary Engine and Rose Jars.

Author page: False Value – Ben Aaronovitch

Circe – Madeline Miller

Titan goddess, Daughter of Helios, Unloved child, Witch, Lover of Odysseus, all I knew of Circe was that she turned Odysseus’ sailors into pigs….

In her marvellous retelling of this Greek Myth, Madeline Miller places the focus firmly on Circe – a goddess with more than the touch of the mortal about her than usual.

Author page: Circe – Madeline Miller

Herefordshire Week 045: Tuesday 03 – Monday 09 November 2020

Greenhouse construction commences.

Frost. Fog. Lunch al fresco.

A bit of a mixed week.

Managed my first longer walk along the lanes for what feels like an age on Tuesday morning. Kerrys Gate – Bacton – Tremorithic Road – Cwm Road – Abbey Dore. Beautiful autumn colours and lovely views of Hatterall Ridge, The Cat’s Back and Hay Bluff.

At the junction of “Bacton Road” and Tremorithic Road, just as the Black Mountains come into view, I spotted this sign:

Morning walk: Fair Oak Horse-Powered Cider

So, a visit to Fair Oak Horse-Powered Cider is definitely on the cards for when Catherine, and other cider lovers, visit. And then on to The Bridge Inn at Michaelchurch Escley for food.

First frost on Wednesday morning:

And a pre lockdown fish & chip take out from The Old Stables and dinner with dad and Jean in the evening. A chance to chat. Back via Asda and Tescos. The shelves not bare, but back to no bread flour….

The second lockdown started at 00.01 on Thursday. Roll on December.

One small “personal plus” that’s come about due to COVID is that working from home has ended up working really well, partly because although I was an anomaly in January (had to get the OK from the Chief HR Officer over in NY to be WFH on a permanent basis), come the end of March it was the norm, and has been since then. So that has really helped. Plus – touch wood – the wifi is holding up. Who knows when broadband will actually make it to our stretch of country lanes. We can see cables (they’re strung alongside the phone lines up on BT poles) within 10 mins walk in either direction – so close!! Who knows why our bit of road in between the two didn’t get done. There are plenty of houses all the way along. Anyway – so far so good.

A misty morning on Friday so I was able to tackle various bits of admin as I waited for the mist to clear and the grass to dry off so that I could mow and clear the paths of leaves.

I finished sorting out my work paperwork and office. We still need to put stuff in the roof but I am feeling like I’ve got through a few of the more annoying jobs on my to do list. And there’s more chance to do things other than unpacking and sorting.

I also emailed various friends to let them know we are staying and with our “new” address. If you’ve not got it and want it, let me know. It’s been really nice getting updates back by return. Lots of 17 year olds and talk of driving lessons! SEVENTEEN!!!

Strong sun cleared the mist over the course of the morning and it was warm enough to have lunch outside on the patio – in November.

Almost like being on trek…. This time last year I was in Nepal, and we trekked from Panggom (2850m) – Najingdingma (2730m) via the Pangkongma La (3174m) and the Inkhu Khola / Hinku Khola river crossing (2028m). I know I would be really missing doing a big trek this year if it weren’t for all the novelty of our first year at Forty Acres. (We don’t have 40 acres by the way, in case you were wondering.)

After a slight delay (I discovered the mower battery needed a bit of a recharge) I spent the late afternoon mowing, continuing on into the twilight. I’d spent the delay bonfining in the old quarry. As my dad would say “A very satisfying afternoon”.

Phone calls and Zooms with Rachel and Jane making plans for the coming couple of months, and a sociable Friday FaceTime with Simon & Susa. More catch ups lining up for the coming weeks.

We started the greenhouse construction on Saturday morning, making good progress: site selected, post holes dug, base made plus side and end frames. It is like putting together a giant Lego / Ikea kit.

Finished off the mowing / leaf clearing / compost raking in the afternoon.

And AT LAST the US election result. Relief all round.

Very, very foggy on Sunday.

Walked to Camp Crossroads and back on Monday morning – more beautiful colours after a foggy start – and then concreted in the greenhouse posts. Weedkillered the drive and around the house foundations, and lopped some of the brash down in the quarry ready for another bonfire. Still masses to do.

Ended up succumbing to an early afternoon nap. Probably a good thing.

Photos: Herefordshire week 45 on Flickr.

Phil: Weeknotes for w/e 2020-11-08.