Was glad of the battery on a number of occasions, but even it couldn't cope with one of the hills on the return journey and had to get off and walk for a bit!
A nice taste of the summer to come?
Sunday, 30 March 2014
First Day of Summer?
End of March, the start of British Summer Time - and a truly summery day at that.
Took the opportunity to get out on the bikes - over the hill and down to Capel Bangor and along Cwm Rheidol, enjoying the afternoon sunshine.
Was glad of the battery on a number of occasions, but even it couldn't cope with one of the hills on the return journey and had to get off and walk for a bit!
A nice taste of the summer to come?
Was glad of the battery on a number of occasions, but even it couldn't cope with one of the hills on the return journey and had to get off and walk for a bit!
A nice taste of the summer to come?
Sunday, 23 March 2014
Project Moss
It's become increasingly apparent recently that quite a lot of our lawns are more moss than grass.
Having decided to do something about it, we've started with an electric scarifier on one of the front lawns - might have gone a bit overboard in our first attempt though as we managed to generate a ton bag of moss from the smallest of our bits of lawn!
Stage 2 has involved recourse to chemical warfare, and between the scarifying and the moss killer it looks like we may have got most of it - of course that means we're going to be left with a very patchy lawn (time to buy some grass seed?).
Having decided to do something about it, we've started with an electric scarifier on one of the front lawns - might have gone a bit overboard in our first attempt though as we managed to generate a ton bag of moss from the smallest of our bits of lawn!
Stage 2 has involved recourse to chemical warfare, and between the scarifying and the moss killer it looks like we may have got most of it - of course that means we're going to be left with a very patchy lawn (time to buy some grass seed?).
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Tree Surgery
Time to do something about the Leylandii by the woodshed - while it looks ok from this angle, it had died off completely round one side, and it was getting too high to trim safely.
So out came the chainsaw . . . and an afternoon of chopping, and lopping, and sorting of sticks, and stuffing of leafy bits into bags to take to the tip ensued.
Took a while but in the end it was reduced to a stump - something for the firewood store for 2015!
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Capital Days
Had some time off in March including a few days away visiting family and taking a side trip to London.
The sun shone for us for the most part, and we seemed to walk for miles . . . down to St Pauls, over the Millennium Bridge, and along the side of the Thames, back to Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery, a drink at the Three Greyhounds in Soho, then on along Oxford Street:
Had just about had enough for the day when our wanderings took us to this offer of spiritual messages.
Who knew?
Revitalised we made it to another couple of pubs before actually calling it a day.
On our final morning we visited the Hunterian Museum (an interesting if somewhat gruesome collection of specimens and instruments illustrating the development of anatomical and surgical knowledge).
The Museum is based in the Royal College of Surgeons, which is situated off another of those garden squares which London seems to specialise in.
Little oases of calm beside the busy London streets . . .
. . . particularly like the one in Soho Gardens with its charming half-timbered gardener's hut.
The sun shone for us for the most part, and we seemed to walk for miles . . . down to St Pauls, over the Millennium Bridge, and along the side of the Thames, back to Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery, a drink at the Three Greyhounds in Soho, then on along Oxford Street:
Had just about had enough for the day when our wanderings took us to this offer of spiritual messages.
Who knew?
Revitalised we made it to another couple of pubs before actually calling it a day.
On our final morning we visited the Hunterian Museum (an interesting if somewhat gruesome collection of specimens and instruments illustrating the development of anatomical and surgical knowledge).
The Museum is based in the Royal College of Surgeons, which is situated off another of those garden squares which London seems to specialise in.Little oases of calm beside the busy London streets . . .
. . . particularly like the one in Soho Gardens with its charming half-timbered gardener's hut.
Thursday, 13 February 2014
Hurricane!
Well 'hurricane' might be a slight exaggeration, but we don't see 100mph winds that often!
It didn't seem that bad yesterday morning, but by dinnertime the wind was phenomenal - trees were soon coming down (they had to close the road on Penglais Hill - I walked to the top to meet Martin, battling my way against the wind, and listening with some apprehension to the creaking and cracking of the trees on either side of the road!).
By the time we got home, the electricity was out, but at least for us it was restored within a couple of hours.
We didn't entirely escape in our garden either - the winds did for the final bit of the tree that started coming down in 2012.
The smaller of our two greenhouses didn't fare too well either - lots of broken panes of glass, and the door falling off!
Today the full scale of the damage was emerging - the trees either side of Penglais Hill had come down like dominoes, resting against each other - a brick wall had been 'blown over' by the Co-Op - I could go on . . .
We won't be forgetting the first few weeks of 2014 in a hurry!
It didn't seem that bad yesterday morning, but by dinnertime the wind was phenomenal - trees were soon coming down (they had to close the road on Penglais Hill - I walked to the top to meet Martin, battling my way against the wind, and listening with some apprehension to the creaking and cracking of the trees on either side of the road!).
By the time we got home, the electricity was out, but at least for us it was restored within a couple of hours.
We didn't entirely escape in our garden either - the winds did for the final bit of the tree that started coming down in 2012.
The smaller of our two greenhouses didn't fare too well either - lots of broken panes of glass, and the door falling off!
Today the full scale of the damage was emerging - the trees either side of Penglais Hill had come down like dominoes, resting against each other - a brick wall had been 'blown over' by the Co-Op - I could go on . . .
We won't be forgetting the first few weeks of 2014 in a hurry!
Monday, 10 February 2014
Monday, 27 January 2014
In 2013 I Mostly Read . . .
So here's what I read in 2013 . . .
