A trip to Ledbury..

Well autumn is here, The Apples are collected and my batch of cider should be on the go by the end of next week, along with the crab apple jelly, along with the 40 or so mobiles! yipee can't wait to do them! not...

I went down to Ledbury yesterday with nell for a drive, i love that part of the country at this time of the year you get a real "Harvest feel". And the cider orchards are laden to the ground with lovely red apples, we saw trailers of hop's I love the smell and trailers of corn on the cobs, I'm afraid all we get around here are trailers of silage so it was a real treat.
I met up with woozle at the hop pocket and we had coffee and chatted like old friends {we've met 3 times now}.
We met up again in town where Phil Rickman was doing a book signing. He'd finished but bless him he came back in and signed for us what a lovely man, if you havent read any of his books give them a go i'm sure you'll enjoy them especially you Shropshire lot!!!
Ahhh the Shropshire Four {or near enough} It was a real treat to meet up on thursday at Elizabeth's, isnt her house gorgeous!! I'm hoping we can meet up again at the Ludlow medieval fair on the 23rd-24th nov on the saturday evening so put the date in your diaries and anyone else who thinks they can make it .............
One thing we all agreed on was how strong this site as become, and what good friends we've made also the similarities and coincidences that connect us , aparently Elizabeth and mountainear lived around the corner from each other years ago and knew the same people but had never met. Small world isnt it..

Home..

For the last few monthes i've been getting a bit down about our unfinished house, you'lll notice there arnt any photos of the hous thats because at the side there is a bloody great hole if i stepped out of my back door i'd fall 15ft , the"extension" as been on going for 12yrs, the heap of rubble in the background as been on the lawn for 7yrs, if an unwary blind walker stumbles they could drop down from the lane 30ft onto the foundations............I never stand back and look at the house because of the mess at the side...Also cols dad and aunt and unkle are getting feeble now and need more care, they could live with or at least have the option . So thoroughly hissed of last month i decided i wanted to sell ! Get a house thats finished on level land, downsize to maybe 4 acres, and no gorse or ragwort..........sounds like heaven.and i started looking, i even went to view a hall in Clun it sounded perfect on paper and the house was big, but we drove up and realised most of the outbuildings had been converted and sold off and i couldnt inflict my family on anyone, I've trawled the internet and nothing compares to here unless you go into the millions....so i stood back and took stock and fell in love all over again, now i'm lavishing attention on my home all the woodwork to be painted, new glass in all the steamed up d/glazing, a serious pruning and weeding that pile of boulders is getting moved slowly and cols decided to restart the building work....yipeeee i think i scared him..........I may even go against the grain and poison the blasted ragwort next year i've tried organicaly for to long and my back can't take it. anymore.

A day with Big brother..

Is he serious?? said Monty.

Today my younger big brother [confusing] i have 2 of them Elvis { A strong resemlence to the costello one in the eighties} who's 49, and boozer who i dont see very often who is 53 .
It's strange isn't it how The big brother who teased me relentlessly and frightened me with scary stories ,until i was a wreck, wetting the bed and pulling my hair out, {To be fair my dad and other brother did their fair share}....Can end up your best friend..
One of my earliest school memories is of elvis getting bullied and called names ! and me brand new to school attacking them and screaming for them to leave my brother alone.!! I also remember eating all the Leatherette of his coat collar, while i waited for his class to finish he wasn't amused.......I hated him through all my early teenage years, But now I love him to bits he's my partner in crime always up for one of my daft adventures, and always there to help if he's needed He's been a Great unkle ! {I just heard an owl " Wolf Whistle" outside weird} And the children adore him.....I remember after we lost mum he had his head shaved. He'd had a long plait for years and it suited him, Sorrel was in tears when she cut it off in public And i was but he raised £500 for cancer research And we were so proud..

Well today he arrived and we played.. he collected his "favourite" mushrooms yuk!
Then we started on the apples, They are huge this year, And then i had him blackberry picking..
But best of all he's not scared of spiders so i made him venture ito the stables to find a collection of old enamel "wee willy winky"candle holders which i last saw 12yrs ago when we renovated! needless to say he didnt find them or the top to my dresser....
We ate veggie bacon butties and chocolate and put the world to rights.

