Sunday 29 April 2012

very wet

and very windy too.

The roaring waters of the Afon (river) Ebbw could be heard from my room at the front of the house early this morning!!

I walked over later on in the morning with The Carpenter, and even then you could see where it had recently dropped over two feet. There was still a lot of water flowing fast under the bridge near The Spiteful., by the railway.
 In the early 70s, I think, it was cleared and straightened and flood defences built.  It hasn't flooded since then.  As with many rivers in this area, they are comparatively short, so can rise and fall rapidly.

Then we went to do the week's shopping...one way to stay warm and dry...if you go to the big shops!  We prefer to use small shops, but at the moment we can't afford to support them.

The idea was, originally, to do some work after lunch.....the pots I made during the week were only just ready to be worked on further.  I kneaded a bag of clay that had been put out to dry to throwing consistency. That usually warms me enough to start working, but it was so cold and damp I just wrapped each pot individually so that they don't dry too much and retreated to the house for a baking bash!!

Three quiches have been made, a spinach and shallot and two leek and bell pepper.
One large pot of curry with potatoes and sweet potatoes, (supper, and curry pasties to make tomorrow) and a lentil and vegetable mix for more pasties.  The pastry is sitting chilling in the fridge until tomorrow as it will be easier to use then.
Bread is a possibility tomorrow  as well- if the oven will be lit, lets make the best of it!

I should have been cutting stencils for decorating pots as well, but the baking took over!!  Never mind, at least everything is ready to do them.

Yet more wind and rain is forecast for tomorrow..I'm not looking forward to commuting, but at least I'll be working indoors making the sheep.

12 comments:

Zhoen said...

I wish you a bit of warm and dry.

Joanne Noragon said...

I think better weather is coming; depends on how long it takes to get over the ocean.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday was awful wasn't it!? I spent the entire day inside knitting and tidying. I honestly think it rained the whole day!
oh wow, the pasties/quiche sound delicious! I love cooking and baking...just wish I had more of a chance to do it!

Cro Magnon said...

Busy Gal. Our oven won't be lit now until Autumn, so, for the moment, my bread baking is done by electricity. I feel as if I'm 'letting the side down' a bit, but the convenience is addictive.

Relatively Retiring said...

A couple of days later and all that water comes to visit us here.

kjsutcliffe said...

The rain - yes.

Any hoo,you've been busy -good idea getting loads of cooking/baking done, means when you can finally get out and about (without getting wet!) you don't have rush back to get the meals done :)

Dru Marland said...

I was next to the River Thrushell last week, close to Dartmoor, and the level rose and fell several times and by several feet! -and the water brown with the sediment it was carrying, in its effort to level Dartmoor.... rivers in spate can be awesome, can't they?

yeractual said...

Sounds productive, whatever. I could do with a curry and I just love pasties! I suppose I could figure out how to make them from one of the books we have lying around but J is pretty good at that sort of thing and I doubt my efforts would compete. Hope the rain eases off soon. In all likelihood - Sod's Law - you'll have a dry summer and be preying for rain later in the year for the garden/veggies!

Anonymous said...

Wish I was eating at yours!

soubriquet said...

I was not so far away, original planned route home from Swansea was via heads of the valleys to Abergavenny, but the radio said it was closed due to fallen trees, so I headed north toward Brecon, planning then to veer toward hereford... Ha!. Floods, gales, trees, power-lines, chaos, livestock, it was not to be. The Wye was out of its banks, forest roads were spewing rocks and debris in a torrent across the road, at one point the land-rover's air intake started swallowing water, which was a fraught moment... The old one, currently being dismantled whenever I get around to it, had a snorkel. Damn, I needed that yesterday!

Lots of the border routes turned out difficult, so I just headed north, and exited wales near Wrexham.

On friday night, purely by chance I stumbled across the Court Cupboard Gallery. How amazingly random is that?
(Just by choosing to meander off the major roads).
It was of course closed. I probably invoked suspicion by turning round in the farmyard and peering through the windows.

gz said...

a pity there soub- but at least you know where to find us next time, between 10.30 and 5 !!

soubriquet said...

I see. 8:30 p.m. doesn't do it then?
Good thing it's up the hill, down the bottom was very torrenty.