We did it again!

Actaully we went to Bangor because Bob was being interviewed for Radio Wales about Diccon's book, Fox in the Attic, which has just come out in a new edition having been out of print for 20 years.  We sat in the car-park of a social club and listened to him (he was very good), and then browsed round Dunelm, Tescos and finished up at our favourite garden centre by which time of course it was time for lunch.

Yesterday we went to Seiont nurseries near Caernarvon.  We last went there with Rose but the memories were all good.  Dave's idea in suggesting it was their millburgers at their Mill Cafe.  Sheila and Bob wanted to look again at large pots to go under the front windows on a bed of slate chippings, where Sheila has decided not to battle with the strip of garden any more. As well as having a very nice leisurely lunch we did a bit of shopping.  We bought strawberry plants with fruit already ripening, and Bob and Sheila got carried away with a thornless blackberry, a gooseberry bush and numerous kinds of thyme for the herb  garden.  Then we had to get them home!





If you  look carefully you will see that the parcel shelf travelled between my knees while Sheila was in control of the blackberry.

In the evening Dave went with Roy and Dav to Dav's Rugby training.  He is out of action for playing at the moment with an ankle injury, but had some physio.  Sheila, Bob and I had a peaceful evening watching TV which was walks in the Gower and then canal walks in Avon and Kennett, followed by the history of the restoration of the inland waterways.  All very interesting in view of our booked holiday with Steve and Kate on the Four Counties ring, and a great way to walk dozens of miles!

The weather is not good although so far it is not raining today.  Selfishly, I am hoping a share of the rain we have been getting is falling on my garden in Norfolk!







Clogwyn

We are at Clogwyn with Sheila, Bob and the family.  As I blog, Dave, Rachie and Sheila are cooking curry for our Saturday night meal.  We have had a good day, starting with a visit to a 'Greenshoots' event in Penrhyndeudraeth (or something like that).  This was for swapping seedlings, cuttings etc, and also an opportunity for local ecologyd and craft groups to share their enthusiasms.  Sheila took lovely tomato cuttings which went very quickly.  I was shocked at some of the weedy, neglected offerings, but hopefully their owners went away with better examples of plant care!  Dave bought Shitake mushrooms and I bought a very nice sunhat made out of old clothes and had a go at braiding, making a few loops of a four-sided rope.  We went on from there to a pine shop that we had all enjoyed before, and where S and B had previously bought lovely pine dressers etc.  We think it has chaanged hands because it now has very little natural wood, but loads of painted or distressed pieces all of similar taste.  As Sheila said it was very 'get the look', and at inflated prices.  Not even a cup of coffee this time either.

We went on to the Oriel gallery where we had a very nice cup of coffee and Dave drooled over the cakes.  (What has happened to him since he became diabetic  - these days he is always hungry, finishes his plate of food and demands puddings.)  We enjoyed looking at all kinds of pictures and ceramics, some wood-carvings and a family's collection of china bought over three generations just because they gave pleasure, not because of their rarity or possible investment value.  That was refreshing, and made us realise that our instinctive dismissal of much of the art was because it simply did not give rise to any feeling of pleasure or desire to possess to live with.

We then had a salad lunch at the pub up the road and came home via Tesco with our requirements for the curry.  I have managed to hitch my laptop to the Hughes wireless, thanks to son Joe's very clear instructions for finding a lost encryption code, and have been able to download a document in Publisher for Bob, save it as a pdf and present it to him on a flash-drive.  We both feel very clever!

Yesterday was Rose's centenary.  We celebrated with her favourite meal of fish and chips overlooking the sea at Barmouth, then took her favourite drive into the hills to see the bluebells.  We also put roses on the grave and admired the trough of pansies which have over-wintered there.  Sheila says she must look after them as it is very bleak and windswept up there in the winter.

Young Tom wants to set the table.  Far be it from me to discourage him.