A berry good time

All in all it's been a very busy week. Monday was spent in the bathroom, giving the ceiling two coats of emulsion, followed by a further coat on the walls. From time to time I emerged from my prison for a cuppa and a breath of fresh air in the sunshine. Still, it's done now, and I rewarded myself with the next day 'off', when I did manage to do a fair amount of sitting in the garden, before wandering down to the plot to pick strawberries. We are now beginning to really enjoy the fruits of my labours. The strawberries have been particularly good - large, juicy and delicious. However, I am really looking forward to the tayberries, the first of which are just about ready for picking. The redcurrants are ripening well, but the blackcurrant bush will have to prove itself this year, or it will be out. After some necessary hard pruning last year, there is a mass of foliage, hiding a few sprays of currants. The first peas will be ready next week (if I can resist testing them each time I'm on the plot) and there are two round courgettes which will also, possibly, be ready by next week.

Early yesterday morning I headed down to the plot to do a bit of watering, returning home an hour or so later with yet more strawberries, and a large bag of my first broad beans, with the promise of lots more to come. Later, Mike sat under our grape vine (the bees are loving the flowers) and podded the beans ready for our meal whilst I prepared the potatoes (a few of our own mixed with some shop-bought) and we opened a bottle of wine. 'Best served with new potatoes, broad beans and spam' (only joking). Spam? Well, the best laid plans etc. I had hoped to enjoy a simple and lazy meal by opening a tin of corned beef. Well I searched and searched and couldn't find it, until Mike reminded me that we'd already used it. The veg were ready and we were hungry. Lurking amongst the tinned beans and tomatoes was a lonely tin of Spam (bought by Mike as a sort of joke). So that's what we had. Don't think we've tasted it for years. Brought back memories and made us laugh, and the broad beans tasted wonderful!

Life's a beach

Returned from a week in Wales, staying in R & S's caravan, not far from Llanbedr. Apart from two stormy nights, the weather was kind to us, if a little windy. We certainly packed a lot into the week, including a trip up Snowden on the train, and a short climb, battling against the wind, to the summit, where we could see nothing at all, as we were completely enshrouded in cloud.

The beaches along this part of the coast were vast and empty, and there were some amazing clouds overhead, so I took far too many photographs. We spent a very enjoyable day on Shell Island, where apart from a party of schoolchildren from Manchester, who were having a wonderful time sliding down the impressive, steep dunes, we had the place to ourselves. The shells were pretty good too.

We also had Nantcol waterfalls to ourselves. A very peaceful and beautiful place (but not, apparently, during the last school holidays, when R & S visited them). I was interested in the pretty yellow flowers, growing under the trees, just above one of the ravines. They turned out to be Common Cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense), a partially parasitic plant and an indication of ancient woodland. It produces a sugery liquid from under its petals, which wood ants feed from.

I couldn't resist taking the following photo of some rusting ironwork, which I've named 'The Angel of the Beach' as it reminded me of the Angel of the North, which I saw for the first time during my recent visit to Newcastle.

Since returning I've spent most of my 'spare' time tackling the lush growth and rampant weeds in the garden and on the plot. The first job I had to deal with was the grape vine, reaching ever skywards and covering the landing window, but now that's under control, and the flowers are about to open. I've yet to do some work on the front garden, but on the whole I'm pleased with the way things are looking. In the greenhouse, the tomatoes and chillies are flowering well, and the aubergine plants looking healthy. On the plot all is well, that is, apart from the shallots, which have succombed to the onion fly or something of that ilk. I will be removing the shrivelled remains asap. We've enjoyed our first strawberries, and the perfume of our first sweetpeas (particularly the very fragrant Matucana). And finally, my 'girlie' shed now has some new curtains, made from one half of a tablecloth from the Pound shop - the remaining half being just the right size for our little table under the grape vine, at home.

A tale of two cities

Life has certainly been busy since the cancellation of our Greek holiday. Just a few days back from my walking holiday in Wales, we set off to County Durham, for a couple of days with my sister K & husband A. They had planned a surprise for us and it kept us guessing until the very last minute. The weather was perfect for lunch in their beautiful garden (see photo) before it was time to change into suitable clothing (we asked for a few tips, beforehand, just in case). I'd suspected it could have been Newcastle, as our nephew and girlfriend live there, but I wasn't entirely correct about the final venue. We did, in fact, meet up with A & S who were to join us for an early meal, and all six of us entered a tapas bar, alongside the river. Leaving Newcastle, we crossed the amazing Millenium Bridge to Gateshead, and headed for The Sage. Sitting inside with our drinks, waiting for the 'surprise' to begin, Mike's guess about flamenco dancers (possibly because we'd just left the tapas bar) couldn't have been closer to the truth. A few moments later there was an announcement for those who had come to see Paco Pena and his flamenco dancers to take their seats in the theatre. That certainly made us all laugh. At the same time Mike and I were absolutely delighted with K & A's choice - Paco Pena and his Flamenco sin Fronteras, a mixture of Spanish, Latin American and Afro-Caribbean music and dancing. What a wonderful show and what a fantastic surprise. To end a perfect evening, we all walked back across the bridge, with its ever-changing colours, looking back at The Sage. Now in darkness, the riverside was ablaze with light and colour, all reflected in the water. Quite stunning. It was good for us all to get together. Thanks to K & A.

