Another fine day and another fine local walk.

On days like this you just have to stop and go for a walk. Down to the
river, down the valley and back through the village calling in at the pub.
Perfick.

The river looking particularly beautiful.

I think we are being followed!

Nearly at the pub.

I don't remember these blue hills.....

The bottom of the field where we have been felling trees.

Great news!!!

Today we got two eggs! First time ever. Eggs for breakfast, lunch and supper from now on.

I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok etc etc.

Another day working on the wood piles.

A childishly amusing piece of wood.

Progress on clearing up.

This week's work.

Cutting and moving and sawing and logging. In the rain.

Burning the debris.

The next visitors will be very busy with the chainsaw.

Today's job......

was to start clearing all the branches from our weekend of felling. While I was working Gareth drove past and stopped to chat. He is the local Eddie Grundy - a proper odd job man.

This sycamore was suffering from die-back

(not to be confused with Dai bach). Gareth and Thomas agreed to fell it and clear all the branches that were overhanging the power line. Two hours later the branches and the tree were gone but it was too dark to take a photo.

Steve, Immie and I tacked the last bit of the hedge.

We also started clearing the willows that overhang the stream. The bigger trunks and branches will make good firewood in due course.

Some of the willows were sick and had some nice bracket fungi.

Making the visitors work.

Lots of firewood for seasoning.

We are going to call it Black Rock Corner because Immie found black pebbles in the stream.

Steph - we have Fuzzy Felt so you can play with it when you are here.

Strange the things you find....

We took Helen and Steve and Immie and Jack for a walk up the hill and found
this - it is the root of a thistle that has weathered away.

A beautiful sunset this evening.

A day of little jobs - sawing logs, burning the offcuts and garden waste, clearing up ready for other jobs...... Busy busy ( but not as busy as Bella and Steph )

Pretty.

Cold frame made from recycled bits.

The door off an old shower came in very handy.

New (boys) toy.

and this is what it can do.

This was a tree trunk that Steve and I moved from over by the old oil tank. The bits on the left will dry and be suitable for woodturning. The bits on the right will be suitable for woodburning!!

Siskin

Siskins have been feeding regularly at the feeder - this one was quite happy
for me to get very close.

Another beautiful day.....

and when our neighbour invited us to join them for a walk we were too polite to refuse.

Our walk

We went on a new walk this afternoon up the hill behind the house - or in
front of the house probably - you can see it in the photo, behind the
playhouse. The walk took us right to the trig point looking out to the
Beacons one way and up the valley to the North. Amazing.

My robin has come back to watch me.

Progress on the three-bay compost bins.

You know you live in the country when..... no2.

You know you live in the country when you spend hours looking at (drooling over) chainsaws....

16"  42cc hmmmmm......

This is art. Stuff floating on the pond.

This is the equivalent of the test card on tv. Not much happening here - just watching the rain falling. But I have ordered full wet weather gear!!

Water butts.

The new water butts set up to capture the water from the garage roof and will be piped to the polytunnel.

A good use for a barbecue.

Steve was threatening to use the old barbecue for cooking food so I had to work quickly. Alpine plants in the top and ferns in the bottom. Sorry Steve.

Rain stopped play.

Rain rain rain. Fields are very wet. I am building a boat. The rabbits will be ok but we may have to leave some chickens behind.

Interesting times.

I have had a couple of days doing fiddly little jobs - in the house and odds and ends in the garden and greenhouses ( doesn't that sound grand.... Greenhouses....). Things like planting sweet peas and broad beans and moving the fruit bushes from under the fruit trees. But then this afternoon Monika popped in. She is the previous previous owner and ex-wife of the man who did the original conversion. Kate had met her in the local supermarket a while ago and invited her to pop in. She brought with her the original building plans to give us and told us many tales of the place. We gave her a guided tour and she has promised to return with photos of the work in progress.