pony walk

I spoke to Mountain Man on the phone as usual this morning, thinking that he'd be in his home, having his Farmer's Breakfast ! ie the second one at 10am..the first is just a break fast at daybreak. He was miles away, looking over Cwmbran, having been walking since 6,30 am. By then he hadn't seen even one pony.
I beat the housework into submission, adjusted the position of the burners on the kiln and was about to go to the garden when he phoned...could I meet him at our usual parking place near Twmbarlwm to give him lift down?

It was a good thing that I'd taken a warm gilet..when I phoned to say I'd arrived he said...want to go up Twmbarlwm to check?!!
Welsh Black Cattle also graze the Common Ground
The motocross and 4x4 vandals have been busy


It is a bit steep...

A nice boggy bit, with more wheeled damage to the ecosystem
The foot of Twmbarlwm!! With the fence cut to the side of the stile
There he is!!
On his way up!! We both did the tump for a change!!
Looking down on the Nantcarn and Graig parts of Cwmcarn, the Spitefull in the distance on the left and the roof of the Forest Drive Centre just visible above the trees in the middle
Spotted them!!!!

This one was last year's runt and it had been expected that he wouldn't survive the winter.
He still isn't that big, but he has come on well. (I've tried to find the picture with him in, from last Autumn. Failed! He was a fairly dark grey colour then, and much smaller than all the other foals)

It was lovely to be up on the mountain again together in the sun, despite the chilly wind, listening to the birds and checking the ponies. He saw well over half of them and we have a good idea of where the others are!!

More pony wrangling

On Wednesday I was just putting the last pot in the kiln, when I got a phone call...ponies out again!

The same three again, in the same place.

Mountain Man had blocked their way down the path, leaving plenty of room for walkers, as it is a footpath, using a tree.

The tree had been pulled to one side, not an easy job....and the telltale signs were in the mud of the path......motorbike tracks.

Two trees this time!

Mind you, the ponies wouldn't be able to get to this place if the fences the other side of Twmbarlwm were maintained regularly. They probably would also be looked after more if fences were not regularly vandalised.

Madam, and her daughters of 2010 and 2009 will be moved back to the Man's mountain as soon as possible. Weather permitting of course.

The groundhog would have seen his shadow this morning, but by the afternoon he wouldn't haver seen a thing in the fine rain clouds!

More pony moving

When we arrived at the far end of the common this morning, one foal was being fed by a person in a car. People assume that because they are not in a field, that they are neglected and starving. There is still a good bite for the ponies on the tops, and if they hadn't been fed there they would have found their own way home as usual.
With a little persuasion- and the pony equivalent of muesli in a bucket- and one false start-we slowly got them going.
The next picture is looking up to Blaen Cwm Lleucu (the back of Lucy's Valley- Blaen means front, but the back of the valley faces forward..!) or Cwm Lickey in local dialect. Mynydd Llwyd (grey mountain) at the top
Here I go, following ponies again!
then it started snowing a bit more...
We walked them to near the top, and I think they are headed for the rest of the bunch that is usually around there.
Then we walked back down.
This is looking down towards Cwmbran
Snow on the beech trees
My New Year's Present!
Which was very useful indeed .

The snow was coming in bigger settling flakes, so instead of a picnic lunch in the car, it was a quick drink and a banana and off to take Mountain Man home.

I managed the 1 in 6 sections and the Z bends, but stopped at the top of the steepest part. I could have got up it, just, but coming down would have been dicey as the snow was settling fast.

Now the snow has settled in the village, but thankfully the roads are still clear.

New Year's Day Photos

Mountain Man with the errant ponies.
Grey mare on the right, and her foal in the middle
On the way up to Pegwn y Bwlch
Nice warm hairy ponies!
Looking about East from Twmbarlwm. Still snowdrifts in sheltered lanes.

walk in the mist

Mountain Man had a phone call this morning- "we have some of your ponies!!"

They had come down through the forestry, through fences broken and cut by thoughtless people. Luckily found by friends.

We took a bag of haylage over to entice them home but ended up leaving it where they were, with another pony in a field with shelter.
Now it will be twice as far to get them home! Weather permitting we can move them next weekend, as help has been offered.

I managed to drive all the way up The Hill!! Luckily it had been mostly cleared, and in the fog the snow is thawing steadily. Hopefully most will be gone before the next batch of "weather" !

not entirely a bad day

Saw these little ponies on the way to Abergavenny!
Wicket open...
My pots from the front stack
and those from the rear stack, with some cracking bowls and good glaze tests.
I need to re mix the shino that crawled, and check which tests to do bigger batches.
The blue glaze on the porcelain beaker on the right of the first photo definitely deserves a bigger batch. The colanders could easily go with no glaze atall and just rely on the salt. Less work too!!
I checked a few of Mountain Man's ponies on the way home.

They put a few spoilt pots into perspective! At least I can sell them from a "Bargains" box!!

The weather has been beautiful today, warm and sunny although still freezing in the shadows.
Three days of cold ,wet and windy weather are forecast.