Travels with my camera

At last I am making time to do this blog. I just don't ever seem to find a gap in my hectic life to sit down and write about all the exciting things I have done just lately (insert sarcastic smiley here) The thing is, I get sidetracked so easily. And I just daren't start browsing through the saved faves on my list, else that's it. Get involved reading and replying to messages, and before I know it, an hour has gone. Also what with the things on the tv at present, and then Yahoo chat at night, and phone calls, it's just becoming impossible to cope with doing this too. Added to which the weather has been so crap that I haven't really done much anyway.

Today it is Bank Holiday Monday, and the weather is more like the end of March than the end of May. The sun has broken through, and we have a bit of blue sky up there now, but it still has a nasty chill in the air, my central heating is still on, albeit a bit lower than it was in February, but I would have hoped for it to be off by this time of year. We've had so much rain that I've been unable to cut the grass for over two weeks now, and it really needs doing around every 5 days to keep it in check. I'm dreading it now, because in some places, it is around 10 inches high, it will take me about 2 hours to cut. But today is the day unless it rains in the next hour or so, I must do it. I must also clean out my aviary, which is another job I dread, because it near breaks my back, as I probably have whinged about before somewhere on this blog. I love the interaction with the birds when I'm out there, but the pain is unbearable sometimes. Oh and I have to also clean out the chickens, the guinea pigs, the car, the house, the dog needs bathing cos she stinks, and there's one or two other bits and pieces in the garden that need sorting. Then after lunch...........!!! You get the picture - I have a thousand and one things that need doing, and here I am still in bed doing this.

My friend Sandi is coming to stay on Thursday - yay - so excited, really looking forward to it, will be lovely to have someone to do stuff with for a few days.

Anyway, this is entitled catch up, so I'd best now state a few things that I've done since last time. I buried my hamster. Made her a nice little grave. I wrapped her in a lot of her nesting material and put her in her little plastic house, taped it all up so nothing gets her, and buried her in the front garden in between Tina and Ghosty two of my cockatiel graves. I have so many out there now, I know exactly where they are though, and I am going to make some little grave stones for them all. I was going to buy a laminator and put a photo of each on them, I may still do that some time.

Saturday I went to Wyevales and bought a nice clematis which was reduced because it's a spring flowering one. The other one I bought from Morrisons last week is a summer one, but is so tiny, it will be years before it looks anything. The price of Wyevales trellis was a joke - they wanted something like £25 for an ordinary piece, so I looked in Focus and spent ages deciding whether to get a fan piece, or a square piece. Decided on the latter as the fan was a bit on the small side. £11.99 for a nice bit. Took it to the car, opened the boot - hmmmmm problem - it was as wide as the car nearly, and as long as the interior. It meant if I had put it completely in and shut the boot, I would have had to drive bent double at the waist and not be able to look out of the windscreen! Shit. So I compromised by having some of it hanging out the back, bungey the boot down, but I still had to drive home leaning sideways with my head crammed against the side window! Lol. Not funny really, if I'd had to slam the brakes on, I would have been decapitated. Added to which I was a bit wary as I had shopping in the boot, and that would have been deposited all over the road I expect. I wouldn't want to drive more than the 12 miles with the tail open either, the smell of diesel was a bit nausiating. I didn't realise my car was so smelly, so apologies to you if you have followed me for any distance. :o)

Yesterday I put up the trellis on the wall using various masonary drills, rawl plugs, hammers, bricks, props and swearing. Handy Andy eat your heart out. Oh yeah, and a spirit level. So for once I did something right. It would have annoyed me for ever if it had been crooked. And I measured it so it was EXACTLY equi-distant between the window and the edge of the wall. I would have killed myself if it wasn't. That is one of my biggest problems. I can't bear things to be out of balance. If I see a picture that isn't exactly level it irritates me beyond belief! I also made my wigwam and planted the sweet peas. I bought two pots of sweet peas, 89p each, and there were 15 in each, wow, I've put a lot along the fence and stapled netting up it, but I have a feeling the slugs will see off most of them, but darent put down pellets (I don't even trust the "friendly" pellets) because of Snuffs, so they will have to take their chances. So I have about 10 in a tub with a wigwam of willow canes and wire, looks quite good, hope they all come up. Took me ages to do though.

Yesterday afternoon, took Emma down to my favourite place by the river, and it was alive with bird song down the pathway from the church as usual. I needed to get away from here for a bit, having been out in the garden most of the morning, I was suffering from "I've-got-a-nice-noisy-strimmer-and-petrol-mower-and-my-dog-can-bark-for-an-hour-without-stopping" syndrome. Doncha just love peaceful Sundays at home in the countryside?? I heard at least 5 Song Thrushes whilst I was there, it was so beautiful. The river was raging though - more like you would see in February/March. Almost to the top of the bank, and brown, and moving very fast. Poor Emma was so disappointed, but no way was she even going to put a paw in it with it being like that. I think she has the sense to know, but I always worry a bit. I actually put her on the lead the other day at the park because I was scared she was going in.

Spent most of the night on the phone either to mum or Sandi so didn't make it to chat. I must end now and it will take a while I expect to post the photos, not that they are very exciting but still....

I'm starving, need my breakfast, and then in the shower and start the day's toil. No way am I going anywhere today that involves driving. Saturday was bad enough. It took me 20 minutes to get out of Morrisons car park and down to the roundabout to get home, a journey which normally takes about 15 seconds. The queue of cars was horrendous in every direction. Where the bloody hell were they all going at 4 o'clock on a Saturday? Too late to be going anywhere, and too early to be going home I would have thought??? Sod going to Carmarthen on a Bank Holiday weekend again. I say that every time though.....

The newt seen on my webcam Saturday night!

Fantastic sunset on Saturday night, the whole sky was orange and blue,

Emma on the bridge wall. Had my foot on the lead, just incase.....

The river raging taken from the bridge

The sweet pea wigwam

The trellis and clematis