Tatty time.

I have dug up the potatoes as the tops had turned. Quite a good crop but I must find out how to reduce/prevent scab. 

Back to the garden.

Tidying up in the garden. 

The lupins are getting ready for their second flowering after being cut back. 

The spear plants in the ponds have masses of flowers this year....

..despite the fact that the spring has nearly dried up. 

The newest fruit trees are beginning to bear fruit. 

Elsie in her new home.

Caravan pitch.

Just waiting for the caravan now. 

Too hot, too hot! ( Winter's Tale, Act I scene II)

It is almost too hot to work outdoors. But I made them work anyway. 

Helen and Kate loaded the wood and Immie drove it to the wood store. 

I was making a caravan pitch.....

Helen and Steve are bringing the caravan here where it will stay for use as overspill accommodation. So one of the unused vegetable beds is being shortened and made ready. 

The tree house. 

Brave new worlds.

A new paddling beach has been discovered. An exploration was started by Immie which involved going through the tunnel under the road. She discovered the 'face of a bear' ( which was actually a dead owl - sad face) so Helen and Kate had to see the bear. This led them to investigate the stream further till they arrived at the Twyi river. 

  

Tree house update.

We have made furniture for the tree house. 

and I cut the grass too. 

Today the mowing, tomorrow up the chimney.

Making the young visitors work. 

This is Immie mowing the football field. It was a fairly random pattern rather than the regular spiral that I do. 

And Jack helped make a seat to make it easier coming down the fireman's pole. 

Now we need to work put how to avoid friction burns as he comes down the pole. It is plastic pipe but we have waxed it with car polish. I wonder how fireman avoid this problem? Gloves?

Immie also gave tractor rides. 

More visitors.

We have Helen, Immie and Jack here as well now, but Steph and Sean are leaving later. For now Steph is being kept busy doing Immie's nails. 

Three castles.

Yesterday we took Steph and Sean on a castle tour. We drove past Llandovery Castle then walked up to Dinefwr Castle and back round the lake. Then we drove on to Dryslwyn Castle where we had a picnic before driving home.

Eagle eyes.

While sat at the breakfast table Steph spotted a weasel moving along the boardwalk. Only managed to get a shot of it leaving. 

A better shot when he returned later. 

Visitors.

Steph and Sean are here for a long weekend. 

A photo of me in the new shower .....

Ahh, pity. It didn't come out - it was overexposed. (Boom,boom.)( You young digital photographers may not understand that joke.)

Here are some flowers instead. 

And the sheep are back.

Ten in the field and one in the freezer (but don't tell the grandchildren). 

Will anyone notice there is no door?

The bathroom door has come off for carpet fitting. 

Showery weather....

(Sorry about the shower jokes, they will stop soon. ) ( the jokes, not the showers) 

Still working on the new shower. It has been possibly the most difficult shower ever - trying to fit the new plumbing into the old pipe work, which is built into the solid wall, has not been easy. And then fitting panels over the plumbing......

Still it all seems to be working now...and should be finished tomorrow. Then there is the new carpet to go down.....

July showers.

The next few days will be spent indoors fitting the new 

New tray....

and Respatex panels for the shower walls. 

Back home after a week away.

We have been away for a week visiting family and friends all around! Birmingham, Tetbury, Stone, Warwick and Stratford on Avon. 

The garden continued to grow in our absence so we are one step backwards from the three steps forward we took. 

Today has been a day of weeding, pruning and grass cutting. Here are some highlights. 

The visitors have gone.....

Roger and Judith that is, the rabbits and squirrels are still here. 

Back to work....

Unbelievable mess under the shower. Much worse than we imagined. Because it is on a concrete tiled floor we never noticed the problem; if it had been upstairs we would have seen drips through the ceiling. The shower had been incorrectly fitted so all the frame seals were leaking. Pesky amateurs. 

 

All gone now.