31st December 2023 - Last day of 2023 -

Thought for the day: "It's the most wonderful time for a beer."

Some CD's arrived from ne of my crowd funding packages for my German friends..

 

Took some photos of the caravan next door as there were some guests there who got lost ..

Cheers 

30th December 2023 - How high's the water mama

Thought for the day :"It's probably my age that tricks people into thinking I am an adult"

Giraffe are down again 

And the water levels are pretty high 

Cheers !

29th December 2023 - Giraffes are down

Thought for the day :"So, after the wise men gave gifts of gold and frankincense, they paused and said 'Oh, wait! There’s myrrh!' "

Managed to get to Pets and Ponys today and pick up some chopped wheat for duck bedding - and also some suet pellets for Cheap Cheap the robin and his friends ...

On the walk with the dogs I saw that we have had a Giraffe Crisis - and they are face down in the mud- was going to pick them up when I cleaned the ducks out - but got side-tracked 

Will have to do it tomorrow ..

Giraffes in the mud...

5 Gold Rings

Traditionally in the Western Church, the First Day of Christmas is Christmas Day, therefore 29th December is the Fifth Day of Christmas.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me - Five Gold Rings.

Welsh gold occurs naturally in two distinct areas.

* There is a band stretching from Barmouth, past Dolgellau and up towards Snowdonia (or Eryri), which was mined mainly at the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine, near Ganllwyd. It was discovered in 1860 and was active until 1998 when it was closed because of Health and Safety issues regarding the mine discharge into the River Mawddach. There is also the Clogau Gold Mine near Bontddu, which following the gold rush of 1862 developed into the largest and richest of its kind. It continued as a major operator until 1911 and still re opens occasionally for small extractions

* In addition there is a small area in the valley of the River Cothi at Dolaucothi, midway between Llandovery and Lampeter. It was the neolithic Britons of the late Bronze and Iron ages who originally opened Dolaucothi, perhaps as early as 600 BC. It was then further developed by the Romans in AD 75, under the military control of their fort near the present village of Pumsaint. The mine produced gold destined for the Imperial Mint in Lyon. Mining recommenced at the site on a small scale in the 17th century, but it was not until the 19th century, that there was expansion beyond the original open cast, culminating in a shaft to a depth of 140 metres. This shaft produced large amounts of ore during the 1930s. However, by 1938 the mine was no longer commercially viable and when it flooded, it was not re opened.

Cleddau Gold  - found in Pembrokeshire

Cheers !

28th December 2023 - Peace and Quiet

Thought for the day :"I saw a snowman down at the gym. I think it was an abdominal snowman."

Popped out to get some chopped wheat to clear the ducks out - but missed the shop by 8 minutes - didn't know that they were shutting at 1pm for Christmas period .

Took the road down to Newcastle Emlyn to pick up my prescription, 

Then popped in on Wendy and Mark in Penrhywpal for a cup of tea.

By the time I got back it was time enough to walk the dogs and have a cup of tea... 

By gosh I live an exciting life...

Soon be New Year 

Ivor the Engine was first released on television on 28 December 1959.

Ivor the Engine is a children's television series that tells of the story of a little green locomotive living in the "top left-hand corner of Wales". His friends include Jones the Steam, Evans the Song and Dai Station. The series was later revived in 1975 when new episodes in colour were produced for the BBC.

The series was written and narrated by Oliver Postgate, with his friend Peter Firmin providing the artwork, which originally consisted of cardboard cut-outs painted with watercolours. It was produced in a disused cow shed at Firmin's home near Canterbury. The sound effects were endearingly low-tech, for example, the sound of Ivor's puffing was made vocally by Postgate himself.

Postgate drew inspiration for the series from a World War II encounter with Welshman Denzyl Ellis, a former railway fireman, who described how steam engines came to life when steaming them up in the morning. Postgate decided to locate the story in the mountainous area of North Wales, as he considered it a more inspirational place than the flat terrain of the English Midlands.

Cheers !

27th December 2023 - Wet Wet Wet

Thought for the day :"When Christmas gifts die do they become the ghost of Christmas presents?"

Not the band - the weather 

More rain is dropping each day than we should expect in a month I think.

There is standing water on most of the paths, and the mud is really thick..

And today the rivers are breaching over the Island, and spilled on the pontoon - though the a frame table on the pontoon didn't move...

But took a few photos as I went around  

Cheers !