He met me part way when sorrel and i did part of the offas dyke walk, he got of the train like he was going on a 3 month trip to the Antarctic ! ! He struggled along the first day until we arrived at our camping site.. Then i examined his pack>>>>> i don't know where to begin it was hysterical. The obvious was the 5ft by 3 ft Roll of Axminster Carpet strapped across the top of his rucksack!!! His rucksack was ex army and was made of canvas and steel!! His long waxed barbour, A metal water bottle that weighed more empty than mine did full ! A pan a real hard bottomed family sized pan!! the mind boggles!! it gets better A four man canvas ex army tent weighing a ton, and a proper kettle [ you must remember i had cooking equipment with me ] A household box of matches a big cream box [ he couldnt find his lighter so he brought them instead] And wait for it....................... "SEVENTEEN SPOONS" it sounds like an episode of last of the summer wine i know................................Apparently he'd forgotten his tent pegs!! so he called into a junk shop and bought the spoons thinking they'd do, and i could use them for mobiles after, What a laugh he is mad..................... i made bin his pan and carpet and kettle......When we eventually got home we put his pack on the scales it weighed 6 stone... he'll never live it down...

Just a quick one!

MOO And HONEY.

I feel i should have so much to tell,....
On saturday i'd seen advertised a cottage that was open to the public for the weekend, and i recognised it as one of my Derri's That i hadnt visited for years.. it has been bought by the landmark trust, And has been renovated to perfection...
I hadnt heard of this company before and bought their book while i was there..I can go and stay in my derri !!!! and i just may have to, it's only 6 miles away though, but i never thought for one minute looking at the ruin it was that it'd be possible....
Have any of you stayed in any of their properties, i am seriously tempted with some of them, and you can take dogs thats a bonus...
I'm still not in full control of my new camera, i can take the photos load them onto the computer but then they hide, i'll have to wait for a teenager to visit and find them for me.......

Willow weaving...

Not the photo i wanted to put up i'm still doing battle with my new camera, and lost the willow photos somewhere in the ether...........But even better you get the first photo of honey our new greyhound addition and she's a love, i've even relaxed my no sitting on furniture rule for her and let her sleep on this chair.....

Yesterday was the basket making course, What a panic the day before, it just suddenly seemed to be upon us , so mad cleaning in the workshop, Those swallows have alot to answer for!!
Anyway the day arrived chilly and wet typical! so i lit the woodburner and cooked a big veggie lasagne, so much for salad and quiche in the garden. I'd prepared a summer pudding the night before, they are so simple why havent i done them before?? and it went down a treat.........
I met some really nice people, one couple arrived in a big green transit van with a trailor, he lived in it and WOW!!!!!! he showed me inside, it was all boarded out with a curved ceiling and beautifully painted in forest green, and a wood burning stove to resemble a gypsy caravan, it was Extremely well done and immaculate........ He's was a bodger some one who makes bits from wood, he'd given up is Plastering business and home to travel and live like a tinker, she worked for the council, and stayed with relations during working days, They'll be coming back to learn barge painting, and maybe do some wwoofing...
The other's where all ladies from a floral art group, and what a laugh they were, jokes and quips where flying around all day...Everybody really enjoyed themselves and will hopefully be back, lot's of hugs and kisses and wa lah the day was over>>>>>>>>>> now to seriously start recruiting for the Dying and felting 2 day event in october.............And now i'll try and find those photos,i'll post this first though in case i lose it............

A multitude of things..

Bodran from the opposite hill...we're in the middle,
not literaly SBS..

Well since last week i seem to have done loads of stuff, but let me tell you about "He who grunts" first..
He's working in Chester at the moment, and he's passed his test to drive a dumper while he's been there.. They are doing the ground work for a new hotel near the race course......... An old building as been demolished first and as they where digging out the old foundations, and going deeper for the new ones, he noticed bones being uncovered!! They had unearthed a load of bodies or so it seemed, nothing recent thank heavens but what is probably a Roman burial ground.. Work as stopped on that area while the archaeologists are there !! fascinating stuff..

I went belly dancing last week organised by the W .i it was a laugh!! and i was hopeless!! my left side just won't wiggle..The teacher was very good though and may start lessons in the village hall, That'll cause some interest for the male population...

We went to Ludlow on monday to view a house that needs some TLC, Very very tiny no garden no parking not alot going for it at all really, but we need a project and i want it so fingers crossed..

We've had an offer on the llanrwst house which we've excepted so fingers crossed for that too,
if it goes through it'll make the ludlow scheme much easier....
The basket making course is on saturday, so i've got to think about feeding people, and i need to clear the workshop... but today i've decided it's new camera time so i'm off out to buy one now...
I'm not even going to mention the barn dance[ rave more like ] except to say I WAS THE FIRST TO DANCE And i look such a fool it stops anyone else feeling self concious and so they can get on and party..........Wasnt drunk Honest xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Home work...

