17th December 2024 - New Cooker and photos from yesterday

Thought for the day :"The French eat snails because they don't like fast food"

Wet and getting wetter

An early start, a check around the lower quarter, and gathered all the bedding from the Yurt to air it in the house.

Checked the power and it is still working despite the fires over the cables.

Lights will be in place again once the fires have cooled down enough. They at least work.

Nancy came up with Rosy, and we negotiated £400 for her with Tom... a reasonable price we think. We bought it for £600 3 years again but he is happy that he can sell it at a profit, so everyone is happy.

Drove down to Nancy's and collected the cooker and brought it back in Nancy's Transporter with the help of Erin.

All taken back to her house in Narberth and put on the drive under a cover.

Hopefully the Gazebo with sides will be delivered - it is scheduled for delivery before 10pm.

Back home and put the chicken to bed, well they had gone already in fact, and back to get medicines from Newcastle Emlyn.

Not much to be achieved today as it is raining now.

An evening in - and a bit of TV

16th December 2024 - More Clearing and Crumpets

Thought for the day :"3026 years from now it will be either great or terrible - It is 5050"

Dry 

Spent a hard day clearing today but sadly the phone was out of charge so photos will have to wait until tomorrow ...

But a lot of the springs were cleared and the big blocks were moved to the pathways where we have a chance of moving them again. Amazingly the lights all work and the power is still working to the lower quarter. Even managed to set the humidifier going again in the Yurt.

No photos today so here are some of Susie's Crumpets 

Cheers !

15th December 2024 - Sunday - Chasing Cookers

Thought for the day :"I've been told that I can sometimes come across as condescending. (That means I talk down to people)"

Wet and drizzly 

Today was a day to try and sort Christmas and the problem that Nancy and Stuart have that they have 11 or 12 people for Christmas dinner and a cooker with only one small oven.

So we found a Rangemaster Cooker that would meet their requirements for Christmas as an LPG (propane gas) system so it is mobile - and it was in the middle of nowhere - along a one mile track with potholes - so we had ourselves an adventure !!!

Well the Cooker looked good so we paid for it and we now have plans to collect it ion Tuesday. I have purchased a gazebo with walls on Amazon that will be delivered (we hope) on Tuesday so it can be used on her drive and afterwards will be brought back to Ffynnon Wen and put on the BBQ stage as a catering area.

Well plans are great !!

Hopefully - we will get there 

Four Eating Chicken in the Freezer now 

New Cockerel seems to be settling down but may be agoraphobic - haven't seen him out yet !

Back to work tomorrow -hoping the rain keeps off 

Cheers !

14th December 2024 - Cuthbert gets a new home

Thought for the day :"I got a prize in a competition to see who can stay in bed the longest, it was atrophy"

Dry - so far - nope rained later 

A late start and a trip to get more growers for the eating chicken . Susie has culled the first two and two more in the isolation cage for tonight ..

Another video from the week 

Cuthbert had a reprieve!!

He was such a lovely Cockerel but had taken a dislike to Susie and started attacking her - which was strange as he was totally placid with me and ignored the dogs completely and was looking after the girlies well - though in fairness he was a little large as he "tupped" them.

So he was heading for the pot when Johnny and Kaye mentioned that they had lost their Cockerel a few months ago so we went up the road with him in a cage and he seems to be enjoying his new home 

A little clearing around the place but other than that a rather quiet day and a little restful ..

Off to Narberth tomorrow to look at a Cooker for Nancy over the Christmas and for us afterwards on the BBQ stage for outside catering ..   Fingers Crossed   

Cheers !

13th December 2024 - Clearing the Debris and big bonfires

Thought for the day :"Apparently a one legged hippo is a hoppo"

Wet bit of drizzle as we worked and full scale later in the evening

After a day of just cutting yesterday I engaged Chris to come and help us as extra labour, and he was great.

Arriving at a quarter to me he caught me by surprise - not having let the Ducks and Chicken out yet,

so I put the kettle on and we went down to see what was required and started getting everything ready so we were well at work when Dave and Rhys turned up.

"I hope Iain hasn't got some type of Popeye to work for him " says Rhys .

Soon proves that we have as Chris is a real Worker.

Giving him the first task to get me a really hot fire going ( he is a woodsman) and having failed miserably to get a fire running yesterday Chris cam into his own !! and Soon a huge hot fire is going. We have two great piles of foliage and the thoughts seems daunting that we may be able to get rid of them - but that is what we do !!

9am until 2pm - and in fairness we have all worked far harder than any of us expected - so I called it a day and paid the extra hour to everyone as a bonus.. (Don't think we would ever have got there without Chris's quick return to work at every coffee break)

Very pleased with the result to finish this week

I have asked Chris to come back again on Monday !!

Power came back last night

But was out again this morning

Managed a shower at about 5pm and the power went out again just after dinner . Chose the time well.

Seems we are entitled to £85 for the first 48 hours out and then £40 for every 6 hour period afterwards.

Nice to know that we get something back

Rumour that we also will get £100 for spoiled food

Cheers !

12th December 2024 - Still no Power - Chops again today

Thought for the day :"Apparently a short mother is a minimum."

Dry

A few days of dry and half killing poor Rhys making him clear all the very large pieces of wood, decided to use the dry weather and get him back on the painting and the Lime Wash while we had a chance of dryness, while Dave and I went for it with the chain saws. A bit more complicated with no-one to clear straight away - but we made more progress and at the end of the day the buttresses and top received another coat and the last section of stone wall got another layer of Lime ...

A lot of progress - you can't really see it but it is there

You can begin to see the scale of the problem ... How do you eat an Elephant ? One small piece at a time !

We are eating the elephant

Hoping for power back tonight -

Tried Victor's alternative electric system with the old generator which we got going again, and it worked for about 3/4 hour, before just stopping . Thinking it may be a fuse in the 13amp plug that connects the genny to the house - not tested yet

Cheers !