The Walking Well Walk last week was around the bluebell woods in Llandeilo but I didn’t go as life has been very busy!
Our daughter who lives in Aberdeenshire called to say she had found the perfect house for us! She viewed it and within the week our offer had been accepted and we now own a house near her! A flurry of activity with estate agents and our house within days is on the market.
We won’t be moving until the house is sold and sadly there’ll be no more visitors to Lletty Cottage.
It’s very exciting planning a move to a country that I’ve only visited a couple of times. The new house has a garden which is a blank canvas so I’m plotting what to do there! I shall really miss my Pond Field, the garden, the views of the mountain and most of all my friends.
The Canada Goose is sitting on her eggs on the island now and the moorhens are being followed by their chicks …little balls of fluff bobbling along the surface!
The weather has been horrid! It has been chilly and rained and rained and the front lawn is still under water. This afternoon the sun came out and it was wonderful! It hasn’t had time to dry everything out yet but the garden looked much happier….so did I!
There were a number of bees buzzing around and the blue berry bush which is smothered in flowers was alive with sound and flying creatures!!
Within a couple of hours of putting our Morris Minor on Facebook it had sold! Can’t believe how quickly these things can happen!
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We’ll still be here for some time yet so Lletty’s Blog will keep going…just thought I’d bring you up to date with happenings!! Rufus isn’t sure what all the excitement is about and is staying cool just like the Welsh poppies!
The last weeks have been a mixture of weathers. Annoyingly our Walking Well Walk fell again on a wet morning! This didn’t deter the walkers and Pam the leader, enthusiastically led from the front. She followed the path down to where the White Cattle were grazing in the field with their new born calves and other cattle were finishing their breakfasts in the shed. The banks were covered in masses of primroses and everyone was in a jolly mood !
Pam told us to watch out for the first wild orchids of the season and sure enough we found one straight away! Common spotted orchid.
We crossed the fields in Dinefwr in rather damp conditions and passed a lovely cottage before reaching a track leading onwards towards the river.
The hedgerows were full of spring wild flowers- the weather must be perfect for them! Jack by the Hedge, Lords and Ladies, Campion, Stitchwort, Yellow Arch Angel, Herb Robert…to name the ones I can!
We arrived at the ford and didn’t play Pooh sticks but crossed the bridge and did an about turn and came back. We passed the ice house and Newton House before I drove home to my house! Thank you Pam for a lovely walk.
Earlier in the week we had a sunny day! We went for a drive to Brecon. It was amazing how many people there were wearing shorts and T shirts…it had only been sunny for an hour!! It was great to be in a buzzy town with everyone enjoying the day. We went to the museum which is always a pleasure.
The Gurkhas, originally from Nepal, have always been important. In 1974 the Gurkhas first arrived in Brecon and in 2004 they were given the right to settle in the UK. Many stayed in Brecon so seeing their lovely display was a treat.
The displays of Welsh cultural items are also fascinating.
A visit to Aberglasney in the Spring is always amazing as the borders are bursting with colour…so many different tulips this year! The bluebells and garlic were out in the woods and the malus arch was in flower.
Visiting today was even better as David Cowdry’s Art exhibition was in the mansion. His work is remarkable and wonderful…can you tell I really like it!!
Back home the lawn has had its first cut this afternoon. It’s left deep tracks in the soil but it looks much better now! The plants have been doing well even with two frosty nights and buckets of water poured on them regularly from the sky!
Exciting news that the Canada Geese are back and the female has decided, after a lot of faffing, on a place to lay her eggs, on the island. The moorhens have also made two nests but the mallards can’t settle and are undecided!! Spot the Canada Goose!
Jane’s tree…still doing well!
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Hope you get the weather you wish for in the next weeks. The sunshine this weekend has filled me with energy! Just hoping the sun stays out now and gives everywhere the chance to dry out and make the next few weeks the best they can be! Enjoy the rest of April.
Today was the first Walking Well Walk I could go on as the previous weeks we’ve had family visitors staying. However, today a new visitor called in so another walk postponed! Mind you the weather has been so rainy that the original walk planned around the fields of Llangadog has been changed to a walk on the roads around Llangadog as the fields are soaked and mud is up to the ankles!! Hope they all enjoy the new route!
It’s been wonderful having the family stay but the weather has been rather unkind! Take our visit to the lovely beach at Llanstephan. We started as we meant to go on….eating fish, sausage and chips from the cafe! Then we set off for our beach walk… dry but overcast which was fine! Suddenly a storm blew up out of nowhere ….it was exhilarating but also weird…the grand children loved it…so did their mum and dad!!
