News from Heol Cennen

Sainsbury’s outside Llandeilo: Yes or No?

2012-01-25T13:10:00.002Z

Carmarthenshire County Council is about to decide if Sainsbury’s can build a big new supermarket on the edge of Llandeilo. Here are 10 reasons why it’s a bad idea.

The site is allocated for new employment, not for retailing.
Supermarkets do not bring a net increase in jobs. New jobs are outweighed by job losses at existing retailers.
Most jobs in supermarkets are low-paid.
Supermarkets on the edge of town increase car use. This conflicts with the need to cut our use of fossil fuels due to climate change and depleting oil supplies.
Supermarkets truck products into and out of distant central depots, adding to the problem of food miles.
Supermarkets damage town centres because independent retailers lack the scale and power to compete against price promotions, and become less and less profitable, forcing them to downsize or close.
The Sunday Times voted Llandeilo the coolest place to stay in the UK, because of its history, character and independent businesses. Tourism would be damaged by a depressed town centre.
Ghost town centres are in no one’s interest. Ghost town centres damage the quality of life of residents and visitors alike.
The site is low-lying but currently not hard-surfaced and so it helps to mop up rainfall. Hard surfacing for a large store and car park would push water downstream towards Llandeilo and Ffairfach.
Expected sales from Sainsbury’s would be £26.1 million at 2009 prices, at least £27.1 million now. Existing retailers would lose an equivalent amount, a devastating blow to the health of the fragile local economy.

Face the Difference: the Impact of Low Pay in National Supermarket Chains. Fair Pay Network, January 2012, www.fairpaynetwork.org
The Portas Review: an Independent Review into the Future of our High Streets. Department for Business Innovation and Skills, December 2011, www.bis.gov.uk
What’s Wrong with Supermarkets? Corporate Watch, April 2004, www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=2596
20 Cool Places to Stay, The Sunday Times, August 21^st 2012

Sainsbury's

2012-01-24T09:27:00.000Z

If you have not already sent in your letter of objection to the council this is your last chance as we have now had news that the Sainsbury's application will come before the planning committee on 2 February. Letters to Ceri Davies, Planning Services, Civic Offices, Crescent Road, Llandeilo, SA19 6HW or by email to planningconsultations@carmarthenshire.gov.uk quoting application number E/25041. Do it now!!!

Little things

2012-01-10T10:33:00.005Z

Sometimes I wonder if all the random missives I send off to companies (to which I don't usually receive a response!) make any difference -- here's one case where it did:

My original email sent to Arriva Trains Wales after perusing the At Seat Catering menu on their web site:

> Have you considered offering Fairtrade coffee and tea on your trains?

I then received the following response:

> Please note that all our hot drinks on Our trains are Fairtrade and have been for over 3 years.

Okay, so I then replied:

> Very glad to hear that! How about putting that information on your web site and menus and promoting it a bit so people know?

Got the following wordiness in reply:

> As a catering company operating on board trains our opportunities are limited however all our cups that contain Fairtrade products carry the FT logo - as I'm sure you are aware this is not an easy thing to achieve. Also as we are a Welsh company operating mainly in Wales we signed up to being part of the Welsh FT movement that culminated in Wales being declared the first FT country some 3 years ago. That said if you would like to offer some further advice please forward it.

So I suggested the following no-brainer:

> Following on from the below conversation I had with somebody from the company your catering is contracted out to, how about putting the Fairtrade logo on the page on your website where the catering menu is displayed next to the relevant items?

And magic presto, it got done:

> Thank you for your recent email about putting the logo on our web site. Please see below. Please feel free to forward any further comments or idea’s. I have uploaded the Fairtrade logo to the At Seat Catering page http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/AtSeatCatering/ for you with some supporting text.

One only just wonders why they didn't think of it themselves...!

Beetroot part 2

2011-12-29T18:47:00.000Z

Borscht was delicious, but as you can see from this photo, the beetroot lost its colour in the cooking! This has happened to me before with other unusually coloured vegetables such as black string beans and purple cauliflower. Any ideas why?

Beetroot

2011-12-27T16:11:00.001Z

Sorry, have been away for the last two months working on a Welsh-language panto doing wardrobe so no time to post but will try to do so more regularly now that I'm back... Trying to live sustainably while travelling was an interesting challenge. One area in which I definitely found success was the lunchtime sandwich -- somebody (I forget who) wrote that if you wanted a sandwich on Friday, you wouldn't make it on Tuesday and then stick it in the fridge to wait -- yet this is precisely what ready-prepared sandwiches for sale in supermarkets and petrol stations are! I only had to resort to them a couple of times on tour; the rest of the time I was able to find local bakeries or cafes that would make me sandwiches to order -- and not only were they fresher and tastier, they were often cheaper as well!

Back home now and back to cooking -- check out these lovely variegated beetroots from my veg box -- on their way now to becoming a yummy pot of borscht!

Toilets

2011-10-24T16:33:00.003+01:00

So the long awaited bathroom renovations have finally begun, and I am finally, after a very long and frustrating search, going to have a water saving toilet...

The government tells us we need to save water. Dwr Cymru tells us to save water. (Personally, I knew that I should be saving water anyway, even before I was told...) So I'm redoing the bathroom and I know that my toilet is quite old and probably uses 11 or 13 litres a flush (yes, I already did the brick in the cistern thing...) I want to put in a water saving toilet, but can I find one?

Went into my local builders' merchant and the guy there had no idea about the water usage of any of the toilets they sell. So I went to the internet and learned all about the differences between valve toilets and siphon toilets. As best as I can tell, and conversations with several plumbers confirm this, siphon toilets are so clearly superior to valve toilets that I'm baffled as to why on earth the UK government ever legalised them. So I decide I want a siphon toilet -- but if you look on plumbing supply web sites at toilets, they give you options about style, cistern shape, matching sinks, etc, but I have yet to find a mainstream website that actually tells you about water saving toilets and how much water they use.

I rang Dwr Cymru and spoke with somebody who said that yes, they would suggest that I install a water saving toilet, but no, they can't help me find one. Waterwise has a list of water saving products for the bathroom that includes some toilets, but when I followed the links for one of the toilets, it directed me to the manufacturer's web site which in turn asked for my postcode and then suggested that my local builders' merchant that I'd already been to stocked their toilets -- don't know if this is true as I didn't bother going back there and specifically asking for this toilet, but when I first went there and asked for a water saving toilet the guy looked at me like I was mad.

I eventually found the ES4 4/2.7 litre siphon toilet but only because I was previously aware of the Green Building Store from my quest to find non-toxic wood preservative for the shed -- but I had to be very determined in my quest! Why is this information not more readily available for consumers less motivated than myself??? And why are leak-prone valve toilets becoming more and more commonplace when they are so clearly the worse option???

The above photo shows the new cistern, still in its box, sitting on top of the old cistern -- so if it's that much smaller IN THE BOX, imagine how small it will be out of it! And how much my water bill will go down!

2011-10-10T17:41:00.001+01:00

Have posted the following to the Carmarthen Journal -- let's see if they print it -- not sure if I've sent it too late for this week's deadline...

10October 2011

TheEditor
Carmarthen Journal
18 King Street
Carmarthen
SA31 1BN

DearSir,

Therehas been much said in these pages and at the meeting hosted by Llandeilo TownCouncil last Wednesday night about how we need Sainsbury’s in Llandeilo becauseit is cheaper. I decided to check thisout for myself and discovered that it is not as clear-cut as it seems.

Iwent to Sainsbury’s in Lampeter and checked prices on a number of items thereand then checked the prices on the same items in the Co-op in Llandeilo andfound that a number of basic items, including wholemeal sliced loaf, milk,cream, and margarine, are exactly the same price in both stores. Some items, such as white granulated sugar,are cheaper in the Co-op. Tea ischeaper in Sainsbury’s while instant coffee is cheaper in the Co-op.

