Harvesting.

The onions have dried and so have been strung up. 

So many tomatoes and corgettes I have turned them into ratstwee for the freezer. 

And the blackberries in the cage are very fruitful...

Sioe Cil y Cwm Show

Today was Show Day and of course it rained. 

I entered two woodturning sections and two photos in each of two sections. There was very strong competition. 

The sheep dog trials were great fun. 

and there were plenty of tractors...

The judging took longer than usual so we all had to wait.....

Finally we were let in to the tent. 

As is traditional I will announce the results in reverse order. 

In second place (I didn't get a third) was my entry in the Snow Scene photography class...

In second second place was my entry in the Woodturned item class...

And in First place.... Wait for it.... Was my entry in the Four Woodturned items ...... And I got a trophy and Five Pounds too!!!

The Four items class was a very tough fight but I was in a class of my own. Or was it a class on my own? Yes, the only entry. And only two in the other woodturning class. But the photography was a real contest - there were about forty entries so I definitely worked hard for that one!

Show day..

Today was the Rhandirmwyn Show, the next village up the valley. We took the visitors along, mainly so they could see the tractors and also sheep close up. They can't run away when they are in a pen... The sheep that is.

Noah has also learnt how to use the fireman's pole...

Life is wild!

I don't like to go on and on about how wonderful it is here but......
Before 9.00 this morning we had seen a feral cat eating a bank vole, a kingfisher taking breakfast at the pond, a rabbit dining off the football field and a sparrow hawk flying off with a young sparrow.
Amazing!

Bella, Anth, Noah and Joseph are here.

Lookin' good Bella. 

We spent a productive afternoon...

making Lego cars. 

The boys took it in turns driving the tractor....

Bella working hard...

Dam grass.

Yes today I have been working on the bottom dam and also cutting the grass. 

But much more exciting is that the kingfisher is back. He must have heard that we have visitors coming!

Taken from the bedroom window. 

Catching up....

There have been several days when nothing got done, partly because of visitors and partly because of the weather. When James was here at the weekend we took him for a nice long walk up onto to the Mallaen. 

Today has been a day of dodging rain showers so workshop jobs and garden jobs.

The hedge trimmer had sheared a cylinder head bolt and I had to dismantle the thing to replace it. 

Amazingly it worked again after I had put it all back together and there were no odd bits left over!

I have been planting greenhouse-grown wild flowers in the meadow...

and buddleia and willows down in the waste ground

Boys and their rather lovely toys.

James is here!

Meanwhile in the veg garden......

Onion harvest. 

And the butter nuts are doing well....

Summer-time.

Miss Summer Celeste Magdalena Hilton. 

We made a quick drive to Stone to see Abbi and Carl's new addition. P

Blogging about logging.

Today I sawed up the remains of the larch and shredded all the branches. 

This is the very top of the tree going through the shredder. 

It seems that a big larch doesn't amount to a hill of logs. 

Putting on women's clothing and hanging around in bars.....

Today I was a lumberjack. Well, more of a lumberjack's assistant. Our neighbour volunteered to help take down a larch that was a problem at Glyncoed. It was fourteen years old and over thirty feet high and it was growing out of the bank above the kitchen. It was better to take it down than to have it fall on the house. 

Ddoe ein bod yn mynd i'r eisteddfod

Come on people keep up. That's Welsh for " yesterday we went to the Eisteddfod. "

We went on the coach from Llandovery and spent a glorious day walking round exhibitions reflecting every aspect of life in Wales. We saw a singing competition in the pink marquee and also saw the Chairing of the Bard, when a the person who has won the poetry competition is welcomed on stage and ceremonially seated in a chair made specially for this year's Eisteddfod. 

and it all took place just a few feet from the sea front.