I've been trying to keep ahead of things on the plot, between my adventures (and there are more to follow!). Weeds, weeds, weeds! Just when I think I've achieved a weed-free plot, I return a day or two later, and they are back. We've been enjoying lots of freshly-picked salad leaves, but they are bolting (as are the radishes) very quickly in this hot and wet weather, so my next job is to set more seed in the salad bed. Most things are coming on reasonably well, but the shallots don't look to good - and it's obvious that on some of the other plots, members of the onion family are looking a bit sick. Onion fly? However, the chives (originally from Marion) have never looked better. Along with the clematis, possibly the best looking plants on the plot. I did find the label from the other clematis, by the way, but it's not to hand so can't include the name just now. It was time to defend the tayberries from the birds, and with some difficulty, because of the confined space , I finally spread some netting over the prickly stems. So now the soft fruit is reasonably well protected - that is, apart from the slugs and snails and other creepy crawlies!

Back home, the garden is alive with the chatter and chirrups of parent and baby birds, and the constant to-ing and fro-ing of nest builders and food searchers. As I started my blog, a robin perched on the open conservatory door. Ebb & Flo are still visiting the garden to drink from the pond and bird bath - and to leave their evil droppings, just where I walk when I hang out the washing! The big, red poppies are now flowering - the first flowers of the summer perennials.

A dam good time

I've just returned from a thoroughly enjoyable long weekend, staying at the Elan Valley Lodge in Wales, with a group from St Mary's Rambling Club. This was my first walking holiday, and also the first time for many years that I've gone off on my own, leaving Mike at home. Fortunately, he's a very good cook and quite happy to fend for himself when I'm not around, so no ready-made meals with cooking (or microwave) instructions for him!

My friend M picked me up early Friday morning, and we enjoyed a leisurely drive to Wales, stopping off at Rhayader for lunch, before continuing to Elan , where we were to stay in what was once the village school. As we were too early to check in, we left the car and went for a walk, calling in briefly at the excellent Visitor Centre, and then on to the Garreg-ddu dam. The first photo shows the Foel valve tower, under a blue sky, with fluffy white clouds. The hillsides were ablaze with bright, yellow broom, bluebells and the May blossom. Back at the Lodge, there was time for a quick sketch (not very good) beside the river before our evening meal. I must say that the food at the Lodge has been both plentiful and delicious throughout the holiday. Carl, our walks guide, gave us an interesting talk about the building of the dams - 71 square miles of the Elan Valley were acquired by Birmingham Corporation for the reservoir scheme, built between 1893 and 1906 and involved the construction of four massive dams and a 73-mile gravity-fed aqueduct to Frankley reservoir.

As promised, Saturday was wet and grey, as we set off on the first of our walks. Compare the previous photo with this one! There were about 16 of us, togged up in eveything waterproof we had brought with us, and ready for action, despite the grim day. In fact, the walk was most enjoyable, and there was even a short break in the rain during our lunch stop. Then Carl led us up a steep slope, and up .... and up..... and up. The conversation stopped and the breathing became heavier, and my heart felt as if it was bursting through my ear-drums. Still - there's life in the old girl yet, as I recover pretty quickly, and the climbs are well worth it for the views from the top. All in all, we walked 11.3 miles, and ready for another good evening meal.

Sunday was a perfect walking day with sunshine and a few clouds, and quite a bracing wind on the heights. Lunch was enjoyed, sitting amongst the rocks at the side of a beautiful waterfall. This time we walked 9.3 miles, returning down a steep hillside, high above the Caban Coch Reservoir, passing what remains of the small dam at Nant y gro, built in 1890 to supply water to the workforce during construction of the main dams, and blown up on 24 July 1942, during experiments overseen by Barnes Wallis, resulting in the development of the bouncing bomb. The photo shows, in the background, the breach in the dam wall. What a good day!

M & I decided to opt out of the following day's shorter walk. Instead, I spent about half an hour attempting another sketch beside the Elan River before we walked on to the Visitors Centre where we watched a short film about the area. I bought the longer version to take home for Mike (and me) to enjoy. We took the scenic route home, via Craig Goch Reservoir, enjoying the stunning scenery en route, where we stopped for a stroll and more photos, and the chance to view a resting buzzard, through a bird-watcher's telescope. We could see all the plumage in fine detail. It's a bird watcher's paradise around this area with the Red Kites as a major attraction. This would have been an ideal lunch stop, but the midges were out in force so we continued along the mountain road towards Rhayader. Once through the town we stopped to eat our picnic down a quiet lane, watching 17 Kites flying above and around us, before continuing on our homeward journey. Many thanks to M, for taking me there and back, and to R for arranging the holiday. Brilliant!

Yesterday was even worse than Saturday but I just had to nip down to the plot to plant out some sweetcorn and self-blanching celery. Where do those weeds come from? I'm sure I'd cleared them all before I left for Wales, but they were back in force and had to be dealt with, despite the heavy rain. I was like a drowned rat when Mike picked me up. Fortunately I'd warned him and the car seat was protected with a bin bag. Everything's looking pretty good, so far, and there's very little space left for anything else, apart from a few more courgettes and squashes. Once the early potatoes are out, I can also plant up the Blue Hubbard winter squashes. The two clematis, each side of the arch near the shed, are in full bloom. One is 'Crystal Fountain' but I don't know the name of the pretty paler one. In the greenhouse the tomatoes are coming on well, and hopefully I'll soon be able to move a few of them outside. The back garden is even more lush than ever. Just a bit of warm sunshine and the plump flower buds will burst into colour.