Another family day out was planned ! Go carting for all of us!! We drove through another storm to get to the go carting venue and then sat in our cars whilst the storm blew overhead, the car rocked and the rain fell! We abandoned our plans and drove on to Tenby! It was still raining but I spotted a faint light in the distance…the clouds were lifting ….the rain was easing… the day was getting brighter! We parked and walked up to the town in the dry and headed for a coffee in Greggs…which turned out to be more sausage rolls, more doughnuts and lots of drinks…all were excellent!
After our ‘feast’ we headed off for a short walk around the headland. We called in to the lifeboat station and then continued on down to the beach. It was windy and chilly but dry!
Another day but bright, chilly and dry…even some sunshine as we drove less than half an hour from home to the wonderful Carreg Cennen Castle.
After the walk up to the castle and a jolly look all around at the incredible views we walked back downhill to the cafe where we enjoyed delicious slices of carrot cake and coffee! You might think upon reading this post that all I think about is where the next coffee and cake is coming from…you’d be right!!
After the amazing family holiday everyone left to return to their own homes. The house sunk into a very quiet and sad mood! Thank goodness for Facetime!
The garden has been left to its own devices over the last weeks and amazingly it doesn’t seem to have missed me!! The plants are all springing to life and there is colour in all the borders. There’s also large puddles in all the borders and the lawn is saturated but the bog garden is very happy!!
Tonight we are awaiting the next storm Kathleen so the photo of the pink blossom, on the tree, looks dark…as it is getting darker with the heavy skies ! More rain!!!
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Hope you have a lovely April with the weather you want!!
The birds around here are starting to look for nest materials, the lambs are springing everywhere and blossom is on the trees…it’s not all bad in our world! Enjoy!
No Walking Well Walk for me this week as we have family visitors staying. It’s wonderful having a full house with all the chatter from grand children and shouts and groans from all their computer games!
I do feel as though I’m in a different universe when grandson is playing a computer game with his friend back in Canada! I can just about turn on my iphone which I had back in October!!
Everyone has been troubled with jetlag so days out have been limited to a visit to Cardiff for the Welsh rugby game against Italy…no comment on the game! A couple of local trips and one longer one.to the Mumbles.
Our first visit in Llandovery saw the grandchildren climbing up to the castle…well what remains of it!
Our next local visit was to Llandeilo where we enjoyed a walk round all the different shops and absolutely loved the icecream and delicious chocolate brownie with Easter egg at Heavenly! No photos just too busy eating cake!!
Our longer drive to the Mumbles on a sunny day but cold with a bitter wind was really lovely. The village was home to my parents long ago but the place has grown a great deal now! It is a magnet for tourists and more car parking is needed. It looks as though they are extending Wales! There were pile drivers placing poles into the beach area and it looked as though they were extending the land out!
We walked along the promenade to the Mumbles pier but took a diversion off to Verdi’s for delicious drinks and pizzas!
There was a magnificent wheel at the pier and the ever popular amusement arcade! We enjoyed them all!
A visit to Aberglasney before the visitors arrived was great as there was a Bonsai show on . Also the spring flowers were springing! The tulip border was delightful. and the magnolia magnificent
Our garden has been very wet and the lawn is still flooded. However, we have had some periods of sunshine along with a bitter wind! The spring flowers have done their best to brighten the garden up and bring cheer …to me! The best of some days has been the sunrise over the hills- just amazing – the garden glows !
Our wonderful postman Paul retired last week and our village gave him a surprise party! Our community is the best!
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The family are returning today from a trip to London and tomorrow our daughter and family are driving down from Aberdeen…so all go here…we are all ready for a lovely Easter! Hope you all have a great holiday weekend too. Eat as many Easter eggs, Simnel cake and hot cross buns as you wish and enjoy!
The sun was shining in a blue sky for our Walking Well Walk around Cwmdu. There was a fly in the ointment though…the wind!! Golly it was cold and it was the sort of wind that cut all the way through you! However, I was well prepared with lots of thermals and warm hands provided by Hotties!! A dear friend had given them to me as a gift and they worked ! Every part of me was cold except my hotty hands!!
We met outside the Cwmdu Inn before setting off up the road on our walk. The hedges were decorated in some fine knitted bunting!
