7th August 2021 - Wood Stores, and Duck Proofing

Thought for the day :"Woke up this morning determined to drink less, eat more healthily and take more exercise – but that was hours ago when I was younger and full of hope.."

A trip to Cross Inn to get chicken wire as Oozle and Ondle are proving to be the ducks of Stalag 13 !!

20 meters of Chicken wire and a lot of tent pegs and cable ties and we are hoping that we have duck proofed the paddock 0- I am not holding out a lot of hope to be honest ..

Susie was the star of this project ..

I worked on the Wood Store and Costume Store.....

Found enough polystyrene to fill the wall cavities and used insulation card an bubble wrap for the ceiling area...  Using recycled wood and plaster board the roof is done and the back wall is paneled.

Doesn't seem a lot for a whole day - but it was a long project ...

Tomorrow will be the side walls and the front and a door of some fashion 

Then we can start getting the costumes in and then the Outer Tavern will be a little less cluttered

Outside there is little affect upon the wood store ..

 

Beer Garden for future before and after picture

The under cover store ...  

Meanwhile - some new house stones have taken their place in the garden 

Susie working on the Climbing Roses on the sheds

And the Fuchsia is flowering - we were not sure that it had survived...

And so - that is another day ..   Home made Mousaka this evening - with Ffynnon Wen grown aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, potatoes, onions - yum!!

Cheers !

 

6th August 2021 - Emptying the Wood Shed....

Thought for the day :"Met a woman who owns a taser. She is stunning!"

They say that you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs, and they say that it has to get worse before it gets better - well today was one of those days where we seem to be three steps backwards at the end of the day rather than making any progress.. but that is the plan!!!

So to start the day it was necessary to take a ladder to the flags and free of the Alcoluminati Flag which had frayed and was caught up... later the ladders were moved to allow Susie to dead head the front door roses...  

In order that the Tavern can get finished we need to find space for the costumes and boxes of clothing that are int he outer Tavern and find a waterproof, damp proof, rat proof area - and that seems to be the Wood Shed with certain adaptations.. And so - we have to find somewhere that the wood can be stored and sorted while the new costume wardrobe is created... 

So the first task was to get some of the old Bertha Tent Structure in place with tarpaulin over to provide an area where the wood can still remain dry in the rain - it being a Welsh Summer!!

And so we start..

What the Beer Garden looks like ...

And the task ahead - the wood shed is chock full

And later today - the beer garden is full of wood under the rain shade

We can see into the Wood shed ..

And the area inside is clear and ready to build a Wardrobe Costume holding area..

Was a fairly large task 

In other news, the ducks got into the lower springs again - so we have tried to find the gap and fix it - fingers crossed!

We are inundated with Balsam and spending a lot of time pulling up the flowers.... also getting on top of the nettles is proving a problem - one day we will get there ...

Put the new hogs out last night - Benny Nikki and Bracken - set up the trail camera but no images this time .. except for the set up...

and so - another day ...

Cheers !

 
 

5th August 2021 - Who let the Hogs out??

Thought for the day :"I can tell someone's judgmental just by looking at them"

Rained today - so seemed a good opportunity to go to Llanelli - we have not been since 18th June !!

House still there - though no movement on the sale at the moment - 

Took the meter readings ..

Off to B & M for Hog food - Tesco for tea (no delivery of our leaf tea until 19th August!!)

and off the West Wales Hog Rescue to pick up three new residents for Ffynnon Wen.. Bracken, Nikki and Benny - we will be fattening Wodger up and releasing him as well ..

A couple of videos - they had to be let out at dusk so lighting is proving a problem..

I have put the trail camera out as well but think that the batteries need changing in that ...

So Nikki and Benny were released in the Green one and and Bracken on her own in the blue one ..

Will look at the videos to see if there is a way to brighten them a little ..

Other than that we have done only a little today - but tomorrow is another day 

Cheers !

4th August 2021 - Spring Cleaning and Planning

Thought for the day :"Just had a big argument about which is the best vowel... I won!"

Sun came out again today - it is either freezing cold or too hot to work - so I did a bit in the Tavern today..

Susie spent time down at the Springs clearing the undergrowth that is already trying to take over the garden again. It is amazing how much you have to keep on top of it all !!

Oozel and Ondle managed to get into the springs and we are not sure how they managed - going to have to start looking at the fences again - we have only just stopped the chicken getting into the main garden area.

So, today's photo record ...

Starts with the Outer Tavern and the first corner cleared. Decided on a box storage container and a book shelf above as we still have some books but nowhere to keep them - I can always cover with a blanket or wall hanging in the same way that I have covered the DVD shelves... 