Theconclusion to be drawn from this is that which shop is cheaper for theindividual shopper depends on what you’re buying – Sainsbury’s is notnecessarily cheaper than options we already have in Llandeilo – and, in fact,milk is cheaper in CK’s than in either Sainsbury’s or the Co-op.

Anotherpoint raised at the meeting last Wednesday was how much local produceSainsbury's would stock in the proposed store. The representative from Sainsbury’s said that he couldn’t say how manyitems from SA19 there would be as there wasn’t presently a store in SA19. In the Sainsbury’s in Lampeter, which hasbeen open for over two years now, postcode SA48, I was unable to find a single itemproduced in the SA48 postcode.

Asthe representative from Sainsbury’s confirmed in response to my question, if,after the store is built, it then transpires that it does adversely affectlocal businesses or adds to the traffic and pollution problems in Llandeilo, wehave no recourse. Is it worth takingthis chance? I think not.

Yourstruly,

JessicaWecker

2011-10-02T18:29:00.000+01:00

Llandeilo Fawr Town Council's

Public Meeting on the Sainsbury Issue.

Llandeilo Town Council have decreed in closed session the rules for the meeting will be thus:

• The Public Meeting will go ahead on Wednesday, 5 October.

• The meeting will be held in the Civic Hall, Crescent Road, Llandeilo, at 7.30 PM.

• The meeting will be open to all.

• The Chairperson will be chosen by (?) from 5 possible options.

• There will be two presentations, each lasting 15 minutes. The first presentation will be from Sainsbury outlining their proposal, and the second from Save Llandeilo's Future.

• Next, a 30 minute session responding to written questions.

• The closing date for written questions to be received by Roger Phillip's (Town Clerk) was 5.30 PM, Thursday, 29 September.

• Next, speakers will be instructed to leave the platform, and having left the platform the speakers will be told they can leave the meeting if they wish.

• No questions will be allowed from the floor.

• Instead, without the speakers being present on the platform, the Council then will allow 30 minutes for the audience to debate the implications of Sainsbury's proposal amongst themselves.

SO IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAINSBURY ISSUE AND WANT TO SEE DEMOCRACY IN ACTION COME ALONG.

Poster by Save Llandeilo's Future

2011-09-20T11:32:00.000+01:00

E150a - Plain caramel (colour) - A natural food colour, ranging in shade from dark-red through to dark-browns and blacks.* Okay, it's not one of the harmful E-numbers, but what's the point? Is it really necessary? Traditional balsamic vinegar is made from nothing but fermented grape must. It gets that lovely caramel colour naturally. Aspall, who make a lovely organic cider vinegar that I have been using for years, recently came out with a balsamic style vinegar made from English apples. I was about to buy it when I noticed it had added caramel colour on the ingredients list along with apple cider. According to their web site, it is "made by blending the finest Cyder Vinegar with the must from reduced Cox Apple Juice." So the added must from the juice is what's giving it the balsamic-style flavour -- why is it then necessary to add colouring?

I wrote to them to ask this (first by email on 11 July to which I received no response, and then by post last week, to which I did receive a response today) and they said, "We add the caramel colour just to make it darker, it does not affect the taste." So why add it then? There's a bit on the web site where they go on about how natural their vinegar is:

Unlike many vinegar producers we neither add preservative nor pasteurise our vinegars. Vinegar is nature’s great preservative so should need no external help in this respect. As for pasteurisation, it only has the effect of destroying many of the nutritional and flavour benefits inherent in vinegar, and so it would seem a crying shame to undo all the hard work of getting this far only to dilute the quality at the finishing post.

So then why add the caramel colour? Also of interest is that it doesn't mention the addition of the colouring anywhere on their web site that I can find. In fact, they imply that nothing else is added to it: "We simply use apples instead of grapes and the result is a match for many a quality balsamic." Why can't we just have honest food?

After a bit of poking I have found a Welsh company, Toloja Orchards, who are only located about 25 miles away from me, who, according to their web site, make an oak matured cider vinegar from their own apples, so the next battle is to find somewhere where I can buy it... Watch this space...

* Stefan Gates, E Numbers: Is your food really going to kill you? The truth about E numbers (London: Cassell Illustrated, 2010), 83.

2011-09-19T16:34:00.000+01:00

Finished products! Cauliflower, cucumber and Nant Du bacon salad...

Apple pie!(More apples left, plus I gathered some more this morning, so there will be chutney to come as well...)

Scrambled honesty box eggs with mushrooms and onions, and a side of tomatoes with home-made pesto...

2011-09-16T17:21:00.002+01:00

Feeling a bit more cheerful today as I have got lots of lovely treats!

The biggest field mushrooms I have ever seen, picked this morning on the farm I work at:

Also from Blaenau, windfall apples -- and there will be more of these to come as well I'm sure...

And this surprise in my veg box when I got home -- a yellow cauliflower -- yes, it really is that colour, it's not just a bad photo! I've had purple cauliflowers and green fractal cauliflowers today, but nothing like this golden colour!

Will post photos of all these after I've cooked them...

2011-09-13T12:15:00.000+01:00

Okay, sorry, I may have been getting a little morbid in the last post, so a few thoughts about where my thoughts are coming from these days...

In case you haven't heard, there's a proposal to open a major enormous Sainsbury's supermarket right on the edge of our lovely little town that doesn't really have any national chains. This will totally destroy the town -- I can't even count the number of traders who have told me that they will go out of business if it happens. So I've been spending a lot of time talking to various people around the town and trying to convince them that this will be a bad thing for our town. One of the questions people who support the proposal ask me most frequently is where I do my weekly shopping then. I pause for a minute, and then attempt to explain that I don't do a weekly shop in the sense that most people mean it. I don't go to the supermarket every Saturday morning and throw loads of packages in my trolley.

My meat either comes from one of the three independent butchers we have in town, or from my chest freezer, which has half a lamb and half a pig that I've bought from farmers I know. I get a weekly veg box delivery, of locally grown organic veg, and I supplement this with veg from an independent shop in town. Cheese I buy from one of the butchers or from one of the delicatessens, and the same for my butter. Eggs I get from an honesty box that I pass on my way to work. If I want bread, cakes, or cookies, I make these, with flour and sugar from the delicatessen. We do have a small Co-op supermarket and I go there occasionally to get a few things I can't get anywhere else: loo roll and cream are the two things that spring to mind. I get wine there sometimes as well, although usually from the independent off-license in town. And that's about my food shopping!

But when I try to explain this to people who want the Sainsbury's, they don't even seem to understand what I'm saying -- it's like I'm speaking a foreign language or something -- they continue to insist that I must do a weekly supermarket shop somewhere... So I'm sort of feeling like my life is somehow so drastically different from everybody else's (no weekly food shop, no television, no new clothing...) that I struggle to even find a starting commonality... Anybody else feel like this?

2011-09-07T19:58:00.004+01:00

What is the meaning of life? Is it just about being happy or is there more to it than that? Can we still fix the world or is it too late? Answers please...

2011-09-06T18:57:00.001+01:00

Sorry, I know I have not been posting -- still not in the habit of using the computer -- it seems to take so much time! Not much news to report really -- I'm still working on the ciabatta... Will try and post something informative with pictures later in the week. In the mean time, if you're looking for reading material, check this out...

Rhoi gwaed

2011-08-15T14:39:00.000+01:00

At the risk of being controversial...

Just got back from giving blood. This is something I have been doing on a regular basis for a long time. Now the main purpose in giving blood is to help other people to live. I also happen to believe that many of the problems facing the world today are ultimately due to the exponential population growth the world has experienced and that in the long run (if not the short run as well) the world would be a better place with many fewer people. So should I keep giving blood?

Bara, rhan dau

2011-07-28T21:53:00.000+01:00

Well, the bread was sort of a succcessful failure... The crumb, as you can seen in the above photo, is lovely, and the texture is lovely, and the flavour (sorry, no photo of that) is lovely, but the dough was way too wet, and I couldn't really shape it properly for the final proof (not to mention that it was oozing off the edge of the counter before that) and when I finally did give up and chuck it in the oven, something odd happened to the bottom crust -- see next picture...