It was lovely to meet the previous ‘organiser’ of the Walking Well Walks who was on a solitary walk around his village- good to see that he was very fit and hale and hearty as always!
The walk was through fields, over tracks and passing through farm yards. There were quite a few hilly climbs on the circuit but aching knees were soon forgotten when one saw the amazing views.
After the walk we all went to the Inn! Biddy who had led the walk was also providing refreshments! Her cakes were fantastic: Lemon and Blueberry Cake, Bara Brith and Banana Loaf….it would have appeared rude not to sample nearly all of them!! Many thanks Biddy for a lovely walk and delicious cakes and coffee.
Our days of sunshine have been shared with days of ice and cold! Our car has had a binding brake which makes the wheel very hot and smells of burning so I booked it in to the garage for a 9am check. This meant a wait of one and a half hours before I could catch a bus home! A walk around Llandovery was a good option with a stop off at a cafe for a coffee!
The road verges throughout the town were covered in daffodils and all looked very pretty in the early morning sunshine. The walk took us through the back of Llandovery alongside the flood banks of the river.
Following the main road into town we passed the house of Rhys Prichard, 1579-1644, the clergyman and poet.
Continuing along the road we came to Pen Y Gawse Victorian tearoom where we stopped for a lovely hot coffee and toasted teacake…delicious!
Fortified, we walked further along the pavement passing some distinguished looking houses , a pub that will be featured in an up and coming TV programme and the craft centre in the middle of town.
Also on this road we passed the memorial chapel to William Williams, ‘one of the great literary figures of Wales’.
‘Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
But his most famous hymn is “Arglwydd, arwain trwy’r anialwch”, better known as “Guide me, O thou great Jehovah”, translated by Peter Williams in 1771, which was sung to the tune Cwm Rhondda at Prince William and Catherine’s wedding in 2011.’
For a small town Llandovery has a great deal of interest!
Overlooking the carpark there is a statue of Llewelyn ap Gruffydd Fychan right next to the remains of the castle.
Until recently Llewelyn was little known even in his home area, but has become celebrated as a “Welsh Braveheart” after a campaign to construct a monument to him in Llandovery.’
( Very gruesome reading!) ……as a result of Llewelyn’s support for the rebellion, Henry had him drawn, hung, eviscerated, beheaded and quartered before the gate of Llandovery castle on 9 October 1401 “in the presence of his eldest son”……oh dear!!
I think one of the many remarkable things about Llandovery is the main A40 road that runs through the centre of the town. The road passes between the lovely Castle Hotel and a garage and is only single lane. Cars, lorries, log transporters etc. all wait patiently in turn to pass through this bottleneck without the facility of traffic lights. Long may it last as it shows the kindness and patience of all drivers!
We’d walked back to the carpark just in time to catch the bus home, using our senior citizen, OAP , pensioner, senior, golden-ager, old fogy, old timer, bus passes….whatever older people are called these days!
The allocated bus stop is a mile away from our house but the driver stopped at the top of our drive for us to alight! Such amazing service! Fingers crossed, the bus will stop for us , when I put out my arm, at the top of our drive, when I return to collect the car on another day!!! It did!! It was the same driver! Fantastic -I’ll be using my bus pass more often now!
A Sunday visit to Aberglasney was lovely as the sun was shining and the primulas, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowers were all in bloom.
Back home the garden is coming to life too but there is so much to do just to tidy away the winter scrub! However, the last three days has been dry! So parts of the lawn have been cut…the parts that still aren’t under water!! The birds on the bird table, the Canada geese, mallards, moorhens on the pond ,the ever changing views of the Carmarthen Fans and the new cones growing on the Korean fir tree keep me happy!
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Thank you for reading. Happy Easter to you all!
Preparations are already in hand for the arrival of our son and family next week from Canada for their holiday here! Our daughter and family will travel down from Scotland during their stay so we will be having a family get together! Very excited! No time for blogging until after Easter!
Shhh! It wasn’t raining this morning when I set off to Gelli Aur(Golden Grove) for a Walking Well Walk. The sun was shining and although rather chilly it was bright and dry!
Richard was leading the walk and before we set off from the church carpark, he gave us some safety advice, about not falling into the ravine that we would be passing!
Before leaving I had a whizz round the lovely church and then took some photos of the clouds and hills in the distance.
We set off up the road and in no time at all we reached a gate which led on to a rather muddy hill! Climbing the hill was tricky as it meant two steps forward and four slides backwards…but we made it!
Richard had recced the walk beforehand and had nailed wire to the stile steps to help us climbing over…it worked! Thank you Richard!
