31st December 2021 - New Year's Eve

Thought for the day :"Met a girl last night who said she'd show me a good time... Got outside, she ran 100m in 9.72 seconds...."

End of 2021 

Allie and Rob with us..

No time for much in the way of a blog...

Into 2022

Cheers 

 

30th December 2021 - With the Maxwells

Thought for the day :"Took my partner to an orchard to look at the trees for half an hour. Seems it was not the Apple Watch they were expecting"

Strange high temperatures in Wales and across the UK. Normal temperatures should be about 8 degrees but up at about 18 degrees (C) today - though very wet and miserable with it.

Took the dogs to the field and we all got very muddy, but nothing else done outside.
Drove down to the Army Surplus shop to get an air bed for the spare room which was a better idea than going to Carmarthen though more costly than a Tesco cheapy!

Picked up the guitar again after many months without doing any playing and started learning "The Dutchman" which is my current favourite song - and getting out the old song books so should be able to start practicing again for the New Year.

Leave this here for reference and ease of finding ..

Certainly out of practise as my little finger hurts a lot !!

Covid cases hit 190,000 today and as a result they decide to reduce the quarantine period from 10 days down to 7 - so glad that Science is directing the decision making process not politics and economics 

In other news, Ghislaine Maxwell is found Guilt of procuring under age girls for sexual activities, and a zoom meeting last night with my sister confirmed some memories of (perhaps) 1963 when my father was invited to the Maxwell house by Robert Maxwell, the Newspaper Magnate, and as a family we went to the Maxwell Mansion for Christmas Party at the height of his wealth and Success.

It was interesting which memories we each retained - bearing in mind that we were about 9 and 11 at the time. 
I recall the large opulent office that Robert Maxwell had with his pride and joy of the time - a moving light show wall behind the desk which he proudly proclaimed would never duplicate the image in 50 years  - an early show of the technology that would soon be in night clubs and music venues across the country when they turned it into a projector light show system.

The dinner was very high level fancy with special crackers for everyone - which as children was special as the toy in the cracker was a "real" toy - I do not recall exactly but think it was a die cast car - Chrissie things she may have had some wedgewood.

It was all very formal and the "children were all seated in our own child sized tables and chairs in a side room away from - but within sight of the main hall. I remember a huge staircase and a 30 ft Christmas Tree in the stairwell.

Chrissie remembers visiting the horses with some of the Maxwell siblings - I recall making dens in tree houses in the very expansive grounds...  I think Ghislane would have been too small to have been in either group - she is 60 now - 7 years younger than me...

I remember being fascinated that a family would have so many children, hearing the story that the oldest son had been in a coma for 5 years !!!  But I found them all friendly. 

And that is my recall of the Maxwells. Pergamon Press was the publishing company as I recall ...  

Ian Robert Maxwell MC (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a British media proprietor, former member of Parliament (MP), suspected spy, and fraudster.  Originally from Czechoslovakia, Maxwell rose from poverty to build an extensive publishing empire. After his death, huge discrepancies in his companies' finances were revealed, including his fraudulent misappropriation of the Mirror Group pension fund

Early in his life, Maxwell, then an Orthodox Jew, escaped from Nazi occupation, joined the Czechoslovak Army in exile during World War II and was decorated after active service in the British Army. In subsequent years he worked in publishing, building up Pergamon Press to a major publishing house. After six years as a Labour MP during the 1960s, Maxwell again put all his energy into business, successively buying the British Printing Corporation, Mirror Group Newspapers and Macmillan Publishers, among other publishing companies.

Maxwell had a flamboyant lifestyle, living in Headington Hill Hall in Oxford, from which he often flew in his helicopter, or his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine. He was litigious and often embroiled in controversy. In 1989, Maxwell had to sell successful businesses, including Pergamon Press, to cover some of his debts. In 1991, his body was discovered floating in the Atlantic Ocean, having apparently fallen overboard from his yacht. He was buried in Jerusalem.
Maxwell's death triggered the collapse of his publishing empire as banks called in loans. His sons briefly attempted to keep the business together, but failed as the news emerged that the elder Maxwell had stolen hundreds of millions of pounds from his own companies' pension funds. The Maxwell companies applied for bankruptcy protection in 1992.

Robert Maxwell (back row, centre) pictured with his wife Betty (sat with youngest daughter Ghislaine on her knee) and seven of their eight children at home in Headington Hill Hall, Oxford. When this photo was taken Ian (5) was 11 years old and attending preparatory school, while Isabel, then 17 (4) was at grammar school with their sister Christine (3), and youngest son Kevin, 8, (6) was at preparatory school. Second oldest son Philip, (1), had entered his second undergraduate yer at Balliol College, Oxford, while Anne (2) was also studying at the university, but at St Hugh's College.

Some say it may be too soon - but... I chuckled

In other news - Susie has been painting again ...