Yes, that's the bottom crust as it was when I took it out of the oven. No, I didn't slice it in half. So one of two things: Either too much water -- I have never worked with a dough this wet before -- or, I didn't knead it enough to start with. When I first started kneading, it wasn't really even kneading. I had this gloopy mess on the counter, and I sort of scooped up handfuls and folded them back into the gloop... After about 25 minutes, it had developed some sort of tension, and was sticking to my hands less, so I decided it was ready to rise. Perhaps I stopped kneading too soon? Anybody have any experience they want to share? For the record, the recipe is from Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley... But it was delicious, so if I can just make it a bit more handleable and sort that bottom crust, I'll be all sorted...

Bara

2011-07-27T21:43:00.000+01:00

So one of my many jobs at the moment is working up on a farm by Llyn y Fan Fach, and the farmer's wife runs a cafe in the farmyard. She's after baps for making filled rolls, so I offered to make her some. Made her some lovely rolls last week, and she said she loved them, but they were too much like the rolls she makes, and she wants something "lighter" -- in texture, not colour. What she means is she wants something that tastes more commercial, without having to actually buy commercial rolls. I am now trying a new recipe for ciabatta-type rolls, so I'll let you know tomorrow how it works out (sponge above) but it raises the question about how we have to adapt/modify what we eat to what we can make without resort to flour treatment agent, enzymes, etc...

I don't think I have a deprived diet at all -- I eat lots of fresh vegetables, local (delicious) cheeses, local meat produced by farmers I know, homemade bread -- but I do think about food in a different way than one does if one just goes into the supermarket and picks things off the shelf. I have to think about what time of year it is -- in the summer I eat more salads and in the winter I eat mainly stews. If you currently eat a supermarket ready-meal diet, it's not possible to simply switch to making things from scratch and have the end result be the same. Personally, I think the end result is better, but I think that the farmer's wife is concerned that her customers want the bread to taste the way they are used to -- and I can see her rationale, and this is what stops me from opening my own restaurant -- because I would be too stubborn and I would lose customers -- but ultimately we do need to change the way we eat. Is there an easier way to get there?

Dw i wedi dod yn ol...

2011-07-25T21:49:00.000+01:00

After much deliberation, I've decided to start blogging again... Several reasons: 1. A neighbour said to me last week that I was the greenest person he know -- I don't particularly think my life is that extraordinary, but if he does, maybe it is? 2. By complete chance, I met a couple of people last weekend who I'd never met in real life before but who had been regular readers of my blog and found it very useful -- so perhaps I do have something to say? 3. One comment/criticism I used to receive a lot was that it was great that I was doing all this, but not everybody has four acres, etc. Well, now I live in a very small house on the edge of a small village with a very small garden, so perhaps more people will be able to find that there could be a similarity between my life and theirs now?

In any case, as always, I'm going to start with food. The above photo is a lovely bowl of chicken soup I made with a chicken kindly given to me in exchange for helping my friend Gerry learn how to slaughter his own chickens yesterday. The carrots and greens are from my veg box delivery (I have no garden this year as it's presently a building site!). So that's a whole bowl of soup that's never seen the inside of a supermarket, and it was delicious!

More to come -- watch this space -- I'm not really sure how long it will take people to discover that the blog is live again... But your thoughts and suggestions for future posts are always welcome.

Diwedd y blog

2009-10-07T18:25:00.002+01:00

Tried to post the other day and my browser won't work. Came to the general conclusion that modern computers require a nearly constant Internet connection to keep updating themselves, and I don't have that any more. I could take my computer round somebody else's house and update it, but the same thing would undoubtedly happen again before long, so have just decided I can't be bothered.

I am now going to produce a paper newsletter monthly with news from Heol Cennen and thoughts regarding sustainability. If you would like to receive this, please send a stamped addressed envelope to 60 Heol Cennen, Ffairfach, Llandeilo, SA19 6UH, United Kingdom.

I am going to leave this blog here for posterity and as a point of reference but I will not be posting or reading comments any more.

Thanks to everybody for reading it over the years and for all your support.

Trydan

2009-09-27T14:46:00.003+01:00

Jon the plumber is working as I type, and he assures me that he expects me to be able to use the Rayburn by the end of the week -- yippee!

In other news, earlier in the week, my friend Andy was making fun of me for having my electricity generated by wind, but really this a very simple thing that anybody can have, regardless of where you live. Good Energy provides 100% renewable electricity -- I think their mix is something like 99% wind and 1% solar, and if you are generating your own electricity, they will buy that back off you as well. Lots of other electricity companies offer so-called green tariffs, but they are more green-wash than actual green.

When I first moved into this house, the electricity was supplied by Scottish Power. I had to keep them as my electricity supplier for a few weeks until I could get switched over to Good Energy, and this process of course generated the obligatory phone call from somebody at Scottish Power trying to convince me not to switch. He started going on about some new competitive rate they were going to offer me and I explained that I wasn't switching to save money but because I wanted to be on a green tariff. He replied that Scottish Power was a green electricity supplier but when I asked him to send me details about where their electricity comes from he ended the call and I haven't heard from them since. If you're on a green tariff from somebody other than Good Energy, ask them what their electricity mix actually comprises -- you'll be surprised. Also, bear in mind that even if they are supplying you with 100% renewable electricity, they are still selling non-renewables to other customers. Really, you have no reason not to switch now.

Y gegin

2009-09-20T17:10:00.003+01:00

Rayburn flue has now been fitted, and am just waiting for Jon to finish making hay so he can come install the new hot water cylinder, etc. Still won't have kitchen units for a while as I haven't even ordered them yet (although I might do that tomorrow) but have got thoroughly fed up with eating out all the time and am so desperate to be able to cook again that I think I am going to try to rearrange the boxes in my dining room so that I can get at the table and use David & Angela's gas camping stove again...

Work has been very busy this week -- was up at Aberystwyth Food & Drink Festival on Saturday and it was mad -- I didn't stop to breathe at all between about 9:30 and 1:30! A good day, but hopefully this week will be a bit less insane. Also, I know I should have written about this before rather than after the fact, but you should still be able to see it on iPlayer or something -- the goat farm was featured on Hairy Bikers on BBC2 last Friday evening, so check it out and you can see where I work!

Also had an interesting conversation with the people at Dŵr Cymru. At Bwlchyrhyd, we had spring water and a septic tank, so didn't have to deal with water rates, but now that I'm here in town, I do. A lot of people (myself included) mistakenly think that if you have a water meter installed, that's it, and you can't ever go back, which makes them reluctant to take the chance in case it ends up costing more. The good news is, that's not true. You've got 12 months to change your mind about the meter, which is more than enough time to see if it's saving you money (or if you should be reducing your water usage!) Give it a try -- if you are conserving water like you should be, odds are it will save you money as well. I have filled in my application form and will keep you posted when I discover how much water I am actually using (I suspect it's quite minimal...)

Marchnad

2009-09-13T18:08:00.002+01:00

Still no luck uploading photos, and at this point, I don't think there's going to be -- was speaking to a friend last night who said that she'd never succeeded in uploading photos on a dial-up connection either, so sorry folks, but I think this may become a text-based blog. If you want to see photos of anything I write about, send me a letter at 60 Heol Cennen, Ffairfach, Llandeilo, SA19 6UH with photos of what you're up to, and I'll send you one back.

Not much news to report really -- no new progress on the Rayburn so I will have to ring Down Home tomorrow morning and see what is going on there. Have been working full-time at Cothi Valley Goats so that is occupying most of my time at the moment.

If you're in Aberystwyth next Saturday, pop by the market and say hello!

Cymru am byth!

2009-09-06T17:07:00.000+01:00

Back home and very happy to be here!

Rayburn has been installed but flue not fitted yet so I am still in the land of not cooking...