It was really lovely walking through the woods and seeing all the new growth of plants and bluebell leaves shooting through. Richard pointed out deer footprints in the mud…did I mention that it was muddy and slippery so we all kept away from the ravine edge!! Two minutes after the above photo we were in the middle of a heavy hail storm…unbelievable!
After crossing some fields we rejoined the road and headed back towards the church. We were now quite soaked but the sun kindly came out to dry us off!!
Thank you Richard for a lovely walk.
Earlier on in the week we visited Abergavenny. Again it was a start and stop rainy day but we enjoyed a tour of St Mary’s Priory church and castle without getting too wet.
After all the amazing history that we had discovered in the church it was time for a walk through the market, which was sadly closed. Following this we went through the town with its interesting range of shops including some great bakeries and to a cafe where we enjoyed a light lunch before exploring the castle!
A very enjoyable day out!
Aberglasney is, as always, looking good! The crocus are flowering on the parterre, the camellias are in full bloom and the daffodils are starting to flower profusely. It rains there too!
Back home the garden is so wet that the borders are full of water. This hasn’t stopped some flowers from coming through to brighten everyone up!
There are hazel catkins, elf cups and a holly tree still full of berries and the views to enjoy!
Plus one special snowdrop! I bought the snowdrop bulb a few years ago and every year the flower has been eaten! Not this year though!
The birds and others have been busy on the bird table and feeders too! The mallards and Canada Geese are sometimes back on the pond to keep the three resident moorhens company.
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Hope you have a good ending to February. One step nearer to Springtime!
Don’t forget to celebrate :
Pokemon Day 27th Feb 2024…( for our grandchildren!)
St. David’s Day March 1st Saint David’s Day, is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales
Today should have been our Walking Well Walk around Cwmdu but sadly the weather got in the way and it was postponed! It has been rather wet here over the last weeks and although we had one bright day in the week the remainder of the time it’s been raining!
Thankfully on the one bright day this week instead of going to the carpet shop, to buy a new stair carpet, we made the best decision and had a day out! We drove to Cenarth Falls , where the river Teifi was in full spate and very beautiful! The river is an important place for wildlife. Salmon and sewin can be seen here jumping up through the water…not today though! Otters are also regular visitors!
” The current bridge in Cenarth was built in 1780’s. The purpose of the holes in the haunches was to lighten the bridge and the pressure on it. The architect was David Edwards of Pontypridd. “
We had a great walk, alongside the river, on the new path. It was very good, no slipping or falling! The path went on for quite a way, in fact too far for someones knees to cope!! (Not mine!) We passed the old pathway which now looked very dangerous!
We liked the notice.
We walked under the bridge and noted the stalactites hanging from the roof. There was a short pleasant walk by the river passing some borders with snowdrops and daffodils until we arrived back into the carpark.
Across over the bridge The Coracle Centre is a wonderful place to discover the history of these ancient craft. Reopens at Easter! An old photo below shows how coracles were used to help with the sheep dipping.
We left the Falls and drove the short way to Cardigan. A lovely, buzzy town with lots of art shops, cafes and very friendly people! Our friend has just moved here! We headed for the castle. Actually there isn’t much of the castle left but they do have a great café! Cardigan castle great visit!
Lovely interesting grounds.
The snowdrops are all out on our drive but look rather damp and the daffodils have blown over. Hopefully, the next week will dry up so that some tidying up in the garden can start for the spring! One thing that changes every day is the view over the hills- it’s always beautiful.
Rufus is handsome too!
Elf caps in garden
A visit to Aberglasney in the dry to see their snowdrops and other plants springing to life was a delight.
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The flowers from Aberglasney:
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Next week is going to be very busy!
Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) is Tuesday 13th February, so pancakes for tea. I’ve never seen so many different recipes for pancakes online…I’ll just stick to the old fashioned recipe: flour, eggs, milk, oil, salt, lemon and sugar!
February 14th is St Valentine’s Day and the cafe at Aberglasney is getting ready!
The weekend will be filled with watching rugby on TV and hoping the best team wins! Come on Wales!!
I can hear my brother shouting that from Australia and our son from Canada!
Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead wherever you are!
At long last we had a bright, clear but chilly start to the morning and it was great to set off to Llandeilo for our Walking Well Walk around Dinefwr. After the walk we were going to the White Hart Inn for our delayed Christmas Dinner! There were twenty five walkers and five dogs as we left the pub carpark to cross the road to the park, where we set off over the fields towards Newton House, led by Ros, our leader for the day!