Monty's moustache

DAWN

Thing's that would reach to my inner self....This is quite hard homework miss.......

There are song,s and pieces of music which i don't know the names to, which make my hands prickle, and the hairs rise on the back of my neck ,and i could cry, they come to me like a memory, but with no form just overwhelming feelings.....I feel sure they would reach me.

One song is" The spinning wheel by maureen o'hara" i think.. deep memories of mutton broth, and bakelite plates at my nanas while it played..

Kate Bushes "womens work" and "moments of pleasure" they are 2 of the songs i put on to a tape,to play while i was in labour....

Theres another tune,, which when me and the children are returning Home after our adventures away put on a mile away and it reaches it's crescendo as we reach our drive, it's now a tradition....it's harp music i'll have to discover its name.

My children can reach me , I hear them call me not with my ears but with my soul [don't tell them that they'd never believe me]..

"Smell" the wonderful herby smell of my garden this time of the year........

Lily of the valley, fresh grass, campfires with potatoes, Clean washing, cinnamon, ..The smell of my children, and colin each have their own scent only noticed by me, but i'd recognise them anywhere.........My mothers shawl, retains her scent and even 8yrs later it comforts me like a big hug.......

Touch, from the grip of a babys hand , to the feel of colins work roughened huge hand, I would be truly isolated and bereft, without touch.....The bark of a tree , grass tickling my feet, The wind touches me all the time i love to stand arms outstretched head back while the wind buffets me its exhilarating and fills me up to the brim like a skittish pony..?

Mud squelching between my toes..

Drinking the Dew of leaves...

Dogs ears and eyes..

My hair being plaited then released..!

The smell of meadowsweet!

Monty's moustach!

The Great Orme..not august the 18th!

It's become a tradition, the last day before school starts we go to llandudno..
First a walk to the tram station at the base of the orme, taking in all the glorious victorian architecture and choosing which house we'd live in, i go for the turreted mansion with stone mullioned gothic windows!! and gargoyles!! and guess what even in our imaginings they all still want to share the same house as me.... it is pretty splendid though..... Then the tram station is in sight, colon hasn't been with us before so theres lots of jokes about the string snapping etc he took it as it was meant and laughed, we where early so shared a bag of chips, arn't they delicious when eaten outdoors, with not quite enough to go around....................
Then into the lovely victorian tram which is going to tow us up this step hill, and looking back at the tremendous view which takes in llandudno town and bay, and the mist covered mountains as a backdrop stunning.......
Up to the top very slowly, We didnt stop at the bronze age copper mines this year which is halfway but its well worth a visit if you havent been...........At the top theres an exhibition of the local flowers and architecture, a bar, a cafe the inevitable arcade and crazy golf, what we head for is the photo booth where you get to dress up in victorian clothes etc and have a sepia photo taken..This year we where cowboys, we look ridiculous but it was fun!!
Then ice cream and take in the view right across to anglesey and the menai straits, we'd picked the perfect day the light was perfect and everything stood out in relief... no blurdy camera though....
Then we headed down to the ski slope and taboggan run, so we strolled in the general direction, its out of sight and a couple ? of miles away , we unfortunatly encountered a herd of the wild goats, and having owned billies i know there dirty habits so we tried to avoid them but to no avail, one put on a very graffic display, and we just missed getting pee'd on from a great height !!!
Even so they are splendid beasts with great curling horns and long white hair....
Then close to a road nel spotted a dead kitten still in its birth sac, only recently born, there was no sign of mum or any other kittens what a shame.......
The walls on the top are all drystone and you can see the fossils in them, don't worry i didnt bring any home..
Then to the Toboggan run where the girls got tickets to go on, we wanted to but, the price put a stop to it......
What fun though just watching, it as a swiss feel with a chalet and restaurant, and it was packed, there was an hours wait for there goes but it was worth it, and to be fair my girls where the fastest no breaks, until the last minute!!! proud mum but heart in mouth as they hurtle past..!!
then down through the gardens with there alice in wonderland theme, with the carved teaparty and a carved giant cheshire cat, yet again in a beautiful setting, we even strolled to the end of the pier, and had a mulled wine, and finished of the day with tea in the fountains......all in all a lovely day.......! until of course i realised nel didnt go into school until today!!!