Lletty's Blog

June 7th Visits to Westonbirt and Penllergare Valley Woods June 7, 2021

At last after such a long time we’ve been able to see our family! A day out together with daughter & grandson plus extras at Westonbirt The National Arboretum. We had a wonderful day and enjoyed walking around through all the many paths amongst the thousands of trees. Best was walking over the bridge that spans across the woodland so it feels like one is a bird in the branches hidden from view but seeing all!

It wasn’t too busy but everyone we met had a very well trained dog on a leash. It was very helpful to find that all the trees were labelled and it stopped any wondering what species they all were- it definitely aids the memory when the name is on a label!

Back home we have had visitors! It was lovely to welcome new faces to the cottage after such a long break. All the cleaning and sanitising went well and even when the dishwasher broke two days before the first visitors came AO were fantastic and delivered one next day- great service! Friends arrived from England with gifts for us pie for Jim and stilton cheese for me and a fruit flan! We were very happy and full!

In our house we had the arrival of a bat in the bedroom and Jim luckily found the tiny hole that it had come through! The tallest ladder we have just reaches our ceiling but we had to open the window to get the ladder out again as it had jammed on the stairs coming up!! We do lead exciting lives!!

I enjoyed my weekly visit to Aberglasney with a good pal. She loves this tree a Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ wedding cake tree!

The rest of the Gardens are beautiful and it’s encouraging to see all the visitors returning now lockdown has eased.

The sun was shining when we visited Penllergare Valley Woods for a walk and coffee and cake! The Gardens are 40 minutes drive away from Lletty Cottage and are quite magical! Really! On both sides of the valley there are major roads and the Woods lie snuggled between them. A slight distant hum can be heard but the birds singing deafens the hum out! There are 12 square miles of woodland and 7 miles of footpaths…we haven’t walked them all….yet!!

There’s a fascinating history to the valley and there are great projects afoot to make the welcome centre larger and expand the facilities.

Can you hear that noise? It’s our grass and weeds growing! After the wet and cold we’ve had hot, warm and damp weather perfect for everything to start coming to life…in a big way! It’s been tricky trying to keep everything tidy when overnight plants seem to burst out of their slumber and shout, ‘ I’m alive and flowering…NOW! ‘

This succulent looked sad and down at heart and over a week has transformed into a beauty!

On Pond Field

Hostas ….before the slugs get them!

Flowers popping up everywhere all shapes, sizes and colours

Our Canada geese came back to visit but have now returned to a pond two fields away! The goslings are too big now to squeeze under the fence …I tried to make the hole bigger but they got bigger too!

Good to see so many bees in the garden and different kinds too. Sadly lacking in many other insects on the plants but there must be many flying around as the swifts are back at home nesting under the eaves and they must be eating something! There must be at least five pairs nesting and they squeal and screech around the house early morning and through the day…it’s a joy to hear them.

The tomatoes, cucumbers and salad are all growing well in the greenhouse and the runner beans, peas and courgettes are all planted in veg plot. I’d hoped to cut back on my planting this year but something happens and I just pop a seed into a deep root trainers and before I know it there’s a plant! I have to look after it now…don’t I !!!

Thank you Jane for the root trainers they have been amazing!!

Thank you for reading. Hope your gardens are growing well too!

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May 22 Mumbles, Llyn Llech Owen, Botanic Garden of Wales Visits May 22, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 8:58 pm

A few outings have amazingly been managed recently by dodging the showers, the heavy rain, the gales and the chilly gusts!

With the car needing its first MOT we returned it to the garage where we bought it in Swansea. Of course one can’t go to Swansea without calling into the Mumbles for a coffee, cake and a walk along the seawall. We left the rain at home and enjoyed our walk in the sunshine.

There were, of course, lots of seagulls on the beach but it was only a pigeon who posed for its portrait.

There’s a lake near the garage with a large gathering of swans. I looked up the collective noun for a group of swans and there are many- in case you are interested! I think I like ‘ a whiteness of swans’ best!

swans – a gaggle of swans
swans (flying) – a wedge of swans
swans – a bank of swans
swans – a bevy of swans
swans – a whiteness of swans
swans – a herd of swans
swans – an eyrar of swans
swans – a gargle of swans

Around the lake there are some lovely trees with interesting barks. I think they are London plane trees and outside another garage there were dinosaurs!!

