24th October 2020 - Birds, Drones and Apple Sanitiser

Thought for the day:"They say I can become the next bionic man – it’ll only cost me an arm and a leg"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS

Office of National Statistics

First day of full shut-down in the Fire Break.

And the supermarkets have been told to restrict access to "non-essential" goods. Therefore sections of the supermarket are being ribboned off or barriers to access. Apparently this is for "business parity". A shop that only sells non-essential items are forced to be closed so it would be unfair trade to allow the supermarkets to sell those items as they have an unfair advantage. As the Antique shop said yesterday they could  put some pumpkins and apples at the front and sell some food to stay open. Seems that they have closed that loop-hole - even though it was a joke!

So we are in joyful isolation!

  

Rainy Day Saturday - and it is mid afternoon and we have done diddly squat all day - well lit the fires, but other than that I have played blocks on the tablet and sat by the window watching the birds.

Managed to get the Woodpecker

Took some more pictures of the fungi out back ...

Meanwhile the leaves are beginning to fall from the Drone Eating Tree...

The Back Section is tidier now..

And finally - some new hand sanitiser - this time from the apple Wine that Susie made - and decided it was more like a schnapps - so of course it had to be labelled as Ffynnon Wen Schnapfel

And with that - I need to go and find a shirt and tie for the Zoom meeting of Grand Court

That will be a first for a long long time !!!

Cheers !

23rd October 2020 - All Wales Shutdown and Fungi

Thought for the day :"If you want to work on the railways – you will need to be trained!"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS
Office of National Statistics

Friday. And now we are in isolation again. Shut down at 6pm for 17 days.

Trip to Newcastle Emlyn to pharmacy for tablets. CK's for a quiz book for Vic, who was still in bed!
Popped into the Emlyn Antiques Center.Not much there. Also the other antiques shop in Emlyn and they had a lovely brass stag statue - but at £875 it was a little steep.

Walking through Newcastle Emlyn at least the Plough had a sense of humour.

Can't disagree!

Back via Llanybydder, and popped into the antiques shop at Rhydowen where Susie managed to find a new poker and tongs for the big fireplace. 

Back home, and time to finish clearing the gutter to the Tavern and checking the flow to make sure that we can refill the main water vat. Susie finished her onion bed and started on the strawberry bed.

We have been bothered by a rat that seems to have got in to the walls and gnaws at strange times of the night so we have put out a trap tonight - we will see what we catch.

Also bought some more LED lights - only a 100 this time, and set them up to light the Ffynnon Wen Sign and back gate on the same timer as the rest - should keep some of the costs down a little and one less thing to remember to switch on/off. Seems to put out enough light.

The Log Rockery seems to be flourishing now that we have taken the foliage off it - though it is a base for some amazing fungi.

Cheers!

22nd October 2020 - A Llanelli Trip ... before close down

Thought for the day :"The farmer allows walkers to cross the field for free, but the bull charges."

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS

Office of National Statistics

Still going up ...

A cautionary tale..
"It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When this becomes apparent, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive, and there’s nothing worse than an oversensitive woman. My name is Rob. Let me relate how I handled this situation with my wife, Carol. When I retired a few years ago, it became necessary for Carol to get a full-time job, along with her part-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed.

Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf club about the same time she gets home from work
Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don’t yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table.

I generally have lunch in the Grill at the golf club, so eating out is not an option for us in the evening. I’m ready for some home-cooked food when I walk through that door. She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating but now it’s not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner.
I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her several times each evening that they won’t clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this, as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour, but guys, we take them for better or worse, so I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two, or even three days. That way, she won’t have to rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then would help her figure. I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half-finished mowing the lawn. I tried not to make a scene. I’m a fair man. I told her to fix herself a nice, big, cold glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and just relax for a while. And, as long as she is making one for herself, she might as well make one for me too.

I know that I probably look like a saint in the way I support Carol. I’m not saying that showing this much patience & consideration is easy. Many men would find it difficult if not impossible. Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, even if you just use a little more tact and less criticism of your ageing wife as a result of reading this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on this earth to help each other. "

Rob died suddenly of a perforated rectum after publishing this letter. The police report says he was found with a Calloway extra-long 50-inch Big Bertha Driver II golf club jammed up his rear end, with barely 5 inches of grip showing. A sledge hammer was laying nearby. His wife Carol, was arrested and charged with murder. The all-woman jury took only 9 minutes to find her “Not Guilty”, accepting her defence that Rob, somehow without looking, accidentally sat down on his golf club.

Trip to Llanelli today

I had forgotten how many stairs there are in No 41. Seems I have been oin a steps machine all day.