Also, still can't upload photos. Has anybody else out there succeeded in uploading photos on a dial-up connection? Have tried making the images smaller and doing them one at a time to no avail...

Mae hiraeth arna i...

2009-08-30T22:23:00.001+01:00

Still in America. Didn't make it to the fibre festival yesterday due to the incredible unhelpfulness of the folks at Avis yesterday, so don't have much to say now as I was planning on writing about that, so sorry I didn't get to meet up with you Cyndy...

Back to Wales on Thursday -- can't wait! Cymru am byth!!!

Dw i'n teithio...

2009-08-25T02:22:00.002+01:00

Apologies for having missed the last two Sundays. I'm currently travelling around America for a few weeks, so am writing this from my friend Noah's house in Richmond. Was going to try to post last Sunday before I left but was busy ripping out the last of my kitchen so didn't get a chance.

The upshot of this is that I have no kitchen at the moment. Handily, as I'm not there, it doesn't really matter, and, fingers crossed, my Rayburn will be installed while I'm away.

I've also been talking to some people about the image uploading thing so hopefully I'll sort that when I get back as well.

More news to follow after 3 September...

Gwaith tŷ

2009-08-09T15:43:00.003+01:00

Well, can't seem to manage to upload photos for some reason, so...

Just been trying to get things sorted out in the house. I'm putting a Rayburn in the kitchen, but there's no cooker there at the moment, so am using a gas camping stove that Angela & David have kindly leant me.

Also working on getting the damp in the bedroom sorted -- we've discovered that there's no flashing on the chimney, so O is putting that up and hopefully that will solve it.

Got my new chest freezer delivered -- the old one was too big for the world's smallest house -- so am back to eating my own lambs again.

Not much else really -- just realising that I haven't got rid of enough stuff as there's no place to put it all! How did I come to own so many things and do I really need them all???

Dw i wedi symud!

2009-07-26T16:53:00.001+01:00

The move is all done, I no longer own Bwlchyrhyd... Everything all still in boxes and chaos, but will post more soon...

Dw i'n symud!!!

2009-07-17T18:26:00.002+01:00

The long awaited exciting news is finally here -- we have found a buyer for Bwlchyrhyd and I am moving!!! As you will see, the name of the blog has changed, but the URL will stay the same.

In a way, this will be even more of an exciting challenge than Bwlchyrhyd was -- it's one thing to live on a smallholding in the countryside and say you're going to be self-sufficient -- it's another to say you're going to do the same thing on the edge of a small town. I do realise that not everybody is lucky enough to have the opportunity to live somewhere like Bwlchyrhyd, but my new house is probably a lot more similar to more people's living situations -- so hopefully this can be a useful and educational experience/experiment.

Am posting this from a friend's house as I am literally mid-move right now, but will try to blog as regularly as I can, so watch this space!

Newyddion Banc Olive

2009-07-12T10:33:00.002+01:00

This post is mainly stuff Bridget could be posting herself, but her computer's not working and I don't have much news of my own at the moment, so...

Bridget has had lots and lots of chicks this summer -- this one is a Sablepoot. If I remember correctly, there are four of them, and they are tiny -- this one is already three weeks old!

These are Light Sussex chicks from my hens (but sadly not my cockerel as he proved to be infertile and then later got eaten by a fox...)

The ducklings are still doing well and growing much more rapidly than chicks do:

And finally some photos of my own -- these were taken at 6 am the other morning on my way up to Cilwr:

Hwlffordd

2009-07-05T12:24:00.002+01:00

Sorry, no pictures this week. Just to let you all know, I will be at Haverfordwest Farmers Market this coming Friday, 10th July, representing Cothi Valley Goats, so if you are in the area, pop down and say hello!

Hwyaid eto

2009-06-30T21:17:00.001+01:00

The good news is, the ducklings are all growing rapidly and are all doing very well. The sad news is, Del died last Sunday. Of what, we don't know...

Hwyaid!

2009-06-21T17:25:00.003+01:00

Lookit -- Del had little ducklings! This was actually the other week, so they are older now, but these pictures were taken the day after they hatched -- so cute!!! And swimming already!

In other news, Angela brought me back this lovely looking flour from Worksop -- can't wait to make bread with it!

I know I have been bad about posting regularly, but I am going to try to post something every Sunday -- perhaps if I have a bit of structure it will help...

Egni/Carbon/ac ati...

2009-06-06T12:29:00.002+01:00

Here's a question for all you number crunchers out there:

Say you're designing the heating/hot water/cooking system for a small 1 bedroom house, not a new build. Which of the following is the most efficient/has smallest carbon emissions?

1. Heat (and hot water in winter) provided by wood burner with back boiler connected to hot water cylinder & radiators. Hot water in summer provided by solar thermal panels, backed up by an electric immersion heater powered by either PV panels or wind turbine backed up by connection to green electricity supplier. Cooking to be done on electric cooker.

2. Heat provided by wood burner in lounge & wood burning Rayburn in kitchen/diner. Hot water provided by back boiler on Rayburn. Cooking to be done on Rayburn. Either PV panels or wind turbine to provide for electricity needs (lighting, etc.)

3. Is there something else out there that I haven't thought of yet?

All answers greatly welcomed...

Banc Olive

2009-05-31T13:43:00.002+01:00

Tuesday night I stayed up at Banc Olive and looked after Bridget's animals -- it was a lovely night, one night after the new moon.

Recognise these?

Thomas the calf, less than 24 hours old:

And, of course, Jessica engaging in her favourite activity -- bottle-feeding little April!

Bara Saffrwm

2009-05-19T14:11:00.002+01:00

Angela brought me back this beautiful (and delicious) saffron loaf from Cornwall -- it reminded me a bit of a sweet Rosh Hashanah challah, but according to Jane Grigson's recipie, it doesn't contain eggs -- all that lovely colour just comes from the saffron!

Speaking of food, I just finished reading a really scary book called The Death of Grass by John Christopher. I originally caught part of this a couple of months ago when it was dramatised for Radio 4, and I would highly reccomend it. It was written in 1956, and either John Christopher just has a vivid imagination or else he's psychic -- it's uncannily relevant right now.

Penblwydd Hapus i Fi

2009-04-29T16:14:00.002+01:00

Yes, last Sunday was my birthday, and I am now a staggering 37 years old...

Spotted this lovely rainbow on the way to the Cawdor for a lovely meal with T who also gave me the most beautiful book in the world...

Also got from Angela & David the most clever bowl in the world -- it has got a foot to help it keep steady when you are beating things! I will most definately be cooking with it tomorrow...

Clychau'r gog

2009-04-19T14:59:00.003+01:00

The white bluebells are here again and I heard the cuckoo yesterday, so spring must be here.

In other exciting news, from this coming Friday (24/4) my homemade bread will be available for sale in Pinc, so if you're in Llandeilo on a Friday morning, check it out!

Newyddion -- Bron...

2009-04-12T11:50:00.003+01:00

I know I keep saying exciting things are coming soon, and they are; you will just have to wait a little longer.

The above photo was taken seconds before the sun came up properly. I was getting ready to go to work and stepped outside and saw that. Nipped back in, grabbed the camera, took the photo. By the time I'd put the camera back inside and gone back out again, the sun was up properly and that lovely pink glow was gone -- that's a bit what my life feels like at the moment -- the sun will be up shortly -- but I am not going to say anything now and jinx things so you will just have to wait a bit longer.

The peacock has come to visit again today -- not quite sure why, but he does seem to like spending time over here at this time of year. It's a lovely day so I am now off out to hang my laundry on the line.

Amser

2009-03-29T23:21:00.003+01:00

Something to reflect on as the clocks change:

"Imagine the Earth devoid of human life, inhabited only by plants and animals. Would it still have a past and a future? Could we still speak of time in any meaningful way? The question 'What time is it?' or 'What's the date today?' -- if anybody were there to ask it -- would be quite meaningless. The oak tree or the eagle would be bemused by such a question. 'What time?' they would ask. 'Well, of course, it's now. The time is now. What else is there?'"