It was wonderful to receive the news that Our Walking Well group was restarting. There were a few new ‘rules’. There are only ten places on the walk and you have to book your place online. These ‘rules’ will be tweaked as we all become accustomed to the new way of things. Our first walk was at Llyn Llech Owain – an old favourite! Three ladies have volunteered to be the leaders so it was lovely to meet up at the carpark and set off on our walk with some old friends and some new friends too. The weather was damp and over cast but it didn’t spoil the walk at all. As usual we ended the walk with coffee and cake in the cafe.

We met a number of people who were also enjoying their walks with their furry friends!

The Botanic Garden of Wales has finished their years long project of restoring the Regency lakes. I’ve watched the progress of the build through wire fences but I hadn’t walked all the new paths and seen all the new bridges. Every time the visit was going to be made the weather was too wet or cold. Fortunately last week we had a bright day and a friend asked me to accompany her on the walk.

We walked through the Gardens enjoying all the different settings.

We visited the apothecary building first and enjoyed seeing all the embroidery displayed on the walls.

The Great Glasshouse was filled with flowering plants from all over the world. It was beautiful.

Eventually after a tasty Welsh cake and coffee we set off down the path to see the lakes. We followed the new path around one side of the lake passing blue bells and campions in the verges and then crossed over the two new bridges. We were just looking at the new map and pondering which path to follow when the heavens opened and the rain poured down! A minute before it had been blue skies and now the clouds were black and heavy!

A race back to the car swiftly followed and a new date set for a completion of the walk when the weather behaves itself!!

Back home the garden has been trying hard to cope with the different weather conditions. After the dry April there were no problems with slugs. Now, however, it’s slug heaven! The new plants I have grown in the greenhouse and planted out are just the hors d’oeuvres and then they move on to the main meal of flower heads followed by the pudding of newly grown lettuce!

The rain does make pretty drops on the leaves though!

Hard to believe its June next weekend! Flaming June…I do hope so! I’m getting webbed feet! Next weekend the first visitors of the year are arriving in Lletty Cottage. It will be great to welcome back old friends and to make new ones.

One thing is for certain they have chosen to visit the best county in Wales. Carmarthenshire has it all and when it’s not raining it’s the very best!

Thank you for reading.

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May 8 Visits to Aberglasney, Brecon and Home Again May 8, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 4:15 pm
Tags: Aberglasney Gardens

Another month, another post and another grumble about the weather! Today it is really pouring down with rain but…on the bright side it’s warmer! On the downside the seeds I so generously sprinkled on bare borders yesterday have now been washed away in the water puddles that have appeared in said borders!

Hey ho and on we go! At least the house plants are thriving and looking forward to their time outside in the summer sunshine…whenever that arrives! No swallows around our house yet. ..early days! However, the screeching of swifts streaking through the sky around the roof yesterday announced their arrival but they’ve kept their heads down today to keep out of the rain. I do wonder where they go!

The bird feeders are remaining unfilled until the ‘canker’ that has been seen in local birds is given time to clear. The squirrels are missing the feeders and all the wood mice too! Rufus hates the squirrels and keeps a sharp eye on them but doesn’t do much else!

No birds on the feeders but plenty of activity on the pond where the Canada Geese goslings have hatched out… ….six of them … very proud parents!

The rams on the next door paddock are steadily eating their way through all the grass when they aren’t relaxing and sleeping!

A visit out to Brecon to meet up with some special friends was the highlight of the week. We enjoyed a walk along the river and a tasty snack in the Pilgrim’s Cafe next to the cathedral, where a small area, under a canopy, for eating outside was allocated. This was very fortunate as it snowed and sleeted and rained and blew a chilly wind whilst we were sitting there! Sadly the cathedral was closed to visitors but a further amble through the town looking at some of the few shops that were open was very pleasant.

At home the skip has gone and the scaffolding is down and the new chimney stack looks great. Even with all the rain today the fireplace and walls have all stayed dry ..the work was worth it! Yay!

A weekly visit to Aberglasney is usually on a Sunday. The last few weeks every Sunday has been blessed with sunshine…it always shines on the Gardens!

The Malus Arbour was in full bloom and was buzzing with bees it really is specail!

Aberglasney’s Malus sargentii Arbour is one of the Gardens most striking features when in full flower. This stunning Crab Apple from Mororan in Japan is situated in Aberglasney’s Lower Walled Garden and is a wonderful sight when it is alive with bees and hums like some kind of natural electric motor. The single white flowers are followed by small cherry-like fruits, which last well into the autumn.