Second project of the day - I rescued this candelabra from one of the house in the past and it has stayed with me on the belief that it would be useful sometime - sound familiar? Well we have no need of the electrics but the rest is quite fetching so I decided to convert the candelabra to candle!!

Taking the electric bulb holders off and then using the tavern candle holders and glueing them onto the stands - looks as though it will work .. They are drying now so full photo tomorrow I hope..

Meanwhile - Susie has planted some cabbage - and we have decided to use the pine needles to see if we can keep the sugs at bay - they do not seem to like it elsewhere  - in other news we seem to have found a slug repellent chrysanthemum which is giving us some colour without being eaten - so a step forward..

And the lower quarter at the Springs - Susie has been Spring Cleaning - wedding her Hosta bed ..

'Thena was hot and went into her plunge pool !!!

Another view of the Hostas

Quiet Springs 

And a new yellow flower that we have not identified yet - though we are spending most of our time pulling up the balsam which is everywhere !!

Water level is well down..

And the Ducks got into the main stream - but it will be clear by tomorrow...

A good day's work !!

And evening sets at Ffynnon Wen - and the colour is still in the flowers as seen from the Back Door ..

 

Tomorrow is set to be rainy so we are thinking of a trip to Llanelli - first time since the start of July.

Once we get back to work here we have had a re-thought about how to finish the Tavern. I have a need to find somewhere for the costumes that we have retained and there are some large boxes which need to be kept under cover - so we have decided that I shall take sorting the wood shed as my next priority - to clear all the wood and sort it so that I can turn half of the lean-to into an enclosed costume store in the dry - thus allowing me the area of the outer tavern for its proper purpose ...

So the Tavern itself will go on the back burner again for a few days..

Have ordered more gravel as well - so will be multi-tasking in the next weeks ..

How do you eat and Elephant - one small piece at a time!!

In other news - here is a remake of an old childhood favourite ...

Cheers !

 

3rd August 2021 - Crates, Currants and Games

Thought for the day :"Accidentally drank a bottle of invisible ink. I am currently in hospital, waiting to be seen"

Newcastle Emlyn to order some wood for the Tavern and gravel for more walkways.

Managed to get all the lawns cut other than the slope down to Tolly's Bridge which is on the agenda for tomorrow. Started on the first corner of the outer Tavern. 

Dave Palfreyman commented on the video of the Tavern that it would meet the requirements of a world shortage of drinking vessels ...  today I started on the outer Tavern red boxes - and found that we have another full crate of goblets .... 

I said a long time ago that once we moved then there would be an endless supply of boxes, which when opened would be like Christmas every day .... and so it was - I had forgotten completely about this Garden Version of Snakes and Ladders..  there are more groups of games - including a version of Curious Pastimes RISK ...  photos to follow.

And so the outer Tavern area has one corner ready to start ...  

Meanwhile, Susie harvested the Blackcurrants - ready for freezing until we find what we can do with them ... 

And so - another day 

Cheers !

2nd August 2021 - and Breathe

Thought for the day :"Reading a book titled ‘A Guide to Surgical Procedures’... the appendix was missing."

And the family headed off home today so a return to normalcy for a while.

Tested the Burgundian this morning and spent half an hour searching for the roundle that holds the wheel spokes... found in the end int he wood store - that really needs sorting out! 

But it was all there int he end so that is okay..

Trip to Lampeter with the hoglet "Jack" who wasn't putting any weight on - seems he had round worm - so staying at the Hedgehog Rescue to be cured there - so we have a new hoglet called "Wodjer"

Rest of the day was fairly quiet - no other works started ..

Susie caught her biggest fish yet int eh river - no photos this time ...

And so - that about wraps today up 

Cheers !

1st August 2021 - Getting around to singing again

Thought for the day :"Tried cooking with wine last night – after 5 glasses I forgot why I was in the Kitchen"

Having finished stage one of the Tavern yesterday - a mammoth task - I found myself a little more in need of rest today - indeed stayed in bed until 11am which is unknown these days !

But we tried out the new submersible pump that emptied the duck pond in nothing flat and cleared nettles and other flowering nuisances of which I cannot remember the name and dead headed them, and started on the next stage of the tavern...

But needed a video of the "before stage"

 

Also took the opportunity to give the ducks a shower..

And ended up on the patio with a firepit and singing...

and 

And c/o Nancy - a new cover for Ffynnon Wen Facebook Page 

And Roast Dinner 

and more songs - was good to get the guitar out again 

Cheers !