Herefordshire Week 220: Tuesday 12 – Monday 18 March 2024

Beacons Way Day 3 with Sonia and Sara. But the return of the inflamed hip put paid to the rest of this year’s CWF for me 🙁

Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr - Old bridge over the River Usk at Llangynidr
Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr – Old bridge over the River Usk at Llangynidr

Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. And then a bit of sun.

It’s light until 6.30pm, and light returns around 12 hours later…. the days are getting longer.


Decided to give my legs a rest on Tuesday and bailed out of the walk I’d booked in the Crickhowell Walking Festival (Around the Rhiangoll). Also I realised I’d done half of it on Sunday and another section was the Pen Allt Mawr Ridge to Waun Fach and back down the Dragons Back. Oh, and it was raining.

Instead I spent the day ticking off things from the To Do list, including doing weeknotes 219 and prepping for the mid-March Birthday Bonanza. And chasing squirrels. Grrr.

I also had a brainwave on the fungus gnat fight front:

Beat THAT fungus gnats!
Beat THAT fungus gnats!

Met up with Sonia, Sara and Grace on Wednesday for Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr. A drizzle sandwich of a day and some very, very wet fields. We abandoned the flooded field footpaths in favour of the lane for a section between Cwmdu and Tremynfa Road. And we took the scenic route through Llangynidr, unintentionally, where the cafe was closed cos it was Wednesday. And we already knew we were too late for Latte Da. Sigh.

Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr - OS Map
Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr – OS Map

Still, we had three rainbows.

Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr - Rainbow, Llangynidr
Beacons Way Day 3: Crickhowell to Llangynidr – Rainbow, Llangynidr

Back home via Waitrose, and Welcome to Chippendales accompanied by a pot of tea and toast with peanut butter and raspberry jam.

On Thursday a combination of inflamed hip muscle and wet and windy weather forecast meant I bailed out of the two remaining walks I’d booked onto in this year’s CWF: Over the Hill from Far Away (Sugar Loaf from Abergavenny and lanes into Crickhowell) and The Other Side (Fan Fawr). A real shame as both routes look great. Another time.

So instead I repotted the coin plants and spider plants in clean compost, then helped dad pick up 22 bricks for their garden room project. After lunch I drove into Abergavenny for Aldi and Laundry Basket (Two beautifully clean duvets! I know how to live). A bit down in the dumps all day.

Blessed with yet more grey skies and rain, and a still painful hip joint, I spent most of Friday and Saturday doing Nepal 2023 Photos and Notes. We’ve left the main drag to/from Kanchenjunga Base Camp and headed west on the far less trekked trails that wil take us up and over the Lumba Sumba. By the end of Saturday’s uploading we had spent our first night under canvas…..

Cloud in the Ghunsa valley, and mountains beyond, our tents in front - the view from Chauri Kharka, Nango La Camp
Cloud in the Ghunsa valley, and mountains beyond, our tents in front – the view from Chauri Kharka, Nango La Camp

… and traversed the Nango La…..

Mingma and Sonia leaving the Nango La (4776m)
Mingma and Sonia leaving the Nango La (4776m)

After a rotten night’s sleep (or lack of) Saturday to Sunday, on Sunday morning I belatedly joined Phil in the conservatory marvelling at the blue skies outside. Then pottered before deciding it was high time I washed the Panda. It’s now (temporarily) gleaming. After lunch more reading in the conservatory.

Treated ourselves to a nice lunch out on Monday; our first visit to the much recommended The Crown at Panygelli.

Lunch at The Crown at Pantygelli

The large lunch necessitated a nap in the conservatory once we got back home. I managed a bit of reading morning and afternoon too.


Birds are carrying twigs and grass strands and other bits and bobs. Nest building has begun. Songs have grown more elaborate, and start earlier.

Tulips are coming out in the coffin in the orchard and the patio pots. Jean’s spring flower pots are full of tiny daffs, their yellows accompanied by the whites and blues of other flowers, and I occasionally catch their scent as I walk past.

