Trip to the bach

 We went with our friend from the flatlands to the mountains on Saturday, carrying wood  for deck building and stain to paint it.

 Up over Porters Pass

 To Castle Hill, named after the limestone rock outcrops. Part of the sheep station has been developed for baches.. holiday houses.

 Getting on for seventy already and growing fast.

 You build it, we'll stain it!

 Then for a short tramp on Sunday morning, just 2.5 km there and back.

 The ski fields, still with a little snow mid-summer.

 Then back to Leeston

Back to Tai Tapu in the afternoon to help another friend..much better than being a 'tourist"

New Year's Day in North Tolsta

 The sun greeted us on this first morning of 2014

 so we celebrated by going for a drive, to go for walk...

 to a bridge at the head of Seaforth loch, one of the many places that Charles Edward Stuart is reputed to have landed...but quite a feasible location, miles from anywhere even now...

 fresh peat cuttings, by the old road that runs by the loch

 there has been some heavy rain recently, and one stream had torn a scar right down the slope and by-passed the road bridge

 mid-day sun.....

 We  found a group of at least a dozen "black houses" by a larger burn, with a large fank (group of sheep pens that look like a group of fences)

 and a chassis with a diff....?????

 and a lobster pen.....

 and most surprisingly, a Herdwick sheep !!!

 A small fank

 Then we cheated and drove to where Mr C.E.S. walked....just South of Stornoway...

 and saw a rock garden..

 and in the evening left The Pirate talking in the kitchen while three of us went visiting.....!!

coal mining

We had an afternoon out on our bikes last Sunday and went down through Old Dailly in the Girvan coalfield...of which one token bing (tip) and winding gear is left.

By the village shop is a small park....

That is a long time for mining to be here...over 500 years, yet there is little to be seen, and you'd be forgiven for believing it to be solely an agricultural area.

We called past a pottery, but no-one came to talk when we called, except the guard dog.....

and so on to the cycling club's clubroom aka hut, for lunch as a light rainshower fell.

then home through Barr and over the Carrick Hills (mountains!!) via Glen Ala, the so-called easy route!!

My strategy?   Bottom gear, watch the cadence on the cycle computer and synchronize breathing and pedalling.  I only walked two short sharp sections during the whole ride.  
It was breathtaking to be up in and on the hills again and I was quite proud to find that the promised ride of just under 40 miles was actually 10 miles further!.

We even got home before the rain and the washing on the line was dry!!

ready to go again..

Duty day at the gallery completed , I headed straight for home, going over the end of the mountain to avoid the traffic. Any excuse! Just driving over makes me feel easier but it is high time I got up there on foot.

The platters fired well, although I think that I was about ten degrees too cautious for the top two, and the bottom two would have taken that fine. You live and learn!
Glazing the next kilnful took three hours or so, by which time I'd had enough .

My laptop arrived this morning, thanks to my brother. The Wizzard will be down here again soon then it will be time to install everything and be launched on my very own computer!!

Brother was on a mission to a certain large Swedish shop, and disappeared after a quick cuppa.

Then it was (literally) gloves on and set to with fettling all the red glazed pots and packing the kiln again. The iron oxide in the glaze stains skin and I'm sure doesn't do skin any good.
Wearing the latex gloves made the smoothing of any pinholes and dribbles much easier too.

Now the overalls are ready to hang on the line and I've had lunch...time for some gardening at long last. Firing the kiln can wait until tomorrow!!

busy Monday

Monday was supposed to be up and at it, getting in the workshop asap....
housework intervened. Putting away the crockery from the dishwasher that The Carpenter filled and drying all the washing he did (YAY!!!). It was a chilly wind, but it dried well.

Moving the empty jars and bottles that await preserves and cordials onto a high shelf in the workshop.
Defrosting one freezerand organising the contents of both, now the smaller is just fruit/juice and the one in the kitchen has veggies and meals ready to be used. I portioned out nine helpings of the curry I made and froze that in shallow "take away" boxes-they fit well in the freezer and take less time to defrost. Thus removing a justification for getting a microwave oven!

A bit of cleaning then it was lunchtime already!!

I had a good workshop session in the afternoon, from two till gone half past six!
Small lidded boxes thrown, with some spare lids, and all eight storage jars finished and the lids turned and knobbed. The dozen salt pots are wrapped in clingfilm, ready to be turned and be-knobbed!

Then it was evening out!!
A small bag of hot fresh chips from the village chip shop cum cafe and I was off! I met The Carpenter on his way into the village and a few chips were welcome after a twenty mile bike commute. Another mile and the second village on, and I arrived at the Crosskeys Rugby Club for the Cymdeithas Twmbarlwm Society meeting.

The main focus of the society is the iron age fort of Twmbarlwm, but we are concerned for the state of the whole common and mountains that Col loved so much. I wish they had talked to him when they first started. They are finding many old farms, barns and buildings that he could have told them the names and uses and who lived where. There are still some people around that can help, thankfully. The society works with the landowners , the Commoners and other local societies too.

I was glad to have a lift home as it had turned cold, and happy to arrive as The Carpenter was dishing up supper!!

harvest

I'm enjoying working in the walled garden!
nearly ready.....
Today is the Equinox.

Gathering on the Common. I had to turn off the car engine and wait- no bother. Good to sit with window open and breathe the mountain air

checking ponies

Yesterday after firing the kiln I walked up Rhyswg Road which goes up the North face of Cefn Rhyswg, to take a little food and fresh drinking water to Mountain Man


We went out in his Landrover to check ponies, he stayed in and drove, I took photos with his camera and my phone.
Bogey Buster coming to greet me


We went to the Northern end, checked over Pen yr Heol from the police mast and above the old coal mine and quarries, went to the South where I walked up Twmbarlwm.
We saw about a third including a group we've been concerned about, not having seen them all Winter. They are all looking very well, having all been bred here or on higher mountains.

Then I walked down the old road that goes down from Rhyswg Fawr to Cwmcarn, on the South face of Cefn Rhyswg.






Through the last gate, onto "Lloydy's Fields" (called that since 1930)


Past the house where Mountain Man grew up.

The Winter has really taken it out of him. He is not well, and now I guess he has been hiding that from me for at least six months. He has strained his back again, too.