Posts that Didn't Happen - July 2022

Most of July was just getting on with life . . . a bit of gardening, keeping the veg plot, greenhouse and polytunnel in trim . . .  putting up pictures and a cabinet in the Folly . . . cleaning the kitchen floor . . . etc. etc.

It was marked by some glorious weather though . . .

. . . some a little too hot for comfort.  

Sat in the sunshine when it was bearable, and made the most of my leisure time (having had a job offer, which means that August will actually see me back in work - of which more in the next post!).

Ended the month with a few days away visiting family, ahead of a return to Cambridge Folk Festival - although did enter purdah the week before (being slightly paranoid that I'd catch covid and wouldn't be able to go).  

Had a lovely few days, relaxing with old friends, listening to music, and eating far too many of the best onion bhajis ever!

Posts that Didn't Happen - June 2022

 And we're into June (only six months behindhand!).

Started the month with more garden work, including the first full trim of the hedges, and clearing out some old raised beds, which 14 years on were finally rotting away (and infested with ground elder).

Early June also saw the return of CycleFest to Aberystwyth - and we had a wander along the prom taking in the sights, which included the Welsh Circuit Race Championship. 

On to a birthday trip to visit family via Ironbridge and Blists Hill Victorian Town - had a good wander round the recreated Victorian town (all really interesting), enjoyed a cream tea in the sunshine, before moving on to Ironbridge for the night.  

Another really scenic spot, a cider or two, rounding it all off with a curry :)

Back home after the family visit, and a relatively quiet rest of the month - keeping on top of the garden, sitting in the sun reading, etc. 

We also harvested the first cherry from that cherry tree we had planted out of its pot and into the front garden last year.  Hopefully there will be more to come (if we get to them before the birds!).

Finally, decided it was probably time to go back to some sort of work (hopefully part-time), so the job search has begun - something to help pay the winter oil bill!

Post that Didn't Happen - May 2022

And now it's May, and mostly a month of garden things.

Started the month with a couple of 'projects' - finally doing something with other bits of the old oil tank - making a rhubarb planter out of the other 'end', and using the structural bits through the middle as supports for pizza oven / barbecue table sections (freeing up the breeze blocks).

We'd also invested in a small polytunnel to replace the growing space in the storm-damaged greenhouse - much puzzling over instructions ensued, but we got there in the end, and got it into position in the former small veg plot.

It all nearly went pear-shaped, when after going out on one windy day I got back to find the entire polytunnel (cover on), sitting right side up (as if placed there) in the field next door! 

Between us we managed to wrestle it back over the hedge, and here it is planted up, and firmly attached to some heavy base boards!

Other gardening jobs included some light hedge trimming, weeding out flower beds and the main veg plot, greenhouse maintenance, and planting up (tomatoes in the greenhouse and polytunnel - courgettes and potatoes in the veg plot).

Along the way had an extended visit with family, to help out while they had a new floor fitted, sat in the sun reading on the bench, and (slightly spooked by rising prices) staring to look for something new (and part-time) in the way of work.

The Folly meanwhile got rearranged (more than once) - taking it from a bare space, to something almost fully kitted out, and full of 'stuff'!

Posts that Didn't Happen - April 2022

Spring has sprung and we're into April - and it's all change . . .

Did some serious thinking last year, and decided enough was enough and it was time for something new, so handed in my notice (well in advance) to finish work at the end of this month.

8 April was my last 'working day' although I carried on with filing off and on before finally logging off for good on 19 April, with accrued holiday then taking me through to the end of the month.  

I had some lovely farewell messages, gifts and flowers . . .

. . . in particular, this reproduction estate map from the Welsh archivists, showing the local area and with our property actually marked on it!

So it's 'retirement' - for the time being anyway - a few months to enjoy the summer, furnish my Folly, keep on top of the garden, and read a few books.  Unfortunately that didn't seem to equate to time for blogging! 

Otherwise it was a month of work on the house and garden; including the acquisition of a new sail awning for outside the back of the house.

Martin also made a new garden table, and started work to repurpose the storm damaged greenhouse as a fruit cage.

Got some bargains in a local recycling store, and also had some furniture gifted from family for use in the Folly.

Stuff got moved in, with consequent reorganisation in the house as well, and a lot of time was spent on flat-pack furniture assembly for storage and workspace.

Nearly there!

Posts that Didn't Happen - March 2022

And on to March . . . 

Started the month with the death of my old Kindle, and the setting up of a new one with lots of enhanced features - the backlight will be particularly useful for reading at night!

Some baking - with my own version of Malteser Chocolate Cupcakes, which went down a treat.

And lots of 'Folly' related activity . . .

Martin had finished construction on the new wood storage round the back of the Folly so I painted it with wood preserver.  While inside the Folly I'd got the skirting boards stained and varnished and various 'gaps' sealed and caulked - plus a bit of additional 'cosmetic' pointing on the feature wall. 

We also got a 'garden path' laid down to the Folly - 'inlaying' the slabs by removing sections of turf - which handily could then be used to re-turf the 'scar' from the trench that was dug for the electric cabling back in December.

A path that will come in very useful in wet and muddy weather!

So, Two Year's On from the start of home-working and I was nicely settled in the Folly, with a proper desk set-up.

With the decorating done, I'm also beginning to move other bits and pieces in - next job, getting it fully furnished!

Posts that Didn't Happen - February 2022

So here's my February retrospective - a little later than intended!

Generally this was a quiet but anxious month - still waiting for the wood burning stove to be fitted for the first couple of weeks, and rather annoyed with it all.  Without heating, and a hole still through the wall for the flue, we ended up with condensation and mould on the newly decorated walls / ceiling.

On 11 February, the fitter finally showed up to get the stove in place and sort out the chimney - not that he managed to finish that, with some extra flue pipe on order, and the flue not properly concreted in as a result.

At least the hole through the wall was mostly filled, and we were told that we could light a small fire in the interim to get some heat into the building.

With walls and ceiling cleaned, and that fire lit, on 16 February I actually 'moved in' - or should I say 'camped out' (working from a makeshift desk), but at least getting some heat into the place.

Then 24 February brought the end of the world as we know it, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine - all that domestic angst now seemed so unimportant . . . 

It all got so upsetting I started avoiding the news entirely.

The end of the month did at least bring an end to the stove saga, with the flue finally in place and concreted in.

And with some sunshine, a late afternoon walk on the prom, and a stunning exhibition from the murmurating starlings - which I can never take a good picture of, so here's a photo of 'winged Victory' atop the war memorial instead.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2022

Having done it last year, decided we'd better keep it up . . .

So 3.20-4.20pm today was again spent peering out of the windows at the bird feeders - although this year without a mob of starlings trying to take over.

Here's our tally for 2022:

7 Goldfinches (=)
3 Blue Tits (down 2)
3 Chaffinch (=)
2 Blackbirds (up 2)

2 Great Tits (down 1)

2 Jackdaws (up 2)

2 Siskins (up 1)

2 Sparrows (=)

2 Wood Pigeons (up 2)

1 Collared Dove (up 1)

1 Dunnock (down 1)

1 Jay (up 1)

1 Magpie (down 1)

1 Pheasant (up 1)

1 Robin (down 1)

1 Starling (down 14)

1 Woodpecker (Greater Spotted) (=)

0 Coal Tits (down 2)