Buds on the hazel trees and Jean’s wisteria, green leaves emerging on the hawthorns. Primroses and violets coming out, and I spotted the pale blue of a bluebell at the entrance to the orchard.

Leeks, Tulips, Herbs & Gooseberry bush
Leeks, Tulips, Herbs & Gooseberry bush

Along with much of the rest of the country (countries?) I seem to have become slightly obsessed with the whereabouts of Kate Middleton*. Releasing that photograph really backfired.

Interesting that we still call her that* rather than Catherine, Princess of Wales. That will always be Diana. Also interesting to learn more about the Palaces’ PR practices. And yes, that apostrophe is in the right place. Obviously “interesting” in a 15 seconds of thought sense.

And I’m saddened by the realisation that when I write country these days I find myself pausing to ponder which one I mean: England, Great Britain, UK? I fear it’s England on this one.


TV:  Shƍgun, Welcome to Chippendales, This is Us (started season 2), This Farming Life, What We Do In The Shadows (season 5).

Podcasts: History Extra, The Rest is Entertainment, When It Hits the Fan, Gone Mediaeval, Americast.


Photos: Herefordshire week 220 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-03-17.

Herefordshire Week 219: Tuesday 5 – Monday 11 March 2024

Last of the Borderlines Film Festival films; first of the Crickhowell Walking Festival walks, with R&J.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse - Me at the Mynydd Troed Trig Point
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse – Me at the Mynydd Troed Trig Point <- Rocking the baggy gaiters look there

More rain. Occasional sun but otherwise cloud.


PT first thing Tuesday then speedy turnaround back home to get into Hereford for Borderlines Film Festival film No. 5: That They May Face the Rising Sun. I didn’t really know what to expect, but loved it – the slow pace provided plenty of time to get to know the characters and their relationships.

Home for a late lunch then an hour of greenhouse enhancements with dad: adding door knobs and a shelf inside and, outside, replacing the missing downpipe for the nearer of the two waterbutts.

Greenhouse Enhancements: Shelf
Greenhouse Enhancements: Shelf

At teatime, a full valley rainbow.

My desk stands arrived. Spot on. A big thank you to Weldpress who made them for me. Super service. Recommended!

Grey Valley lived up to its name on Wednesday – misty on a bright sunny morning.

Grey Valley
Grey Valley

In the afternoon depotted all the houseplants (well, most of them), planning to repot with fresh, fungus gnat free compost, only to find that the “new” bag of compost in the greenhouse mustn’t have been completely sealed and was infested with them. Grrrrrrr. Handily, Phil was in Hereford so he picked up a fully fresh bag on his way back.

T called in as I was washing the roots so we had a bit of a catch up before tomorrow night’s drinks and nibbles.

Late starting PT on Thursday due to an emergency road closure in Ewyas Harold. Back at base, the army camp were making a lot of noise – big bassy booms, gunfire, helicopters. Overcast and windy with rain forecast so I settled in to do some more Nepal 2023 photos and notes, plus a catch up with Steffi. Early dinner then down to TJL’s for wine and nibbles. Lovely.

Gym first thing Friday then back make some scones, have lunch and repot the ferns in fly-free compost in the wind and rain. R & J arrived 3.30pm-ish – time for a cup of tea and a scone, a bit of a catch up and some CWF logistics planning then into Hereford for Wagamamas and The Promised Land, film No. 6 and the last in this year’s Borderlines Film Festival for us.

Up early Saturday to get to Crickhowell for 8.30am and the first of this year’s Crickhowell Walking Festival walks: Black Mountains North to South from Gospel Pass to Crickhowell.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Black Mountains North to South - Strava Map & Stats
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Black Mountains North to South – Strava Map & Stats

A bit of ascent from Gospel Pass to Twmpa / Lord Hereford’s Knob (690m) then it’s a ridgeline route via Rhos Dirion (713m), Waun Fach (811m), Mynydd Llysiau (663m), Pen Allt-mawr (719m), Pen Cerrig-calch (701m) and Crug Hywel / Table Mountain (451m).

