23rd January 2024 - Still before the Storm

Thought for the day :"I drove by Legoland today, people were lined up for blocks."

Wet - Got caught in a deluge letting the chickens out

 

2025 : Wet 14 : Dry 9

We are getting ready for Storm Eowyn, suggesting that it may be the worst storm of the year or of ever with wind speeds of over 100 mph...  Have taken the flags down - seems a sensible thought 

have no idea what to do to protect the rest of the gardens 

Put the tarpaulins up over the stage area - hope they last 

Flag poles down  - 

gardens 

in other news 

will see if we remember the context
(Bishop says Trump should be  a nice person)  

Cheers !

 

In other news

Note to self : SECRETS FOR A PERFECT RELATIONSHIP

FIVE SECRETS FOR A PERFECT RELATIONSHIP

1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home, cooks, cleans and has a job
2. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh
3. It's important to have a woman who you can trust and who would never lie
4. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed and likes being with you

5. It's absolutely vital that these four women don't know each other.

22nd January 2024 - Preparing for another Storm

Thought for the day :"I used to play piano by ear, but now I use my hands"

Wet

2025 : Wet 13 : Dry 9

Susie managed to get out with the new cutters and attack her roses - got most of them done before the rain suddenly fell - very wintry showers - almost sleet.

Temperatures dropping again

Was going to build the log store and finish the duck shed - but there is another big storm coming in so we decided to leave it until the weekend in case we get hit again ..

Another slow day in the end ..

In other news - a note from Facebook Pages but that cannot be retrieved so putting it here ..

On the subject of tax avoidance - thanks to Bob Williams...

The Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece.

The earliest Sibyls, ‘who admittedly are known only through legend, prophesied at certain holy sites, under the divine influence of a deity, the first being at Delphi. The Sibyl held her rites when people came to consult her, and her acolytes would take a small fee.

All went well until the rulers at Delphi realised that money was slipping through their hands, so told the Sibyl that she could only continue conducting her rites if she paid what amounted to a tax to the rulers.

The Sibyl was understandably very upset at this and decided that she and her entourage would ignore the rulers at Delphi and move lock, stock and barrel to the Hellespont.

This is the first recorded incidence of a Sibyl rites movement.

Cheers !

21st January 2024 - Early signs of spring?

Thought for the day :"You can measure how heavy a red hot chili pepper is..  Give it a weigh, give it a weigh, give it a weigh now"

Wet late ...

2025 : Wet 12 : Dry 9

Some shoots showing on the lawn  

Cheers 

20th January 2024 - Landie new MOT

Thought for the day :"Some call it an elevator, some call it a lift.  I guess we are all raised differently."

Dry 

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 9

New Shoots - seems that spring is around the corner..

- 

Landie got its new MOT today - sailed through thanks to Tom ....

We have two vehicles again 

Cheers 

19th January 2024 - Chicken Houses

Thought for the day :"SpaceX is recruiting the first passengers for Mars. Applications are welcome from telephone sanitisers, account executives, hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, public relations executives, and management consultants."

Dry

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 8

Big job today was clearing the ducks and chicken houses. You would not want any photos - it was a hard job and very smelly ..

Cheers 

18th January 2024 - Ducks on the run

Thought for the day :"I finally figured out what I want to be when I get older. ….Younger."

Dry 

 

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 7

Got some ducks 

Cheers

17th January 2024 - Fairy Lights on the patio

Thought for the day :"Scraping the ice off the car in the morning is hard. I've been using a discount card but only getting 10% off."

Dry 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 6

Project today 

getting the old fairy lights strung around the patio to make use of the ones that do not work - but still provide a reasonable affect .

doesn't really show on the pictures - but am happy with the progress

Also checked the riverside fairy lights and they all work so only the rear of the chicken shed  to the yurt to replace 

Sadly - no news on the Vectra or the Landie getting an MOT

St Elli - Athelstan tomorrow so not much chance of much action tomorrow..

 

Cheers 

16th January 2024 - Monthly Roundup and a new washing machine

Thought for the day :"They ask me if I would donate my organs, but I play guitar"

Dry 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 5

First day recently that Susie has been up and firing on all cylinders.

Partly because we decided to order a new washing machine yesterday afternoon and it arrived at 20 past 8 this morning !!!

Actually, the bolts holding the drum in place had seized and it took at least half an hour and a selection of my spanners, socket sets and drills to find a way to get them loosed.

For posterity  - here is the new washing machine

Another sunny day - so looked at the way the river has moved its channels 

Spend the last couple of hours trying to get the old 100 meter strings of Fairy Lights working well enough - they are only lighting  about 50% of the bulbs so I am stringing them back and forth to get a level of lighting.

Gave up due to lack of light!! (darkness)

Cheers 

  

15th January 2024 - KTP and a little sunshine

Thought for the day :"If in doubt choose Cremation - you urned it "

Dry (and Sunny)

Wet  

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 4

Bit of sun today and warming up - and thick fog this evening on my trip down to Narberth for Knight Templar Priests.  

Nancy and whole family now affected by the 'Flu so paracetamol and Lemons were in the First Aid  package.

Cheers !

14th January 2025 - Mizzy day again

Thought for the day :"Someone stole a gold brooch from the jewellery store where I work. I hope they don’t try to pin it on me."

Wet 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 11 : Dry 3

Still not able to get the gate shut 

May require a little more effort 

Cheers !

13th January 2024 - Chain Saw Sculptures

Thought for the day :"Apparently billboards can talk, they use sign language."

