Mainly photos

Did the evening walk and feed at the farm tonight, as K & T have gone to Cardiff to see Joe Brown (blimey, I couldn't believe he was still going, doing a 50th Anniversary tour apparently, I feel old, very, very old....)

Anyhow, there was the most amazing sunset up there so took a few photos on the Nokia, which reminded me I took the odd one here and there during my five week stint, so thought I'd stick them on here, seems a shame to have taken them and then they were just on my memory card. So here we are then -









Donkeys are back in the top field









Tiddly, the latest feral kitty



Walking in the Moonlight

The Ram, looking like Monarch of the Glen lol

Just a quickie (again)

Well I'm still alive, still can't find time to do this, but for all you Emma lovers out there, I thought I'd just do these cute photos I took this morning. ;o)

Other than that, I have finished my 5 weeks at the farm, had a great time, lived in every weekend and a couple of other odd days, have another 4 day stint to do weekend after next, plus will be helping them move the sheep around this weekend if it stays dry, being split into two flocks and rams moved etc.

I have a healing suspected broken toe at present, I cleverly walked into my exercise bike in bare feet last Thursday, so for those with a strong stomach, theres a couple of pics of the damage. Was screaming in pain for about 5 minutes, I'm not normally such a wimp, it's normally a lot of swearing and ouching and rubbing but not this time, I have never, ever felt such pain I can tell you. Didn't bother with docs or hospital as they don't do anything anyway. It's okay now though, still a bit black but I can walk fine as long as I don't bump them against anything....

Been flying about here there and everywhere, never got time to do anything but the necessaries, and that's set to continue for the rest of this week for sure.

Oh, the good news too, one of my little hand tame robins is back, but having to dash about else he gets beaten up by the other one by the back door. Managing to get him some mealworms now and then anyway, seen him twice today. I can't make up my mind which one it is, the breast marking tells me it's Sage though, but I so wanted it to be one of the other two, they were my first little babies, Sage never got quite so tame, but he is coming onto my hand very quickly, not sure.

Right, well I shall post the pics and then off to watch Im a Celebrity Get Me Outa Here, so I am pretty tied up from 9-10pm for the next three weeks, unless I lose interest of course, but at present can't take my eyes off Simon Webbe.... cough.

Ive just sent these photos off to Cute Overload, will let you know if they publish them.









Ouch

No fainting please...

....well I'm not going to make a habit of it again, but just to let everyone know I am still alive, am fine, (well most of the time) and a very brief update I suppose of my exciting life since the last time on here.

Well I can't begin to remember all that's happened in just over a month, but I suppose things of note are :-

(1) I am still seeing Alan,
(2) Went to see my mum for a very long overdue visit, only could manage 4 days though
(3) All the work at last finished in the bungalow, central heating is bloody great
(4) I've been doing the farm for 11 days now, have 21 left, no problems so far, have "lived in" last weekend and the weekend before, with Alan. Don't fancy doing it on my own up there though
(5) Still feeding hedgehogs, not sure how many coming now though, but there is one living in my box in the garden, a large, unmarked one.
(6) All my dear little Robins long since disappeared, the last sighting was the last day I blogged here, with little Frank, I think it was a farewell song. All three went the same day, can't get my head round it. There are three others here, none are tame, they must've reclaimed the territory and my little ones had to move on. Very sad about that.
(7)Lost interest in the internet really, hence my lack of blogging, I often only switch on for half an hour or so to do my quizzes. Maybe with winter coming along I will have more time/inclination not sure, shame really I know, but just seem to have other things to do all the time. I've not used my camera in weeks either, but did take a couple of pics up the farm the other day with my Nokia, so will end now with those.

Fantastic sunset at the farm on Thursday evening, taken at 18.40 pm






Biggley keeping my car battery warm for me

Frank the Robin

Dear little Frank came to ask for his worms earlier today, and having had a couple, decided to sing me a little song to thank me. He sat on the bird table yesterday and did the same but by the time I got the camera, he'd gone, so was thrilled he gave me another chance today. He was only 12 inches away from the camera. Pepper and Sage still around, and I actually think there's maybe another one coming to hand now, but they all look the same except for Frank! He has an almost straight line across the bottom of his red breast, whereas the others have a v-shaped dip.

I'm back

Don't know if I should be doing this now but if I don't it will be put off again.

Just an update really. I took Alan home yesterday after having him here since Saturday week, they let him out of hospital after two days, although they really wanted to keep him in longer for observation, but due to his dad's funeral on the Monday, and him pretending he was now "fine" (sigh) they let him out as long as he had someone with him (me) Was glad to be looking after him though, made me realise how much he means to me, he's a lovely, lovely bloke, one in a million, but boy is he bloody stubborn! He was not "fine" by any means, and still isn't really, although much improved. He still has a constant headache although says it's getting less and less painful. He still has blurred vision in one eye.

