Herefordshire Week 214: Tuesday 30 January 2024 – Monday 05 February 2024

Lots of local walking. Discovering Rowlestone Church. Repotting the house plants. Spring flowers are bringing colour to the garden.

Snowdrops
Snowdrops

PT then physio kicked started Tuesday, and I made the most of being in Ewyas Harold and did the Recce for Saturday’s GVWC route: Ewyas Harold & Rowlestone Circular. I went into autopilot after EH Castle and did a completely different route from the one I’d planned to get to Wigga Farm. Oh well!

On the plus side, I did meet a lovely lady (and lovely Collie dog) at one of the farms, and paid my first visit to Rowlestone Church, which is beautiful and shares history and stonemasons with the more famous Kilpeck Church.

Rowlestone Church: Chancel Arch carvings, Kilpeck School
Rowlestone Church: Chancel Arch carvings, Kilpeck School

Late lunch then outside to plant the bulbs we’d dug up from around the compost bin and to dig up some of the “carrot-like” weeds from under the pear tree.

Phil and I strolled up to Hill Farm and back before tea, then admin before returning to the GV Gym for pilates. I took the Zoe… lovely to drive. So calm and quiet – it feels like you’re gliding along.

In the evening we watched Renault Zoe beginner’s or new owners guide to using a help you with your new EV on YouTube and picked up lots of handy tips. I can see why Phil’s started driving differently – gotta make the most of that regen!

Took the Zoe to the gym again on Wednesday after a surprisingly cold night. Put some of the tips learned last night into practice (lock / unlock and interpreting the dashboard colours – very nice….) and back home Phil and I had a run through setting up charging from the porch plug socket and identified films to see in this year’s Borderlines Film Festival. Spent the afternoon in the greenhouse splitting and repotting coin plants and ferns.

Splitting and repotting some of the houseplants
Splitting and repotting some of the houseplants

Thursday was a lovely sunny day, which I started in the orchard clearing the trailer ready for dad to collect. To the gym for PT, speedy drive home for a shower then off out to Radway Bridge to meet SY for lunch (and coffee and cake) then back via Winchester to catch up with dad and Jean and to accompany dad and the trailer full of hedge trimmings to the tip. Also picked up the surplus dustbins – I’m sure I’ll find a use for them at 40A. Lidl finished off the Hereford trip and I drove home towards a technicolour sunset, lovely. Made dinner (always worth a mention as it’s not a common occurrence).

Up early on Friday so I had time to watch the birds over coffee and toast, and to marvel at the technicolour sunrise.

Technicolour Sunrise
Technicolour Sunrise

Gym, then home and a shower before P drove us, in the Zoe of course, to Gwatkins for a coffee, which expanded into scrambled eggs on toast and a lovely large pot of tea (me) / Americano (P). The restaurant / conservatory extension basically occupies the footprint of the old section of covered barn where the Bacton BBQ was set up and looks much smarter.

Gorgeous sunny day (even though the BBC Weather forecast insisted it was cloudy all day) so I spent the rest of the day pottering in the greenhouse, splitting and repotting three more ferns and using up a lot of Jean’s surplus pot supply and some rat-excavated compost from the compost heap. We now have 35 pots containing ferns of various sizes from single stalk to sprouting mass and windowsills in the kitchen, the utility room, the landing, the main bathroom and my office are now fully occupied.

I had a brief sojourn in the sunwarmed conservatory reading for an hour or so in between ferns two and three… ie until I remembered the one in the spare bedroom (aka fern 3). I also put two of the dustbins to good use as new homes for the black bags of rotting leaf mulch that I’d got piled up inside the greenhouse.

And it’s still light at 5.30pm.

Out with the GVWC on Saturday, leading 19 folk around the Ewyas Harold & Rowlestone Circular. I’d walked to Ewyas Harold Rec via the Common and got Hello’ed by one of the gym ladies as I crossed the (empty) football pitch.

