Catching up again...

It is supposed to be spring, but I don't think anybody has remembered to tell the weather! The daffodils have started to come out only to be bashed about by the horrendous gales and storms we have been having. At the entrance to the big field, there is a stream that runs under the gate -- yesterday morning when I was crossing the stream (normally less than an inch deep) the water came over the tops of my boots!

It's been a while since I posted any gratuitous egg photos, so here's one in case you were missing your fix. It never fails to amaze me the endless variety of sizes and colours of egg we get from seemingly identical hens!

In other news, we bought some fruit stocks the other week -- these are black currant, gooseberry, raspberry, and strawberry. We have planted out the strawberries already, but need to wait for a few good dry days before we can do the rest as it is just too wet to dig right now.

And this last photo has got nothing to do with anything really -- I found it on the internet while looking for something else -- and it really made me realise how much my life has changed over the last few years. For those of you who don't know, this is the building I lived in when I lived in New York! Apologies to the unknown photographer who I have stolen this from.

Mae fy iar wedi bwyta broga!

No, your eyes do not deceive you, that is a photo of one of the hens eating a frog...

In other chicken related news, yesterday we had 7 eggs for the first time this year -- spring is definitely here -- the daffodils will be opening any day now and there are lambs in the field above ours!



Also, on Saturday, we bought our first six apple trees. Now we just need to plant them!

Scrabble yn Gymraeg

As many of you probably know, I have been playing Scrabble for more years than I can count now -- most recently with the London Scrabble League and before that in New York with Xina at Mona's -- but I have never before played Scrabble in Welsh -- it is VERY hard!!! The CYD group in Ammanford organised a Scrabble night on Monday and I went along -- I am pleased to report that although my team lost, I was personally responsible for the single highest scoring move in our game -- COR for 20 points!

All Small Engines

I would like to highly recommend All Small Engines in Manordeilo to anybody in the area needing work done on chain saws, strimmers, lawnmowers, etc. I took our chainsaw in to Roger on Monday and just got it back -- he stripped and cleaned the carburetor, checked the motor, decoked it, refitted the throttle, sharpened the chain, replace the spark plug & fuel filter, gave me a new screw for where I was missing one on the top cover, and a general tune up -- all for a total of £36.72! I personally think this is an absolute bargain and am well pleased... :)

RIP Sunshine

Gone but not forgotten...





And in a bizarre twist of events, the dealer who bought her was the same one I bought her from in the first place! So in a way she's gone back home...

I know it's silly to get emotionally attached to a bit of plastic and metal, but I miss her already... :(

What we did with our Saturday...

So in our house we only have one power point in each room. This sort of reaches its worst point in our study where we have 3 computers, etc., and power strips and cords draped across the floor everywhere... So yesterday, Greg said that he thought that if he ADDED one more power strip to the mess, he could then re-route it so it ran across the top of the door frame rather than across the middle of the floor and it would make the room tidier and life simpler. I said that sounded like a great idea... So Greg was trying to neatly fasten this power strip around the top of the door frame with cable clips when he drove one of the clips into one of the central heating pipes (which are NOT behind the walls)... With the help of a very helpful little book which Calcot gave us for Xmas several years ago (thank you!), we have now managed to successfully repair our central heating system and gain a thorough understanding of it's workings in the process...

And because I haven't posted one in a while, here's a gratuitous photo of the kitties...

Welsh in New York

Did anybody in New York see this on Wednesday???

Dim Dwr Eto...

So this morning, yet again, the water is frozen. Two things I don't understand:

1. There was a cold snap a while ago where it was colder than this for a longer period and the water never froze, so why is it freezing now?

2. Doesn't the hot water tank hold a quantity of water? I understand that the cold water which only has a very small header tank inside the house freezes because it's basically coming straight from outside, but shouldn't I have a bathtub full of hot water? Or is there something in the tank that prevents the water dropping below a certain level, so if there isn't fresh cold water coming it, it won't let me take the hot water out?

All answers and suggestions gratefully accepted...

Dwr

And the water is back again. I know what Greg means now when he described it to me last time -- there is suddenly a "thud" and then a whooshing sound as the toilet tank refills...! Off to make a cup of tea...

Ac eto...

By the end of the day yesterday, the snow had melted off the muddy bits, but, as if by magic, it all reappeared in the night again! :)



Now this is obviously some sort of little bird...



But what is this? A fox???



Oh, and did I mention, I have no water again... :( But I guess that is a small price to pay for all this beautiful snow! Yay!!!

Mae hi'n bendigedig iawn...

This is so much better than the pathetic dusting we had the other day!





You can really see now the contrast between the (allegedly) white chickens and the pure white snow...





As Shiva tries to go outside without getting cold feet...







This is the view down the valley from the top of the top field...



I got confused when I went into the porch to go out -- normally it is very bright in here as there are windows on three sides and clear plastic sheeting on the roof -- and it was very dark this morning -- because of the snow on the roof!!!