Town Tales

 It's been an eventful weekend in town . . .

Rali Ceredigion was back on the streets, with some interesting 'advertising' from the rally sponsors on Castle Point.

There was also a beer festival, which took over some roads - and the sun actually shone, so that people could sit outside.

Unfortunately, we were too busy with van and other stuff, to stop for a beer!

Did see the conclusion to the rally, as prizes were awarded and the cars paraded past.

Until next year . . .

Project Van: 'Back to Us'

So the van is back with us - complete with the obligatory (if you watch any van build videos) Maxxfan at the front, and a skylight at the rear.

We also have four (opening) windows - including two larger ones, one in the sliding door, and the other opposite, beside the new double seat (as pictured). 

Then there are two smaller windows in the rear 'barn' doors - seen here from the outside.

So far, so good - but it's back to us now to actually finish the job!

Is it Dead Yet?

Recently bought a bottle garden terrarium from Lidl which was set up (as scheduled in the instructions) today.

With its cork lid now in place, it is supposed to develop its own 'ecosystem' without the need to feed or water - Martin is not convinced and keeps asking whether it is dead yet . . .

I guess we will see - I'll try to remember to issue an update in due course!

Project Van: 'Cutting Edge'

Today's the day . . .  the van is off to have various holes cut in it - which will then be fitted with windows (side and rear), and a ceiling fan and skylight (roof).

We decided to get this sorted by a professional to take some of the angst out of it - just been waiting for our 'slot' for the work to be done.

Otherwise, we've mostly been planning and purchasing, and continuing with the insulation side of things.

As the house fills up with parcels, and bits of 'van' - and we see a lot more of the postman and various courier drivers than we used to!

Misty Aberystwyth

Unfortunately, summer this year has been largely absent - hoping for better things to come, but today was another mixed bag, culminating with a sea mist on the prom.

At least it made for an atmospheric photo:

Back to the Lakes

Off to visit friends in the Lake District for a few days - it's been a while (pre-pandemic!) since we were last in the area, and it was lovely to be back, and catch up with people. 

Also took the opportunity for some Ikea van shopping on the way 😊 

First evening:

walk and sunset

Had a couple of days around the Southern Lakes area - which we are less familiar with.  

A day out visiting RSPB Leighton Moss took us for a wander and a spot of bird watching, although we may have spent longer watching a mini-digger trying to extract another mini-digger from a section of the mud flats they were obviously working on!

We had a lovely sunny Saturday, starting with our hosts doing the Windermere Parkrun - while we mooched around the lake, watching some rather extreme paddleboarding!

Moved on to Kirby Lonsdale, where I had the best ice cream from a local 'artisan' shop The Milking Parlour . . .

Biscoff Cheesecake ice cream in a waffle cone lined with melted milk chocolate 😋

Visited a couple of other places in the area, had a picnic, stopped for a pint, and just had a lovely day!

All in all a great break - good friends, excellent food, beautiful scenery, and some actual sunshine  🌞

Project Van: 'Backing Up' and 'Battening Down'

So, work is continuing on the Van project - while we wait for a date to get windows and roof things fitted (letting a 'professional' do those!).

Martin has 'battened' out the floor and is fitting it with PIR board insulation to keep our feet warm - battens are distributed a bit oddly to allow for where we think the 'furniture' is going to go, and of course we then changed our minds about some of the measurements!

He's also started applying some foil backed foam insulation to other bits of the van - notably the wheel arches.

It's already becoming apparent that this will be a long process - there are so many decisions to make, and doing one bit, is contingent on having finished another bit, etc. etc.   . . .  and it all takes so much longer than you think it will!

One job is done though - Martin has fitted a reversing camera in place of the old brake light (see above), and wired the monitor in to the front cab.

So now we can see what we are backing up into!

Walking in Sunshine

A couple of days in Cardiff - arrived mid-afternoon and decided to take advantage of some actual sunshine, and go for a walk round the Bay and over the barrage to Penarth.

On the other side we enjoyed a drink sitting on the terrace of a rather posh eaterie looking out over the Bay before making the return journey.

The next day wasn't quite so nice weather-wise, but I had work things to do in the morning, and we did a bit of shopping - and by the afternoon the weather had picked up a bit.

Nice to see Ianto's Shrine still going strong down on Mermaid Quay, and the Bay looked lovely in the evening light:

Time on our last day for a visit to Ikea to buy some bits and pieces for the Van Project, and of course indulge in a plate of Swedish meatballs!

Then on the way home we got to see a bit more sunshine at Aberaeron - where work on the sea defences is still in full swing, much to the detriment of their tourist season.

Project Van: 'Sound' Stage

Time to get started . . .  although planning is ongoing, and boxes of this and that are arriving everyday.

First job - applying sound deadening 'mats' to various bits of the van to dampen some of the noise generated by driving around in what is, after all, just a tin box!

Martin even took it as an opportunity to leave his mark for posterity . . .

Family Time

Back to East Anglia for a family birthday, and the usual mix of time together, trips out, and helping where we can.

This visit included the purchase of a wheelchair - and the jigsaw puzzle of getting it in the car with the walking wheels, so both parents could be fully mobile.

Then the wheelchair's first outing round Manea Gala:

Of course, there was also a family dinner, plus a meeting with my aunt and uncle who were over to visit too on the day we arrived, and as ever, one small dog curled up with some footwear!

Project Van

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you, there is, finally, a van on the drive.  

After months (or maybe years) of discussions, we headed down to Swansea last Saturday to check out a panel van, and took the plunge and bought it - and today it is on our drive, ready to convert into a camper.