Strava Map & Stats: GVWC: Ewyas Harold & Rowlestone Circular
Strava Map & Stats: GVWC: Ewyas Harold & Rowlestone Circular

Went very well in spite of the mizzle in the air and we adjourned to The Dog for drinks etc afterwards, snug in the main bar with the log stove on. P picked me up in the Zoe and drove us home for a late lunch followed by reading and snoozing until it was time to walk down to Kerrys Gate for a smashing dinner with K&B and K&N. We walked home under semi-starlight.

Not a good night’s sleep and a bit down in the dumps on Sunday after I’d finished reading Snow Country. My mood brightened a bit as the sun brightened up the day. Blitzed the third bag of oranges and chopped one of the apple rack shelves of apples and put them all into the freezer. Then read in the conservatory moving into the lounge as the day cooled. Breeeezy too.

Another good walk on Monday morning, “Forty Acres Footpaths”. I started out doing Duffryn but decided to divert onto the local footpaths and realised I might be able to make a four leaf clover (although it does look more like a figure of eight). Quite a sociable walk too.

Strava Map & Stats: Forty Acres Footpaths
Strava Map & Stats: Forty Acres Footpaths

Cleared some of the baby brambles from the verge before lunch and then in the afternoon P and I unpacked the new electric coffee grinder, put together the IKEA bamboo bathroom chair / towel rack, and P set up the new printer while I marked up a scan of the map to show Saturday’s walk and sent that round, and then finalised my LPAs.

I’m sure you’re all finding this fascinating…..


In the garden we have our first daffodils, spotted on 30 Jan but I reckon they came out while we were in London. There are carpets of snowdrops and a rug of aconites, and the rhubarb is returning.

Wild Daffs
Strava Map & Stats: Forty Acres Footpaths

There are hints of pink on mum’s camellia too…. And the first flower!

Camellia Flower
Camellia Flower

We are now seeing plenty of long tailed tits on the peanut feeder. They’re still outrageously cute.


TV:  This Is Us, The Winter King, Sound of Metal, Red Rocket, Bodies.

Podcasts: Gone Mediaeval, History Extra, Offstage: Inside the X Factor, The History of England,  In Our Time.


Photos: Herefordshire week 214 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-02-04.

Herefordshire Week 213: Tuesday 23 – Monday 29 January 2024

Hello ZOE!

Hello ZOE!
Hello ZOE!

Quite a week, what with a trip to London for our wedding anniversary, dinner with the old LW KM crowd, the MMRR (St Andrews) meet up and brunch with K&P as well.

And not one but two marmalade making marathons…..


Tuesday’s highlight was the delivery of our “new” (second hand, 1 previous owner) Renault ZOE EV.

Big thanks to We Are EV in Bristol who drove it over to us on the same day as Storm Jocelyn arrived. Just enough time for Phil to take it for a spin before lunch.

Spent the afternoon prepping eBay posts, reading and lolling on the sofa watching more of The Winter King.

Gym first thing Wednesday then back to gather the storm debris – only small branches and twigs, which I wheelbarrowed to the bonfire.

After a late lunch I got stuck into making grapefruit marmalade, producing only a measly 2 ½ jars….  Plus I had a few minutes thinking I’d broken the new microwave (in a similar fashion to breaking the old one) but thankfully it returned to life after 15 mins or so. I reckon it must have overheated. In the meantime I’d transferred the marmalade-in-the-making into my blue enamel Le Creuset pan which did the job beautifully.

Grapefruit Marmalade prep in progress
Grapefruit Marmalade prep in progress

More of The Mullet Winter King before tea and telly.


Thursday was the start of our London mini break. Drive to Abergavenny, TfW train to Newport, GWR train to Paddington. Caught up with RLS over a late lunch in an Iraqi cafe.

No. 205 bus to Angel Islington. Walk to the Hub by Premier Inn, Clerkenwell (what a mouthful). Check in and settle in.

Walk 3 mins to Farringdon, catch up with Tom. Walk with P to Spitalfields via Fortune St and the old Waitrose. Broadgate Circle heaving with after work drinkers.

Lovely dinner with LW KM colleagues at Ottolenghi. Walk back to the Hub via Barbican Tunnel and Smithfield.