Looking forward to seeing the ‘new’ Wisteria arbour in full bloom soon!

In our garden work on digging the compost for hanging baskets has had to be delayed as a number of toads have taken residence there! They might turn into handsome princes!!

It would be better if they all moved to the greenhouse to keep any unwanted visitors away. The greenhouse needs an extension…running out of room frequently!

The rest of the garden is doing well considering the ups and downs of the weather. Trying to get more wild flowers growing in the borders and in the lawns has proved difficult in the past! The front lawn is full of lady’s smock now but with other grass areas wild flower seeds haven’t really taken well. This year the seeds have been sown and germinated in the greenhouse and now being planted out as plugs into bare soil! Fingers crossed it will work!

Lots of plants growing and lots to look forward to!

At the moment it’s just time to enjoy the crab apple and fruit tree blossom and the shrubs that are in full flower.

Wish there were more insects in the garden these days. Hopefully with everyone being more conscious of which plants are best attracting wildlife there’ll be more creepy crawlies around again! Even slugs can come back…I’ve the toads to deal with them!!

Thank you Jane in Scotland for the euphorbia you gave me…the flying insects love it! (Thanks Julian for head up about spelling!)

Thank you for reading.

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April 25 Visits to Porthcawl, Dinefwr and Aberglasney April 25, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 8:01 pm

This post should start with a reference to April showers, ” April showers bring May flowers” …so the saying goes, however, showers have been sadly lacking over the last weeks! We have been blessed with frosty mornings , sunny days and some chilly winds which has all resulted in getting the watering can out earlier than usual!

The sunny days have meant we have enjoyed some visits out! We haven’t been to NT Dinefwr in Llandeilo for months so with news that the take away cafe was open …we went!

Newton House looked as formidable as usual but being surrounded by pleasant pastures filled with the famous white cattle it’s a great place to have a lovely walk. There are many different paths to follow and every one is enjoyable.

Over lockdown the parterre has had some work with the yew trees having a severe haircut. The box hedges have box blight so work to be done there too. Around the park there were signs of the result of last winter’s storms with many trees having been blown over and left….all good for the creepy crawlies to come and get their teeth into. Other trees seem to have been cut down as they looked diseased or in danger of losing branches and falling on visitors…who knows!

I always think of Macbeth when passing these trees!

A visit to Aberglasney Gardens is a weekly adventure as there is always something new to see and enjoy. The gardens look wonderful any day of the year but they really sing in the spring!

On another sunny day Porthcawl was our destination…a lovely seaside town just over an hour away. We took the scenic route over the Black Mountain and stopped to enjoy the views back over to the other side of the valley where we live.

In Porthcawl we walked around the little harbour and breathed in deeply enjoying the sea air, the sound of seagulls and the lure of coffee brewing in the harbour cafe!

After coffee and the most enormous tea cake ever we walked along the promenade …it was all perfect!

A rock pipit kept us interested by its diving movements in to the rocks and then sweeping skywards again before hurtling to earth for another scrabble in the rocks for food!

Our garden has managed to survive the morning frosts without too much damage. The tulips are doing well and lots of other flowers too!

Bird life in the garden has had its ups and downs. On the positive side the mallards have had ten ducklings, the Canada Goose is sitting on her nest on the island and the male is a constant companion on the bank watching over her waiting for those eggs to crack!

There have been many visitors to the bird feeders but now there is the bird disease Trichomonosis in the locality and advice is to stop feeding the birds for at least a month….thankfully it’s spring and there’s lots of natural food around in the garden.

The farmer has brought his rams back for spring feeding in the next door paddock. It’s lovely to look out of the window and see them enjoying the grass!

This is what they think about Trichomonosis!!

Life has been busy with building works on the house! The chimney stack is being removed. It lets the water in!! It is being replaced with a stainless steel pipe…hope it looks OK in the end! Six tons of dressed stone now lies in our patio area…it looks a lot more stone down on the ground than it did on our roof!! Thank goodness we have amazing builders and skip deliverers too!

Another visit to Aberglasney today…just to end on a high note…the Gardens were amazing! A walk around with two wonderful friends chatting and putting the world to right is the best tonic in the world. The bluebells were just flowering and looked beautiful.

A fine and subtle spirit dwells
In every little flower,
Each one its own sweet feeling breathes
With more or less of power.
There is a silent eloquence
In every wild bluebell
That fills my softened heart with bliss
That words could never tell. ….Anne Bronte

Thank you for reading. Next post it will be May! Where is the year going? Hope you have a wonderful May Bank Holiday!

