6th March 2025 - Pallet platforms for the tents

Thought for the day :"I hate Russian dolls… they are so full of themselves!"

Wet 

2025 : Wet 29 : Dry 35

Drove out to get coal and layers pellets and called in on Will and Joy to arrange some tin sheeting for roofs 

Back home and dodging the rain started laying out the pallets to measure out the new frame tents 

found that the ground it slightly more than the 2m x 3m so had to add a middle section.

Used bungies to fix the tent to the pallet - may have to change ideas when they are covered in astro turf...  

Wasn't able to put the tent up completely as the rain came in 

Rain this evening quite heavy 

Cheers !

5th March 2025 - More Clearance of the Homestead

Thought for the day :"“The pollen count, now that’s a difficult job. Especially if you’ve got hay fever.”

 – Milton Jones

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 35

Chris with me for another hard work day ...   but we achieved a lot

We started with three huge piles of foliage - and it looked like a full day to get rid of it - but we managed to kick that taeget by 1230pm

So we had a break and Chris wanted some photos of his hat so he could post ..

So of course I obliged - some nice photos I think.

Then we went to Charlie's and picked up the rest of the chicken coop that I took from him which was interesting as we had to tie it to the trailer and make sure that the tailgate was off the ground as we could not close the back.  Inherited a couple of long hoses and tarpaulins and chicken ire and netting,

Also an additional nesting coop.

But back to the tavern and one last task for the day - putting down sand and slabs to even out the ground for the outside catering range -

Job done and all ready to hook up 

 

And in other news  (which is getting very depressing)

In the fall of 1992, the American real estate developer Donald Trump was forced to negotiate a deal with American banks that he would pay off a debt of nearly one billion dollars in personal debt. This would prevent him from going into personal bankruptcy.

He celebrated by throwing a big party in his own honor. The party hall hummed with the title melody from Rocky II - The eye of the Tiger. A presenter shouts in the speakers "“Let's hear it for the king! "where Trump rushes through a red paper wall wearing red boxing gloves, red shorts and a red coat.

Every time Donald Trump visits one of his casinos, one of the managers should yell out in the speakers that "the winner" is there.

The self-image, the self-centering, and the need for the admiration of the surroundings remind much of the preserved descriptions of Emperor Caligula and provide an interesting background for the president of the United States.

The whole event and party in Atlantic City 1992 was an illusion because Donald Trump had then burned the fortune he inherited from his father on a succession of impudent deals. The Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City and the Plaza Hotel in New York went bankrupt in the black hole that Trump's economy created.

During the 90s Trump continued to do business even though most banks and credit institutions refused to touch him. German banks, among others, loaned money to him. In 2003, when his father passed away, he was hard on his siblings to get through a quick inheritance division. His businesses could not be saved but in 2004, his hotels and casinos went bankrupt again with $1.8 billion in debt.

Donald Trump did not give up but got back on his feet and this time with the help of foreign money. In 2008, Donald Trump's oldest son Donald Trump Jr stated that the Russians make up a disproportionate large part of our assets.

Trump's own architect for many years said: He couldn't persuade anyone in the United States to lend him money. They came from Russia.

The author of a biography about Donald Trump writes, "Trump was on the Titanic, everyone drowned around him. And suddenly he is saved. Almost like a spaceship had landed next to him when he was in the water.

FBI investigation shows that during the first presidential campaign, Donald Trump and his closest contacts had at least 14 different people from Russia. Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen talks about an attempt to coordinate his campaign with Russia including a personal meeting with President Putin would lead to political synergies.

Donald Trump's contacts with Russia may have started as early as the 80s when he rented two floors of Trump Tower to two Russian businessmen. Tevfik Arif who came from Kazakhstan and had a common sense of money that no one knows where it came from and Felix Sater who was convicted of serious fraud and belonged to the Russian organized crime.

One of Trump's biggest construction projects, Trump SoHo was funded by Tevik Arif.

Up until he began his presidential campaign, money kept flowing in from Russian sources. The FBI says several of the investments came from Russian money laundering. A large number of apartments in his real estate stock were bought up by citizens of Russia and other republics close to Russia. As late as mid-2016, Trump had negotiations with Felix Sater and other Russian businessmen about a major investment in Moscow.

A large portion of the money invested in Trump's company has come through an Icelandic bank, FL Group, which has turned out to represent Russian interests. FL group disbanded in 2014.

