gone again-and life goes on

The Oily One has left, but with luck will be back sooner next time..especially if we can identify a less windy time of year! It was good having him here and he made himself useful too. Pirate made sure we had plenty of time to catch up, sending us out on our bikes..and getting busy in the kitchen....

The kiln base slabs are all down, not 'perfick', but they are there..next job is to workout if the shed roof is high enough over the kiln.

We're at the end of July and although there is warmth in the ground,the jet stream being further south than it should be,means that we are having cold winds..and strong winds. 
July in Welsh....Gorffennaf..gorffen - haf...the end of summer...
it doesn't sound as if August is about to start much better...meanwhile across Mainland Europe temperatures are soaring....40 plus in central Spain, forest fires in France, hot in Hungary.....

a visitor..and yet more progress

The Oily One is here, his first visit since I moved north in June 2012 !

and has made himself useful...Ta Daaaah!!

three of us, a scaffold plank as a lever and wooden blocks for safety.

Then lunch, and an afternoon as tourists....

progress!

Pirate in charge!

back to lino

The kiln shed gets closer,but the work is slow...there is so much else going on at the moment we end up too tired to do much..but there is a little progress.

Meanwhile I've picked up my lino cutting tools again, with the added incentive of trying some new Italian tools...not the Pfeil make that many printers rave about, but these are a massive improvement on the basic red plastic handle with interchangeable blades. Now I can work for more than a few minutes without hand ache!

Next step will be on  300 gsm card rather than cheap 80 gsm A4 paper, but that is good enough for proof prints.

Then after that I must look for some more inspiring trees to draw!

gardening...and gardening...

The new bed is done and nearly full of soil...and some well matured pony manure!
It received the seal of neighbourly approval this morning as well.

Then off to a garden twelve miles away , for the Pirate to mow a lawn..leaving nice stripes and for me to attack an old clematis that was invading a roof and smothering an oil tank.     Nice to be paid, but two hours there is far more tiring than two hours in our own garden.
The job was almost finished when a heavy rain shower stopped play....I can't say that we were disappointed!

How does our garden grow?

So far this year we have Strawberries, last year's Rocket, Broad Beans, Spinach (last year's crop just gone to seed, I'm about to sow the next) ,Cavolo Nero Kale..one from last year, and five new plants from a friend.
I've just lifted the last of the onions from sets sown last autumn, and there is half a bed of onions from sets sown late spring. The garlic planted last Autumn has just been lifted.

That is in the deep beds and in large pots or tubs there are black and red currants, green and red gooseberries, blueberries, Alpine/Wild strawberries and plenty of various herbs.
We have just bought two nice scented roses, Comte de Chambord and a really dark red Munstead Wood.

I'd love to find "Victor Emanuel", a bourbon rose, as the Pirate is a Victor...but the only evidence of a plant I've found is in San Jose in California!!
Now I've converted the Pirate to old roses.... he wants roses by the door!...unfortunately the front faces Nor-NorWest and only sees a little sun in midsummer.
I love the Auld Scots Rose,the Rosa Gallica, the species roses....

Meanwhile, birthday money has been spent on wood and screws.....

drawing #2

Still a bit tentative and sketchy, working on the hand/eye/brain links by practice.

It will get better.

what do you do with your birthday money?

You build new deep beds for veges!

drawing and stuff

Its a beginning.
Then I did some cutting work on a snowy landscape linocut. Feels odd when the sun is out and its in the high 20s!!

birthday Pirate

life and gardening

The rain returned yesterday, just after we had finished hedgecutting (one) weeding gravel (2) and lawnmowing (2).

Our own lawn had had the bowling green treatment...so was glad of the rain!
This is a pre-rain photo.

Talking to our opticians, they have now been advised to only refer emergency cases to the hospital...sounds like they didn't plan ahead by looking at the population demographics ten years ago, so are a trifle snowed under. At least we still have shorter waiting lists than further south....and at least the Pirate was referred for his cataracts a month ago...now we just sit tight and wait...

Meanwhile he is still coughing after  his cold, worse than I am...doctor's appointment in a week.....

Daughter is suffering the vagaries of the health service in Wales...just found that her appointment with the rheumatologist hadn't turned up. Because he had stopped coming to their local hospital a couple of months ago...luckily the orthopaedic consultant she was supposed to be seeing six months ago ( but the hospital cancelled that and sent her to another, wrong, consultant..) also does rheumatology....

Neither of us feel like drawing, but need to...so I've suggested a drawing exchange....like drawing "tennis" by email instead of balls on a court.....

watch this space...hopefully

Sunset Ride

Even these don't do the colours justice,it was really vivid...and later far more red and yellow!

Summer Light

All taken at 10.45 pm last night ...such a beautiful blue....and back light again before 4am.

Woodchip's Quilt...finished !

busy busy

We've been well occupied since saying farewell to Big Pete.
Getting time on the velodrome most days,prior to the Masters National Track Championships.
The Pirate didn't score any medals this year,but is riding much better. Still underpowered after his treatment,but getting there.
I won two silver medals,in the 500m time trial and the 2 km pursuit. In the sprint semi-final my opponent went too slow as she led off in the first half lap and slid down the track,leaving me with nowhere to go. Result,quite a few bruised bits but luckily no breaks....I bounced!  However it took the edge off my speed and reactions,so I lost ..narrowly...the semi and the ride for bronze.

Never mind...the pursuit was good, equaling the time I did in the World Masters Games, so that I am pleased with.

Since then we have been enjoying life with the Carpenter and Family, gardening in their new allotment.  I've finished Woodchip's quilt as well...pictures next time....