-- from The Power of Now by Eckhard Tolle

The Age of Stupid

2009-03-09T18:41:00.004Z

I went up to see this film in Aberystwyth last Friday night and I highly recommend it. It will make you think.

Gŵyl Dewi Sant

2009-03-01T18:22:00.002Z

Happy St David's Day... Daffodils are not out yet -- I have seen some open in other places, but not here at Bwlchyrhyd -- but I have finally succeeded in seeing last Wednesday's new moon (I guess it's not really so new now, but...)

Bara

2009-02-26T20:21:00.006Z

What are you doing tomorrow morning? Fancy buying some of my home-made bread? Come along to the Country Market in Llandovery this Friday and every Friday thereafter...

Glanhau

2009-02-25T11:02:00.001Z

Have been doing some tidying up and getting rid of junk -- what a difference it makes!

Paun

2009-02-24T13:11:00.002Z

What an auspicious day -- first a visitor I've not seen in a long time, and then tonight hopefully I will see the new moon...

Mwy eira!

2009-02-08T17:36:00.002Z

Sorry folks, but for as long as this wonderful weather continues, this blog will continue to feature far too many gratuitous snow photographs!

This was Saturday morning and was a lovely bonus as I hadn't realised snow had been forecast overnight...

This was about lunchtime today -- no new accumulation today, but snow showers are so much nicer than rain showers -- and you can barely even see the top of the mountain -- lovely!

AND, there is MORE SNOW to come! Yippee!

Y Tywydd

2009-02-06T18:00:00.002Z

Still rather wintry up here, although the lane is now largely cleared. However, and I don't have a photo of this I'm afraid as I was in the car and didn't have my camera with me, but I was driving home through Salem this evening and I actually saw daffodils by the side of the road, in full bloom -- shocking!

The snow has arrived!!!!!

2009-02-03T19:28:00.008Z

Here we have Mr Snowman. Whenever it snows I just have to build one. It's the child in me it takes over!!!

A picture looking up the valley towards Jessica's:

Ben with lots of snow and ice all over him. He did look funny!!!!!!!!

Jon feeding the rams, the dogs are having lots of fun in the snow.

In the foreground we have Fred with Whitey behind her and Mrs Sorrowful at the hay rack.

The sun was on its way up this morning, this was at 07.40:

The white fluffy flakes have now landed on Banc Olive and it looks beautiful.

Eira

2009-02-03T11:30:00.004Z

Wow -- if I thought I was happy yesterday, that was nothing... At some point in the middle of the night I woke up and it was quite bright as the moon is about half full, and I could see that already there was more snow, and now there is even more. This photo was taken about an hour ago from the top of the field looking down the Cothi Valley -- and it's snowed even more since then -- I am sat here now looking out at my footsteps across the yard and they are rapidly getting covered over!

This was taken about 8:00 this morning just as the sun was trying to peek over the edge of the mountain:

Hapusrwydd!

2009-02-02T16:50:00.000Z

Sunday Morning

2009-02-01T11:17:00.003Z

After checking the ewes this morning I just had to get a couple of pic's of the sky.Is this the lull before the storm ( Red sky in the morning Shepherds warning?) We will have to wait and see!!!

Lambs

2009-01-29T15:40:00.007Z

We have had more lambs born this week. Some of them are really small so I have been bringing them into the house for some colostrum. They are that small Willow the Jack Russell looks huge against them. To keep the lambs warm I put them into the Rayburn bottom oven of course its only warm not hot. Some of the lambs are very rattly on the lungs, once they get over that they seem to go on and live. We have lost a few.

Stôf pren

2009-01-27T15:43:00.003Z

Finally got around to tracking down the manual for the wood stove, and considering how much time and effort I put into getting it, I thought I'd stick it up on the web for anybody else out there who might happen to have an old Efel Kamina wood burner sitting around. I am reliably informed that there are next to no spare parts (with the exception of the glass panes) available...

Defaid a gwlân...

2009-01-26T18:28:00.003Z

Not much to report here really... Hefin put his sheep back in the field again and has now (since taking this photo) taken them out again... I still can't get used to seeing white sheep up there!

In slightly more exciting news, remember ages ago when I sent my wool off to be spun into knitting yarn? I got it back in November and this hat & scarf are my first two finished objects!

January lambs

2009-01-20T18:37:00.008Z

We now have the ewes in the shed and they have all been vaccinated and wormed pre-lambing. This was in fact two weeks ago. We had our first live lambs born on Sunday 18th. We had a couple of ewes lamb with premature lambs the lungs are not developed so they don't take a gasp of air , which is really frustrating because your trying your hardest to get the lambs to live and they just don't. So when they come and alive you just sigh with relief that is a wonderful feeling.

Pris is

2009-01-09T09:35:00.001Z

In the interests of moving things along, I've lowered the asking price for Bwlchyrhyd, so if you were interested before but thought you couldn't afford it, have another look...

New Year 2009

2009-01-04T18:40:00.003Z

Hello to all who have been reading jessica's blog tis my turn now. Hi i'm Bridget at Banc Olive and i thought I would start off at the beginning of the year rather than finish jessica's.

4th Jan Jon is spreading farmyard manure on the hay fields, due to the frozen weather. Well as for me I moved the Texel ewes closer to the yard ready for lambing the commercial ewes will soon be lambing so we are in for some late nights. Oh and it's been snowning at last.

Nadolig Llawen!

2008-12-23T16:51:00.002Z

I know, it's been over two months since I posted here, so as a rather pathetic Xmas present to anybody who is still bothering to read this blog, here are some very old photos that have been lurking the camera for some time now.

I didn't make a big Thanksgiving dinner this year but still had to do something so cooked a pheasant that my neighbour gave me and made a pumpkin pie (and of course roasted pumpkin seeds!). In a way, pheasant is really a more appropriate bird for me to be eating at Thanksgiving than turkey as they are what lives semi-wild on my mountain, whereas even the most free-range organic turkey I could buy would still be farmed...

Ages and ages ago, I planted some melon seeds in the greenhouse, and I did actually manage to get two of the world's smallest melons -- quite tasty, but only a very few mouthfuls!

Now that the sheep are all gone, I've let the next farmer up the lane put his sheep on my fields -- it looks very odd to see white sheep at Bwlchyrhyd!

And this is the very small apple harvest -- I know these apples look a bit odd and manky, but they were SO incredibly juicy and delicious!

Off to make some root vegetable soup now. I think there will be some exciting things happening in the new year, and I will write about them here when they do. Also, Bridget has finally got her computer back from the shop, and as soon as I go down there and show her how to blog, you will have news from Banc Olive as well -- and Bridget will be starting lambing before long!

Nos da a blwyddyn newydd dda i chi!

Tân

2008-10-20T20:33:00.002+01:00

Yes folks, that's right, you saw it here first... After not using the wood burner in the lounge for the last three years because I was advised by a plumber that it was dangerous, a friend came round the other day and had a look at it and said that it looked fine to him -- he has got a nearly identical wood burner to this one. So he helped me get it going, and voilà -- fire! So I will be nice and toasty warm this winter...

Following on from my previous post -- here's a taster of things to come -- my hens and ducks integrating nicely up at Bridget's...

Bridget

2008-10-18T16:24:00.003+01:00

Sorry, I know I haven't posted in ages...

Not much news now. All the sheep have finally gone, and there are now no animals at Bwlchyrhyd.

To keep you entertained and informed in the interval, Bridget will be posting news of my chickens and ducks here, as well as anything else that she thinks my readers may find of interest, and I will post news when and if I have it.

Regular service to be resumed when I have sorted out my life and reinvented myself yet again... Watch this space.

Pethau

2008-09-14T16:28:00.002+01:00

Sorry for not having posted in ages. I have actually been away in America for a few weeks, but here are some photos from before I went -- nothing particularly exciting really -- just winding things down in the hopes that a buyer will come along soon...

