Fun in the Fresh Air

Hello Friends!

Before we step outside for some fun in the fresh air, let's get the wildlife safety business end of things out of the way.  

I don't want to get all preachy, but it's important information. Carelessly discarded face protection causes severe and painful harm to wildlife.  If you use disposable face masks, please dispose of them responsibly.  This means taking them home to dispose of properly, and must include cutting those elastic straps before binning them, much in the same way you responsibly chop up four or six pack plastic holders.  Face masks that are being discarded in the wild or on the street can not only spread the virus, but  without the straps being cut pose a very serious and dangerous threat to wildlife that can get tangled in them.  

There's just so much to do if you enjoy the great outdoors.  As lockdown eases and things slowly reopen, just be respectful, be mindful of current guidelines; remember to phone ahead to see if you need to book even if it's only a car parking space, or if your chosen place is open; and continue to practice Hands; Face; Space.

Me, I'm a walker, and there are plenty of walks to take, from short circular ones of a mile or so that can be done in well under thirty minutes, to longer, all day hikes or half day rambles.  You can chose from uneven coast paths to smoothly paved roads, or half hidden byways and secret trails.  There's sea side and rugged hills, wide open moorland and small wooded valleys.  Just take your pick.  It's now recommended you carry hand sanitiser to use if you have to touch any gates or handles while out and about.  And please, take only photographs, leave only footprints.  Take your litter home.

The other activity I enjoy, which goes well with walking, as you know, is photography.  This is me, with my ridiculously long legs, taking a photo of the evening sun {behind me} turning the land to gold.

Often, as I walk along, I see others enjoying what the countryside has to offer, and we greet each other, total strangers, with a cheery "Hello!" as we pass each other on our travels.  Now, of course, we step to the side, socially distanced, and seldom stop to chat aimiably as we might have done pre pandemic, to exchange a few polite comments on the weather, or as to what we've seen, or exchanging recommendations of things to look out for on our bimbles. 

An early morning walk and many are out exercising their doggy pals before the beach gets crowded with families who want to sit on the beach, explore rock pools, build sandcastles, or just sit and enjoy the view on a hot, summer day while eating ice cream.

 

or even go for a quick dip in the surf ~ brrrrr! Rather him than me.

or, you might prefer to pootle along on the bus, watching the countryside roll by the window

 

looking at a patchwork of prettily painted cottages, row on row

Why not visit an ancient castle, the birthplace of a future King, steeped in history at the historic market town of Pembroke?

Maybe you'd prefer something much more adventurous, such as a professionally guided Coasteering expedition!!  Not for the faint hearted, and do not do this alone or without proper supervision.  Do you see the jumper?  A lucky catch on my part, but I prefer to look at the geology than sit and watch the brave souls plummet.

or maybe you'd rather be on the water, paddling along at a leisurely pace in a kayak?

Perhaps you'd enjoy a day's sailing instead?

or to hop aboard an early morning fishing boat, out to sea, to try to catch your supper?  

Why, you can even go paragliding in a motorised little seat, if you are brave enough, of course.

Whatever you enjoy, there's always something for everyone to get out and have some fun in the fresh air.

Until next time

Stay Safe, Stay Well

Festival of Christmas Trees 2019

Hello Friends!

It's the last day of November, all the big Autumn festivities are at a close and now we herald Advent tomorrow, December 1st, and before we know it, it will be Christmas Day, and the next thing it will be 2020.  How did this happen so quickly?

Sixteen years have flown by since I first introduced the concept of a Festival of Christmas Trees to my village.  Oh, boy! You should have seen everyone's faces, their expressions, when I first presented this concept to the Christmas Tree Association.  You could see what each person was thinking, "What is she going on about?" or "What mad scheme is she concocting now?" But, I must have done something good because they let me run with it; that first year we only had nine trees centred in the City Hall, but on the first day you could hear pennies suddenly dropping across the village as requests to "put me down for a space next year!" came pouring in!  The following year we had twenty trees, and the event is now an established part of our Christmas social calendar in the village.

I no longer have a part in the organising, as many of you know I was a care giver for several years and reluctantly I turned over the reins to others.  Everyone is doing a first rate job and the event continues to gather momentum.

This year, a very creatively minded lady suggested introducing a new category, A Decorated Christmas Wreath, to the event and it's a huge success!  The response has been superb, and the wreaths are all beautiful.  More on those in a second blog, as I do not want to overload this one, and the wreaths are all worthy of their own entry, so check back in a few days for that one.

I am always amazed at the imagination and creativity of everyone across the village.  Each year every tree is different, and while sometimes a theme may be repeated, the interpretations are all so different. We see real trees, fake trees, trees made out of trees, and trees that are not trees at all but highly imaginative installations.  It's all good, and it's all good fun!  I love to listen to the comments and see the smiles on people's faces.

