How not to grow carrots!!!

When you sow your carrot seeds,

high off the ground,

so the carrot fly cannot find them!

~

Remember not to sow them too close together!

~

~

Or this may be the result.

~

They were very tasty in a salad though.

~

Ann x

Jelly fish etc ....

I'm sure you have all heard about the large amount of jelly fish that are coming ashore.

We have had quite a few here in West Wales

as I found out this morning when I was having a paddle in the sea at Wiseman's Bridge!

~

When I turned round, there they were - or rather their bodies!

Most remarkable creatures.  I think they are the Barrell jellyfish.

They don't feel slimy, but are remarkably like very dense rubber.

I found them fascinating.

~

Some of their lovely colours shining in the sun

~ 

Glistening in the outgoing tide.

~ 

Then I walked through the tunnels to Coppet Hall

~ 

I'm pleased the flash shows exactly how the tunnel was hewn out.

~ 

When I got to Coppet Hall there was an even larger jelly fish to be seen.

The little girl was fascinated and kept running around it.

~ 

It was a beautiful hot morning and there were plenty of sunbathers

~ 

And swimmers

~ 

Afterwards we had some fine dining at the Wiseman's Bridge Inn!

~

This fellow helped himself to as much as possible before being dismissed!!

~

Hope you are having good weather too.

~

Ann x

Fit to be on the Road! ...

I think I've told you that I am a member of the IAM,

the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

My card tells me that I have been a member for 'over 24 years',

no-one was more surprised than me when I read that.

~

Anyway, when I was 70 I belonged to the Group in Carmarthen and had

a driving assessment to make sure my driving was still OK

~

Seven years later I thought I should do the same again!

So off I went this morning, to meet the Chairman of the Group for him to

check me out.  We were out for over an hour and went down every type of

road and lane, wide and narrow, z-bends everywhere, huge, horrible

roundabouts and dual carriageways, busy roads, busy lanes and empty,

quiet bye-ways, going past castles, fields full of sheep and cattle

and finishing in the middle of the town at full-on prime-time

shopping in a supermarket car-park!

~

Verdict - all very good. Good anticipation and awareness.

A bit slow perhaps on some of the windy roads, (which, incidentally, 

I had never been on before) and I was just over speed once in a 30 mph area.

~

Not bad for an old one!  So I am very pleased and will keep it up as long as I can.

~

I really believe we should all be aware that as we age our perceptions

of things is sure to alter and that may be doubly so while we are driving.

So please make sure that you keep an eye on your own driving as well as

those nearest to you who may think they are doing better than they really are as they age.

If you would like an assessment just contact the IAM at www.iam.org.uk and they will send you 

a form and information of your nearest local Group where you can be checked.

~

After feeling very pleased with myself, we went into town for some lunch and 

a look around.  Quite a treat as we don't get to the 'big shops' very often.

~

Got some lovely tomato plants in the local market.  Some cherry tomatoes

which I haven't tried before and also some MoneyMaker which always do well.

Re-potted them this evening and got the outside bed ready for when

they can be planted out properly.

~

Then we have just sat down to watch 'Gently'!

What a good day.

~

Hope you've had a good day too.

~

Ann x

We wondered what it was!

~

When we found this plant in the garden we wondered what it was!

It looked like a dandelion, but it obviously isn't.

~ 

~

It is a miniature daffodil  called

Rip Van Winkle!

Isn't that lovely!

~

I'm sure lots of you knew that anyway, but we had never seen one.

We have Tete a Tete and some other small daffodils

So Rip Van Winkle is a welcome addition to our garden.

~

Ann x

Garden Eclipse 2015 .....

Made ourselves a pin hole camera and got

some great views of the eclipse.

~

Then I shut my eyes

turned round and took this surprising image.

Presumably something to do with light refraction (I'm not a scientist).

The eclipse appears to have been reversed.

~

~

We were very lucky to have blue, clear skies

It didn't go completely dark but just

got eerily gloomy and silent.

~

A wonderful spectacle.

~

Brought back memories of the 1999 eclipse which I

saw down in Newlyn, Cornwall.

It was very cloudy that day and did get totally dark and cold.

Another eerie experience.

~

What was your experience of the eclipse?

~

Ann x

Things are getting better .....

Finally all the work regarding our leak is finally finished!!!

Yesterday was full of workmen, diggers, electric drain finding equipment,

men with vans, etc, etc, ... you can imagine.

Lovely Other Half said there was chaos to begin with because they 

couldn't find the pipework it was so deep down - at least 2 feet - 

hence the electronic finding device.

