Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Wishing everyone the very best of 2016!

Icing on the Cake

As is now becoming traditional, the icing of the Christmas Cake had to wait until after Christmas itself.  A mistletoe and ivy theme this year - will start running out of ideas soon!

Christmas Day

So here we are again . . .

. . . turkey on to roast, table laid, fire lit, veg prepped, and mulled wine warming on the wood burner.






Of course, we cooked far too much food (as usual!).






Then, with the table cleared, time to play with the pressies.  Hadn't anticipated getting a train set (I'd always wanted a 'proper' one as a child as I told Martin on our recent visit to the National Railway Museum in York), so this was his gift.

Wasn't entirely sure first off, but a few times round the track and I can feel myself getting back into the idea!  Unfortunately this particular train has a fault, and will have to go back, but watch this space in 2016.

Nadolig Llawen i Bawb!

Stollen

In the run up to Christmas I'd been thinking about trying something a bit new in the baking line, and making some stollen.

So here, we go, first attempt . . . .   made the dough in the breadmaker, mixing in the fruit in the last few minutes (never been keen on candied peel, so substituted cranberries), left it to rise, then rolled in some marzipan.


On its second rise its turned into a bit of a monster, so looks like the method worked ok.

And here's the 'finished' (baked) product, nicely dusted with butter and icing sugar - and yes, it tastes pretty good too!

Under the Window

Since having the new window fitted, we've been pondering some kind of window seat to go underneath it.  Eventually ordered a small sofa (designated 'Molly'!) from John Lewis, and it arrived today:

Must say I've very pleased with it - its a nice piece of furniture, and fits in its space perfectly - and of course the John Lewis delivery experience was excellent!

Just in time for Christmas . . .

Epic Fail

Text from Martin:

"Whatever you left in the rayburn is ****** up beyond all recognition and tastes like charcoal????"

It was perfectly good red pepper when it went in last night  . . .

Unpacking Christmas

First Saturday in December, and the Christmas boxes are out of the cupboard . . . time to get decorating!






A few hours later (after a glass of wine or two) the tree is up, the lights are on, and the (empty) boxes are back in their cupboard.

Do like my Christmas sparkle!

Bandstand Ups and Downs

Despite showing its mettle by surviving the 'great storm' of 2014, plans for a new Bandstand at Aberystwyth have remained on the cards (the initial design didn't go down very well).

Work finally started in January this year, and by February its demolition was all but complete - just cutting through that pesky ironwork . . .


It does seem to have been a very long build - although at least there are signs of progress, unlike Tesco, which still hasn't made it above ground yet for various reasons (drainage / buried fuel tanks / etc.)!

It appears to be more or less there now (and the new design is looking good) - but I'm not holding my breath for the promised completion by Christmas!

Bunny on Film

More from Wildlife Cam . . .

Explore Your Archive 2015

Time for the annual call to 'Explore Your Archive' - with a launch event in Wales at Ceredigion Archives, and some colourful goodies (including more pink napkins).

So remember your local archive if you are looking for information on your local area - archives are full of fascinating things - go explore!

Last of the Tomatoes

Finally cleared out the last of the tomatoes from the greenhouses today - thought we better had since November is creeping on, and we might actually have some properly cold weather soon!

We were a a bit late getting the tomatoes started this year, but all in all it's been a good harvest, and the freezer is already well stocked with pots of tomato sauce.

A few here to keep us going as well - some already ripe, some for the ripening 'box'.

Cat and Mouse

Here's the latest from Wildlife Cam, this time from pretty much outside the front door - nothing very exotic though, a cat . . .

. . . and a  mouse (you'll have to look carefully!).

Keeping the Kettle Cosy

Way back in 2010 I had the bright idea of creating a 'kettle cosy' for the rayburn kettle, to improve boiling times, and help keep the water hot.  And a 'cosy' was duly created by sandwiching some foil insulation between a couple of old bar towels, with velcro to fasten the ends round the spout.


It did the job, and served us well for five winters, but as you can see it's also been getting a bit tatty and singed round the edges.



So . . . time for a new model.

No bar towels this time, but a recycling of an old set of oven gloves - again fastened in place with velcro, but this time at the back, with a hole for the spout.

Looks a bit smarter than the old one - we'll see if it manages to last for another five years!

York Weekend

Took advantage of a work trip to York for a long weekend away - with Martin joining me on the Thursday evening by train.

Met at the station and went for a couple of pints in The Maltings a real ale pub which we'd always found too busy to get in before that night.

Good cider as well as beer, and interesting decor - not entirely sure it's the best of plans to have a toilet ornamenting the bar mind you!