Dry - but rain in the afternoon 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 10 : Dry 3

Decided to take a few photos and share them with an old friend Chris Woods - who is now an award winning chain saw sculptor...

Greetings Chris Thought I would make contact as a blast from the past Iain & Susie here from the Crimson Moon now permanent in West Wales While I appreciate that you are now international in your competitions etc and doing some really awesome work - I reference your work to a lot of friends ... I wondered if you still do local projects at negotiable costs ... We have been building our new place in Rhydlewis for the last 4.5 years and have opened the grounds to the public and open the Crimson Moon Tavern for 3-4 days a month in the spring and summer all proceeds to charity ....

We were badly hit by Storm Darragh and lost about 14 of our main trees which has changed our whole vista .. I have cleared a large amount of the area - re-opening pathways and access but still have some pretty big trees which I probably will not be able to reduce and remove and I am wondering if there may be something that I could do to leave them in place and make them into some sort of art work ...


I may not be able to afford your expertise - but we also now do weekend breaks for people and I would love to invite you to come up to our site here, for a free weekend, fully catered and all inclusive on our bar , to have a look at what we have and any suggestions that you may have as to turning a disaster into a gallery. We also have a lot of wood that we would be more than happy for you to have as a source for some of your art works if they are suitable..

Nothing Ventured - nothing gained

Apart from anything else we would love to get back in touch with you and entertain you for a weekend and catch up .. and happy to cover expenses

 

Hi Ian good to hear from you, and I would love to come and visit, when? is the problem. I am currently booked up solid until April, then I'm travelling to competitions in the UK, Canada, and then two more Germany until mid June, then I have a project I have committed to in June July, and the Caerleon festival, then I head out to the US Open, and I'll possibly be there for 7 weeks until libby Montana in September. If I come back to the UK in between, there may be a window for you, but that's a vague hope. I haven't planned anymore of my year yet, but if I get a spare weekend, I'll come visit and bring my girlfriend Heather with me, who is also a chainsaw carver, and we may be able to do something. I'm currently in Gran Canaria on my one and only pre mayhem holiday

Looks like some Cyprus, alder, and Ash or sycamore you have, Cyprus is nice to carve, alder is shit, ash and sycamore carve OK but don't last to long

Lovely to hear from you. Thought you were busy but that is a crazy itinerary. Will just leave it with you . We are here all the time as we have chickens and ducks and peacocks so someone has to be here every day. If you find yourself in the UK for a few days, weekday or weekend then we would love to see you both. I shall just carry on reducing it all. My target is to clear enough to be habitable by Easter. We have a party of friends from Belgium visiting and the Crimson Moon open then and then camping season from then Thanks so much for getting back to me. I shall be following your exploits. Iain

So we shall see what may happen

Cheers !

12th January 2025 - A bit of Sun and a little bit warmer

Thought for the day :"Most bees are allergic to pollen - when exposed they get hives"

Dry 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 9 : Dry 3

Temperature may be rising a little - though a bit slowly 

Took the dogs for a walk in the sun and enjoyed some of the winter views

All getting  little stronger each day - and very conscious that Burns Night is heading our way  for the 30th January at St Teilo Lodge, as well as the special evening up on North Wales on Burns Night itself - the 25th. 

So decided to cut an old video from 2018 - the last one that we have and make a 2 minute reel as a trailer..

In other news - I decided to take a few photos of the fallen trees and logs and make contact with Chris Woods, an international Chain Saw Sculptor. I am sure that we cannot interest or afford him but I though I might make the approach in case we can entice him to come and do something with some of our blocks..   We shall see..

Cheers !

11th January 2025 - Chicks are laying again

Thought for the day :"There's a new online class for learning how to fly and land planes. I think it is a pilot program."

Wet - just a drizzle but not dry 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 9 : Dry 2

Slow day 

Hoped that tom would come and look at the Vectra but did not turn up - but it is Saturday and I had no idea what plans they may have had 

Susie a lot better and managed to come down with me to identify the last of the eating chicken and find a rooster that she thinks she will keep - possibly for breeding.

We have 5 eating chicken left and one in the holding cell

Meanwhile the other girlies are building their laying - got six eggs today 

No other real news ..

In other thoughts 

Will have to use that somewhere 

Cheers !

 

10th January 2025 - Getting back to life

Thought for the day :" It's been decades since I was on a cruise. Long time, no sea!"

Dry 

Wet  

2025 : Wet 8 : Dry 2

Very cold today ...  walked the dogs to the kissing gate but that was enough.

Managed my first day staying up after letting the Chickens out - Susie managed to get up by midday and her cough is so much better.

Finally took the Christmas trees down from the Castle but decided to leave the fairy lights in place so I can light them when we open the Tavern.

Tom cam e down to look at the Vectra - and considers that we need to investigate what exactly is wrong with it before we weigh it in - so that is the plan for tomorrow. I have asked him to sort out an MOT for the Landie as well, as I may need a car at the end of the month if Susie takes the Volvo away.

Decided to adjust the garden lighting by unscrewing every other bulb to keep the power usage down a little without taking the effect of the garden light away entirely.

Giraffes needed standing up again and tried to reset the Yurt dehumidifier, but it doesn't work at below 3 degrees so left it switched on in case it warms up - not likely in the short term.

Walking down the lower quarter was surprised to see that the dafodills and possibly the bluebells are peeing up - hoping that they survive the frost...

Cheers 

  

Cheers