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Black Mountains North to South - Waun Fach in the fog
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Black Mountains North to South – Waun Fach in the fog

An easy route to follow but foggy to Waun Fach and brutal in the wind thereafter. Not cold, but brace-brace all the way to stay upright.

Having missed Latte Da’s closing time by a matter of minutes, we headed home for showers, tea and scones, beer and nibbles, soup and chilli. And bed!

Sunday’s CWF walk was 12 miles “Overlooking Llangorse” – and yesterday’s main ridges too. A smashing circular route from Bwlch – one to do again.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse

Handy parking on a lane out of Bwlch. The route took us up over Mynydd Llangorse, dropping down via Cockit Hill and then straight back up Mynydd Troed. Curving back towards Cwmdu for a ridgeline descent into the valley then back up again onto Mynydd Llangors and retracing our route back to Bwlch.

Much easier walking and conditions than yesterday’s Black Mountains North to South.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse - Mynydd Troed from Mynydd Llangors
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Overlooking Llangorse – Mynydd Troed from Mynydd Llangors

Back at base: showers, scones, soup, chilli and crumble – then bed.

Back to Crickhowell on Monday morning, via Abergavenny to drop off the single duvets at The Laundry Basket in my case. We reunited at CRIC for the day’s hike: Mynydd Llangatwg.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg

My first time walking this side of the Usk. A bit boggy on the top but fab views back down to Crickhowell, Llangattock and across to the Black Mountains – even on a grey day. A really varied route – roads, woodland paths, footpaths across fields and sheep trails over moors.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg panorama
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg panorama

Farewell to R&J then home for the last pair of scones, shared with Phil.

Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg - Traditional post shower scone, back at home
Crickhowell Walking Festival 2024: Mynydd Llangatwg – Traditional post shower scone, back at home

Lentil soup for dinner with Spaceman on the telly.


In the garden I spotted the first leaves on the waterfall clematis, and the Bacton Stud wild garlic is going great guns.

More flowers on the daffs and the camellia. Snowdrops all gone.


TV:  Our Flag Means Death (finished season 2), Shƍgun, Spaceman.

Podcasts: History Extra, Gone Mediaeval, Americast, The Today Podcast, Tweet of the Day,


Photos: Herefordshire week 219 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-03-10.

Herefordshire Week 218: Tuesday 27 February – Monday 4 March 2024

Snow! Sun! Starry skies! Borderlines Film Festival fortnight = 5 film trips on the trot. Dry enough to manage a mow and some gardening.

Bacton Square: Hatterrall Ridge from Kerrys Gate
Bacton Square: Hatterrall Ridge from Kerrys Gate

Tuesday: physio follow up, PT, fuel and flickring photos from the weekend – and wrapping up weeknotes.

Two jays, thrushes and redwings tucking into the ivy berries.

Jay
Jay
Redwing
Redwing

Spent the afternoon in overalls, having a bit of a mow – inspired by our chainsaw course, I gave the Honda the once over before trying to start it and topped up oil and used today’s new fuel. Delighted and relieved that it Just Started. I did the verge (very squishy), the orchard edges including around the greenhouse, along the hedge between the front lawn and the orchard, the top of the west slope, the front lawn by the snowdrops and the patch by the bins. Too wet to get the ride on mower out or to venture further afield – the further you go down the front lawn the squelchier it gets.

First bonker of the year. A goldcrest, thankfully just sitting on the patio having a rest when I spotted it. When I walked past 30 mins later it was gone.

Mowing “done”, I tidied up the dead leaves on my outside strawberry pots, cut back some brambles peeking out of the hedge between the front  lawn and the orchard, and then got stuck in to cutting out chunks of the ivy wrapping around the oak tree at the far end of the orchard.

After tea and the last of the bakewell tart, I got stuck into the ivy in the trees at the entrance to the orchard, preparing a flat patch to set up the 220l water butt that in time will go behind the garage but I’ve decided I might as well put it to use holding water for the veg patch. Assuming we’ll need to do any watering this summer
..