An enjoyable weekend followed 'doing' the sights of York - although we tended to stick to the indoor sights given the weather (which definitely wasn't living up to the heights of last Sunday.)



Revisited the Treasurer's House, which was hosting an exhibition on Vivien Leigh (documents, costume, film, etc.).  Interesting house, good ghost talk, but we didn't get to visit the cellars where the Roman soldiers are seen this time.



We probably spent the majority of our time in the National Railway Museum - plenty to see here, trains, the 'warehouse' area, model railways, demonstrations, and exhibitions.

I always enjoy poking round the warehouse area, but found some interesting signs in the exhibition this time:

Of course we did fit in a wander round York's medieval streets, and a circuit of the walls (when it wasn't raining that is!).  Indulged in curry, and even fitted in a little shopping before catching our train on Sunday.

All in all a nice break - but a long journey home.

Summer in November?

A beautiful day out today, and we ended up in Aberaeron making the most of it.  The day had started out warm, but the sun kept shining, and it got to the point where it could have been mid-summer.

So there we were - Aberaeron harbour, eating chips, and indulging in ice-cream, while basking in glorious sunshine - had to keep checking it was the 1 November!

As it turned out this was apparently a November record - and mid-Wales was the UK hot-spot.

Say It With Cake

For a while now we've been running our own version of the 'Bake Off' in work, with the proceeds from entry / tasting going into a pot for charity.


Having had a good first round ('lemon') with my mini lemon meringues, I managed to hold on to the lead (if not 'star baker') over the succeeding rounds ('vanilla', 'berry', and 'chocolate') - so I got to choose the charity.

So here was an opportunity to say a proper thank you to the RNLI for their help this summer.

Thank you also to the other bakers - and everyone who put their hands in their pockets to buy a cake.

Ready to steer clear of sugary treats for a bit now mind you!

Final Harvest?

As autumn draws on it's time to start shutting down the greenhouses - harvested most of the remaining tomatoes and cucumbers from the main greenhouse today, and the grapes from the small greenhouse.

Unfortunately our grapes are still a tad on the measly side (mostly skin and pip) - so boiled them up to make grape jelly or some such.

Got a few courgettes from the vegetable patch as well - think I might be making soup over the next few days!

Cutting Back

Although we'd finished cutting back the leylandii hedge, work has continued on the other border hedges, which had also gotten a little out of hand.

Finally finished today with the front hedges, which Martin has taken down a fair few inches (hopefully making it easier to cut in the future, as well as improving the view!) - you can see the difference in level below:

Along the way we'd noticed that the privet sections were looking a little sad in places, with black spots and yellowing leaves, and some branches which appear to have died altogether.

Looks like we may have some kind of privet fungal infection . . .



We've cut out the dead bits, and cleared some of the ivy that was clogging up the base of the hedge, and may spray / feed in the spring.  If we get a hard winter that might help kill off the fungus as well.

Fingers crossed it doesn't get too bad - the hedges might be a pain, but they do give us a lot of privacy, and the birds love them!

Archive Girls on Tour

Another 'reunion' weekend, this time with the 'girls' from my archive course (and next generation!).


Got ourselves a cottage in a village near Ludlow for a couple of nights and had a good catch-up.

Cake was eaten, small people (babies to age 4) were kept amused, and some wine was drunk (but perhaps not in the quantities of days gone by).




Had a nice day out in Ludlow on the Saturday, and finished the weekend with a walk round the village, and lunch out in a local pub.

Good to see everyone, and meet the little ones - looking forward to the next time!

Bunny on the Pie!

Long day at work today (Wrexham and back), but came home to find that Martin had made chicken pie for tea, with a bunny on the top . . .

Yum : )

Down with the Hedge

As you've probably gathered by now, we have a lot of hedges - and the golden leylandii at the back of the garden was one we'd probably neglected a bit.

So a couple of months ago Martin decided he'd bring it back under control.  From this (mid-July) . . .















. . . to this (by the end of August) . . .















. . . and finally, to this (earlier today):

It's all looking much neater now - but it was a major job (the field next door is stacked with the debris, drying out ready for a bonfire in the future, and some of the larger branches will be turned into proper firewood).

Just need to make sure we keep on top of it in the future!

For Sitting in the Sun . . .

We'd been pondering garden furniture (at the end of summer naturally!) for the yard area outside the kitchen, as it's quite a sun-trap in the later afternoon / evening.

Having wanted something we could leave outside over winter, we fixed on cast aluminium, and eventually agreed on a bench rather than a chair and table set (since we've got a wooden one of those already - when we haul it out of the garage!).