These are the two baby cockerels and one of them is now in the freezer and the other in our tummies...

These three hens went across the lane to Bart and Mandy, and the rest of the chickens (as well as Del and Dewi) have gone to Jon and Bridget's, so it's a bit quieter around here now... Will try and take some photos of them all in their new homes if I get a chance.

And this is my rather pathetic tomato crop this year which Bart has been tending for me in my absence...

Er Côf Am Shiva

2008-08-19T10:49:00.001+01:00

I will hold you in my arms forever sweetie pie.

Llwydi

2008-08-13T19:51:00.002+01:00

So I have been making my own bread for several years now, and I've never had a problem with bread going mouldy before. I have always used Allinson Dried Active Yeast except for a few times when I have made sourdough bread. Anyhow, the other day I knew I was out of yeast and I was in the shop and was in a bit of a hurry so I bought some Hovis Fast Action Yeast. The bread is reasonably tasty, although much less "crumbly" and better suited for slicing and sandwiches than my normal bread -- but now, I have just noticed -- it has gone mouldy!

I have had bread that got dry and hard and stale, but I have never had home-made bread go mouldy on me before. Suffice to say, it is stored in the same conditions as usual, etc. So I go to investigate and I notice that the yeast I bought contains "a blend of dried yeast and bread improvers." Methinks the improvers are the cause of the mould. Anybody else have this experience?

Ac eto...

2008-08-06T10:43:00.002+01:00

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hefyd:

Sori, sa i wedi teimlo fel ysgrifennu lot yn diweddar...

Sioe Frenhinol Cymru

2008-07-22T09:44:00.002+01:00

Two exciting things happened yesterday at the Royal Welsh -- Bridget & Jon got an 8th and a 9th with their Texels which they are quite pleased with...

...and, more importantly, I got to see the little ram lamb that we sold last autumn! He is all grown up now!

Da a drwg...

2008-07-07T19:19:00.002+01:00

The bad news is that the hen has vanished as have most of her eggs. No signs of struggle or feathers, so not sure what got her, but she is definitely gone... :(

The good news is that Shiva is still well enough to be catching little mice -- okay, I suppose it's bad news for the mouse, but it's good news for Shiva, and she's the important one IMO!

Ar Werth

2008-07-05T11:52:00.002+01:00

We have decided to sell Bwlchyrhyd. If you're interested in buying it, please contact our estate agent.

Diweddaru

2008-07-01T15:53:00.000+01:00

I just spotted the little bantam off the eggs so went over and had a look -- she is sitting on 11 eggs!

Yr Iâr

2008-06-29T22:03:00.003+01:00

I know this looks like a photo of a bunch of reeds, but if you look closely, you will see the little bantam hen in the middle of it. She vanished on Wednesday night, but was back Thursday morning for food -- and then vanished again. Yesterday I spotted her outside and went out and followed her -- I can only assume she is sitting on eggs as she hasn't moved from this spot since. Fingers crossed that the fox doesn't get her...

Gwlân a nyddu

2008-06-18T21:18:00.002+01:00

I have been saying for some time that I am going to spin the wool from the sheep, but, to be honest, I haven't got the time. There's now 6 fleeces from last year plus 8 from this year, and they take up a lot of space.

Spinning is going to have to wait for another day. The wool is getting sent off the the mill to be spun and to come back as yarn for knitting in 3-6 months...

Gwydyr

2008-06-16T19:50:00.010+01:00

The big exciting news today is that I finally managed to get glass cut for the windows for the shed:

In other news, Denzil, who used to live here, came by with some things from his greenhouse -- so I think I will be spending tomorrow transplanting and repotting things!

The peacock came to visit AGAIN (but I am not complaining because he is so beautiful!):

And, this one is a bit sad -- there have been some blackbirds nesting in the clematis on the front of the house, and we've been watching them fly back and forth and feel their little chicks -- and this afternoon, Shiva killed the daddy blackbird... Bad Shiva... AND, she has shown no remorse...

Cneifio

2008-06-15T17:36:00.002+01:00

Yes, it's that time of year again... Unfortunately, it's a bit harder to take photos that show what's going on with black sheep than it is with white sheep, but here I am, in action...

And the sheep, now all fully shorn, and looking like goats again. Check out Rhodri on the left (with the horns) -- he looks so much more elegant now!

Diolch yn fawr iawn i Bridget a Jon am helpu!

Scrabble (yn Gymraeg)

2008-06-04T20:20:00.003+01:00

From the New York Times to S4C (fast-forward to 4:20)...

(I was hoping to actually put the video here, but unfortunately technology defeated me, so you will have to click the S4C link above, and download it yourself -- but if you are using the new version of RealPlayer, you will have the option to save it to your computer -- because it will only be up on the S4C site until next Wednesday! If anybody out there knows how to convert a *.ivr file to something useful, please get in touch...)

Ffenestri

2008-05-29T18:03:00.002+01:00

Bart's peacock has spent nearly all day here -- not quite sure who or what he's trying to attract -- surely it can't be me!

And now for something slightly less spectacular -- I have made a window for the shed (yes, I know it's missing the glass). Bonus points to anybody who can correctly identify which of these two windows I made and which one Dave the builder made... :)

Y Tywydd

2008-05-27T21:13:00.003+01:00

The weather here was pretty hideous over the weekend -- extremely windy -- but luckily we only lost part of a tree:

It's now a very small bonfire and an equally small quantity of firewood...

In other news, here's the white sheep of the family...

And Bridget thinks that we have two boy chicks, two girl chicks, and one undecided chick...

Also, Bart's peacock came for another visit today -- I tried to take a photo when he had his tail open, but he kept closing it by the time I got the camera out!

Pethau

2008-05-21T14:37:00.002+01:00

The outdoor strawberries are covered in flowers -- so if I can succeed in keeping the birds and the slugs off them, we might have a big crop!

We put up the internal wall in the shed -- so as you can see, it's not one big shed like it looks like from the outside, but a pair of semi-detached sheds... :)

Here's another picture of the lettuces because the last photo was so crap. I pick myself a bowlful of leaves every day and they just keep growing back!

This is a melon plant -- I've got 5 of them, so perhaps I will get lucky and have melons???

Almost time for the rose to get transplanted back onto the shed...

We've also finished the fascia boarding stuff on the shed, and put up one of the doors -- so it is starting to look a bit more finished finally...

And these are the strawberries in the greenhouse, which I think are just about ready to eat!

Pwy yw'r rhain?

2008-05-15T16:54:00.002+01:00

The exciting news of the week is that we have some new sheep... A friend of ours is retiring from farming and although he has sold most of his sheep at mart, he wanted the last few to go to a good home (not quite sure if we qualify!) so here they are:

It will be an interesting experience having some sheep that are not Balwens...

In other news, Tony came to visit, and as you can see, he very much enjoyed feeding Sausage!

Malwod

2008-05-09T21:11:00.002+01:00

Finally got my camera back yesterday (and I also bought another camera, but that's another story...) so here's a lovely picture of the slugs I caught this morning before breakfast:

Why I am so desperate to kill slugs you ask? Aside from the fact that they are evil horrible creatures of destruction, I want to protect my lovely little lettuces who were good enough to give me my first salad of the season today -- fresh from the garden with a twist of black pepper and a drizzle of British rapeseed oil...

We have finally had a bit of sun this week, but up until now, it's been a pretty horrible spring. This lilac, which only just really started flowering a couple of days ago, was in full flower two weeks earlier last year...

One last thought to leave you with -- this just arrived in my inbox -- if you live in the area, please try to come along Monday morning and show your support!