KMCA Zoom briefly then back to the gym for Pilates.

Aerobics and calisthenics kicked off Wednesday then straight on to Skirrid with JP to do the recce for Saturday. Wet and misty at the top. No views. We did the 3 Ÿ miles and 1135ft / 345m ascent in less than 2 hours – up through the woods, around to the west and north and then up the less steep side slope (I’d missed the turn off for the “straight up” path). Not tooooo muddy. Back to the GV Cafe for a late lunch. Just the ticket.

Back to find all the electrical jobs done, beautifully. Very pleased with our new LED panel lights on the kitchen ceiling.

New LED panel ceiling lights in the kitchen
New LED panel ceiling lights in the kitchen

Did a bit of Home Office redecoration planning in the early evening, then made dinner. Yes, AGAIN!

Admin then PT at the gym took up most of Thursday morning. In the hour before lunchtime I got stuck in digging out the earth that the rat(s) have piled up between the compost heap and the shed, keeping half an ear open for the second of this week’s drive paving people to come and take a look at what we want doing so that they can provide a quote – which they duly did.

Continued with the digging out after lunch, having first dug up the snowdrops that somehow survive at the edge of the gap where it meets the orchard grass, and wheelbarrowed 3 loads of earth round to the far end of the front lawn where I’m trying to fill in the dip with grass cuttings.

Then snipped and removed some of the ivy from the plum tree that’s also between to the shed and compost heap, and on the other side of the hedge I trimmed the new bramble growth that started sticking out above the hedgeline. More ivy removal from the yew trees by the quarry, and finally taking out new nettles and old flag leaves from the edges of the big pond.

Tea and hot cross buns to celebrate another happy few hours working in the garden on a dry day. Still very squelchy underfoot. And before dinner, we booked a summer holiday in Paris – travel by Eurostar, accommodation via AirBnB. Exciting!

Sunshine, showers and helicopters on Friday morning as well as gym and admin and spray n squish. Into Hereford for the afternoon and evening – tip, Ron Smiths (to look at chainsaws, pruners and hedge trimmers and shapers), The Courtyard for the first of this year’s Borderlines Film Festival films (Showing Up) and our first visit to Burger Shop for a late but tasty dinner.

Friday Night Dinner
Friday Night Dinner

On Saturday we woke to heavy snow. Quite a surprise. Cancelling Skirrid Circular was an easy decision but just in case anyone hadn’t checked their emails, I drove to Skirrid anyway, dropping P off at the gym en route and picking him up on the way back. Snow and sleet all the way but it didn’t settle and flooded roads proved more of a problem – we’d turned back in Abbey Dore finding the lane flooded outside Abbey Dore Court.

15 seconds of snow (video, 15s)
15 seconds of snow (video, 15s)

The snow / sleet / rain cycle continued all afternoon, so I took the opportunity to have a lazy few hours on the sofa in the telly room watching Boarders through to the end of season 1. Then out again in the Panda for our evening’s jaunt to Ross on Wye. We had an early Dal Bhat Takali at Yaks n Yetis – yummy!! – then walked to St Mary’s Church Hall for Film No. 2, Anatomy of a Fall. Long but engaging. Clear skies by the time we came out, an icy car so a slow drive back home. Stars; we’ve not seen those for so long.

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous sunny and dry day after All The Rain so we headed out for a walk along the lanes around to Bacton and back via Dore Abbey, with a stop for BYO coffee and biscuits.

Bacton Square: Coffee and biscuits, Dore Abbey
Bacton Square: Coffee and biscuits, Dore Abbey

Late lunch, sitting in the conservatory. Reading on the sofa then into Hereford for All of Us Strangers. Borderlines Film No. 3. A film that lingers. And yes, there were tears and the need for a bit of quiet time come the end.

