15th July 2026 - Working the Beer Garden

Thought for the day :"Has anyone ever seen a real ota? I've only seen toy ones."

Dry 

So, Chris enlisted today and it was a good job as well as the new Church Pews were VERY heavy - probably solid Oak - but with a little fiddling around with the sound Booth, managed to get both pews along the back wall - which for concerts should seat 14 people.

 

Meanwhile, we decided to use the 6 A frame tables in place under the tarpaulin. 

This provides seating for 14 per table set.

Add a single A frame with two seats and that seats another 8

So that is 50 seated under the tarpaulin for dining.

 

So the two tables on the stage are a little larger than I was anticipating and not sure how we will get 8 around the table - have to revisit that again tomorrow - the heat got to us in the end today 

With 4 more tables in the main section - we should be able to sit another 15 - thus 65 seated in the beer garden and (hopefully) 8 on the stage.

So, garden boxes moved to behind the polytunnel as well as the whelping box. 

Pizza area cleared and will have the patio set and the A Frame table.

Also some benches can go there as well 

We shall see how things go 

Meanwhile, Susie spent three hours early morning again clearing the weeds, two before I got up!!

Giant Himalayan Balsam

There is a plunge pool there under
the cleared foliage

Pathways 

Giant Gunnera
(Apparently now a banned plant)

Clear Pond

So, only another couple of days before the Wedding.

The field Kitchen is cleared now and shelving repaired. Boxes moved into the Machinery Shed to clear space.

Found the glass wedding vases and Susie washed them ready for use

Will get the tunnel completely cleared for the Mead Reception tomorrow - we will get there 

Cheers 

 

14th July 2026 - Clearing the Tavern

Thought for the day :"I feel sorry for the staff in Greggs today...  They must be baking in there!"

Dry 

Susie was once again up early before the heat stopped most work.

The springs are looking great - and clear - she found hundreds of baby newts.

 

The Red Acer is recovering well 

Meanwhile - I spent most of the day in the tavern entrance - firstly clearing all the greenery that has been chopped in the last couple of days.

Cleaned out the spray that we use with the vinegar weedkiller which worked so much better after the blockages were removed. Managed to spray the entire Tavern Frontage around the Marquee, and also another run at the patio and pathways.

Nipped out to Penrhwylan to pick up a new broom handle for the patio scraper to get the browned out weeds away - think it will work better  

 

Took the opportunity, since we could see the hedgerow, to clear the Culvert and check the drainage.

 

Which led to the other culvert which was completely blocked - now working again.

And this evening went to St Dogmaels to pick up two Church Pews - which are huge and solid oak.

They are beautiful pieces of furniture and really makes you want to find a use for them - but two at £175 seemed a good bargain to me - didn't even try to barter. Helped me lift onto the trailer as I could not have done it alone ...

Back at the house - and ready for Chris to come tomorrow 

think it will be a day preparing the tavern for the wedding at the weekend 

Meanwhile been doing some more video flyers..

 Cheers 

13th July 2026 - Work in the Heat - and Chancellorship AMOAG

Thought for the day :"Bugs Bunny's favourite social media is Whatsapp doc"

Dry

Susie up early clearing the springs - and no I have not been down to take a photograph yet - got distracted.  Will take it tomorrow when I go down. She was up at 7am as was shown by the new CCTV cameras in the Tavern, and did a couple of hours work before I rose.

But I was off in the Landie to get chopped wheat for the duck house and layers pellets.

Sadly the new peachick did not survive. Her leg was badly splayed and I do not think she was getting to the water enough in this heat.  Will have to try another way once the aviary is completed. Probably will have to purchase again.

But then it was to the entrance to the Tavern

Nancy's Marquee was up - but the lid needed attaching properly to the frame. Probably we will not have bad winds but I Am not taking chances.

Lashed the edges all around and then started to retrieve all the fairy lights that have ceased working over the last two years.

So after a n hour or so we have two sets of fairy lights working again - albeit that once is flashing very fast suggesting a circuit problem somewhere - but still better than throwing the lot out - there has been a fair investment over the years.

Having recovered the fairy lights, it was then possible to trim the box hedges and the hedgerow leading into the Tavern 

 

and a bit of the lane 

Got too hot to clear up today - so will be a job for tomorrow

Sarah donated a fridge for the Wedding and future use.

Will be useful for the catering at the wedding - which I hasten to add we are not doing!!

Susie cleaned it and it came up well

In other news - I occasionally come across some of these wonderfully crocheted  post boxes - I think I shall start a gallery of them 

This one is in Horeb

In other, Other news...

Was invited today to become the new Grand Chancellor of the Ancient Masonic Order of Alfred the Great!!