As we were a larger group than normal we tended to spread out! Passing Newton House we could see in the distance the deer all resting in the meadow. My new phone which I was hoping to take super photos doesn’t have a zoom or a macro lens so I now know I will have to bring my trusty old pocket camera with me for zooming in on interesting things!! There are deer resting in the meadow photo!
Copied from National Trust: The story of the Dinefwr estate reflects the history of Carmarthenshire and the nation of Wales. Built in 1660 by Edward Rice, the current house takes its name from the ‘New Town’ built for English settlers in the medieval period. The Jacobean mansion, from which the current house evolved, was built on a site that has been occupied for two thousand years.
Following the path up through the woods we passed the barn/byre where the Dinefwr White Park Cattle are housed during the winter…..it’s a five star holiday for them!
After completing our wonderful circular walk we were in perfect time to enter the pub for our meal. The meals were all delicious…how do chefs manage to cater for 25 different choices and get them all out at the same time?!
Biddy, who is our local organiser for walks was presented with flowers, a gift from us all and a home made bottle of sloe gin for all the hard work and effort she puts in to keep us all informed of everything to do with Walking Well. Thank you Biddy and Ros.
The variable weather over the last weeks has curtailed many outings that we were going to take. We’ve had every kind of weather thrown at us…hang on …not a lot of sunshine!! One day our house became an island with water all the way round as it flowed off the field! Luckily no flooding in the house!
One afternoon we walked to Aber Marlais Caravan Park…just down the road. The site is pitch perfect! Tania and Stephen, the owners, have worked non stop and everywhere on site is amazing. We walk through the park on a public footpath and take another footpath to walk home through fields where the first lambs of the year were bleating!
Of course a visit to Aberglasney is always welcome. Although jolly chilly outside the cafe was lovely and warm and welcoming. It has many arty touches all around to enjoy …colourful flower wreaths on the walls and Nigel McCall’s photo of the orchard in prime place.
South Wales Guardian:Nigel McCall, photographer at Aberglasney Gardens, has been honoured at the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY).
It is his 17th award in the competition in the last seven years.
Flower arrangements in ladies toilets! Followed by views in the cafe, a walk in the garden, beautiful structure of apple and pear pruned branches on garden wall.
Back home there’s been absolutely no gardening! Even my bog garden is flooded! However, not all is lost as my morning walk around the garden has given me much enjoyment looking at all the views of ‘our’ mountain in all its varied colours and states and our snowdrops are flowering well too. Always watched , of course, by The Big Three…rams!
A short walk up to the village to post a letter was enjoyable as the church looked pretty against the blue sky and the cloudscapes were changing all the time.
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As I’ve been writing this a woodpecker has knocked itself out on our kitchen window! Picked up and recovering now.
It’s flown off now…hooray!
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It’s definitely getting lighter in the evenings. The weather must get better soon! More daffodils will be flowering and all the spring flowers should begin to pop up and show their heads above the water!!
Our first Walking Well Walk of 2024 was arranged by Malcolm in the fine town of Ammanford- a small former mining community. A large group of walkers met up in the Tesco carpark and after many ‘Happy New Year ‘ greetings we set off along the path. It was a bright, sunny and chilly day just perfect for walking well!
It shows the data about the crossing recording that there are two trains a day!!
Views over the Black Mountain
We didn’t cross on the crossing but continued down the path which led to a VERY wobbly bridge over the river!
For Christmas I had a new phone which was set up in the shop. After bringing it home …just before Christmas, I played with it and locked it up…!!! Yesterday a very kind man came from Easy PC and sorted out my new phone and my new mini ipad which I had also messed up and locked …so here I was walking across this very wobbly bridge with new phone in hand trying to take photos!! Readers…relax! I didn’t drop it , it didn’t fall in, I didn’t fall in…..but it was all very fraught!! I did take some wobbly photos though! The photos are rather dark as I haven’t worked out how to lighten them yet!!!
The path continued between two large fields. Apparently in the past there used to be horse racing and horse trotting on one of the fields. The owner used to fly in for the races in his single seater aeroplane!
Anyway back to my walk!!! The path led on to another little bridge…no wobbles at all..and then back in a circular walk to Ammanford.
The final part of our walk was through Betws Park along the banks of the river before heading back to Tesco Car park . Thank you Malcolm for a really enjoyable walk, Coffee and snacks were had at Coaltown Coffee for some after the walk.