One bank that kept lending money to Trump was Deutsche Bank. When Trump stopped paying on his loans, they sued Trump. Russian money seems to have been involved here as well. Deutche Bank sold Trump's credits to the Russian Vnesheconombank, the Russian state-owned development bank. An investigation into Trump's dealings with Deutsche Bank said, among other things, "credible claims have long been circulating that Trump's assets were used to launder money for Russian oligarchs, criminals, and regime representatives" (Adam Schiff, a member of the Congressional Intelligence Committee)

In 2017, Reuters reported that 63 Russian nationals purchased homes worth $100 million on Trump's Florida property.

In spite of extensive evidence and indications, Trump has claimed "I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING! ”

Trump further denies having ever met Felix Sater. There is no photo evidence but Trump associates claim it sounds unlikely because they worked in the same house and Felix Sater visited Trump's company, and then Trump had about 15-20 employees.

In November 2015, Felix Sater wrote an email to Trump's lawyer Cohen. He could get Putin's team to buy into the Moscow deal. That would show Trump's business acuity and get him elected. “Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it,” Sater wrote. He ended with "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected. ”

Source for the above is, among other things, an article in the newspaper Foreign Policy from 2018 and Reuter 2019.

This, along with his consistently refusing to make his statements public, is now clearing out and lawning police officers and FBI officials who have only done their jobs, is causing the smoke to boil.

There is so much out there but I thought that this was valid...

So, after today I am very tired.

Toby had a visit to the Vet this morning for his paw - which was infected it seems and he was running a fever and may also have the vomiting and diarrhoea bug that is going around with the dogs at the moment - so he had some antibiotics and a couple of jabs - good boy did not flinch.

Much better this evening but not very keen on the paw-boot that he has to wear.

Seems to be on the mend but still sleeping a lot.

Susie also not on her best - feeling sick after easting anything, she asked the vet for some medicine for herself but did not get any.

Fingers crossed she is better tomorrow

Cheers

4th March 2025 - Toby in the wars

Thought for the day :"“My grandfather invented the cold air balloon. It never really took off.”

– Milton Jones

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 34

Removed the brambles from the top border allowing the snowbells to show through properly 

 

Also took some arctic blue ex- tavern wiring down to the greenhouse for Susie to use her propagator.

Trip to Carmarthen to Charlie's and Susie was in her happy place spending over £50 on seeds.

I bought a couple of belts on offer as my Cretan belts are getting a little the worse for wear.

Bought some seed compost for the seeds.

Cat with us for the evening and Toby is throwing up and has a cut foot.

Sort of a busman's holiday for her ..

But kitchen cleared up now and the bedroom carpet is replaced where Toby threw up the other night.

Have a dog they said. It will be fun they said!  

 

Cheers 

3rd March 2025 - Getting Intense

Thought for the day:“Hedgehogs – why can’t they just share the hedge?”

– Dan Antolpolski

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 33

Lovely gift from Cat - a weeping willow

Walking the dogs and the daffs are out at Felin Ganol

Can't really see them but the snowbells are out as well

Meanwhile the camping beds are tried out - 6ft x 2ft 3

May not be big enough for all - but should fit most people 

and trying out the new tents 

3m x 2m and go up easily

Have a problem with one of the poles but Mark will replace it when he gets back from Netherlands after this weekend 

Cheers !

2nd March 2025 - Birthday Celebrations in Cambridgeshire and a long jounrey home

Thought for the day :"My dog ate all the Scrabble tiles. He keeps leaving little messages around the house."

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 32

A trip across the country - and a 50th Birthday Party for Karl Goodjohn.

Vollsanger did his bit ..

5.5 hour car journey - but good fun had by all 

Cheers !

1st March 2025 - Frosty Morning and heading off to Doddington

Thought for the day :"“A cement mixer collided with a prison van. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals.”

 – Peter Kay

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 31

Last night had a good meeting of Aberteifi Conclave (Red Cross of Constantine) at Aberaeron 

Other than that was mainly a rest from work 

Frosty Morning 

Cheers 

28th February 2025 - Logs done in the lower quarter

Thought for the day :"We tell Actors to ‘break a leg  because every play has a cast."

Dry

2025 : Wet 28 : Dry 30

And so all the major logs in the lower quarter - the ash die back fellings have been reduced

still have some branches to complete and working on a plan to make brush fences on the border

Cheers,