Abbey Dore Traditional Village Fete, gardening and some new trekking boots – adieu Salomon.
Tuesday was a day in the garden – checked on the toms, strawbs, peppers and cuc my greenhouse, potted up a couple of the house plants, redid the bean canes to make use of the circular cane clip gadget I bought at the RHS Malvern Show last year, my original set up having come adrift at the seams.
A tour of the drive and the house perimeter with a bottle of weed killer. Then out with the secateurs and then the loppers … initially just trimming sprouting growth from the bottom of the crab apple and wild plums then tackling the green bush …. which took a while.
Late lunch then finishing off the green shrub and wheelbarrowing the debris to the quarry …. the bonfire piled high with R’s hedge cuttings – he’d come while we were away and the garden is looking so much better – slopes strimmed and hedges trimmed.
Our wedding plum tree is laden with fruit this year.
Cancelled the BW bookings – S has Lyme’s Disease infection so we’re postponing. Zoom with JS to sort out an August visit then off to Pilates.
Hooting owl at bedtime. Long and loud, close by.
Back to the GV gym on Wednesday for a double whammy of Aerobics and Stretch. Home to buy train tickets for Sept (Ouch! Prices have gone UP!).
Lunch then into Hereford for a spot of shopping, primarily a new pair of trekking boots from Trekitt. After an excellent fitting and consultation I came away with a pair of La Sportiva Womens TX5 GTX Carbon.
I was technically up and about for Thursday’s sunrise….
… but only by chance and briefly. Then back to bed.
Once I did get up it was off to my first Legs, Bums & Tums session at the gym. Back to do some gardening before the anticipated rain: dug up the bulbs from the planter and planted out more leeks in their place, picked up some windfalls down by the big pond, planted out some of the bulbs by the small pond and in the willow tree stump hump, cleared some of the blanket weed out of the small pond and released a fair few water boatmen and baby newts back into the water.
Lunch then admin on the computer including preparing my Lasting Powers of Attorney. No sign of the rain, typical. So after a pot of tea and a hot cross bun sat outside on the patio (not done that for Such A Long Time), I potted up some of the patio plants including LK’s Salvia.
A flock of goldfinches descended on the front lawn on Friday morning. Adults and juveniles feasting on the uncut meadow.
To the gym, then back to mow.
We had tea and a hot cross bun sat on Nana Helen’s bench watching the birds on the feeders. Lovely. The juvenile blackbird is very demanding!
Pizza for dinner.
Rain on Saturday. A good morning for indoor jobs, including impromptu cleaning of the dining table in the conservatory to remove glitter glue and nail polish. Google results suggested vinegar amongst other things, and that plus some hard scrubbing did the job. I’m endlessly amazed by what white vinegar can do.
As the morning’s rain eased I did a few more jobs outside, including clearing the straggly grass around the edge of the small pond I disturbed this froggy fella!
Early lunch then down to Dore Abbey to help set up for tomorrow’s village fete. Phil and I helped out with ferrying and sorting out the bric a brac and clothes for the Bazaar.
Sunday was a proper sunny day, with the occasional short sharp shower. Thank heavens.
I collected windfalls from the old garden railway apple trees and cut back / unearthered some of the wild plum runners up on the Solarium. And snipped back some briar runners too.
I was back down at the Abbey for 1pm on Sunday to help ready the cream teas etc and we had a very busy afternoon! So much so I missed the Bell Tower Tours, didn’t get to guess the weight of the sheep or splat the rat. Next time….
I did get to see lots of people though.
Back home for beer and crisps sat out on the front lawn in the sunshine.
To Abergavenny on Monday for the dentist, then back with time to walk the Cockyard Circuit backwards and including a chat with A&A en route.
After a late lunch, a snooze in the conservatory then wrapped up Elizabeth Day’s The Party.
Ummed and aaahhed about cancelling Aerobics. But in the end I went…. although I was almost late due to an encounter with a flock of recently shorn lambs being herded through the middle of Abbey Dore ….
In other news relating to animals beginning with S we’ve not seen any sq*****ls since we got back from Essex. Hmmm.
In sheep news, R’s sheep are back in Kiln Field and The Dorelands hosted a World Record sheep shearing attempt on Friday which saw Steve Rowberry shear 702 strong wool lambs in 8 hours, just missing the current world record of 754.
TV: Halt and Catch Fire (finished season 3, started season 4),
Podcasts: The Forum, The History of England, History Extra.
Photos: Herefordshire week 188 on Flickr.
Phil: w/e 2023-08-06.