Keeping Busy

So Martin has been a 'man of leisure' for a few weeks now (having taken redundancy), and is keeping himself busy:

Stripping back and repainting the gates, and other bits of garden woodwork . . .

. . . tidying up in the garden itself . . .





. . . and painting the house, inside and out.

He's already beginning to talk about going back to work for a rest!

Spring Garden

The garden is looking nice in the spring sunshine . . .

. . . the lily of the valley is in flower












. . . the potatoes have gone into the small veg plot, and the first greenhouse has been planted up.  It'll be another busy summer in the garden :)

Update 20 May

Second greenhouse planted, and the last veg plot (with its Heath Robinson bean frame), courgettes, onions and stray potato plants, done.

Just got to keep it all weeded now!

Abbey and Endgame

An extended weekend away, catching up with family, and helping out in the garden, sorting through old books, etc., etc.  

Time also for a day out, revisiting     Anglesey Abbey on what proved to be a nice sunny-ish day (despite Storm Hannah - which was raging back at home in Wales).







A nice wander round the gardens, to the Mill, and eventually on to the house - the jeweled crosses are still there, as is the crouching cat on the pillar in the hall . . . 





As our visit also coincided with the opening weekend for Avengers Endgame we took the opportunity to get tickets - Epic!

Nice to see everyone (and escape the storm) . . .

Baking Baklava

My first foray into filo pastry (shop bought - haven't got the patience to make it from scratch!) - all a bit Greek.

First off, spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), which came out well, then the leftovers, and a (small) batch of baklava - honeyed, nutty, sticky goodness:

Yum!

Medical Mystery

After an obviously 'dangerous' bout of washing up, wondered why my left index finger felt stiff and swollen - then over the course of the day it turned a lovely purple colour (except for the finger tip).

Self-diagnosed (via the Internet) something called Achenbach Syndrome, which fit my symptoms (the photos were a very good match!) - and which was reassuringly described as 'benign'. 

Took myself to the doctor after the bank holiday, but they were stumped, and as the blood flow through my finger was ok, sent me away with the instruction to come back if it spread / got worse. 

Luckily it 'self-resolved' as the internet articles suggested it would within a few days - hopefully that's it!

. . . That End's Well

Having finally got through the last of the oil - time to say goodbye to the old oil tank, and hello to the new one (being delivered here over the front hedge).








Next job was to remove the old tank - awkward and heavy - and upgrade the base for the new tank, which is bigger, awkwarder and heavier!



And, a few hours later - one new oil tank, just awaiting the oil . . .









Oil delivery arrived today, and our heating man was back to connect everything up, run the oil through, and test it was all working.


Feeling a bit chilly out, so we may leave the rayburn on for a few days!

Last Blast of Winter?

Hailstorms in Aberystwyth left our primroses sitting in a bed of ice yesterday . . .

. . . and travelling to London today there had evidently been snow in mid-Wales overnight.

Hopefully that's it for winter now!