The day of his dad's funeral went okay, he managed to carry the coffin along with 5 other family members, but thankfully, it was only from the hearse inside the crem, about 15 yards I guess. Previously to that they held a service in the house, and the guy did go on a bit, and Alan was leaning against me and swaying, I thought he was going to pass out.

Other than that, he did a few things for me here because he was bored, and he had a bad turn on the Tuesday, but wasn't going to say anything to me, I could throttle him at times! I knew though, he went and sat down and I saw him through the window as I was outside doing my bird feeders. He had a searing pain across his head and everything went black. He's been a lot sleepier too, but the weekend just past pretty much back to normal. Wasn't happy about him going home really, but phoned him last night and he has been pottering and sorting after I left him in the afternoon, and has phoned the doctor's as he promised, so will have to see how it goes.

I am so behind with things that need doing here, too numerous to mention in detail, but briefly, MOT on car due, booked for Thursday, if it fails, I am stuffed because it actually runs out on Saturday. Horrible clunk on back wheel and brakes are not good, so feeling anxious of course.

Builders still not finished here. Had another leak on the old pipes, floor and wall not drying out, was getting worse, so they came and put in a complete new run of pipes last week to by-pass the old ones. Soon as it dries out, they will come and do the bathroom floor (could be today, who knows??? ) box in the pipes in the larder and general finishing off, which could involve re-plastering and papering my hall.

Weather bad, although we've missed the worst of the rain thankfully, grass now about 8 inches high though and god knows when it will ever be dry enough to cut again.

Got the farm to do every weekend for 3 to 4 days for the rest of this month, and then from 1st week of October to 1st week of November (the whole month) when we are supposed to be living in. Not sure about that at present although will be spending a lot more time there.

Still feeding the robins and hedgehogs. Think I have all three Robins still but hard to tell, and they aren't coming so often now due to being attacked by one another. Still got Jack and Cass hedgehogs coming, two out of three I marked, although don't put the cam on much now, just happened to see them when I've opened door at night.

Think that will do for now. I maybe will get round to putting up a few photos later only from the Nokia though of a couple of outings Alan and I managed. (Nice one on Sunday to Roman Goldmines, and Friday we had chickens clucking round us at an outdoor cafe!) Must get up and get on now though.

It got worse

No blog update so far this week, sorry folks, but everything I did since last time was paled into insignificance when I received a phone call yesterday evening to tell me that Alan had been rushed to hospital. He'd fallen from the scaffold at his house. He is going to be okay, has bad concussion, cuts grazes and bruises and a sore neck, keeping in until Sunday now, but he's still hoping to be out tomorrow. He can't remember what happened, luckily a neighbour heard, but he knows nothing about it, or the five hours between that and us at the hospital. They landed the air ambulance helicopter in his neighbour's garden, but in the end he was transported by road as the weather was too poor at Swansea. Last night was just awful, he was shaking, crying and couldn't speak properly or remember simple things like his date of birth. I've been there all afternoon and evening again today and he is much improved, but the neuro-surgeon still wants to keep him in for observation. Of course all Alan is worrying about is being at his dad's funeral on Monday. It never rains but it pours eh?

The Nightmare continues

Sitting here right now wishing I was a million miles away. I need to let off steam, everything imagineable that could go wrong seems to have. The last straw was yesterday afternoon when the plumbers thought they'd finished installing all the heaters and pipework etc. Switched the water back on (I'd had none all day) and suddenly a puddle appeared in the hall/bathroom doorway, which got progressively larger, until the carpet was soaked, and there was about an inch of water all over my bathroom floor. They had to take up my lino, and the half the hall carpet and then guess where the pipes ran under the concrete floor, and drill down till they found them. I had my very own fountain. Luckily they guessed right and a joint was leaking there because of the higher pressure on the hot water system caused by the new combi boiler. The pipes were probably the originals put in when the place was built, sometime in the 1950s. So I spent last night with a soaking wet hall, big hole in the bathroom floor and no hot water (which I wouldn't have had any way really until the electrician came back today to finish off the wiring)

I am sick of not being able to go to the loo because there is always someone and lots of tools either in the bathroom or in the loft from early morning.

I'm sick of not being able to do any washing. I've either got no water, no electric or it's pissing down with rain and nowhere to dry anything. I normally hang stuff over the bath but that's out of the question with guys in there all the time.