Have a trailer full parked in the front parking  - can unload over the next few days - no hurry - got back before the close down for 6pm tomorrow 

Think priority will be getting the concrete slab done - managed to get the wheelbarrow from Llanelli - the one here has died - or rather fallen to pieces..

A long day and a tiring day - so not much more to say today ..

Cheers !

 

21st October 2020 - Flu, Peacocks, And Djinn

Thought for the day :"I have been drinking loads of German beer and I now have a massive Hanover!"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS

Office of National Statistics

Flu jabs today - Newcastle Emlyn Rugby Club - and what a lovely place that is. And the set up was great - no delays - straight in and out in a couple of minutes. Luckily remembered that I have metal in my left arm and took the shot in my right shoulder - and watching how far the needle goes in - I was glad I went for that - though to be honest I did not feel the shot at all..

Having a bit of a problem in trying to get the car into the drive - too little width between the ballast of sand and the trailer. Had a bit of problems but managed to get the trailer moved 18 inches in - hoping that I can still get the car into place - and used a trowel to empty the sand in one corner of the bag - so there may be enough to squeeze through.

Checked the depth of water in the main water tank in the garden and found it almost empty. Examined the gutters and found that they were all completely blocked. Up on the ladder and re-fixed a section of gutter and cleared the leaves and debris. Have another half to do tomorrow - but I think that the water can flow again.  

Susie cleared the duck house and tried letting the baby chicks out - but Cedric decided to have a go at them as did one of the other girlies - Bluebell was very defensive. Widened the brood area - but they are too small to let out so far.

Finished the sign for the Peacocks....

Welsh and English - Susie saw someone walking past stop and wave while she was clearing the pens..

Shrine in situ..

In other news...

A sad memory for today - Aberfan

However this popped up on my feed today - another great Green One link 

And US politics is still trundling on .. 

This seemed very apt.

A lovely evening with a visit from friends to celebrate a Birthday with suitable social distancing - one last time before the shut-downs..  A good evening for Djinn 'n Tonix..

Cheers !

 

20th October 2020 - Ffynnon Rose...

Thought for the day :"I have a few jokes about unemployed people, but none of them work"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS

Office of National Statistics

A non-day really. A Lot of rain and not much interest in doing much outside.

Susie finished her veg bed - which was more than I managed in the outside world.

The Spirit Alcometer says that this is not very alcoholic... and the Hydrometer does not work (apparently you have to do it before and after and do some calculations) but I have to say that the Ffynnon Rose is very nice - a dry wine rather than the normal sweet ones - and may be a little more alcoholic than originally thought. YES !

Quick trip to Vic today and a chat at the door - we are looking at the full shut - down by Friday so even a few minutes is better than nothing - though sadly he came out in his dressing gown, having gone back to bed due to back pains - but District Nurse calling today so he seems to be in good hands..

I feel I have been very restrained  but..

 

and with the UK 

I give up - putting another log on the fire and taking some Hand Sanitiser

Cheers !

19th October 2020 - Logs !!

Thought for the day :"A teacher with two lazy eyes can’t control his pupils"

LINK JOHNS HOPKINS

Office of National Statistics

Post to Glamping Site ...

So, Week 14 in the new home and things are settling down well.

My last post was on the eve of Llanelli going into local shut-down. We managed to get a trailer load out before the 6pm deadline, and we have been isolated here since that date - though in fact we are not in isolation - everyone around us is in isolation. Now, we are facing an All Wales shut-down as a Fire Break (or Circuit Break).
Meanwhile here the Autumn colours are starting to impact. The grass is drastically overdue for cutting - but there is no way this will happen at the moment. 

Much weeding and path clearing has been done. Much painting and cleaning has been achieved.

Chickens are being raised and a Tavern is developing. 

Wood is being delivered to get the wood-burners working at peak efficiency, and the big experiment with the concrete mixer is imminent.

We ready for Halloween - no parties - but a few scary items are appearing around the grounds for our own benefit and the occasional passing traveler (there are not many to be honest) not the busiest path but a road less traveled!

We cannot welcome visitors in the current situation - but we look forward to the future and we will prepare for better times...   Iain & Susie - Ffynnon Wen

 

Monday and the logs arrived - £180 plus 5% VAT - £189 in total - from the back of a transit tipper van.

Tipping it was the easy part - the rest of the day we have been stacking the wood. It will be interesting to see how long it lasts ..

Yes, of course she did all the work !!

In other news - the shut-down was confirmed today to start at 6pm on Friday. Will have to try to get one trip into Llanelli before the shut-down. 

But if there is a need for social distancing - I am well experienced..

Though the method for checking distance can be different dependent upon where you are in the world

Will admit to being a little tired this evening. A glass of Juniper Sanitiser and Tonic is called for I think..

Cheers !