Friday started in a more leisurely fashion with a 9am breakfast at the Hub. Walked under blue skies to KX to catch the Victoria Line to Walthamstow Central and then walked to the Williams Morris Gallery. North east London still provides surprises.

William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow
William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow

No. 55 bus from Walthamstow Central to Theobalds Road – E17, E10, E5, E8, E9, E2, E1, EC1, WC1 – and to the Brunswick Centre to watch The Holdovers at the Curzon Cinema.

We walked back to the hotel as dusk fell for a bit of a rest, then headed back out again at 7 o’clock to catch the No. 19 bus to Soho for dinner at Bocca di Lupo. Surrounded by the London Rich. We walked back to Clerkenwell.

Out for dinner at Bocca Di Lupo
Out for dinner at Bocca Di Lupo

Disappointing Saturday morning breakfast at Gail’s on Exmouth Market – no marmalade option to go on toast! Strawberry jam does not cut it, people! Good size cup of coffee mind you.

Walked to Moorgate M&S to buy tasty treats for lunch before catching the No. 344 to CJ chatting with a fellow Best Seats On The Bus Bagging couple for part of the journey. Then a lovely day at the MMRR Meet Up hosted by M featuring a multitude of tasty treats, a lot of wine, a walk around Clapham Common and H joining us for the evening session.

Lovely long lie in on Sunday morning before meeting up with P&K for brunch at Caravan Exmouth Market and then walking and talking as we made our way west through the back streets. At Oxford Circus P&K headed home and we carried on to Paddington. A short sit outside in a small park, then into the station to settle in on the train and starting our journey home to Herefordshire.


Early start Monday to be ready for our 7am Sainsbury’s delivery – the three bags of marmalade oranges were all present and correct! Hurrah! Let the marmalade making begin….

Did some admin (including finally getting confirmation that HMRC had received my self assessment payment. The one I’d set up  on 19 Jan…) then drove the cars to Ewyas Harold to drop off the Panda for a service etc, and I had my first drive of the Zoe on Our Roads on the way back. So far, so good.

I dedicated the rest of the day to My Monday Marmalade Making Marathon, resulting in 25 medium size jars made using the always reliable Denton Family Recipe.

Monday Marmalade Making Marathon - Preparing Batch 1, Set 2
Monday Marmalade Making Marathon – Preparing Batch 1, Set 2
Monday Marmalade Making Marathon - Batch 1, Big Al Pan Set - Seven Medium Jars
Monday Marmalade Making Marathon – Batch 1, Big Al Pan Set – Seven Medium Jars

In the garden, the snowdrops are coming out in droves and the aconites are multiplying down by the small pond.

Snowdrops
Snowdrops

TV:  This Is Us, The Winter King.

Podcasts: The Today Podcast, Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Tweet of the Day, Anglo-Saxon England , Gone Mediaeval, The Rest is Entertainment, In Our Time.


Photos: Herefordshire week 213 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-01-28.

Herefordshire Week 212: Tuesday 16 – Monday 22 January 2024

Cold spell. Then warmer and wetter courtesy of Storm Isha. Weekend visit from JS. Oh, and buying our first electric car….

Frosty morning
Frosty morning

Cold start to my weeknotes week, below zero for a few weeknights and hovering around zero for a few days.

PT first thing Tuesday with Phil coming along to do his work out at the same time. A First. Back at base I headed out with the kettle and a couple of old tin cans to melt holes in the ice covering both ponds. Fish motionless beneath the ice.

In the afternoon we drove to We Are EV in Bristol to look at a Renault ZOE electric car. We’ve decided we could do with a second car as a run about and that a second hand EV would work for that. Having watched a lot of YouTube reviews of second hand Renault ZOEs, the battery degradation seems minimal, the 0 NCAP safety issue only arises with the newest iteration and the limited range isn’t a concern given most of the journeys will be gym and back, Hereford and back, Abergavenny and back. Watch this space.

Slow start to Wednesday. Made it to aerobics in 10 mins and that was with having met cars coming the other way that I had to wait / reverse for. Not so cold a day today – I easily broke the ice in the ponds – so I nipped into the greenhouse when I got back to repot the 4 yew seedlings into individual pots with less “lip” so they get more sun. They’re on a sliding scale of healthiness from going strong to stripped of leaves.