I made a huge mistake in deciding to have the kitchen floor done. We had to move everything out apart from the gas cooker which they wouldnt touch, I told them to just tuck the lino under a little way. Once the cooker was disconnected, they have to have a corgi registered person to come back to reconnect it. What a load of bollocks. I'd have done it myself, it's oh so complicated isn't it to turn a tap off and then turn it back on? The washing machine had to stand outside, and as luck would have it, we didn't actually have any rain for about 3 hours, first time in weeks, and managed to get it back inside before it torrented down otherwise I guess that would have been buggered.

So now my fridge and freezer were in the living room for about 36 hours. Now the freezer is back in the kitchen, it has stopped working. The fast freeze was roaring all night even though it wasn't (fast-freezing) so god knows how much electric it's used. And the food is slowly but surely all thawing out. All the bread has done so already, only a matter of time before everything else does too I guess. So now I have to buy a new one, and get in touch with the insurance to claim for the lost contents. I may also be able to claim for the lino in the bathroom and get some new stuff.

So what else? Oh yeah, I hate, hate, hate the kitchen lino. It is way too light in colour, looks nothing like the tiny sample I got to see ( a one inch square photo in a brochure) It shows every tiny little blob that you tread in. I shall be forever cleaning it. It also feels like walking on sandpaper, non-slip see, great.

The new fire place I chose was supposed to be "Ivory" It isn't. It's a warm pinky beige colour and looks absolutely vile against the proper Ivory colour on the hearth wall. It is also about two inches narrower than the recess made by ripping out the old one so the guy is as I type, bodging a piece of wood down one side. On the left hand side, there is a lump of plaster ripped out which I'm not sure if they are going to bodge also.

The Smoke Detector on the hall ceiling went off this morning when I had a shower. It sounds at around 100 decibels. I think they would have heard it on the other side of the village. I had to get out half way, covered in soap and stand with my finger on the re-set button for about 30 seconds to shut it up.

The outdoor sensor light in the porch goes off every time Michael from next door, or Tim the dog sets foot outside their own front door.

There's been a dispute about who is responsible for dismantling and taking away my old night storage heaters. I've managed to get that sorted now though, and they are going today. Until then, I can't re-arrange the furniture in the bedroom and living room, and have lost about 4 feet of wall space and nowhere to put anything.

Oh yeah, the boiler outside being huge and now I have no path to walk on to get round the side. But I think I already mentioned that.

Everywhere now needs decorating. Paintwork has had lumps knocked out of it, and that which hasn't had dirty hands all over it.

None of that of course can compare with the pain and anguish Alan is now going through. His dad died during the night. A blessed relief for him though, he no longer has to suffer that terrible pain any more. I would say God bless him, but I'm not a believer, but I'm sure you will understand what I mean. I guess I will have to go buy a funeral outfit now, you can't go to a funeral in jeans can you?

Please let it end!

I'm going up the wall, stuck here, it's a complete nightmare! Council are upgrading all the places and luckily (or not) I am one of the first, I could've had a new kitchen, bathroom too, but decided mine were fine, apart from kitchen floor, so at present I am sitting in the living room, trying to watch the olympics through the tiny gap alongside my fridge and freezer. I have half the contents of the kitchen in here, and the rest in the bedroom. I wished I'd taken up my lino from the kitchen as planned, because the workmen came in before I knew as the door was open and have ripped it up. I was hoping to get it in one piece as I was going to use it in the bird shed. Sigh. I can't go to the loo because the boy is in the loft and tools and stuff all over the floor so couldn't shut the door even if I wanted to. I have had to go wee up behind the aviary! The main cause of the disruption though is having oil fired central heating put in, which I did want, and all my electrics have been upgraded, new sockets everywhere and lots more of them. I had no electricity all day Friday, and about 3 hours again yesterday.

Have to mention the weather of course. Done nothing but blow and pee with rain apart from the odd day here and there for about a month. Luckily today is one of the odd days so the bloke is fitting the central heating boiler outside on the wall. It's bloody huge, sticks out about 4 feet so no chance of walking down the path anymore without sludging into the grass. There is now a dispute as to whose responsibility it is to remove the old storage heaters, so I've lost about 4 feet of wall space at the moment in the bedroom and living room until the old ones are out of the way. I'll bloody rip the things off myself if they don't sort it out by Thursday. I need to find a new home for Chippy and Alfie's cage as they can't now sit in the window on top of the heater.

Well, best find something else to do now, hoping they leave about 4 o'clock so I can nip into Llandysul and get Emma's heart pills from the vets, else will have to go first thing tomorrow as she took her last one this morning, and if I get really lucky I will get to see Damien. Swoon. (Yes still, after all this time)

Hey ho, happy days. :o(

Saturday and Sunday

No fainting, but I'm actually getting this done the day after instead of a week later! Due to the fact been stuck indoors all day because of the workmen being here and also because it's been pouring with rain non stop since about 4pm yesterday. Winds gusting outside right now to about 50mph, lights on in the house since 6pm, heater on in the hall. It's still supposed to be summer haha bloody ha.

