Jab No. 2

Back to Thomas Parry Library for my second Covid jab this afternoon.  Took the opportunity for a wander round the old campus - some areas are looking a little neglected - and there is now a small forest where my old halls (long gone) were located!

The interior of the Library also feels both strangely familiar and very different - here I'm sitting in an area where I used to browse through library publications, while waiting out my 15 minutes post-jab . . .

Anyway, job done - fully vaccinated - here's hoping it all leads to some sort of  return to normality before too much longer!

Into the Woods

A sunny Saturday saw us out and about taking in the views from Strata Florida (although the iconic arch now comes with a temporary monument to the Wales football team ahead of the slightly misnamed Euro 2020 championship!).

On our way home we stopped to take a wander round a small community woodland at Coed y Bont - although it isn't that old, it's already attracting a lot of wildlife, and the trees and grasses looked really lovely in the afternoon sunlight.  

It apparently also has dark sky status - so might be a place to return to on a clear night in the winter for a spot of stargazing.

Finally called at Black Covert near Trawsgoed - didn't have time then for a full walk, but found our way to the river and back through the woods.  Another spot to return to.

All of which made for a really peaceful afternoon in the woods, and a taster for future days out.

This and That

And we're into June already - the swallows and swifts are back with us, although I think this (as a nest) needs a bit more work!* 

 

We're still feeding the birds off and on, but it turns out the mice are also somehow finding their way up onto the bird feeders - although it must have been something of an acrobatic feat!

The sun has been shining, and we had a beautiful late afternoon walk around Cwm Rheidol.  

The nice weather means that locally the farmers have already been cutting the grass for silage - here it is drying in the late evening sunshine . . .

*After some high winds a week or so later it was duly abandoned.

Hafod and Family

End of May family visit, and not the best few days weather-wise, although we did get to see some sunshine on a trip out to Aberaeron . . . 

. . . where we spotted this cormorant stretching its wings.

Of course, on the day our visitors went home the sun came out properly, and on the bank holiday we had a beautiful day out round Hafod, enjoying the sunshine.

The light through the trees was really something to see:

Cupboard Love

So, take one awkward unsightly corner space  . . .  and one large, low cuboid cupboard just not the right shape for anywhere.

Cut the back off said cupboard, reducing its depth by about a third.

Et voila! 

A neat little storage feature, that fits that awkward space and covers the plugs and stuff on the wall.  

Love my 'new' cupboard.

[Topped it off with a shelf, and it all looks quite nice now. The bowl on top of the cupboard is also a good place to put hats and sunglasses that otherwise get put down and 'lost' around the place.]

Pond Planting

 So 'project no. 1' aka 'the pond' has moved on . . .

The 'hole' was duly dug - with thanks to Martin - the oil tank section dropped in, liner weighted in place with aquatic-safe gravel and stones around the edge, before filling with water.

A couple of changes of water were required to rinse off the residue from the gravel, and then all was left for a week or so to allow any chemicals in the tap-water to disperse.  

Meanwhile, a selection of plants were ordered from a pond plant company, together with pots and 'aquatic compost'.

Finally, today, everything was potted up and put in situ.

At the moment it is all still a bit minimal, but hopefully the plants should 'establish' with time . . .

Greenhouse Drama!

We were just heading out for a walk today when we noticed that there had been a major potting table collapse in the main greenhouse.

Had to stop to rescue the plants - tomatoes / chilli peppers (various varieties) / courgettes - and reconstruct the table.

Luckily there don't seem to have been any major casualties!