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 

9th July 2026 - A little bit hot

Thought for the day :"If you get sick at the airport it could be a terminal illness"

Still very hot and Dry 

A couple of pictures of the Fedge from yesterday 

Too hot to do much today 

Did some video today 

A little flyer for the Pink Floyd Evening 

and a Tillyvision    Splosh!

Cheers

 

8th July 2026 - Another Work Day

Thought for the day ;"This morning I started out feeling Bold,
but then I lost my B."

Dry 

An early start as the sun was getting hot - so Chris and I started on the river - starting the river defences. The concept is a row of steel poles thumped into the ground, and then a row of pallets using the poles as a base to stop them being driven back when the the river gets sronger.

The pallets are all fixed to each other and battened. Today we got all the posts in place, and used all the pallets that we had available - we need 5 more I think - and may use a few more to act as a right angle support behind the pallets.     

The plan is to then take the 5 and 6ft  logs that we have felled and stack them against the pallets to change the water direction and to get the stones and river bed to stack up against the pallets so as to stop the eddies behind. A work in progress!

Sadly, the John Deere ran out of fuel  before we could move any of the logs - so that is a job for next time. 

After lunch, we moved one of the Aviary Poles so that it could form the gate for the new Aviary.

Then we took four sacks of bottles down to the lower quarter, ready for a future Bottle Wall in the Field Refectory...   

On the way back we took the opportunity of reweaving the Willow Fedge..   

That left one main task - which was to put Nancy's Marquee up .. Without instructions !

And by guesswork.

So the first time - we ran out of poles of the same size and had to take it apart again.

Then we found that some of the poles were different sizes - so we found nine we thought were the same size and built the structure. When finished - we tried to get the cover on and found that we were 18" short on the long side.  

Seems we had the long ones where the short ones should be and vice versa!!

So the whole think had to be taken down again - and rebuilt - correct this time.

Happily, this time if fitted and though it is a lot larger than I was expecting - should be fine for the Wedding.

 

Of course, had to get the Landie back into the driveway as it was right up to the gate, and with a bit of wriggle we managed to manoeuvre and will be able to get the car out later.

So, after all of that, a shower and a change of clothes, and some salad...

At least the sitting room is cool in the evening

Cheers 

 

7th July 2026 - Another hot day

Thought for the day :"I tried to call my local Chinese restaurant but I misdialled and got through to the maternity hospital instead. It was okay - they do deliveries too."

Dry 

Started the day with a little willow hedging in the lower quarter before it got too hot.

Dogs are a little bored but Tilly decided my crocs were a comfort blanket.

 

Can't really see here but I put a fence across the lawn to try to keep Toby and Tilly in the garden area.

Not sure what success we are going to have in the long run - but after a few abortive attempts, we seem to have them restricted to one area.

In other news, the Pea-chick seems to have a dodgy leg - which is a pity, but it seems lively enough so fingers crossed.

Watered the towers, and tried to sort out Doris again but it seemed that the glue got stuck in the tubes so we will have to try a different method tomorrow - I think maybe cutting the base out to reach the inner tube - if there is one !

Cheers