So here it is - arrived today - and duly assembled - that'll do the job . . .

North to Scotland

Onwards to Scotland by way of the Lake District . . .

Had a couple of days in my old stomping ground of Keswick - arrived in beautiful sunshine, and had a good wander round the town and down to Friar's Crag.  Did find that the place had gotten even more touristy - when I first worked there it was a proper town, now it's all cafes, and kit / gift shops.

At least Buttermere hadn't changed that much - had a glorious day walking round the lake, and sitting in the sun outside The Fish.

From there it was on up to Scotland - first stop Kirkcudbright where we spent a couple of nights - nice enough little town, good fish and chips, and some interesting characters in the local pub.

Was particularly taken by their war memorial - can just imagine their chap cuddling up with the similarly unclothed lady that graces the Aberystwyth memorial!

From Kircudbright had trips out to Logan Botanic Gardens (well worth a visit), and the nearby Logan Fish Pool (charming but a tad expensive).

Finished our day out with a walk along Luce Bay in the sunshine (fantastic expanse of beach, although the peace was shattered occasionally by the MoD blowing things up somewhere inland!).

Further north then to Ayr, stopping at Culzean Castle (National Trust for Scotland, and the main reason for our trip, since we'd visited briefly years ago and had always promised ourselves a return visit).

Had a lovely day walking the grounds, gardens, and beach - the sun even came out and it turned into a really nice day.

Returned the next day (in the rain) to go round the Castle interior - and then when the weather cleared up more of the grounds.



On the way back to Ayr tried out the 'Electric Brae' (one of those optical illusion roads where cars appear to roll uphill), and called in at the ruins of Dunure Castle.

Didn't see that much of Ayr itself mind you - seemed ok - found a nice bar, and an excellent curry house! 

Headed back south after that - called in at Grasmere (which out-touristed Keswick by a country mile), before settling in for a couple of nights in Kendal.  Met up with some old friends, walking the limestone pavement at Holme Park Fell, having a burger by Kirby Lonsdales' Devil's Bridge, and visiting 'Sheepfest' in Sedbergh.















All in all, a lovely break - time to go home now . . .

Flying Visit

Holiday time - yay!

Started with a short visit to the folks 'out east' - nice catch-up, and a visit to nearby Wisbech, where I used to work, more years ago than I care to remember!  Must say the place has changed . . .

. . . the town seems to have really gone downhill, with some areas almost derelict - a real contrast to the local National Trust property by the river, Peckover House, with its Georgian facade, well-kept rooms, and beautiful gardens . . .






Lovely to see everyone, and a nice sunny day out - good start to the holiday!

First Trip to Dublin

Across the sea for this year's ARA conference (having missed last year in Newcastle).

My first visit to Dublin - took the train to Holyhead to catch the ferry (good deal on the 'Sail Rail' tickets).  Thankfully the crossing wasn't too choppy, even managed to get a rather dodgy picture of a passing helicopter through the ferry window!

Unfortunately we arrived in an extremely wet Dublin, which rather put paid to the pre-conference sight-seeing I had planned.


Much of the next two days were spent in the conference hotel - some excellent speakers mind you, and an opportunity to catch-up / 'network' with lots of people, plus the dinner / dancing on the 'gala' night.

Must admit I did sneak out a little early one afternoon for a brief wander round the streets of Dublin - took in the sights of Temple Bar, and Molly Malone - and we did made it to an Irish pub one evening too.

Journey home could have been smoother (in more ways than one) - a rather rough crossing, late arrival, and mad dash to catch the train home, which was itself late, leaving us with five minutes to make the Aberystwyth connection at Shrewsbury.  Relieved to get back!

Liked Dublin though - will have to return for a more leisurely visit in our own time in the none-to-distant future.

More Connections . . .

 . . .  of the telephonic variety.

This weekend (or more specifically 9.30am on the Sunday morning) also saw the replacement of the telegraph pole outside our house:

Out with the old - which seemed to involve disconnecting an awful lot of stuff (not least the lamp also attached to the post).









And in with the new - with all the consequent reconnecting . . .



Martin is hoping that this is all a sign of things to come (i.e. the arrival of fibre broadband!).

Old Friends and New

Visitors this weekend - old housemates / friends from my University days, and a new friend in the form of our first canine visitor, a border terrier called Wilf.

The sun shone for the most part, walked the prom, kicked the bar, nice lunch out, the returned home to Skype our missing housemate in America - Wilf kept wandering behind the tv trying to work out where she was!  Barbecue tea, lots of wine, more reminiscing, even a Buffy episode or two.

Great to see everyone - house seems empty now without the pitter patter of doggie paws . . .