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April 9 Aberystwyth, Narberth, Lawrenny Visits and Llansadwrn Walk April 9, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 2:36 pm
Tags: ADClad hot air balloon, Saxton maps

Starting on a positive note and not mentioning the weather…. just yet…. is an effort to look at all the benefits of the easing of lockdown in Wales. We have been able to travel the highways and byways again and visit the seaside and other favourite places.

Our first away day was to the lovely town of Aberystwyth. The sun was shining, the crowds were gathering and there was a lot of bare skin to be seen on many of the walkers along the promenade! T shirts, shorts and other scanty wear seemed to be the order of the day for all the youngsters and not so young! I sensibly kept on my thermal vest…there was a brisk wind!

As the day progressed the crowds and the queues for coffee and snacks grew but everyone was in jovial mood and we had a lovely time.

Walking along side the harbour it was sad to see all the fishing boats moored up and all the fishing gear and lobster pots tied together unused through the lockdown. Hopefully they’ll all be put into action again very soon.

Passing through the centre of the town one expected to see tumbleweed blowing through the streets! The shops were all closed( open April 12…yay) but many were closed permanently…some large retailers had shut up shop and gone! Let’s hope many more smaller independent shops step in and take up the mantle and open up their shops so all the visitors can enjoy a walk through this lovely town and enjoy their shopping too.

It was interesting to see our villages Llansadwrn, Llanwrda and our local caravan site Aber Marlais marked on a Saxton 1579 map on show in a Aberystwyth University display on the prom…we’ve obviously always been very important!!

Another sunny day saw us driving through Carmarthen and on to Narberth. A very popular busy, little town with many small shops, cafes and restaurants to tempt one. Only the food shops were open and a cafe with take away coffee- which was just perfect! We had a good walk around the castle, the churchyard and down some country lanes. On returning through Carmarthen Jim called in for his second jab…done and dusted…. and I only need my second jab now for us to be sorted.

I love estuaries…everything about them ticks my boxes! However, I’m the only one who likes them so it was a treat just for me that we ended up in Lawrenny on the Milford Haven estuary of the Cleddau river. I walked along the shore enjoying the sights and smells all around whilst he who doesn’t like the sights and smells sat on a bench and tried hard not to like the sunshine!

Returning home from the outing we saw our local AdClad hot air balloon enjoying the views over our garden and then flying off into the distance!

Of course no post would be complete now without some photos of Aberglasney Gardens. It is wonderful that they are open again so everyone can enjoy the colourful spring borders with their trilliums, magnolias, hellebores, fritillaries in the meadows and lots more besides.

Great friends shared a morning with me at the Gardens and we enjoyed our take away coffee and hot cross buns before our saunter around the gardens- a wonderful way to spend a morning.

Back in Llansadwrn, my kind friend invited me to go on a local walk. The views from her home over the Carmarthen Fans were beautiful as always but now they were covered in snow as well!

We walked along country tracks admiring the statuesque trees, the fields of nature, the tumble down long deserted farm houses and carefully trod through the woods carpeted with wood anemone and bluebells in waiting. It was all delightful.

At the end of the walk I was even given a wonderful hand made gift. …..a peg woven sheep’s wool cushion. perfect for rolling up and taking on walks and putting down to sit on and keeping those parts of the anatomy dry! Thank you. Rufus has other ideas about keeping parts of his anatomy dry and warm!

Only now will I mention the weather! We have enjoyed some really sunny and bright days but we’ve also had wind, snow and very chilly days as Wally my wheelbarrow mate shows!

How the garden has kept going I’m not sure. Yes, there are frost burnt leaves and some withered stems but the garden is fighting back! The Canada Geese are settled on the pond and Mrs Goose is sitting on her nest on the island. She went to sit on exactly the same day as last year!

Thank you for reading. Hope your gardens and lives are now recovering from frost and lockdowns! Lots to look forward to …tulip time and bluebell wood walks….can’t wait!

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March 27 Exciting Times: Llangadog Walk ,Nursery Opening, Rugby! March 27, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 10:49 am
Tags: Telegraph Garden Centre and Cafe, Wales Six Nations

Weather! Such an influence on life! Happily the last weeks have brought some sunshine into our gardens and lives. It’s amazing what can be accomplished when the sun is out: window sills get painted, lawns get mown, plants get planted and time is taken to watching the Canada geese settle into life on our pond with their friends the Mallards and the Moorhens- sounds like a the start of a soap drama!