This sounds grand - and it really is... as it is in effect the Provincial Grand Master for Wales and Mercia in that particular Order.  It does not take affect until October which gives me a chance to get used the idea of running my own Order, rather than just being deputy as in the past.

It has no importance outside Masonic Circles, and indeed there are many in Freemasonry who are unaware of the Order and its rising in popularity...

But for me - I can say I am Chuffed 

Cheers !

12th July 2026 - Another Hot one and Vidoecams

Thought for the day :"I’ve been trying to learn Russian, but I keep getting my ‘B’s and ‘V’s the wrong way around. Oh well, Soviet.."

Dry

Took the opportunity of the cooler evening to walk the top lane. Still very hot, but the skies are so clear.

Fabio is feeling miserable on his own but still displaying as though his mate was there - maybe he is hoping to attract another hen.. Sorry Fabio - not sure it is going to work

New toy arrived today - the TAPO cameras for indoor use - linked to the cloud and both phones.

Was part of my promise to Susie that we would cover the kitchen approach and the Tavern approach, particularly while I am away.

Rather pleased with the quality 

and video 

In other news

an old video came up on my facebook from the first year that we were here and the pontoon area..

Thought I would revisit it ...

and the latest

Cheers 

11th July 2026 - JBL, Doris and the history of Taverns

Thought for the day :"I once accidentally reversed into my garden. It was a Goodyear for the roses"

Dry 

In Bridgend today for John Benjamin Lloyd Order of Athelstan - and for my sins was once more back in the Chair to install the Master Elect.

All went well and a good time had by all.

Photos to follow 

Had to wait until evening to start work on trying to get the base away from Doris to access the pipe that flows through the centre of the statue.

Used two cutters so far - will try again tomorrow 

 

In other thoughts, Susie found this bit of information yesterday and it appeared on my feed today 

Decided it may be a useful bit of information to leave on the tables of the Tavern for people to read..

Part of the informative role of the Tavern   

TAVERNS, INNS, and PUBS

Today, "tavern," "inn," and "pub" mean the exact same thing. But for centuries in Britain, accidentally stepping into the wrong one meant crossing a strict social boundary.

The modern pub is actually a mashup of three completely distinct historical establishments. The earliest and most common of these venues were alehouses. Dating back to the Middle Ages, an alehouse was often just a regular domestic home where the resident—frequently a woman known as an alewife—brewed her own beer. When a fresh batch was ready, she would hang a branch or an "alestake" above the door to signal to the neighborhood that the house was open for business. Alehouses were the domain of the working classes, offering cheap, safe hydration in an era when water was famously unreliable.

Taverns, on the other hand, were exclusive establishments. The word derives from the Roman taberna, and historically, taverns were distinguished by the fact that they sold wine rather than just ale. Because wine had to be imported and was heavily taxed, taverns catered exclusively to aristocrats, wealthy merchants, and the upper classes. A laborer would rarely set foot in a tavern, and a gentleman would almost never be caught drinking in an alehouse.

Inns served an entirely different purpose: travel. Functioning as the medieval equivalent of a modern highway service station and hotel combined, inns provided lodging, food, and drink for travelers and their horses. They were substantial buildings located along major roads and coaching routes, hosting everyone from traveling scholars to government officials.

The convergence of these distinct venues began in the 18th and 19th centuries. As government licensing laws became stricter and the Industrial Revolution upended traditional social structures, the lines between an alehouse, a tavern, and an inn began to blur. The authorities started regulating them all under the collective legal term "Public House"—which citizens quickly shortened to "pub."

Even as the establishments merged, class divides survived inside the buildings themselves. Victorian pubs often featured multiple doors leading to entirely segregated rooms. The "public bar" was a stark room with bare floorboards or sawdust, intended for working-class patrons in dirty work clothes. Meanwhile, the "saloon" or "lounge" was a carpeted, comfortable room featuring upholstered seating, entertainment, and a slightly higher price for drinks, designed to attract a wealthier clientele. Over time, the physical interior walls between these rooms were knocked down, leaving behind a unified space with a rich, confusing vocabulary that survives today.

Cheers 

10th July 2026 - A little watering and mending the river lights

Thought for the day :"My new book, 'How to say 'No' emphatically In German' is now available. Only £9.99!"

Dry

Waiting for the sun to go down before walking the dogs - allowing it to be a little cooler

Grounds are still very overgrown

 

But still no rain so the turrets needed watering 

In other news,

went to thread and ink today to check on prices for merch

Still at £6 plus VAT for embroidery

Polo Shirts and ordinary shirts to be priced up 

Fancy some cotton short sleeve shirts for the Crimson Moon during daytime in addition to the Polo Shirts.

info@threadandinkstudio.co.uk

01239  571900

Have to look out the old merch shirts 

   

Also a list of some of the local bands including Llandjango 

Cheers