Anyway, Saturday was also raining all day. We went to Cardigan and looked round the shops, walked Emma down the towpath alongside the river, had lunch, came home and watched tv.

Sunday we went to Ogmore by Sea and Southerndown, (nearest town Bridgend.) Was lovely in the morning, photos below - and there's more here - http://www.hartill.net/Beach/ Had a nice walk, there's a Victorian walled garden, some ruins, cliffs and miles to explore. You can see right across the Bristol Channel to Somerset, in one photo you will see the land in the distance, which will be Minehead, it almost looked like you could swim it!

Went on from there to Alan's dads, very bad news, all the family was there as the doctors think he hasn't long left now, so sad to see him go down hill so fast, only a few weeks ago he was able to go out into his greenhouse, now he is out of it mostly. Feel very upset, but they have all been expecting it for a while now.

Well I'm about to jump in the shower as I won't get a chance in the morning now, unless I get up about 6 am, no thanks!


I can do bees....

Just an even quicker quicky

Well I was without electric nearly all day in the event, I wrote the stuff below here when on battery power in Notepad, so will paste this now otherwise I will get even further behind. I will have to upload the photos another time, although nothing special as they were only taken with the Nokia this time, no camera with me, apart from some of Frank and Pepper today.

No doubt be more stuff after this weekend too, but not sure as the weather is attrocious outside right now and is supposed to be like it all for the next few days again. sigh.

Well. I'm sitting here slightly bored, slightly embarrassed, and trying to keep out of the way of the two young workmen who are here putting in lots of nice shiny new electric sockets, light fittings, smoke detectors etc. Their tools and tool boxes are all over the house, I have no electric and due to a burst water main in the village earlier, had no bloody water either first thing, it was off for about 3 hours. I had to go to the car and get the dog's water bottle out to make myself a coffee this morning!

So I will briefly mention last weekend, on Saturday, it was the most awful, horrendous weather, it was also Alan's birthday, so we just went out for lunch, intending to take Emma for a walk after, but in the event, no chance, it never stopped lashing down so we came home again and watched telly!

On Sunday, we went to Barry Island, my first ever visit, and it was like stepping back in time again to a typical seaside town in Kent, like being in the 60s really. Amusement arcades, shops selling buckets and spades, the beach of course, which due to the bad weather (although not raining, but chilly and blowing a gale) had about three lots of people on it. We had lunch again, a look around, and a walk out onto the headland, where it was hard to stand up. Some hilarious photos of Emma to follow. Stopped off at a huge Tesco and got some shopping, on the way to see Alan's dad and sister.

Wednesday met Alan at Llanelli for lunch and shopping and walked Emma round the lake where we went earlier back in May I think it was. The wind was so bad that all the swans were sheltering one end behind the trees, and there was an enormous flock of gulls down on the grass, which shows how bad the sea must've been.

I've just been outside as today it's not raining (hooray) and taken some great photos of Frank and Pepper, they are giving me so much pleasure, Frank (I'm such a Poser) and Pepper (I just love to sunbathe) I am now calling them, lol. Also still feeding little Sage, but I have a funny feeling there may be two Sages! I must take a note of the markings as I did with the other two, who are currently easy to tell apart. When they get rid of their baby spots and develop the full red it's going to be hard though.

The summer has been the worst I can ever, ever remember, I am not kidding. The wind, the rain, and now the cold is ridiculous. Last night the temperature up by my aviary dropped to 2c, almost had a frost, in mid August! Really had enough, and I doubt now if we will have anything much better, there's a real chill in the air even when the sun is out again.

Frank posing


Pep sunbathing


Frank left, Pep right, a temporary truce

My Poor Garden!

Will blog about my weekend when I get round to it, but for now just a quickie before tea as I've been out today, leaving the workmen to it to do the base for my oil tank for the central heating. They said they didn't need access to the house today, so I made the most of it and went over to Pat's for the afternoon. Came home to find half the garden cordoned off and a HUGE trench has been dug too, not that I mind really, they are supposed to make good after, and the less grass I have to cut the better really! This morning, Alan and I had to chop down half of my bamboo too as the slab base was bigger than the gap we'd created. Still, it will grow again and shouldn't kill it.

Anyway, I took the camera out to take a few photos, and little Frank appeared to commiserate with me, he landed almost on me, and then let me put the camera right in his face to take the photos, he's amazing. Pepper was up in the area that had been dug, and wasn't particularly interested in me I guess he'd found lost of nice worms. Today, I got another baby robin to feed from me too - named him Sage, took some this morning, and again just now. Chuffed. :o)









Newby - Sage