Protest against post office closure in Dryslwyn next Monday

Tony and Madeleine Graf are campaigning against the closure of Dryslwyn Post Office and shop. Tony writes:

We are desperately concerned about the proposed closure of Dryslwyn post office.The proprietor tells us that he cannot afford to continue with the shop/post office which already makes a loss, if the P.O. part is withdrawn. This a decision (to be announced on June 3) which must be challenged and reversed for the following reasons:
- It is the only such facility for more than 5 miles.
- The bus service is infrequent (one might say rare).
- With rising fuel costs many people (particularly older ones) will not be able to afford the extra 10- mile round trip to the nearest alternative.
- 3 others have closed in the surrounding areas in the last few years, which means that this is the last remaining place where people can meet as a community (apart from the pubs). This is so important in a dispersed community where isolation can lead to so many problems, including mental health issues.

The issue here is not about buying stamps, and any proposal to substitute the post office with a peripatetic van will not address the key issue, which is about social cohesion and sustainable development in the local community.

Dryslwyn post office, in common with many rural post offices, is more than a provider of stamps and other post related services, it is a focal point for the community. As such the proposal to close it is flying in the face of Westminster and WAG policy on social cohesion and sustainable communities.

Post peak oil, as we move into energy descent, it will be even more important to retain such services at a local level. Let us not "do a Beeching" on them, and repent at leisure.

Tony has organised a protest to be held outside Dryslwyn post office on Monday 12 May at 10am.

Our MP, Adam Price will be there, together with Assembly members and local councillors, and the Carmarthen Journal will be there with a photographer.

Tony wants to get an impressive number of local people to show we care, so anyone is more than welcome.

Yn yr ardd

2008-05-07T20:31:00.000+01:00

Yr Etholiad

2008-05-01T09:07:00.002+01:00

My camera is STILL in the shop, so this morning's photo comes courtesy of my friend John... No, we are not actually voting in the Abbey! But this is just a reminder to everybody to please vote today. If you don't vote, you can't complain when things go wrong later...

Mae oena wedi gorffen

2008-04-28T10:18:00.003+01:00

Lambing has now officially finished, and we have four lambs. Here's a photo (taken by Greg's dad) of Rhodri, the proud father...

Dim pumed oen...

2008-04-25T11:56:00.003+01:00

Caught the sheep this morning and the last ewe is showing no signs of pregnancy at all, so I think that's it -- only four lambs this year...

All five chicks and mummy are doing well.

Camera is still in the shop, but Greg's parents are coming up for the weekend, so if Greg's dad brings his camera, you can see what he finds interesting.

Cywion!!!

2008-04-21T08:28:00.002+01:00

I know it's a bit difficult to see in this photo (my camera is in the shop again, so this was taken with Greg's phone), but we have FIVE CHICKS!!! (And one egg still, so perhaps we will have a sixth chick?) We have never had more than three chicks from one sitting before, so we are both rather excited as I'm sure you can tell...! :)

Wŷ Ffesant

2008-04-20T15:28:00.002+01:00

From time to time, we have reason to suspect that somebody is not laying in the nest box like they should, and we do a search of the hedges and usually turn up some eggs. Yesterday, Greg did this -- and he found five hen eggs -- and this adorable little pheasant egg! Apparently they are quite trendy. I ate mine poached and it was lovely and creamy!

Things are coming along well in the greenhouse...

And we have finished building the doors for the shed and I am now treating them with preservative prior to staining and waterproofing.

Bwyd

2008-04-13T09:15:00.004+01:00

Had our first "harvest" yesterday -- if you can call it that -- rhubarb and nettles! I'd been meaning to do something with nettles for ages (well, like, since last year) but just never got around to it and I suppose I was vaguely afraid. (And my fingers are still stinging this morning which is making typing this post slightly uncomfortable!)

First I picked a bunch (about half a carrier bag full) and just washed them and then tossed them in a pan with some butter until they wilted -- like spinach. They require more butter than spinach or kale, but I can tell you that when they are cooked they don't sting any more and they are quite tasty!

Then I got a bit more ambitious and I made a quiche -- and I am particularly proud of this quiche as I know where almost all of the ingredients in it come from...

Butter -- from an organic dairy cooperative about 35 miles from here
Rapeseed Oil -- from a farm in the Cotswolds, about 150 miles from here -- if anybody knows of anybody in Wales making oil, please let me know!
Onions -- from the Coop supermarket in town, but they are organic and according to the label, were grown in Cambridgeshire, about 230 miles from here -- we have got onions starting in the greenhouse now, so I should have my own next year! :)
Garlic -- grown here last year
Nettles -- picked from the patch growing on the edge of the driveway
Cheddar -- Welsh cheese, made about 100 miles from here yn y Gogledd
Teifi with Nettles -- Welsh cheese, made about 25 miles from here
Wholemeal Flour -- stone ground at a mill in Powys, about 70 miles away
Eggs -- from the hens
Milk -- from the farm next door
Salt
Mustard Powder -- but it did occur to me the other day when buying some prepared mustard that really I should just grow mustard and harvest the seeds and make my own -- so it's on my list of things to plant this week
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce -- I have been using this same bottle of Tabasco sauce for so long now -- I think I brought it with me from America -- which would make it the item in the quiche with the most food miles!
Paprika -- purchased (locally) by Greg's parents when they were on holiday in Hungary...

I also picked some rhubarb which I soaked in water with a couple spoonfuls of bicarbonate of soda before cooking -- this takes away a lot of the acidity and I only needed to use one spoonful of honey to sweeten this whole batch!

We also opened a bottle of the rhubarb wine I made ages ago -- and it is quite drinkable!

In other wine news, this is a bottle of pear wine that I started back in the summer. I racked it about a month ago and it was quite tasty at that point, so I think I am just waiting for it to clear. But how clear is clear? Can I bottle this yet?

We put the little lamb back up the field with the rest of the flock yesterday morning and are now (with a bit of difficulty) bottle feeding him up there -- it's nice to see them all back together again...

Left to right: 2nd ewe lamb, bottle fed lamb, 1st ewe lamb, pink nosed lamb. There is one more ewe who hasn't lambed yet -- she's got until 28th April, but she's not showing any signs yet.

Dal lan...

2008-04-11T10:02:00.002+01:00

In the end, the ewe just wouldn't let the other lamb suck, so the ewe and the pink nosed lamb are now up the field, and the other poor little thing is in the barn being bottle fed... In this photo I am teaching him how to do it -- but he has got the hang of it now and is coming along well. We were going to put him back up the field this morning and then feed him up there but it is raining today and I didn't want him to have a miserable first day out...

Things are coming along in the greenhouse -- we have got kale, Brussels sprouts, two types of cabbage, various lettuces, early strawberries, and onions, and have just started melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, courgettes, basil, parsley, coriander, and dwarf French beans. Now we just need outdoors to cooperate a bit so we can start things outside! The rhubarb is nearly ready though...

Yes, that's right, you do see snow... Both Sunday and Monday mornings, we woke to a light coating of snow, but of course it was gone by midday...

Meilartod

2008-04-03T20:27:00.003+01:00

Bart showed up this afternoon with these three drakes who promptly started trying to kill each other... Bridget is going to come round tomorrow and help me dispatch them -- roast duck anybody? :)

And in case anybody else out there was experiencing confusion, the lambs that we slaughtered last week are LAST YEAR's lambs... All four lambs born so far this year are alive and well...

Pedwerydd Oen!

2008-04-02T15:28:00.002+01:00

The fourth lamb was born Monday morning, and I've just spent over an hour chasing it around the field in a fruitless attempt to catch it and tell you what its gender is... If you fancy giving me a hand chasing the little one, come on up...

Interestingly, the ewes have now all lambed six days apart, in the reverse order that they lambed last year. Does this mean anything? Probably not. Will the last ewe lamb on Sunday and continue the six day pattern? Watch this space and see...

In other news, the other lambs are now all in the freezer, so we won't be starving to death here...!

Bywyd a marwolaeth

2008-03-25T17:53:00.002Z

Three little lambs went to slaughter this morning, and now I am salting the skins in preparation for tanning which we are going to try to do ourselves this time instead of sending them off as we've done in the past... If anybody has had any experience with tanning skins themselves before, please let me know as I think we may need lots of help and advice!

Ac un arall!