Cold grey skies and mist in the valley on Monday morning. A green woodpecker busy out on the front lawn. Feeling a bit sad still after last night’s film, so I headed out to walk Tremorithic and then planted out the snowdrops I’d dug up before trying to dig out the rats between compost corner and the shed. Lunch in the conservatory, reading on the sofa, then into Hereford for Film No. 4: Monster. Another goo0d one. Home via Asda. Late night pizza with the first episode of Shogun.


TV: The Way (disappointingly a disappointment), Boarders (finished series 1 – not a disappointment!), Our Flag Means Death (season 2; improving), Shogun.

Podcasts: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. History Extra, Gone Mediaeval, Books and Authors, The Today Podcast.


Photos: Herefordshire week 218 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-03-04.

Herefordshire Week 217: Tuesday 20 – Monday 26 February 2024

More rain, but a lovely clear and sunny weekend for H and C’s visit and our Wayward Bus + 25 years Celebrations.

Wayward Bus: Twenty Five years later
Wayward Bus: Twenty Five years later

Two fry ups; one burger. Daffodils galore and the first primrose.

Primroses on the verge
Primroses on the verge

Tuesday started with my last PT session of my initial 12 followed by planning for a second block of sessions. Home to admin, including (eventually) publishing weeknotes 216, trying to sort out getting quotes to get the block paving extended on the drive and around the side of the garage and planning GVWC routes and rendezvous for April, May and June. Had the nagging feeling I really ought to be mowing while we’ve got a short dry spell but admin nagged more. Spent the afternoon planning and plotting my GVWC walks for the rest of the year before making Vegan Shepherd’s Pie (veggie version, with a cheddar cheese topping), where my “rounding up” generated enough for two pies – result!

Took Zoe to the gym for aerobics and calisthenics on Wednesday morning, then back to spray H2O2 over the houseplants and to squash as many tiny black flies as possible. Then some admin. It was a wet day. Finished prepping my GVWC walks (route maps, blurbs, tentative recce dates).

Back to the gym on Thursday morning for LBT (KB as it turned out), roads running with rainwater and more rain and field runoff all morning.

Still that didn’t stop Jean and I getting to Gwatkins for our long awaited Christmas Present Brunch. Lovely. Back via Kerrys Gate and Cockyard to check on water levels – lanes under water in the usual places, but passable.

Home for a spot of admin and fly spraying ‘n’ squishing then a lazy afternoon on the sofa watching telly. Exhausted by last night’s emotional ending to One Day. And I knew what was coming! St As ladies Zoom then dinner.

To Abergavenny on Friday morning for some Welsh breakfasts at Cwtch Cafe then a mooch, Morrisons and a haircut – the first since Jan 2023 – as Phil headed off to Essex via London. Snow on the hills and cold under cloud.

Breakfast!
Breakfast!

Home to prepare for Hazel and Cat and a new kettle to replace the Russell Hobbs whose lid springs had finally both escaped. My directions to Tescos proved flawed in failing to mention the city centre store which is also located by a big roundabout …. so they had An Adventure getting in and out of the car park …. but at least they came away with The Kettle.

After tea and scone and a stroll along the lane to Kerrys Gate and back to stretch the legs I got the log stove going and we cracked open the Prosecco and the Thai Sweet Chilli Crisps and commenced reminiscing about our adventures on the Wayward Bus a quarter of a century ago ….

Saturday was surprisingly sunny, perfect for walking to Ewyas Harold along the lanes via Dulas. Smashing pub lunch at the Temple – a trifecta of burgers: classic temple, chicken and falafel. We returned home the same route; muddy Common avoided and sunny day fully enjoyed.

Falafel Burger lunch at The Temple
Falafel Burger lunch at The Temple

And then we vegged out in the telly room watching (snoozing) some excellent Agatha Christie classics – Kenneth Branagh’s updated film versions of A Haunting in Venice and Death on the Nile – and Enola Holmes 2 for easy escapism. Nibbles, mezze, cheese, wine, more wine. Bed.

Another lazy start on Sunday then fry up, photos and farewell to Cat.

