Come Rain or Shine

 When the rain comes down, live on the net.

When the rain stops, get out and play with the newly acquired gardening tools.  That on the right is the shortest rotary clothes dryer money can buy for you know who to use.

Hengoed Rainbow

I have never ever seen a rainbow so semi circular or so brilliant.

These images are as taken, no enhancement

The Shophouse.

 The shophouse was put back together  with in a day.

It will be used at the NEC Minitura Show to display Gek's mini art, in October.

Settling In

Gek is cracking on with her miniature painting, Degas nudes are being given the treatment this time. Gek has been invited to sell her miniature art work at the October International Miniatura Show at the the NEC.  Guess who is making lunch.  We do urgently need a conservatory for the artist in residence to work.

Meanwhile, I have been busy breaking in our new sofa, The Cuddler.  Well some body had too.

Up on Her Wheels

The house not Gek.  24 wheels altogether.  All that is left to do now is put her back together. This could take a little time.

You Need to Book Early

Today we motored up to Gilwern to look at and would you know it, book a canal boat for the A-J-MA visit in September.

 This is Princess our boat of choice.  The Brecon and Monmouthshire canal has some quite sharp bends in it, apparently, makng a shorter long boat a safer option for novice helmsmen/women such as us.  Penang colours too, some more.

The first hazard  we will face, The Bridge. More like a tunnel. You could barely walk under it without having to stoop.   Should be interesting/exciting start to our cruise.

And this is the countryside we will be passing through.   Might decide not to take the boat back.

Putting it All Back Together

Our Penang shipment arrived on Monday, all 64 boxes of it, 5 of which took up half the total shipment volume - the dollhouses.

Before the B & W house can be reassembled, a wheeled base needs to be built.  To the rescue, Argos. All jolly good fun, what?

Book - Spike Milligan

There are now seven books written by Spike covering his years spent as a gunner in WWII of which I have now read four.  Funny and sometimes painfully honest, I need to finish the series.

Christmas

The gang at a Christmas Dinner in a wayside pub near Croome House.

An amazingly beautiful day, given the weeks and weeks of rain we had been having.  Next day the rain was back again.

The Dollhouse Begining

My bro' Mark sent me this nativity model just before Christmas.  I made this, perhaps when I was nine years old or so?

From little acorns do mighty oaks grow. Mind you, this B & W house has not arrived from Penang as yet.  Beginning to wonder if it is now at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

Kestrel View

Having gotten the keys to our new home, it was time for action man to boldly go aloft and fix the insulation.

Book - Ruins of empire

Back in the UK, almost the first thing Gek and I did was to join the local library. But this book I read in Singapore whilst awaiting our leaving date. A very interesting look at the Islamic, Hindu and Confucian views of  humanity and their struggle to understand the runaway success of a seemingly chaotic Western Enlightenment view coupled with the attendant industrial revolution.  al-Afghani for Islam, Liang for Confucianism and Rabindranath Tagore for Hinduism; all three looked to Japan as a model for reaping the benefits the West had to offer without losing control of their own  societies, ie without democratising .  They are still struggling with this puzzle even today, The Islamic State is currently using Western invention and production with it's Jeeps, guns, missiles, computers, the internet etc. whilst at the same time trying to destroy the system that gives them clout.  Hopefully, we are perhaps seeing the death throws of extremist views, extremist views on anything.  But I will not hold my breath.

Gek at Christmas

What to say?  Some people enjoy the strangest things.

Darwen Visit.

During a brief break in the atrocious weather, we took a stroll through Sunnyhurst Wood,   the place I use to come sail my boats as a lad.

The mock Tudor cafe still in business.

Water, water everywhere.

Potter's Gate, the summer holiday's meeting place with my first girl friend, Pat, back in 1960.  Memories are made of this.

Granville.

Photo taken 2013

Sadly, my uncle Granville passed away on the 22nd.  Regretfully we didn't get up to Darwen to see him since we have been back in country.  RIP Granville.

Jenny

Jenny in her Doctorate get up, 1993.  Ten years ago today, Jenny died.  She may be gone but will never be forgotten.

Our New Wheels

Isn't she great?  Well, Gek is wonderful,  the car is just great.  With plenty of room for four passengers and fold-forward rear seats for carrying our 'kit' at other times, this little monster fits the bill a treat.

The Knap, Barry.

A much bleaker day than when we were last here in the summer of '13.  The sea was as grey as the pebbled beach.

The tidal reach here is quite something, 30 ft?

The grass everywhere is almost luminescent and seems to be still growing.  It may be very wet, but it is relatively mild.

Clowning Around

Polly came to stay the night on her way to a work related event in Bridgend the next day.  Well, I do like sausages, what to say?

Rhymney Ridgeway Walk

The Ridgeway  is an old walking path, not one of the newer pathways made from the disused railway lines.

The walk is overgrown in many parts with brambles and ferns, making for a scratchy progress.

This horse seemed quite perturbed by our appearance on the trail.  Not many pass this way.

Ystrad Mynach Christmas Fayre

With the main street through the village shut and the shining sun brought out the crowds.

 Our local butcher was doing a roaring trade.

Christmas deco for a dog.

Male voice choir.  I must take Gek to hear the real deal sometime soon.

First Frost or was it Snow?

November the 21st and the van is iced.

But nothing daunted, we donned our all weather gear and set off up to the Penallta Park.

 Passed a space ship just landed.

 Where did all the autumn leaves go?

Away on the wind.

To leave beauty behind.

A frosty shadowie for you know who.

 The wind was biting atop the hill, it be snow on them far hills.

Fabulous.

Very Lord of Rings down here.

Home for a hot drink.