Every Grey cloud....

..... And of grey clouds there has been no shortage!

The 'Oaks are out before the Ash', which in Celtic mythology means we will 'only get a splash'; so we are all anticipating a very dry summer here in west Wales. But I'm not sure that this ancient lore works when nearly all the Ash trees are dead because of an epidemic of Ash dieback. (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/tree-pests-and-diseases/key-tree-pests-and-diseases/ash-dieback/)

Sadly. we have several dead Ash trees down Rooseferry Road, which will need felling this summer. And while Ash makes great firewood it is sad to chop down trees that have been here for several hundred years, trees that I have walked past since my childhood. I recently counted the rings on a small oak that had come down over the winter - 120 years old. By that benchmark there are several oak trees in our woodland that are hundreds of years old. But it is undoubtedly time to sharpen the chain saw, before overhanging branches fall onto passing pedestrians, or more seriously, their un-controlled canine companions. 

I guess the other reason the old timer's weather prediction might just work is that the sky could simply run out of rain? Statistically speaking, there must be a good chance that it will stop raining eventually? But the spring climate does seem to have changed in west Wales in recent years. The Gulf Stream, which traditionally kept our weather warm and mild, is weakening as the Arctic Ice Cap melts and cold water runs into its path. And while warm rain is tolerable, it does at least help things grow..... Cold rain? Yuk! It is nearly mid-May and the overnight minimum temperature inside my greenhouse is 4C. There is just no point in planting anything in the veggie garden; seeds will rot! And forget NZ uniform of shorts and T-shirts- I was wearing long-johns and winter woolies most of last week! And we are still burning last year's logs!

End of the weather whinge! Lets try to find a few silver linings here.....

There have been a few sunny days when the trees displayed that wonderful green that you only get in Spring. Fran and I managed a short walk in nearby Minwear Wood and it was simply wonderful to be surrounded by bright green leaves and walk under a canopy of birdsong.

And on the best day of the Spring so far, I did manage my first spring swim in the river at the bottom of the garden. It was considerably colder than Wainui but I am sure it did me a lot of good!

We celebrated Mum's 94th birthday on 24th April. The birthday cake wasn't gluten free but it did look very nice and she enjoyed a great day, surrounded by family and had a bonus birthday, a second party two day's later was attended by her brother, nephews and neighbours. 

But possibly the most exciting news of all is........Trusty Rusty is back! Once again the world's best loved 17 year old Citroen van has emerged from her wintry cocoon and scraped through her MOT (= WOF in NZ speak!) She is ready and willing to take to the roads in search of distant paths and hills.  Apparently her chassis is getting a bit hollow in places but she started as soon as I reconnected the battery (That is not quite true, I did also turn the key in the ignition!) and the plastic tape which doubles as a brake light seems to be hanging on pretty well. I may just delay my departure until it stops raining and my runner beans are growing but I do intend to continue my walking through the summer. I'll also have to dust off Sticky McSticky, maybe anoint him with a little beeswax and the old team will be back in business.

The ultimate goal is to walk around Wales: there is now a footpath around the entire Welsh Coast and Border. That is 870 miles in total so it might take a few year's yet - for this year I think I will concentrate on completing the 40 or so miles Offa's Dyke path - weather permitting - before joining another section on to it. On the map below I have already completed the blue (Pembrokeshire Coast Path) and Green (Glyndwr Trail.)

https://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk/working-with-us/about-the-path/?lang=en

Other than that, the entire country seems to be waiting for the current government to do the decent thing and roll over and die. There will be a General Election before the end of this year and if the recent local election results are anything to go by, there will be a massive swing to Labour and a new government in place by December. Even my most right wing friends are critical of recent activity (or lack of activity); individuals who were fervent in their support of this government a year or so ago, now sit in a strange glum silence; they have been Trussed! I don't do political discussion on this blog (much!) but it promises to be an interesting few months.  

Pete and Jak have a new pup - Patch. Last Sunday night we had two kids and two dogs to care for - just so that they could go and see The Boss in Cardiff. I know where I would rather have been. Patch is actually quite well behaved for a youngster; and he is a little better behaved after I had a short chat with him on Monday morning. He had just leapt onto Fran's lap and consumed her bacon sandwich in 3 seconds!

And for those of you who are loyal beta readers, eagerly awaiting my next work of literature, the prequel to 'The Bell That Never Rang'?

-which is  still available on Amazon folks:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bell-That-Never-Rang/dp/0473615150/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WZOTEBHANOBW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fRzB9HquHrFzVyn5Tq2aRo2bg6rE3xMrkPkOqJQiT1I.Kf7p4OMpBCYroXT4LJ_aWoAN6ucoCTAHA4Zq64zX9K0&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+bell+that+never+rang&qid=1715164379&s=books&sprefix=the+bell+that%2Cstripbooks%2C111&sr=1-1

Well, it's coming very soon - by the end of the month latest! Watch this space!