30th June 2021 - Butterflies and Elderflowers

Thought for the day :"I've never understood the point in fire blankets. Whose ever been in a fire and thought, 'it's a bit chilly in here'."

A day at the Ranch. Quite a sunny and hot day - though later the sea mist came in and the temperature dropped rapidly.

Emptied the small trailer and put everything away - well most of it!

Was too hot to get on with the pathway - which was the plan for the day.

Had a sit instead an repaired some of the ornaments on the patio that are suffering from the weather.

Visited Vic at Arnedd and he was having a lazy day and had gone back to bed. But seemed very pleased to see us and is looking forward to seeing us again on his birthday next week. 

Had a sit on the patio and got visited by a butterfly who seemed to like my hairy knees..

But Susie decoded that the elderflower needed picking and turning into cordial 

Though some got in her hair 

Meanwhile, Susie has a view from her desk as she gets the ASDA order in..

and of course the view from my desk ..

Peacocks lively today and one week old...

So, final trip to Llanelli tomorrow to pick up the large trailer - hoping it is not too heavy. Will take it very easy on the way back. But hopefully that will be the last time we will really need to go back there except to get some post.

Have notified the Councils of the empty house and here in Wales it appears that they give 6 months free instead of the paltry 1 month in England when we sold Barton. 
Wish I had known that before - will lose out on a couple of months if the sale goes through quickly - a small price to pay...

Looks as though we will be looking after our neighbour's chickens for a few days, but that has a bonus as we have somewhere to keep the big trailer while they are away to block in their touring caravan in case of theft (not likely here but always possible)

In other news - started looking for a touring caravan to put in sluggers driveway to use as an extra bedroom.

Also started looking at Yurts - there are some lovely ones around...  and within the current price range..

Finished stringing the banjo and tried playing - it hurts the fingers!!! May have a long way to go ... 

and that about sums up the day ..

Cheers !

29th June 2021 - Travels, Rivers, Roses, and Trout

Thought for the day :"'Is anybody here a Neil Diamond fan?' asked the DJ. 'I am' I said."

 Another trip to Llanelli - getting near the end now.

Today was the small trailer and pick up a hedgehog on the way home to take to the West Wales Hedgehog Rescue, and Di O'keef.

Not far to go now...

A couple of shots of the garden area and our new pink elephant.. (well old NSPCC elephant in new home)

Strangely this evening the river went very muddy and cloudy - we think someone is dumping up stream... Was just after Susie caught another large trout for dinner..

Will report tomorrow 

In other news - updated New Forest that I was not the owner of Hengistbury and they said they will look at it - so found out that Wales allow 6 months free Community Charge for an empty property so will register that quickly. 

Visit to Vic Tomorrow 

And first streaming experiment went live last night for 4 minutes as a test

Long way to go I think - but bought new strings for the banjo and guitars today ... 

Cheers !

28th June 2021 - Nearing Last trip to Llanelli

Thought for the day :"When a hen looks at lettuce... is it a chicken Caesar salad."

One of the final days to Llanelli.

Loaded the small trailer with most of the last stuff to be transported - alloys, wheels and spare wood and pots. Rest went into the big trailer which is now quite heavy - I think another trip tomorrow with the small trailer to bring the last of the pallets and logs will be the last before bringing hte large trailer home.

Confirmation today that the solicitors are talking so we are on the road to selling. In other news I got a letter from New Forest telling me that they are charging me for the community charge for Hengistbury Road - will have to sort that one out tomorrow! They have sold the house again..  apparently £645,000 - not a bad profit for a year !

No photos today as I was mainly in Llanelli...

Sadly one of the "eaters" (Chicken) died today so will be feeding the dog tomorrow - they have grown very large already. Think it may have been one of the weaker chickens and may have been trampled by t the others. 

Was an overcast and dismal day so was well spent in travelling to Llanelli 

Think I may do the same tomorrow 

Bought some lemons for Susie today - she wants to start collecting the Elderflowers to make cordial. 

Cheers !

27th June 2021 -

Thought for the day :" I quit my local when it stopped serving scrumpy. That was the decider."

Sunday... Day started with sun and was warm. 

Took the opportunity to cut the lawns with the go kart and followed up with the hand driven and found that I could get to most of the lawn - all except the main slope - though think that could be done as well, but ran out of energy. It is still quite heavy work to cut the grass.. 

Afterwards, decided to look at the springs and the pathway. Decision was made that the grass would not grow through the plastic framing, we decided that we should put membrane down and fill with the gravel that was delivered. We have 10mm gravel. Probably should have gone for 20mm but it will suffice for the moment. Sadly, it means having to take up the flooring that we have already put down in order that the membrane can go underneath. Luckily we can lift in sections and this was the first section done today... 

Also, the peacocks are doing well and back out int he brooder box in the shed...

 

Sat down for a Gin and Tonic on the patio and found that I was sharing with a "dead" bee. though it was not actually dead - just very tired and unable to move properly.

Susie got a spoonful of sugar water and after ten minutes drinking it recovered and flew off. Flt good about that...