A visit to Aberglasney this morning to change the flowers in the ladies toilets!!! It was jolly chilly so it was difficult to pick many flowers but there were ‘hosts’ of golden daffodils so I thought they wouldn’t miss a few. I picked a few camellias but their petals fell off when I brought them into the warm room.
This morning I was very excited to hear the ‘honking’ of Canada Geese in the garden. They are a bit earlier than usual but two of them were testing out a nest site on the island. Our three resident moorhens and two visitor mallards were not amused at the clamour the 7 or 8 geese were making and made it known that it was their pond! The Canada Geese flew off in a huff to search out other nearby ponds. I hope they will come back soon!
Taking off
We have had some dry but cold days over the last week and the garden has dried out a great deal but it needs a lot of work to get it tidy for spring! There are a few daffodils , hellebores and some snowdrops in the borders and lots more to come…I hope!!
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January can be a dismal month but there are lots of days of special celebration!
January 16th 2024 : Global Word Search Day
January 18th 2024: ( My Favourite) Winnie the Pooh Day!
January 21st 2024: Red Squirrel Appreciation Day
January 25th 2024: Burns Night: A celebration of the birthday of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns, celebrated with a Burn’s Night Supper which includes many traditional Scottish dishes and reading of Burns’ poetry.
January 25th 2024:St Dwynwen’s Day: St Dwynwen’s Day, or Dydd Santes Dwynwen is the Welsh St. Valentine’s Day, as the saint was the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and the day is a special day dedicated to love in Wales.
January 26th 2024: Australia Day ( celebrations for my brother and family and all our friends in Australia!
Lots to keep us busy to get us through until these dark days of winter! Stay safe and warm!
Happy New Year! Not the best start with all the rain, wind and chill around but this morning after a sharp shower the mists are lifting and there are some patches of blue sky and the rain taps seemed to have been turned off!! Long may it last!
Walking Well Walks will start again shortly but the weather hasn’t been encouraging one to get out at all!
We did have a visit to the Botanic Garden of Wales on a dry but dull morning . We knew there would be footpaths to follow there and not too muddy under foot.
We headed of past the Great Glasshouse and Middleton House, which has a fascinating history.
The path led us towards the lakes and through the Fairy Wood. I think the fairies have been too busy helping Father Christmas and need to come back to the wood and tidy up as the weather has caused damage to their homes! The lakes are connected by a series of lovely bridges so one can walk all the way round the lakes.
Sadly , someones knees were playing up so we didn’t cross the bridge but followed a shorter path through another wood where the Gruffalo was waiting and interesting fungus was on many fallen trees!
The path led on to the waterfall but at this point the heavens opened and we made a swift retreat to the cafe and then home! At least we had had a stroll!
Our amazing local shop in the next village has closed its doors for the last time…a very sad occasion for all of us! We shall miss the friendly conversations every morning, when I went to collect the newspaper and where we sorted the world out!
Posting letters had previously been done in the shop which had entailed a car drive from home so now a 1 mile uphill walk to our village was called for to post a birthday card. It’s a lovely walk with lots of interest .. daffodils at the top of our drive, gorse in the hedgerows, a red dragon outside a house, various fungus, a pretty church, a war memorial and views over the Brecon Beacons.
Church porch with Christmas scenesOur house
A visit to our only ‘big’ supermarket, the Coop, in Llandovery was needed! Although the cupboards/fridge were still full of stilton, avocado, Christmas chutney, pudding, figs, and all the amazing contents of a Fortnum and Mason hamper ( thank you daughter!) the basics had run out!
Llandovery is a lovely town with colourful houses and a growing range of independent shops.
The garden has of course suffered with all the wet weather and borders haven’t been cleared or trees pruned so it is going to be a busy spring getting everything sorted! The birds have been grateful for the seed in the morning but there are definitely less birds around this year. I haven’t seen a siskin for ages! Blue tits though…literally a couple of dozen fly in every morning !
The biggest problem is trying to keep the squirrels away as they eat all the seed. A tin nutcracker was placed on the bird table as a deterrent!! For a start it confused everything!! Eventually everything ignored it even the squirrels!!!
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Best wishes for 2024. The sun is still shining so I’m off to clean the car, sweep out the carport, refill the pots , where the squirrels/mice have dug out and eaten the tulip bulbs, hang out the washing and look forward to happy days of spring which are getting nearer by the minute!
Lletty's Blog 