Look up! Not a cloud, not a trail slicing up that pure deep blue.
Make the most of this, you may never see this again in your whole life.
Gardening day: planted a Rowan for Mum, which got my energy going and at home I spent 3 hours planting stuff in my own garden.
The red-current was humming like some faulty domestic appliance, the flowers weight it down, more so with the mass of Bumble-bees.
The bush is about as tall as the Magnolia tree and both look magnificent under today’s unbroken blue sky. Really unbroken. For the first time in my life, I have been able to look up at a pure blue sky, no lacerations from aircraft vapour trails. It’s weird, more so because such a thing is probably overlooked by many.
Back to gardening: bought some plants on an unplanned plant nursery visit: I’m giving the Fritillaria another go.
This time, I put them on the edge of the lawn.
Film: Junebug. A sort of American Mike Leigh feel to this one. It’s probably one that will divide opinions: some will be bothered by the lack of a plot driven climax, some by the pace. I was held on by the characters, and by the photography. I say photography rather than cinematography because there were a number of beautifully framed holds, only occasionally was there any movement to remind you that it wasn’t a still. Visually it was very rich. The mood was darkened by that awkward discomfort that can only come from the oddballs in your family.
Been on holiday: Rosie and I have been hill walking in the Rhinog and Gliderau ranges in Snowdonia for just over a week. Here is a quick summary:
Monday: tour round a bit & find a campsite. Chose one near the sea for warmer nights. It was fiercely windy though. The tent held but was noisy so I moved inland.
Tuesday & Wednesday: Camp in Cwm Buchan.Heavy rain first afternoon & night, but Wednesday was clear & drying so I wandered the Rhinogs all day. Saw not even a human footprint until 5pm.
Thursday: rest day, stayed at a relative’s bungalow on the coast. Felt very tired from 2 long walks. Very warm day in shorts.
Saturday & Sunday: moved to Ogwen valley in the shadow of Tryfan. I have yet to climb that mountain- it’s too rough to take Rosie so I intend to go for a weekend purely to make that summit. Camp wasn’t too busy. Took a very long walk along the Gliderau all the way to Elidir Fach, the western-most 3,000 footer.11 hours and 16 miles later I got back at sunset. A great route suggested by the mountain warden at Llyn Ogwen.
(Above; Tryfan, below- Elidir Fach)
Monday: felt a real heart-wrenching tear on driving away so decided to stay another night. Made camp at a National Trust site at the base of Snowdon’s Watkins path. This was a bit of a risk because the car battery failed in the morning. The farmer helped me jump-start it, huge relief.
this has been a very fine week, the best Easter I can remember- every bit as good as a summer holiday.
Vegetation was still brown, grasses yellow like a September after a long hot summer. The freedom to wander about Wales with a tent and dog is wonderful, nothing went wrong, and if it did it just becomes a problem to solve. There is no responsibility so therefore no guilt. Well, okay, there was a bit because Rosie got cold in the tent a few nights until I worked out the best way to keep her warm. The most effective move was to wrap her in my spare sleeping bag.
The mosses and lichens appear to be doing well, must learn the names of more of them.Coming home wasn’t too bad, I was met by fresh sunshine and plants in bloom.
Life is good.
Re-roofed the shed: see! I told you I’d do a DIY job every week this year I have, if you count gardening.
Holiday time. The kit is ready to go but I await fairer weather before I depart. I have mounds of marking, a list of DIY jobs to do here and an unfinished painting. It’s time to get it done.
Lovelock says it’s too late (BBC) to save the planet. I’m sort of inclined to feel no surprise. However, my preception is that we’re not going to save the planet because there is no will to do anything apart from talk about it. Number one problem never gets aired, no-one dares even mention it: overpopulation.
Red-nose; thanks midge, I even dreamed that I had to pull the sting out after you’d bitten me. My hand is swollen and now the end of my nose. The bright red colour is the best bit. Put me in a darkened room and it’d look like a motor-bike’s brake-light.is on.
Hazel is showing off her pink lady-parts: yes it’s time for some garden innuendo, and there’s more where this came from.
In close-up, you can see what looks like pollen. In case you don’t know, the dangling catkin bit is male and distributes pollen, the female parts are extremely small as you can see here.
Good bike ride today, after a weak start- I blame last night’s alcohol for that. It wasn’t until after 40 miles that I really ‘found my legs’.
Domestic day, painting woodwork, fixing things and stuff. Put up the tent in the garden to check its condition. I was so close to going camping last night, but decided to stay and do essential home stuff. Soon though. Energy was bountiful for this, even though it’s the end of term soon. I credit sleeping habits- early nights and very early rises. The earliest was about 4.30 am
Compost news: the heap looks like real compost when I turned it over with a fork.
Can’t help feeling annoyed that my view of the sunset is now blocked by a new housing block that looks like a student halls of residence. In practice, sunset is now an hour earlier. Damn the planners.
Interesting news story: the Catholic Church has been protecting child-molesters from prosecution it seems. They have actively decided to keep secret accusations of child-abuse and not take any disciplinary action.
Laurel: I didn’t really like this Laurel, only because variegated plants don’t, somehow, appeal to me. But look at this fruit, instantly I have changed my mind.Note on the right, the flower- how unassuming.
Hazel: is hosting a guest.
I get home about an hour before sunset, just time to plant out some digitalis you’d think. Scoop out some holes and mix a bit of compost to enrich the soil, then clink. So here we go again, two more sub-terainian slabs. One of them is red. So the whole hour before dark (& supper) turns into an earthworking.
Never did get those plants in the ground.
I tried to post this review to ilovefilm but got the error message: "Error- must contain at least two words"
So that doesn’t count as ‘at least two words’ then.
Micycle 