Watching our regular visitors also takes time!

The mention of chill winds, sleet, dark ominous clouds and heavy rain over the last couple of days will not interfere with the general feeling of relief that spring is here and we are on our way to the easing of lockdown. Just today ‘stay local’ has gone and we have been set loose and we can go anywhere… in Wales…the choice is ours…the rush of blood to the head is overwhelming…so we’ll take it slowly – step by step – and stay in today but tomorrow…tomorrow a return to Aberglasney Gardens! www.aberglasney

Last evening there was a thrilling evening of rugby with Scotland playing some wonderful rugby and Wales winning the Six Nations…all very exciting!

Other exciting news is the opening of a garden nursery just down the road! We called into see all the preparations going on for their opening over Easter. Callers are welcome now and it was such a pleasure to walk round and see all the colourful plants on sale. There will be an onsite cafe too and lots of sitting areas outside to sit in the sun and enjoy your coffee.

A walk around Llangadog in the sunshine was also exciting! We followed the A 4069 road to Llandovery out of the village and took the first road off to the left…it was further than we thought! It only takes a minute in a car!! We followed the road round and came back into the village by the old police station. A lovely walk with splendid views of the Fans.

We were the opposite side of the valley to our house.

Looking across the valley at our house..it’s hidden behind trees!!

A farmer passed us on his quad bike filled with feed. He was going from field to field feeding the sheep. One flock thought we were the farmer and rushed to the fence to see us with lots of baaaing!!

A visit to the hairdressers in Llandovery was another exciting adventure! The town looked very pretty and is just waiting for all the visitors to return ….soon hopefully.

Spring has sprung in the garden and it’s all gone very yellow!

Although there are splashes of ginger!

and splatters of other colours all round!

Last exciting news…we had a stoat in the kitchen!!! After chasing everywhere , up and down walls , behind bookcase it managed to find the back door and freedom! Leaving behind a scene of chaos, a bloody finger. (Jim’s..now on antibiotics and updated tetanus jab booked) …moral of tale…keep your back door closed at all times!!

Spring has arrived happily and excitedly, jabs all being given and gardens blooming for everyone…enjoy the daffs but look forward to tulip time which is just around the corner!

Thank you for reading.

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March 12 Poor Man’s Wood Walk and New Plans March 12, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 3:45 pm
Tags: Rhys Pritchard, sessile oak

Hooray new plans! Hairdressers can open in Wales from Monday so I’m booked in already for a proper cut not just a trim! We are also allowed to go from ‘stay at home’ to ‘stay local’ from next week…not sure what that means- how local is local? Anyway let’s hope that everyone stays sensible and more freedom to visit places and people will be allowed before too long!

As I have neared my total limit of 6GB on WordPress this post will have to be very short and lacking lots of photos! I will have to pay another 48$ to upgrade to Premium Plan and then I’ll have 13GB…so lots more photos then! Computer wise it’s been a rather irritable week as my Facebook page has been phished…I think that’s the word! Hope to sort it out soon!

On a local circular walk around the lanes we passed this lovely display along the verges of the A40 main road. Not sure if it’s the council who do these plantings or the farmers who live nearby but they are certainly welcome additions at this time of year.

The lanes are usually clear except for some tractors whizzing by and the hedgerows are full of primroses, celandines and the promise of wild garlic!

The fields were full of lambs and this ewe had rather of lot to look after…I’m sure they weren’t all hers!

On a bright sunny day we parked our car in the local Coop car park and set off down the road to find Poor Man’s Wood. In early 17th century Rhys Pritchard, the vicar 0f Llandovery, gave the wood to the town so the poor could take away a small of amount of wood when needed to use as fuel. We followed a track and then found the interesting entrance gate to the oak wood.

We walked along the bottom of the steep sided hill enjoying the views up through all the oak trees and the beautiful views over the lower fields.

From an information board I learnt that the sessile oak acorns have no stalk but the leaves have long stalks and in common oak it’s the other way round! I try to learn something new every day…but will I remember it….!!!!

I had a feeling we were being watched!

We walked on to the end of the wood following the footpath signs. There were a number of trees which had been blown down by the recent gales. We had to do lots of limboing under fallen trees and crawling on hands and knees through the broken branches but at last we came to the end of the path and climbed a stile into a field.