Forty Acres Fry Up
Forty Acres Fry Up

Under grey skies, H and I walked down to Kerrys Gate and back, pottered, lunched, then into Hereford to drop H at the station for her journey home. I headed on over to dad and Jean’s (via Lidl) for tea and cake, then home – and telly: Welcome to Chippendales!

Awful night’s sleep made for a groggy Monday morning. Walked over to A&A’s for tea and super cake which sorted me out. Chatted with D&D on the walk home, arriving back at Forty Acres to find dad parked on the drive having already unloaded and wheelbarrowed all 10 loads of bricks. Hmmmm.

Early afternoon Pave-Drive came to quote for the drive extension and side path. Cold day outside with a particularly icy wind, which at 17mph was brutal. I put aside all thoughts of combining Phil pick up with Skirrid recce and spent the afternoon spraying the houseplants and squishing the Tiny Black Flies and then looking at walking holidays – and checking Phil’s progress from Paddington: a landslide between Paddington and Reading caused chaos all day. Luckily the Newport connections went smoothly for his delayed train and we were home for 6.45pm. Onion bhajis, lentil soup – and The Outfit on the telly. I really have had a Couch Potato Long Weekend.


With the relatively warm weather, and plenty of rain, the garden is blooming. Lots of flowers on the Camellia bush and plenty of daffodils. Snowdrops almost all gone. Primroses emerging on the verge. Grass going bananas but too squelchy out on the front lawn and down in the hollow for the ride on mower….

Spring flowers: Daffodils, raindrops
Spring flowers: Daffodils, raindrops

TV:  One Day (Oh the tears….), Boarders (loving it!), The Lying Life of Adults (1 ep, not hooked on this Elena Ferrante), The Killer, A Haunting in Venice, Death on the Nile, Welcome to Chippendales, The Outfit.

Podcasts: Gone Mediaeval, The History of England,  The Today Podcast, Mythical Creatures, Food for Life by Tim Spector, Reporting Russia, Books and Authors, Bookclub, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.


Photos: Herefordshire week 217 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-02-26.

Herefordshire Week 216: Tuesday 13 – Monday 19 February 2024

Another wet week, with occasional sunshine.  Pancakes and fish & chips for Shrove Tuesday and Valentine’s Day. Two good walks and our Hobby Chainsaw Course.

Hobby Chainsaw Course: The First Cut
Hobby Chainsaw Course: The First Cut

Wet Tuesday – but a hare did lollop out through the drive gate before I set off to the gym. PT then home to spray the houseplants with hydrogen peroxide solution – repotting has brought the small flies back. Grrrr.

Admin and a flying visit from dad to take the corrugated coiled black pipe that’s been merging with the hedge between the conservatory and the crab apple tree. Lunch, then weeknotes 215 (late) and more admin – getting through the To Do list. Bailed out of pilates and did some more Nepal 2023 photos and notes – we got to Ghunsa.

Phil made six excellent pancakes for dinner. Thank you Delia!

Pancake--a-loosa!
Pancake–a-loosa!

Gym on a Wet Wednesday featured Valentine’s Day chat. I didn’t mention my special surprise EH Shop Chocs 🙂 Back to power through emails and admin before lunch, with an amuse bouche of planting some lettuce seeds into pots in the greenhouse and snipping back the ivy from the thin part of the hedge where I’ve planted the small holly.

More work on the Nepal 2023 trek photos and notes in the afternoon and a visit from Dad, Jean and  Annette who came over for a damp stroll around the garden looking at the snowdrops, aconites and camellia. And the fish.

At dusk, I watched a bat zooming around high above the hollow, occasionally disappearing into or behind the big yew tree that’s home to the swing.

Phil and I decided on fish and chips for our Valentine’s Day Dinner. Perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day Dinner
Happy Valentine’s Day Dinner

Computer admin first thing Thursday, to the gym for PT then back home to chop out the lower sections of ivy from the hawthorn tree the looms over the small pond and where the birds like to sit-for-the-view. Dad’s suggestion during yesterday’s tour.

