Catch Up Before The Weekend.

Good afternoon or prnhawn da - always practising my Welsh just now. Was doing so at the village shop yesterday and when I went food shopping today. I choose people who I know will help me and not think it strange that after two and a half years I am suddenly making an effort with the language. Have to say I am loving my lessons!

So I just thought I'd do a little round up of the last few days.

Our weather has been really quite cold of late and mostly wet but we have had wintry showers, too, making the garden look lovely - just for a little while.

The first Eisteddfods which the boys are taking part in are coming up soon with the first I think on St David's Day - March 1. They are both working on poetry to recite as well as some creative projects. Alfie is making a model of Devil's Bridge which is not far from us.

This is the basis which he took to Wednesday's Craft Club at school to do more work on. I think it will involve papier mache and modelling clay! Harry is working on something like a commemorative sword out of wood which will have pyrography on it; I look forward to sharing their finished efforts. 

I am trying to use up some things out of the downstairs freezer so brought up two boxes of stewed apple with cinnamon and as I had some sweet pastry upstairs leftover from Christmas I made an apple pie.

There is not too much going on outside in the garden just now but a bit of prep has started in doors which means the potatoes are chitting in the conservatory.

Altogether I have 73 tubers in total so really hope I get a good harvest; this of course does not include the Christmas spuds that will be planted later in the year. I do hope I'm not blighted by blight again this year!

This weekend we hope to get the top soil for the new bigger tyres that came last week and we'll be able to fill up some of the other areas, too. Very exciting that prep is coming along well and as long as we get some dry, and I have to say not so cold, weather soon as there are other jobs to be done in readiness for Spring.These include strimming, pruning and covering the fruit patch, cutting the laurel back at the front of the house and weeding behind said wall and covering so weeds do not return. 

Also there are a couple of areas in the chicken enclosure that need filling in as we get some puddles when there is a lot of rain. Talking of chooks we lost one this week; it had been looking a little out of sorts for a few days and had kept an eye on it but I went to collect eggs on Wednesday afternoon and she was sitting in the hen house and when Jon went to look a hour or so later she has died. I have to say that the white chickens we have are definitely quite a bit more sensitive than the brown ones. Ah well nature doing its thing, but laying is definitely on the up and sold a second box of eggs yesterday.  

Ok, I have to do a few jobs and be ready for when the boys plus a pal from school are home later to have tea together then go to Youth club.

Happy Friday to everybody and, as ever, I look forward to seeing what you get up to over the weekend.

Bye for now.

Lou.xx