In the end the water company replaced 10 metres of drain on to

our property free of charge under their 'free leak repair scheme'.

(I was fortunately out all day crafting and quilting!!)

What a performance!

~

Now things are getting better and our garden is coming to life.

~

Some tete a tete daffodils and a pretty new hebes flowering well.

~ 

a few hyacinths and more tete a tetes looking very cheerful

~ 

only some white crocuses at present - don't know whats happened to our purple ones!

~ 

You know I like hellebores - as per my header.

Well, they are looking wonderful at present.

~ 

Because the blooms always face downwards, they are difficult to photograph

and not much good in a vase.

So I pinched Monty Don's idea and floated the blooms in water.

Don't they look lovely.

(Click on the photos to get a much better look.)

~ 

~

Hope your gardens are beginning to wake up too.

~

Ann x

Remember our November Leak? .....

Although the main leak near to our kitchen

has been repaired

The second leak has not!!!  Yet!!!

~

The Water Board think the leak is on our property.

The insurers' repairers think it is outside our property boundary!

~

We have now had our water meter moved twice.

~

Once at the beginning of January, to put it nearer

to our front boundary.

~

Now it has had to be moved again - right up to our boundary

wall out on to the pavement!

~

There is still an obvious leak, as the hole the Water Board dug

soon filled with water.

They left it for 2/3 days, then had to fill it in, as they are "not allowed to

leave an unprotected hole in the road".

Their fencing and 'Men at Work' signs are leaning against our front wall.

~

We were told that an Inspector was due to call to inspect/look/check

the origin of this second leak, but we haven't seen him!

~

Then this morning we had another bill from the Water Board requesting

payment of nearly £1,700.00.

~

Its becoming a nightmare and getting very stressful.

I am everlasting on the phone to our insurers to keep them up to date

on what the Water Board are doing, then I have to phone

the Water Board to see what is happening next because the insurers

want to have a report, and this morning the Water Board's 

computers were 'down', so they can't check up on the latest

report that might have been put on-line until next Monday!

The lovely lady I spoke to this morning kept saying 'Don't worry' -

but its jolly hard not to with a £1,700 bill hanging over your head.

~

Aaaargh !!!!!

~

Ann x

What a Lovely Surprise! .....

We played Doubles in the South Pembrokeshire Short Mat Bowls

Competition today at Heatherton Sports Centre. 

~

We got through the first three matches of the first round.

~

Then we won two prizes in the raffle.

~

Then we got through to the quarter finals,

then the semi-finals

and then we were runners up in the Final!!

Well done us!  Absolutely exhausted and elated.

~

We didn't expect that when we drowsily got ourselves up at 7.00am this morning!!!

~

~

We are chuffed to bits with ourselves

and now well dined and wined !!!

~

Hooray!!

~

Ann x

Well, It's February and trying to snow!!!

But we are staying indoors and keeping warm!

~

It has taken us a while to warm up after our winter trip to the sun!

~ 

Peter enjoyed his 80th birthday horse ride!

~

I enjoyed my birthday horse ride too!!

(A lady doesn't reveal her age)

~ 

~

Since leaving the sun I have gone back to my patchwork class

and finished a bag I was making

I'm quite pleased with it.  Used up some Kaffe Fasset material

that I had, so it is very colourful and hopefully will be very useful.

~

~

I also received my lovely poppy from The Tower of London 

memorial display "Blood swept lands and seas of red".

I bought this in memory of my Great Uncle, Walter William Scroggs.

He was killed in France at Gommercourt on 16 November 1916.

~

Of course, the magnificent display was to remember all 888,246 who 

lost their lives during World War I, but I think they are all

also in remembrance of any who have given their lives to ensure

that we are able to live our lives in the way that we do.

~

Keep warm

~

Ann x

Back again - Happy New Year Everyone ...

We are back from our trip to some sun

Didn't have quite as much sun as we would like

Even had some rain and fog

and had to wear leggings and fleeces!!

~

I know you have had some horrid weather

But the sun is shining and there is lots of blue sky here at the moment.

It is jolly cold though.

~

I will show you some holiday snaps later

(I heard the groan!  Promise it won't be too many)

~

I have had a go at making a small video for my grandchildren
They loved it, perhaps you will like it too.
~
I hope it will make you smile.
~

Atlantorexus getulus - Barbary ground squirrel or chipmunk.

These cute (but not always welcome) little creatures abound in Fuerteventura.

We had a good walking area near to where were staying 

and it was obvious that the chipmunks were being fed.

So naturally we had to do the same.

Fascinating creatures!

~

Ann x