After lunch I settled down to do more Nepal 2023 photos and I got us up to 4,400 m (14,435 ft) at the Jannu Viewpoint on our second acclimatisation day and back to cosy Khambachen before stopping to make veg chilli for dinner.

Me, Steffi and Sonia, Charlie's Angels at the Jannu Shrine
Me, Steffi and Sonia, Charlie’s Angels at the Jannu Shrine

To the gym again on Friday for aerobics, stretch and then coffee in the GV Cafe. Very sociable. Home to wheelbarrow yesterday’s ivy cuttings to the bonfire and to rake up a few leaves. Felt too pooped to do much in the afternoon, so adjourned to the telly room for a bit of vegging with Nolly on the telly.

On Saturday Phil and I headed over to Holme Lady for a one day Hobby Chainsaw User course run by Hereford, Ludlow and North Shropshire College. It was great – just what we needed to demystify the machine and to give us confidence in using it safely for the sort of wood chopping we need to do, which is cutting long branches / trunks into chunks we can use in the log stove.

We spent the morning taking our chainsaw apart and learning how to fix various easy things and how to sharpen the chain teeth, and then in the afternoon we headed outside to get in some practice at fuelling and oiling the chainsaw, starting it from cold and warm – and stopping it again, and finally cutting logs.

Hobby Chainsaw Course: Cleaning the oily sawdust gunk out of the insides
Hobby Chainsaw Course: Cleaning the oily sawdust gunk out of the insides

I feel much more confident now. We just need to get dad’s chainsaw looked at as we couldn’t start it, in spite of the morning’s maintenance, probably because it’s been sitting on a shelf in the garage unused for the past 3 years. Time to call Ron Smith!

Sunday was the GVWC’s Fownhope Circular & Social led by JP, with sandwiches, tea and cake in Fownhope Pavilion afterwards from B&Co.A good walk, albeit extremely muddy in places, and a super social. The rain stayed away and most people made it there and back in spite of the road to / through Fownhope being closed.

Talking of which…. I had an “interesting” alternative cross country route supplied by Google Maps. Clearly they still need to work on understanding that “on a country road a 60mph speed limit does not mean you can actually drive at 60mph” when it comes to their time estimates: 33 mins took me closer to 50 mins, and I didn’t even get lost. Potholes, flooded roads and narrow lanes kept my speed closer to 15mph a lot of the time.

Back home mid afternoon for a spot of sawing at the main ivy trunk with the pruning saw, washing my boots and gaiters then relaxing in the conservatory.

A lovely day out with SP on Monday, walking in the heart of the Brecon Beacons. We met at the Blaen y Glyn Uchaf car park then walked up past the waterfalls to the ridges that skirt the edges of Gwaun Cerrig Llwydion (“bog of the grey rocks”, yes indeed) along and around to Fan y Big. Very windy once we were on the northern escarpments. Photos at The Diving Board, then down to the Taff Trail and back to the car park. Smashing weather for February, not many people and a pot of tea and a fruit scone at the Talybont Stores at the end.

To The Diving Board! Brecon Beacons Panorama
To The Diving Board! Brecon Beacons Panorama

The lovely snowdrops are starting to fade but the daffs by the bird feeders are now out, in addition to the ever growing number down by the old garden railway line. The camellia is in full bloom, purple crocuses are flowering as are the primroses on the willow tree stump. And – still very satisfyingly – the daffodils and tulips we planted on the verges are coming through.


In other news, I am SO BORED of turning off 100+ individual Legitimate Interest toggles. Tedious and sneaky. I only make the effort for sites I really want to use – and resent that. For all the others, it’s a back click and sayonara.


TV: The Newsreader (finished season 1, started and finished season 2), Nolly (meh), This Farming Life, Our Flag Means Death (more of season 2), One Day (loving it; it’s my era)

Podcasts: Mythical Creatures, Americast, The Today Podcast, History Extra, The History of England , Gone Mediaeval, Shedunnit, The Rest is Entertainment. <– yes, some of those were insomnia listens


Photos: Herefordshire week 216 on Flickr.

Phil: w/e 2024-02-18.