December 2013 - started reading the Ngaio Marsh Roderick Alleyn detective series - long time since I read any of these. Classic detective stuff . . .
Back to crime - inspired by the final Poirot's on tv, read the first Agatha Christie Poirot, The Mysterious Affair at Styles - a slightly less dignified Poirot on paper. Then revisited an old favourite The Mysterious Mr Quinn (December 2013).
On to a couple of old Anne McCaffrey's (November 2013) - Restoree and The Ship Who Searched - classic sci-fi, and slightly sentimental sci-fi . . .
Continuing the Fantasy theme (November 2013) - a re-read of the Rivers of London series (Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Underground) ahead of the latest Broken Homes - really love this series, and the new addition didn't disappoint, with a great twist at the end. Can't wait for the next one!
Back to Fantasy for a bit - re-read Tanya Huff's The Enchantment Emporium ahead of a new acquisition, it sequel Wild Ways - both really good. All of which inspired me to revisit her 'Keeper' series: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning (October 2013).
Re-read the Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books (August - October 2013) - all the way through to Thrones, Dominations which she sort of wrote. Love the characters, in fact I think Lord Peter is probably my favourite fictional detective. Haven't bothered with Jill Paton-Walsh's later efforts as they had some mixed reviews, and didn't want to spoil my image of the characters. Broke to read an old Andre Norton Dread Companion (September 2013) from way back when - interesting to revisit - she wrote some great classic sci-fi.
Having finished Bess, started on her grandaughter's tale - Arbella: England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood (July 2013) - got diverted, but will finish soon.
Cruised to Norway with Mary Lovell's Bess of Hardwick (July 2013) a fascinating book about a formidable woman, having finally finished John Crowley's Little, Big - which has been on my bookshelf for decades. It wasn't a fast read (started it back in January and finished it on the cruise) but strangely compelling, and kind of poetic, although I found the ending a tad unsatisfactory.
Borrowed Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore (May 2013) - really interesting discussion of how historians over the years have just repeated hearsay and perpetuated myths.
Stephanie Burgis: A Most Improper Magick; A Tangle of Magicks; A Reckless Magick (April 2013) - looked intriguing, and were going cheap as Kindle downloads on Amazon - really enjoyable stuff, described by some reviewers as Jane Austen meets Harry Potter - an original take anyway on magic in a regency setting.
Re-read of my Robert Heinlein library (February - March 2013) inspired by watching John Carter on DVD which got me onto The Number of the Beast (since that is where I first came across reference to John Carter and the Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom books). From there went through Methuselah's Children, Time Enough for Love, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Friday, Glory Road, and I Will Fear No Evil. Enjoyed them all just as much as I ever did - he can tell a good story, full of colourful characters, although with some odd notions at times.
December 2013 - started reading the Ngaio Marsh Roderick Alleyn detective series - long time since I read any of these. Classic detective stuff . . .
Back to crime - inspired by the final Poirot's on tv, read the first Agatha Christie Poirot, The Mysterious Affair at Styles - a slightly less dignified Poirot on paper. Then revisited an old favourite The Mysterious Mr Quinn (December 2013).
On to a couple of old Anne McCaffrey's (November 2013) - Restoree and The Ship Who Searched - classic sci-fi, and slightly sentimental sci-fi . . .
Continuing the Fantasy theme (November 2013) - a re-read of the Rivers of London series (Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho, Whispers Underground) ahead of the latest Broken Homes - really love this series, and the new addition didn't disappoint, with a great twist at the end. Can't wait for the next one!
Back to Fantasy for a bit - re-read Tanya Huff's The Enchantment Emporium ahead of a new acquisition, it sequel Wild Ways - both really good. All of which inspired me to revisit her 'Keeper' series: Summon the Keeper, The Second Summoning, and Long Hot Summoning (October 2013).
Re-read the Dorothy L Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey books (August - October 2013) - all the way through to Thrones, Dominations which she sort of wrote. Love the characters, in fact I think Lord Peter is probably my favourite fictional detective. Haven't bothered with Jill Paton-Walsh's later efforts as they had some mixed reviews, and didn't want to spoil my image of the characters. Broke to read an old Andre Norton Dread Companion (September 2013) from way back when - interesting to revisit - she wrote some great classic sci-fi.
Having finished Bess, started on her grandaughter's tale - Arbella: England's Lost Queen by Sarah Gristwood (July 2013) - got diverted, but will finish soon.
Cruised to Norway with Mary Lovell's Bess of Hardwick (July 2013) a fascinating book about a formidable woman, having finally finished John Crowley's Little, Big - which has been on my bookshelf for decades. It wasn't a fast read (started it back in January and finished it on the cruise) but strangely compelling, and kind of poetic, although I found the ending a tad unsatisfactory.
Borrowed Alison Weir's Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore (May 2013) - really interesting discussion of how historians over the years have just repeated hearsay and perpetuated myths.
Stephanie Burgis: A Most Improper Magick; A Tangle of Magicks; A Reckless Magick (April 2013) - looked intriguing, and were going cheap as Kindle downloads on Amazon - really enjoyable stuff, described by some reviewers as Jane Austen meets Harry Potter - an original take anyway on magic in a regency setting.
Re-read of my Robert Heinlein library (February - March 2013) inspired by watching John Carter on DVD which got me onto The Number of the Beast (since that is where I first came across reference to John Carter and the Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom books). From there went through Methuselah's Children, Time Enough for Love, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Friday, Glory Road, and I Will Fear No Evil. Enjoyed them all just as much as I ever did - he can tell a good story, full of colourful characters, although with some odd notions at times.
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