In other news - Susie has been working on her stairway to heaven - adding steps to her walkway.

So - Sunday Night - Antiques Road Show and Countryfile..

Bottle of Rioja and slow cooked pulled pork...  Yum

Cheers !

26th June 2021 - Covers, Steps, Trailers, and Teckie Stuff

Thought for the day :"My wife’s just thrown 5 cricket balls at me...1 more and it’s over."

So it was time to change some profile and cover pictures...

And so a trip to Llanelli and some more furniture has gone from the house - not sure that we will take any more form the house - hoping that we can leave the freezer and the cottage suite and one armchair. Went to the dump with the rest of the chests of drawers and various "stuff" - Brought back a cornucopia of logs and stuff...

Maybe one more trip in the big trailer - think I will have to abandon the RSJ as I cannot get it onto a trailer - too big...

Meanwhile Susie had a productive day - finding the path to nowhere and starting to put steps on it 

Path to nowhere 

I will be able to get on with the other paths tomorrow as the gravel arrived yesterday in the rain.

Meanwhile the "eaters" are growing - boy are they growing ...

In other news - the Peacocks are thriving. Susie cable tied the legs of "Hopalong" overnight and tied into a box and this morning he/she was able to walk - excellent news - they are both doing very well now and loud!

 So dinner tonight was salad and cold plate - with new potatoes from the garden and they were delicious..

And finally Amazon get it right and deliver the goods ..  New toys!!

Camera light and holder and a new microphone ... think I am going professional !

The "beastie" - in the kitchen - haven't put together yet though I downloaded the software last might still need time to assimilate it  and work out how to work everything ... One stage at a time .. Feeling more confident as we move away form No 41 - and can concentrate properly on Ffynnon Wen..

Sunday tomorrow - day at the homestead..

Cheers !

 

25th June 2021 - Wet and Rainy

Thought for the day :"You can colour in my black and white tattoos if you need a shoulder to crayon"

So a cold and wet day today !

Not what you would expect in June - indeed after the longest day of the year - Summer !

Instead it was about 12 degrees C and a drizzle day with cold permeating rain ...

Off to Newcastle Emlyn for Susie to pick up her drugs, and I popped into the building merchant to order a bag of gravel for the pathways ...  May have got it slightly small - it is 10 mm and I think that 20mm would probably be better but it will be a good start. Sadly the prices have gone up again - just under £50 for the bag ..   we shall see how far it reaches. Have decided that we will have to lift the existing walkway and put membrane under before the gravel goes in - should not take too long - if you say it quickly!  

Was surprised when the bag arrived this afternoon - that is good service... Was cold in my singlet - went out in the rain to see the bag delivered ...

In other news - the squirrel is getting very cheeky - coming to the window to complain that there was a lack of nuts in the bird feeder!

Cold day and rain meant that it was also an inside day - so got myself soe strings on amazon and they turned out to be multicolour strings - that is pretty !!

And while I was at it - the banjo got a re-string but I was one string short in the package - will have to complete the job tomorrow when I go to Llanelli - will have to re-stock on strings - the sting barrel was strangely empty. I have been gathering strings over the last years every time I go to Germany - and there are sets somewhere in the house - but in the short term I will have to get new ones...

In Peacock news - we have two chicks but sadly one has splayed legs - this is apparently fairly common but causes some problems..   Susie tried to keep in a small box with the legs under but the chick is really strong (and both of them are VERY noisy !) A few different methods and consulting Youtube - we ended up with a cable tie to keep the legs together and placed into a small box so the legs should be under the chick and then tied over and fed water by spoon. The other chick is very strong and very active and has clearly imprinted on us as it makes a lot of noise when it cannot see us!

They are up in the Sewing Room tonight as they are too loud anywhere else..

Hoping that 24 hours splinted will be enough - we will see..

'Thena has finally learned how to use the dog door to the paddock both ways - one step forward...

Nothing heard regarding the sale of the house - was meant to hear when the solicitors had contacted each other - but fairly happy things are moving as they should - even if slower than we wanted.  

Amazon - and they finally agree that they have delivered my microphone and webcam light to somewhere a long way away with no houses!!  Have ordered a new microphone for me to arrive tomorrow and the light - which is a third party seller - I have had to re-order and they have refunded to the credit card. as it was bought on Prime day  discount - they have given a £5 gift card for future purchase - so all in all I am on the positive side...

One step nearer to streaming - slow and steady ...  

It may be cold outside but the sweet peas are coming out - the roses are stependous and everywhere is blooming..

Llanelli tomorrow - the trailer has the piano and harmonium in it already so can be loaded with more stuff  - Dump booked for 1.30pm and Brookfields are taking that last of the furniture away at 11am ... 

Clearing the garage and back yard is the last stage - should be a trailer and small trailer I think .. we shall see.  

Cheers !

24th June 2021 - House Clearing (again)

Thought for the day :"Does the German WW 2 series 'Das Boot' have Sub titles?"

Llanelli Road Trip.

Found that the Antioch Church recycle yard at the back of No 41 was doing general upcycling.