Cheers 

29th December 2021 - On to the Barbecue Terrace

Thought for the day :"New Years Resolution – no more spray deodorants. Roll On January 1st"

Reasonable day today with temperatures well above normal for this time of year.

Took the opportunity to clear the current pallets from the barbecue terrace and relay making sure that it was flat and suitable for a groundwork platform.

Happy with that so far - the tree has to come down and I do not know how that will affect the groundwork so cannot put the second layer in yet and need more pallets to get the planking for the area.

All in all a good day - though tiring.. Did not get the dogs up to the field. That was one trip too many today!

In other news, watched "Don't Look Up" yesterday - a satirical story that scares the heck out of people - me for one - as it is so realistic although a satire....  And then I look at Boris and Crew deciding that they do not want to add any more restrictions before New Year due to Back Bench revolts... rather than safety issues it seem to me...  !85,000 cases of COvid reported today int he UK and they decide that there is no problem - I just look forward into 2022 when they lament - "If only someone had told us !" 

In other news - 

Cheers !

 

28th December 2021 - Playing with Fire - Towards a Tavern

Thought for the day ;"David Bowie once bought Bing Crosby a pom pom for Christmas. Not just any old pom pom, though... It was a proper pom pom..."

Playing with fire today - brought out some of the old Crimson Moon Hardware - the ones that we used to light int he early days - sometime with full candles, sometimes with tea lights, but remembered the medieval re-enactors who used toilet rolls and white spirit to amke flaming torches.

This one was a little wild - but will try again with a can as reservoir for white spirit. 

These lasted just under 50 minutes from start to finish..

and two working 

Walked the dogs and chopped a lot of wood and stored it away for drying. 
Altogether a successful day 

Took the dogs up the fields and met up with Hillary and her black spaniel Lola and let Toby have a play - there were lots of zoomies - two tired dogs I think ..

Meanwhile we have 130,000 new cases across the UK and England decided that they do not need any restrictions over the New Year period.. In Wales there are limited restrictions - masks still compulsory and rule of 6 in pubs...  recommendations that most parties are outside...

We are staying in isolation ...

In other news - Erin sent Susie a new Gluten Free Recipe book and she tried the pastry for our Ham and Chicken Pie...  It was delicious and the pastry was as good as any I have tasted ...

 Cheers !

 

27th December 2021 - Attacking the Woodstore...

Thought for the day:"If drummers came back from death there would be repercussions"

Christmas is over so got out to do some work again...  needed to work off the Christmas dinners and excess food and drink!

Decided to attack the wood store and move it behind the Tavern. Also allows the tree that needs to come down to gain access...

Quite pleased with the result - though very tired at the end and struggled with the walk up to the fields with the dogs...   

Cheers !

26th December 2021 - Boxing Day and Zoomies

Thought for the day :"I shortened the rope on the bucket used to get the water for the village – did not go down well"

Boxing Day and a walk up to the fields...  A little Zooming for the pups...

Toby the Tavern Dog...

Other than that - a quiet day ...

Cheers !

25th December 2021 - Christmas Day - Merry Crimbo

Thought for the day :"I am obsessed with monorails. I have a one-track mind...~

Happy Christmas..

Our second at Ffynnon Wen and once again fairly wet and miserable.

We snuck out just before lunch thinking that we would take the dogs ot Cwmtydo Beach rather than walk with Susie's hip playing up a bit - but after ten minutes (and the tide was right in) the rain came in from the valley and cut things short.

Since we have been there - the lake has been breached - it seems by the storms..  and the water course has changed completely - no sign of the ducks...

Did a little decoration of the front for Christmas

Happy Christmas  - have a Green One 

and had a couple of pressies 

Cheers !

24th December 2021 - Santa Run - Rhydlewis

Thought for the day :"Got into an argument with some sailors about whether coconut and chocolate go together. Talk about scrutiny of the bounty."

Christmas eve and so we have done the Rhydlewis Santa Run - sadly the photos did not come out this year..

Just a selfie...

One or two taken by others - they may turn up. Susie was my Elf and Safety Officer. 

Did Lee and David, Trefor and Carrie, Jeff, Johnny and Kaye, Mark & Julie and Family, missed the vet - maybe another time,Wyn and Jenny in the garage, Found Malcolm and Bill, Rhys and Roison were out, Haydn and Kim were also out, Jim and Jo were in Ireland, Eifion and Joy, Spot and Charlie, Jackie, left a jar of crabapple jelly for Vera, and up to to Brynhoffnant.

Everyone seemed to enjoy and like the fact that Santa was going around the village.

And back for some mulled wins and putting the trees up. Yes - trees! One 3ft in the window. One by the telly. One outside without lights. and bits of tinsel around the house. 

Now off to get some steak and stir fry - and sit and watch some silly films..

Festive wishes to one and all...

Cheers !