Admin either side of lunch. Frustratingly difficult to get a quote for a second car – surprisingly so. Rigged up a temporary seed catcher under the bird seed feeder. Operation Deter Rat continues.

DIY Seed Catcher
DIY Seed Catcher

Canns Hill – Wellfield – Thistly Field walk with P before tea and Hot Cross Buns back in the warm. Still a little light lingering at 5pm. The days are getting longer.

Forty Acres from Thistly Field
Forty Acres from Thistly Field

Minus 4C overnight Wednesday / Thursday made for a clear, crisp Thursday morning, frost sparkling on the fields and front lawn. Leisurely start then to the gym with Phil for PT. Headed into Hereford over lunch time to pick up the next Rivers of London novella from the library, a towel holder from B&Q, and a sack of peanuts for the bird from General Dogsbody, and to scour the supermarkets for marmalade oranges…. in vain.

Walked to Kerrys Gate and back with Phil before tea and a hot cross bun sitting on the sofa getting stuck into Winter’s Gifts. Made dinner and an apple crumble.

Walking to Kerrys Gate and back: To the moon and back
Walking to Kerrys Gate and back: To the moon and back

The sparkly fields reappeared overnight – temperature had dropped to -4C for most of Thursday night. To the gym first thing, returning home in glorious sunshine under blue, blue skies. Warmer weather and the rain are due to arrive tomorrow. JS arrived in time for lunch in the sunny conservatory then we headed out to walk Kerrys Gate – Riverdale – Abbey Dore / Dore Abbey – Thistly Field (with Phil from Wellfield). A good evening to get the log stove going.

Sorted out my LPAs with JS on Saturday morning, then we drove to Hay on Wye for a lovely day mooching around the shops and culminating in coffee and cake in the Castle Cafe. My first visit to the restored castle house and I can see why everyone raves about it. A leisurely evening relaxing in the lounge with the log stove lit again.

Strolled to Kerrys Gate and back on Sunday morning before JS drove us all over to Ewyas Harold for a lovely Sunday lunch at The Temple Bar Inn. We waved off JS before Storm Isha arrived in earnest.

Sunday lunch at The Temple Bar Inn
Sunday lunch at The Temple Bar Inn

A lazy late afternoon digesting on the sofa in the telly room watching the last of Pamela, a love story and the first three episodes of The Winter King.

On Monday morning Phil and I attempted to troubleshoot the dishwasher – it’s started to stop working after about 1 minute. No joy. It’s not like we use it that much, but it’s still handy when we have guests and use more stuff.

Computer admin most of the day plus a mid-afternoon video catch up with JG in CA and an M&P combined effort to haul down the broken branch from the lane-side yew tree – thanks Tall Tractor, whichever one of you broke it.


Long tailed tits are definitely back. More robins and blackbirds in evidence, and the jay when it’s feeling brave. Out on the lanes the crazy cock pheasant time of year has begun.

And I saw three – THREE – rats. Grrr.

But there are two tiny green shoots in my onion seed tray, and the first aconites are out joining the ever increasing arrays of snowdrops.


TV: Reservation Dogs (Finished. Fab. Miss you, bitches!), This Is Us (season 1), Pamela, a love story, The Winter King (based on Bernard Cornwell’s telling of the Arthurian legend).

Podcasts: Gone Mediaeval, History Extra, How to Read the News, The History of England.


Photos: Herefordshire week 212 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-01-21.

Herefordshire Week 211: Tuesday 09 – Monday 15 January 2024

Brrrrrrrrr – it’s cold!!

MD comes to stay. Rach & Jon call in. Drinks with TJL. Dad and Jean come for Sunday lunch. A social whirl!

Started PT and did a lot of walking: 30.2 miles, 4540 ft elevation gain according to Strava.

Looking back down the Dragon's Back and over towards Pen y Fan
Looking back down the Dragon’s Back and over towards Pen y Fan

I had my first PT session at the GV gym on Tuesday morning. So far so good. Then caught up with email and weeknotes in the GV cafe whiling away an hour and a half before my follow up physio appointment at Ewyas Harold Surgery. I am going to get my right hip properly sorted in 2024. It’s lazy right glutes and over worked compensating muscles….