Brought the volunteers around to look and they took most of the remaining furniture.

But as important they agreed to help me lift the piano and harmonium into the large trailer - so we have most of the furniture completely clear.

Afterwards - on their advice we went to Tony Brookfield who has a recycle area in the old church in Inkerman Street  and he agreed to come and look at what was left and he will take it away on Saturday when I have a trip tot eh dump booked.

So - the house is basically clear of all furniture on Saturday - so I gave a key to the buyer so he could go in and measure up for the stuff he needs to upgrade the house.

Was meant to wait until I had confirmation from the solicitors that the offer was in place - but it seems that there may be issues with the solicitors so we went ahead anyway - the house is empty!

Susie found a fish in the pond at No 41 and many tadpoles and frogs - most of which survived to the new springs.

A long day but another stage forward towards the sale ..

PRIME managed to find us today and a set of guitar strings arrived in a 2 ft cardboard envelope!!  and he new web cam also arrived - will have to try soon. Still waiting for the microphone and light - no update from PRIME on the failure to deliver.

Pizza Thursday and a bottle of Rioja.

A second Peacock chick has hatched out so we have two in the brooder  - still watching the remaining ones - no idea if any are viable still. apparently it is very hard to hatch out pea-fowl...  We shall see.

No pictures today ...  far to busy and got back too late..

Cheers 

23rd June 2021 - Dog Doors and PRIME

Thought for the day :" 'Spot the mistake' Possibly the cruelest book in the spot the dog series... "

So, 'Thena has a habit of getting into the paddock and getting stuck.  We tried the "let's add more restrictions to getting into the paddock" We added chicken wire and more pallets and put the pallets on the other side of the fence so you cannot push through them - and she still got through..  and so we decided to put a dog door in the gate - heavy enough, and high enough  (we hope) to keep Cedric out and prevent the chicken escaping, but enough for the dog to get through ..

  

Seems to be working 

Also did a little more adulting - one of the steps is very poorly but the old piece was there to give me a template - so created a step ...

Rain came in by lunchtime and so for the first time for a while - we spent the afternoon inside ..  Not a usual situation ..  

Had a problem with PRIME again - claiming that they had delivered my new microphone and ring light "Handed to Resident" - really annoys me .. and not sure if someone is just walking off with them - there seems to be so little interest from Amazon.. and I have two more items on Prime Day discounts to arrive tomorrow. My early enthusiasm to get back into playing instruments is being delayed by PRIME. 

We shall see what happens ..

Only one Peacock at the moment. Another is rocking but apparently it can be 24 hours or even more to get an egg hatched. Hoping so - as the first is getting rather lonely..

So - not much to report today ..

Llanelli tomorrow to take the big trailer to No 41 and give a key to our prospective buyer. 

He has been pushing his solicitor to start things going  - but waiting to hear form my own solicitor  that we are going somewhere  (he tells me that he is inundated with people trying to complete - it is a busy time for property at the moment)

Enough for one day ...

Cheers !

22nd June 2021 - Walkways and Baby Peacocks

Thought for the day :"Highlighter pens are the future. Mark my words..."

Day started fairly grey but by lunchtime we were in the full sun and I think I caught the sun a bit!!

Started with trying to keep the dog out of the paddock and moved the pallets to the other side of the fence so that the dog has to push the pallet into the fence rather than away from it - seems to be working so far !!

Next stage was to start laying the boardwalk - but for that I would not have any music - so it seemed appropriate to lay down the electric cables so that the radio can play while I was working.

We have a lot of 16 amp cable that we always used for the Crimson Moon and seems to be safe for use around the grounds. All worked well at first with the first leg to the top of the paddock and the radio was on.. and then I laid the next section and the third and fourth - only to find that the second was the wrong way around - male to male connectors. So had to take them all down and re thread them along the fence and under the boardwalk.. then found that the fourth had been the right way around !! and had to be re threaded again. Not my best day !

But once that was sorted I managed to get down to the second spring with the walkway - thinking that we need gravel in the frames ...

IN other news - the peacocks are hatching - well at least No 1 has...

Vids...

and Freedom !

No sign of movement on the house - though the buyer has been in touch to confirm that his solicitor has been in touch which is a good sign... Can't get to the dump until Saturday so may take the big trailer to No 41 on Thursday ready for the piano and harmonium, and give the keys to the buyer so that he can do some measurements for upgrade...

A long day - but a good one ..

Cheers !

  

 

21st June 2021 - Walkways

Thought for the day : "Bouncy castles are lots of fun. But were very difficult to defend in medieval times."

Got our dates wrong and found that thought we were expecting a house guest for the next three days - we are in fact on our own. 

So Susie finished her Celery bed and I went back to dog proofing the paddock (which failed - twice) and Chicken proofing the paddock - which I think has worked...

Also went down to the Springs and started on the walkway and attacked the Nettles in the Paddock and the lower quarter.

Getting there...

Connected up the keyboards in the Sewing Room - and thinking about playing again and possibly getting around to streaming some songs - will have to practise a bit I think! 

Cheers !