So, here are the photos I took of this year's entries, or is that ent trees?

A local hostelry promoting their wares

Hand felted Robins by Menevia WI Craft Group

Tiny hand wrapped wreaths from Coffee and Chat

I wonder what the Ladies' Netball Team has under their goalpost tree?

An ocean theme tree

The Holly and the Ivy

Hand made gifts and surprises in a handmade Advent calendar

Remembering the past through reading in the Welsh language

Stitchy Witches Red and White handstitched tree

Eisteddfod Handmade Tree with Welsh themes

A seaweed tree

National Trust interpretation of the Cross Square with recycled and natural materials

Remembering the Moon Landing 50th Anniversary

Reading at School

 Local Playgroup recycled tree from clean used milk bottles

Recycling theme

All Wrapped Up!

A tree made using the new local doorstep recycling collection scheme boxes

 

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I would love you to tell me which is your favourite, and why, in the comments.

I do hope you have enjoyed seeing all the hard work and creativity on show from my small village, and don't forget to pop back in a few days to see the dedicated decorated wreath post, will you?

Until next time
Deborah xo

A World Where There Are Autumns

Gentle Reader ~~~ I am an Autumn girl through and through. I love everything there is about Autumn ~~~ the cooler days, the lowering sun, the gentle breezes, and all the jewelled colours of the slowing year ~~~ I even love the wild storms that lash the coast as they pound in from the Atlantic Ocean turning everything grey and salt kissed ~~~ and

~~~ I love the fun things to do ~~~

~stomping through fallen leaves~

~watching the colours of the land, sea, and sky turn with the changing year~

~wrapping up with my favourite fingerless mittens and scarves~

~sipping mugs of steaming hot chocolate~

~toasting crumpets, thickly slathered with butter and jam~

~decorating the cottage with Autumnal flavours~

~cooking and eating the warmer, richer, soups and stews of Autumn~

 ~gathering berries and nuts~

~walking in the woods~

~Hallowe'en~

~Thanksgiving~

~Pumpkins ~

~~~ and so much more ~~~

Oh! and Downton Abbey ~~~ but worry not, my lips are sealed ~~~ it is on as I write ~~~ and I can keep a secret {or ten} ~~~

~~~but most of all I love that Autumn gives us hope for the following year in the form of seeds that slumber through Winter and burst forth in the rebirth of Spring to the full blown beauty of flowers that follow in Summer~~~

For me, Awe~tumn is truly the most Awesome season of them all, and to misquote one of my favourite authors,

"I'm so glad I was born in a world where there are Autumns"

Earlier this week we had the Autumn Equinox ~~~ one of just two days each year {the other being the Spring Equinox} when the day and night are of equal length. From now until the Winter Solstice the days shorten and nights lengthen and the world of the Northern Hemisphere is slowly winding down and preparing to sleep ~~~

In The Shire, we are blessed by some truly lovely Autumn weather. After a Spring that failed to spring, and a Summer that was more like a damp squib, Autumn is bringing very pleasant temperatures with little or no rain, and quite a bit of sun.  The days are comfortably warm, with cooler evenings for snuggling under warm quilts and blankets ~~~ the projected forecast for the next ten days seems agreeable and there should be good opportunity to do any necessary tidying up and preparing the garden for Winter ~~~

Here is a little poem from one of my favourite childhood books, "A Child's Garden of Verses"

Autumn Fires 

by Robert Louis Stevenson 

In the other gardens

  And all up the vale,

From the autumn bonfires

  See the smoke trail!

Pleasant summer over

  And all the summer flowers,

The red fire blazes,

  The gray smoke towers.

Sing a song of seasons!

  Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

  Fires in the fall!
~~~~~

The colours are changing, the leaves are falling, and the last fruits of the year ripen on the boughs.  Here are a few images from around the Garden to capture those last magical moments, the jewelled colours of the year before all is touched by Winter's frosty kisses ~~~

Jewelled Lusciously Juicy Jewels of Black, and Red Ripening, Blackberries

Turning Leaves

Red Turning Leaves

Glossy Red Apples Ripening on the Boughs

A Cascade of Apples

Purple, Velvety~covered Clematis

Clematis with Wind Flower

Clematis

Autumn Fruiting Raspberries ~ Yum!

The colours of the evening skies are changing too, being more muted, subtle shades of the scorching colours of a Summer sky ~~~ the world turns, and everything changes ~~~

A final note of birdsong in the Autumn Garden ~~~

Until next time
Sincerely yours
Deborah