Tea and crumpet in the sunny conservatory, then out into the sunshine (and cold wind) to walk down to Dore Abbey and back via Thistly Field. Lovely. Tea and cake back at base.

Down to Dore Abbey and back via Thistly Field
Down to Dore Abbey and back via Thistly Field

I’d not booked onto my usual Wednesday morning classes to allow us a whole day to get out for a good walk. Still too cold up in the Black Mountains so we opted for more walking around the lanes, to Bacton and then a new bit of footpaths to take us up to Tremorithic, showing MD more of the sights and working up a good appetite for a late lunch back at base. We didn’t quite get the new route right but we know better for next time.

Strava Map & Stats: Tremorithic Footpaths - New Route via Bacton
Strava Map & Stats: Tremorithic Footpaths – New Route via Bacton

A snooze on the sofa as sun set, then beers and crisps segueing into dinner in front of the telly introducing MD to the delights of Dectectorists.

To the gym on Thursday morning for LBT and my second PT session. Speedy shower back home then we headed out to walk to The Temple Bar Inn for a leisurely late pub lunch, washed down with a couple of pints, then back home via the Deer Field. Not as muddy as last Saturday’s GVWC experience.

Pub lunch
Pub lunch

Friday started with another visit to the gym then back to find Phil and MD playing the inaugural hand of Panda Top Trumps – my custom made Christmas present to Phil. Fiat Panda, not Panda Panda. Phil dropped off MD at Hereford train station for his onward journey and shortly after Phil got home R&J arrived for a late lunch en route to Pantygelli for a walking weekend with their club. Lovely.

Ticked off three garden jobs on Saturday morning: on the slope down from Mower Turn I cut down the leggy whatever-it-is tree that had broken the main supporting branch off the same breed of tree (a more mature version) closer to the path and taken out all the lower branches as it fell; bonfired; and, with Phil’s help, redid the compost bin base in an attempt to make it rat proof.

Third time lucky....
Third time lucky….

To be fair, Phil did almost all the work on this last one as it entailed digging out the compost-in-progress from the bin, wheelbarrowing that to its new home (the green bin I scavenged a week or so ago), collecting four paving slabs from the quarry and laying them on the cleared site. I set up the now-empty compost bin, and then Phil returned some of the compost-in-progress – and its worms – to the bin as starter culture.

And then he turned the grass cuttings and leaves that comprise compost corner.

Relaxing afternoon reading on the sofa, then down to TJLs for an evening drink and crisps. We walked back serenaded by tawny owls.

After a slow start to Sunday morning Phil and I headed out and walked Cockyard Anticlockwise. The light cloud gradually cleared and we arrived home under blue skies, lovely and warm!

Cockyard Anticlockwise: A line of sheep and Hatterrall Ridge
Cockyard Anticlockwise: A line of sheep and Hatterrall Ridge

Dad and Jean came for Sunday lunch. They arrived under beautiful blues skies and we had a lovely stroll around the garden looking at the snowdrops. The rain had set in by the time they left. FaceTime with S&S in the early evening, then cheese and biscuits watching EV reviews on YouTube.

I drove over to Pengenfford A479 on Monday morning to rendezvous with Sonia and Sara for a magic walk out in the Brecon Beacons. We headed up the Dragon’s Back via Castell Dinas, along to Waun Fach (811m), down to Pen Trumau and back down the valley to Pengenfford. 7 ½ miles, 19586 steps, 173 flights, 2156 ft elevation gain.

Strava Map & Stats: Dragon's Back & Waun Fach from Pengenfford
Strava Map & Stats: Dragon’s Back & Waun Fach from Pengenfford

A gorgeous sunny day – beautiful under blue skies, but a bitter wind.

Welsh rarebit and a big pot of tea in Crickhowell afterwards.

Welsh Rarebit and a large pot of tea at Latte Da, Crickhowell
Welsh Rarebit and a large pot of tea at Latte Da, Crickhowell

Ah, this is why I stopped working!