2008-03-25T09:42:00.001Z

Born about an hour ago!

Thankfully just the one this time... :)

Newyddion am yr efeilliaid

2008-03-23T12:41:00.003Z

By Thursday morning, it had become pretty clear that the ewe without a lamb had stolen one of the twins -- which was a big problem because despite the lamb was trying to suck from her -- and she had no milk!

Greg was away, so I got our neighbour from next door to come with his dog and help me catch the four of them. We took the bad ewe away but then the mother didn't want the other lamb any more and kept headbutting him and kicking him when he tried to suck, so in the end we brought the three of them down into the barn where the ewe is now restrained in Bridget's adopter so the little ones can suck to their heart's content. Hopefully, after a few more days, she will come to accept them both again and then we will be able to let them back out in the field.

Also, Bridget came and castrated the two little lambs -- they are both boys, and neither of them is registrable, so that's that...

Gefeilliaid!

2008-03-19T08:48:00.003Z

So we have been watching this ewe (the one in the foreground of the photo above) since I spotted her udder on Friday. Last night, when I checked the sheep at about 6:30 pm, she was making herself a little nest and wouldn't move from that spot even when the other ewes ran away from me, so I figured she would lamb this morning.

I went up this morning -- and, as you can see, there are two lambs! Now the other ewe in the photo is one of the original lambs that came from Lyn who accidentally had a lamb of her own last year. There is absolutely no way that she was anywhere near a ram this year, so is it possible that she is just helping out the other ewe with her twins??? I am so confused!

Wŷ Hwyad

2008-03-17T16:19:00.002Z

Does dim oen eto, ond mae Del wedi dodwy ŵy cyntaf o'r tymor bore ma.

Dwr dwr ymhobman...

2008-03-11T09:32:00.003Z

It started out as a fairly innocuous leaking cold water pipe... We got the plumber out, he replaced the relevant section of pipe, we tested it, everything seemed fine, he put the floorboards back down, and he left.

About 20 minutes later, the central heating comes on, and all of a sudden, there's water everywhere! It turned out that prior to putting the floor boards back, the plumber pulled out a nail that was sticking out in the way (I would have done the same thing.) Well, this nail ran though one of the pipes to the radiators -- so incredibly for at least the last three years (since we have been here, and possibly longer) the central heating has been running with a nail stuck through a pipe and no leaks!!! Yikes...

In other news, I did finally get my camera back yesterday, but I'm not sure how many pictures I'll take today as the weather is still pretty miserable...

Wyth!

2008-03-06T18:32:00.001Z

Eight eggs today -- so just one more and then I will know that all the hens are laying.

No lambs yet -- where are they???

Pam dyn ni'n cadw Balwen...

2008-03-04T08:57:00.002Z

Got to bottle feed this lovely little lamb yesterday at Bridget's. Her name is Neela and she is a triplet. As much as I love feeding other people's lambs, I don't want to have to get up in the middle of the night to feed my own, and this is why we keep Balwen! No lambs here yet...

My camera is still in the shop so I am unable to take a photo of the frozen hail all over the side of the mountain which looks like snow but isn't...

Bridget was asking me some questions about waterglass yesterday, and I know I've written about waterglass many times here, but I thought I'd post a quick primer for those of you who have never done it before. Waterglass is the common name for sodium silicate, a compound of sodium carbonate and silicon dioxide. Its function in egg preservation is to stop air passing through the shell (egg shells are porous, this is why eggs will eventually go bad) and thus extend their shelf life. If you are planning on preserving any of your eggs this way, I would do it NOW as this seems to be the time of year when eggs are most in abundance.

1. Find a container to store your eggs in. Ours is a large earthenware crock that Angela found for me in the antiques store in Llandeilo, but I imagine that an empty lick bucket would probably work just as well. You need a lid to keep dust and such out, but it doesn't need to be airtight.

2. You will want to fill your container about half full with waterglass solution (9 parts water, 1 part waterglass). Boil your water and then let it cool completely to room temperature before mixing with waterglass. Put it in your container and voila. You will want to site your container somewhere cool -- ie NOT in your centrally heated house. You don't want the eggs to freeze, but a barn is a good place.

3. Only put clean eggs with no cracks or chips and strong shells into the waterglass. As you get near the top, make sure that the top layer of eggs is always completely covered with at least 1 inch of waterglass.

4. When you want to use the eggs in November or something, just reach in, take out the ones you want, rinse off the waterglass under the tap, and use as normal. The consistency of the egg will be different to a fresh egg -- they are more watery -- so you won't be able to separate the white and the yolk, and I don't think you could make a very successful fried egg either, but I use them for scrambled eggs and in baking and I can't tell the difference.

Any questions?

Y Dafarn

2008-02-29T17:41:00.002Z

As I think I may have mentioned here previously, our village pub closed at the beginning of February and the owners have put in for planning permission to convert it into houses and build more houses in the car park. We don't have a village hall here, so the pub was where we held all sorts of community events like the village pantomime, the village dinner, the church Xmas fete, Talley Fun Day, etc. In addition, of course, it was somewhere to go for a drink and get out of the house and see people. Now that's all gone.

I've spent most of the day wading through Carmarthenshire County Council's Unitary Development Plan and writing my objection to the planning application. If you live anywhere near enough to me that you might ever visit the Edwinsford Arms, I encourage you to do the same. If you need help, just ask. The deadline for responses is 4 March, so do it now!

In other news, today is the last day of the month of February, and hence the last day of my daily blogging insanity. There are still something like three hours left to run on my poll, but the consensus is that I should blog weekly -- so what I will do is blog a minimum of once a week, unless I have something superduper to report like a lamb being born (which hasn't happened yet) or seven eggs in one day (which did happen today!)

Noson Sgwrs Cymraeg

2008-02-28T22:05:00.002Z

Just got back from the inaugural Welsh conversation night that Shelley has organised in Cwmdu and I think I can say that it was a success. Come along to the next one -- last Thursday night of every month, 7:30. Alternatively, come along next Tuesday (first Tuesday of every month) to the Angel in Llandeilo for more of the same...

Gwaith Tŷ

2008-02-27T23:06:00.002Z

Six eggs, no lambs (yet). Made bread, did some ironing, roasted a pheasant and made stock from the bones. Washed the sheets and towels and line-dried them outside for the first time in months. Read an interesting article about perennial chicory in the NSA magazine.

Phoned the camera place and they said that they think my camera will be fixed Friday, so please keep your fingers crossed...

Nos da.

Brogaod

2008-02-26T22:00:00.001Z

I realised that my query about frogs was a bit random (thank for answering Jimmy!) so I thought I should explain a bit more...

We have a pond, and every year, there is one night (or sometimes two) when hundreds of frogs come across our lane and go up to the pond. They mate and leave lots of frog spawn which then develops into tadpoles and then, at some point in the summer, I see lots of little baby frogs hopping across the garden field towards the lane.

I never see the frogs that come here to mate leave after mating. The past few days, Greg and I have seen a number of dead frogs around the pond. Is this a case of that they mate and then die? Or is something else killing them? Do ducks eat frogs? Do ducks eat frog spawn? The ducks weren't in the pond at this time last year...

And what do the frogs do all winter? Where do they go?

Dysgu Cymraeg

2008-02-25T17:57:00.003Z

Went to Welsh class and then afterwards ran into a woman who was in the very first Welsh class I ever went to three years ago. She stopped going to classes after a few months, and both she and another woman who was standing there expressed the belief that learning Welsh was such a hard thing to do -- GET OVER IT PEOPLE! Learning Welsh is not necessarily any harder than learning any other language. It has just become this self-perpetuating myth. If you want to learn Welsh and you set your mind to it, you can. Yes, there are things that help like having a good tutor, people to practice with, etc., but I know people who have learnt Welsh in all sorts of difficult situations like WHILE LIVING IN ENGLAND... So for all you people out there who think that Welsh is a difficult language, stop whining and go to class.

Six eggs today.