The field led on to a lovely farm where we asked the farmer about the circular route back. Alas! Although there is a circular route back it was blocked by more fallen trees so we had to return the same way! We will return later this spring when the woods will be filled with bluebells as their foliage was all around already.

Parts of our local circular walk has been overgrown for over a year. As mentioned previously in this blog someone has been amazing and has started clearing the 250+m of this path which when cleared will open up more circular walks for the area. A young friend asked would I like to assist clearing a bit more of this path. Cutting and slashing branches and foliage is obviously my forte as after a few hours work we’d cleared 40m approx! Fortified by gingerbread tea ( brought by kind friend) it was a very satisfying afternoon’s work. Hope they weren’t spying on us from the plane!

Back in the garden the birds are happy, the Canada Geese seem to be relaxed about making a nest on the island, the heron likes the frogs, the flowers are trying their best to grow through the damp clay and my compost is wonderful!

Hope I haven’t used up all my WordPress memory on this post so fingers crossed it gets published! Marks and Spencers have some lovely plants on offer for Mother’s Day! I’ve a new hydrangea and rose! Treat yourself if you haven’t anyone to get you a surprise! Everyone deserves a treat and a surprise in life!

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February 27 Watery Garden and Out of the Box Brecon February 27, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 11:33 am
Tags: brecon, Muck Boots, The Promenade Brecon

The weather seems to dominate our lives these days. The garden has been sodden to say the least but the sun has come out on occasion to try to dry it all out…but to no avail! However, the forecast is brighter and we should have a few more drying days coming up next week so fingers crossed!

Looking out of the kitchen window at the rain is brightened enormously by seeing the birds on the bird table.

Some new bird boxes have been added to the sparrow town and the wren street is slowly taking shape.

A local walk, around our local Marlais loop, with a lovely friend cheered up a windy and wet day.

Walks around our garden have taken place daily checking on the water levels and trying out my new wellies. The leak in my welly had been mended by a cycle repair kit but that too had leaked. I’ve always worn Muck Boots but was astonished to find out how much they had risen in price since I bought the last pair years ago! I’m trying out a cheaper pair now!

We have had some beautiful hours of sunshine though and the spring flowers have done their best to cheer the place up. Best of the bunch though are the hellebores…even with their heads pointing down! Good to have the farmer’s sheep back in the adjacent field. They are always very interested in the antics of Rufus!

Rufus amusing the sheep and trying to keep his feet dry in the wet garden and then relaxing on the settee in front of the fire!

A change of a food shopping venue to Brecon on a sunny day was wonderful. The walk along The Promenade by the River Usk in the sunshine was just what was needed and it was lovely to see all the signs of spring springing and to hear the roar of the weir and the birds singing in the trees.

The nights are much lighter now and with March 1st on Monday being the start of the meteorological spring..things are looking up! There’s the rugby this afternoon and St David’s Day soon! Hope life is cheering up for everyone!

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February 12 Walk and Present February 12, 2021

Filed under: Uncategorized — lletty @ 5:39 pm

Twelve years ago on February 6 2009 I started this blog! I’ve just looked back at my early posts and they were short and sweet and to the point! I shall try to slim these later posts down! 12 years ago it was a snowy scene around here and the birds were queuing up for their food …so nothing much has changed there, however, the garden photos show blank lawns, no borders, no veg plot and hardly any trees and shrubs. It looks like over the years I have created more work for myself…keeping all those newly created borders tidy!

On Big Garden Bird Watch weekend the birds flocked to the bird table and feeders as it was a chilly weekend. There wasn’t a space on the recording sheet for this visitor though!

Looking out the upstairs window movements in the Pond Field caught my attention! A buzzard swooped down and caught something in the grass at the same time a heron flew in and gobbled up a frog!!

It’s very like groundhog days at the moment . Our walks are staying local and life just seems to pootle on. A visit to Llandovery for my jab became a highlight of the day and an evening visit to Carmarthen for Jim’s jab was quite exciting! Freezing cold and icy…but the stars were good to see!

A walk around Llanwrda down to the station was enjoyable but the wind was so chilly that we made our walk shorter than expected!

A fine afternoon with sunshine, although still bitterly cold, found us walking around the Millennium Wood again. The puddles which had been iced were melting in the afternoon sun so it became very muddy underfoot but still lovely to be out in the open air. The footpath which has been totally overgrown is now almost clear! Whoever is doing the cutting back is making an excellent job of it. It will be wonderful when the path is cleared as we will have a circular walk again! Thank you Mystery Person!