Back home via Waitrose.


TV: Reservation Dogs (season 3. Very different and still lovely), Detectorists (series 1, introducing MD to the delights of), Ghosts (series 1, introducing MD to the delights of) and lots of YouTube video reviews of EVs.

Podcasts: Shedunnit, History Extra, You Must Remember This, The Rest is Entertainment, The History of England.


Photos: Herefordshire week 211 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-01-14.

Herefordshire Week 210: Tuesday 02 – Monday 08 January 2024

Floods. Walks. Delayed Christmas Dinner.

Flooded down in the hollow
Flooded down in the hollow

To the gym Tuesday morning after a night of heavy rain, still going, the water was streaming off the fields and onto the roads. I took the A465 route there, and braved Ewyas Harold and Abbey Dore on the return route, continuing towards Bacton to scavenge the green dustbin from the hedgerow that’s been there for years. It’ll be handy in the garden. Everywhere underwater. And the rain is still going….

Double rainbow.

Afternoon on the sofa, reading with the log stove going. Cosy. Lots of flood alerts and photos of flooded roads, including The Usual Suspects down in Abbey Dore, on the road to Wormbridge and in Ewyas Harold.

Flood Map from Gov.uk - as at 10.30pm on 02 January 2024
Flood Map from Gov.uk – as at 10.30pm on 02 January 2024

Decided to brave the roads to go to the gym on Wednesday. All fine. Although there’s still the odd spot of rain. Returned to find the hedges were being cut. I always expect that to happen earlier, as in autumn. Changed our June Walton caravan booking to an Arun, on the offchance we might have people to stay. First VWW of the year in the evening.

Thursday morning,  gym class first thing then home for a quick change and straight back to Ewyas (courtesy of Phil) to recce the route for Saturday’s GVWC walk. Muddy. Very Muddy. But there were cute pigs and piglets in the field by Dore Abbey.

GVWC Route Recce: Piggies and piglets! Abbey Dore
GVWC Route Recce: Piggies and piglets! Abbey Dore

JP came for dinner. Lovely.

Aerobics and stretch on Friday. Hydrogen Peroxide arrived, so I gathered the pot plants, sprayed them and washed the outside of their pots and dish washer-ed the outside pots. Mission to eliminate the fungus gnats….. so of course I saw one as I was returning the plants to their usual positions.

A speedy trip to Lock’s Garage and back for Phil to buy me my Christmas Wellies ahead of Saturday’s walk. Then pottered for the rest of the afternoon.

I’m always a bit anxious in the run up to leading a GVWC walk, but Saturday’s Ewyas Harold – Dulas – Abbey Dore Loop went well. Still muddy but lovely and sunny.

Strava Map: GVWC Ewyas Harold - Dulas - Abbey Dore Loop
Strava Map: GVWC Ewyas Harold – Dulas – Abbey Dore Loop

T & L called by in the afternoon, and in the evening Phil and I had our postponed Christmas Dinner / New Year’s Eve Feast. Yum.

Delayed Christmas Dinner and NYE Feast!
Delayed Christmas Dinner and NYE Feast!

Relaxing Sunday starting off with Bacton Backwards, garden jobs (Phil: clearing pond leaves; me: clearing hedge cutting debris from Orchard) and sorting out trains and hotels for our March London trip. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Admin Monday morning. Then into Hereford to collect our first guest of the year – MD all the way from Nomaglio. We did a quick tour of Hereford including lunch in Rocket in Church Street, a tour of the Cathedral and mandatory pilgrimages to M&S Food Hall, Neil Powell and Waitrose.

SO COLD. We got the log stove going once we were home and caught up over tea and cake + crumpets, then a beer and crisps before finishing up with Christmas dinner leftovers. A lovely evening.


The three wise sheep left Kiln Field. Lots more sheep arrived to take their place.

And the long tailed tits are back at the bird feeders!!!!


TV: Reservation Dogs (seasons 1 & 2. Lovely), Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster.

Podcasts: Shedunnit, Empire, History Extra, You Must Remember This, Anglo-Saxon England.


Photos: Herefordshire week 210 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-01-07.