It's a former rental, 2020 medium wheel base Peugeot Boxer - so 5.4m in length, which means it should be a bit easier to park than the bigger vans, but that we have a little less room for fitting out inside.

The van even came with a hidden free bottle of drink, stuffed inside one of the interior pillars - although since it went out of date in 2022, probably best not drunk 😝

Anyway, lots to plan, and lots to do . . .  it may take us a while, but watch for updates!

Day Out and Dinefwr

A not so sunny Saturday saw us on the road to Swansea - for reasons that will become clear in the next post - but on the way back we decided to revisit Dinefwr (hard to believe it was 2011 when we were there last!).

Parked up and made our way up the drive past a new, and rather charming, 'fairy village' Tref Tylwyth Teg 'feature' - the door in the tree was particularly effective.

Did the usual tour of the house, indulged in tea and cake, and then walked it off with a very pleasant wander through the deer park and up to the old castle:

It all made for a rather nice day out - especially as the weather was distinctly better than at home - we even saw some sunshine!

Will try not to leave it another 12 years before we visit again though 😀

Happy Father's Day!

Visit to family over Father's Day weekend  . . .

Brother-in-law on barbecue duty (again) - with Marci watching on, as ever, just in case . . . you know!

The sun shone, some lovely food, and good to be together as a family.

Time for a walk later, taking in Manea Pit with all its attendant wildlife (which includes lots of geese).

Good job Marci was on a lead otherwise she'd have been in there!

Great family weekend . . .

Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder?

 I think not . . .

Project: Compost It

As noted in our Garden Project Update we've also been busy rebuilding the compost bins.  The pallets we used way back when to construct the original bins had long rotted away, and it had become more of a breeding ground for weeds than anything else.

So Martin has again been doing sterling work digging out the old weedy compost and creating a flat base to re-build on.

Then it was back to the old metal Folly roofing and some spare wood we had around and about, to construct three new solid bays.

Bay 1 is already in use for grass and hedge clippings etc. 

Hopefully this one will stand the test of time, and save us a few trips to the tip! 

Garden Project Update

 

Just an update really . . .

Here we have the finished shed - doors and fascias in place!

A new raised bed - using the old roofing from the Folly - and the piles of compost being dug out of the old compost bins as part of another project (more later!).

The positioning of the paving slabs has been decided upon, and that job is finished too.

Just a little more work to do on the ex-polytunnel / new fruit cage.

It now has an almost stone-filled plastic grid base in place - but we probably won't bother with netting it over this year (since there is no fruit yet to protect!).

Really pleased with how it is all coming along . . . and kudos again to Martin for all his hard work.

Project Shed

Having 'prepared the ground' and safely made it back home, it was time to get stuck into one of the major garden projects of the year - namely the construction of 'The Shed'.

We'd gone for a 8' x 6' shiplap pent shed, with windows and double doors - construction time supposedly around half a day with two people.

Martin did most of the work - my job was to hold things in place and help 'interpret' the instructions - but by the end of day one we'd only just got it 'up', roofed and felted.

At 7pm we decided enough was enough - the shed might be solid, but we were broken!

The doors and fascia boards would have to wait for another day . . .

Here We Go Again

Back from another trip across country to visit family - on my own this time, and once again it was a rather fraught experience car-wise - although I had a lovely visit with family and friends.

Along the way I ended up having the brakes 'done' on the car - we knew they were going to need doing soon, and as they had started making a bit of a noise, I took the car to a local branch of a nationwide company to get it sorted.  The work was duly completed (new discs and pads - calipers were pronounced ok) - no noise - all good (or so I thought!).

The problem came on the journey home, when 20 miles down the road the car slowed down, and didn't seem to want to 'go' at all.  

Managed to get to Huntingdon, where it became apparent that the brake on the front passenger side was 'stuck' (stock steamy image for illustrative purposes!). 

Fortunately there was another branch of said company not far away, but it was a good six hours wait, while everything cooled down, and new calipers (which were the problem!) were delivered and fitted.

Plenty of time for a mooch round Huntingdon - and for a visit to the local Wetherspoons (which has very nice loos!) where I sat reading my book.

Was finally back on the road around 2.30pm - new discs, pads and calipers on both front brakes (although, fair play, they only charged for the one caliper).  

Safe home again - and hopefully that's it for car troubles this year!

Preparing the Ground

With lots of garden 'projects' in the offing, the last few days have been spent preparing the ground as it were:

• A ton bag of pea gravel and some more paving slabs were ordered and delivered, to gravel over a problem area by the veg plot and create a new path across to the greenhouse.  

The gravel easily filled the area, with plenty left over for other projects - it's nice and deep too, so hopefully that will finally stop the weeds coming through!

Still deciding on the placement of the paving slabs!  

Looking at the new paving we also realised how overgrown the old path was - so project 'rediscover' the paving slabs was initiated!

• A new garden shed was ordered and delivered, requiring construction of a solid base to build it on.

We had the old greenhouse base (the greenhouse that got destroyed by Storm Arwen back in 2021) - and having never really done anything with the empty frame, Martin finally deconstructed it and started filling the base with stones and rubble from around the garden.  Some of the excess pea gravel also went in to level it off, and then some concrete mix was added to firm it all up.

Anyway it's all looking good - on to construction soon!

• Finally, decisions were made about turning the old polytunnel into a fruit cage, and a plastic grid base has been ordered for that (the rest of the pea gravel will be used to fill it).

Of course, this also required more ground levelling!  

Fair play to Martin, he's been working really hard . . .  but it is all coming together, and the garden is starting to look a lot tidier as a result.

More to follow . . .