On the loose

..... 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 overha...

This was written in October 2022 but never got posted. My last post was in mid August - and I've just updated that a little. Much has happened since then but not much worth writing about. I'm now back in my wonderful Wainui home but inevitably, feeling a little hiraeth for family and friends back in Wales. Every morning the Bellbirds wake me at six: they have a beautiful melodic song but they are pretty loud, especially when their number one food source is the orange tree, which is festooned with beautiful blossom, near my bedroom window. I spent a few days in North Wales in early September. Travelling with my faithful companions, 'Trusty Rusty" and "Sticky McSticky", I made my way steadily north, occasionally dropping down to second gear as the steeper hills approached. I called into the little church at Eglwys Fach, not for any religious reasons you understand,  but si mply because I had driven past it too many times before. RS Thomas (you'll find him m...

I have arrived back in Wales with the usual difficulties of the transition from the wonders of Wainui to a cold, wet Welsh climate, which have seemed particularly troublesome this time. The flight itself was uneventful, via Vancouver this time which, in theory at least, makes for a short second flight. As we waited on the runway, with take off pending any second, the Captain informed us that there was a medical emergency and that we had to return to our gate. Paramedics were on board in seconds and after a suitable assessment, a person, hopefully still alive, was removed from the plane. We were thus over an hour late taking off but with some considerable assistance from the jet stream, which was dutifully delivering arctic air to the UK, we still made good time to Heathrow.  I had a bus booked to Cardiff at 3.30pm so it was a case of baggage bingo as I waited next to the conveyor for my bag to arrive; it was 3.15pm and tension was mounting! But I got lucky and sprinted(Ok, walked b...

Some enthusiastic types will tell you, no doubt quivering with excitement as they burble out the latest message about their breakfast, that, where social media is involved, it is important to keep it regular. Post once or twice a week they will tell you. Always be current and relevant to the mood of the day. That sounds a bit too regular for my liking, a bit like eating verbal All Bran! So I beg to differ! There is little point in my posting here unless I have something of interest to say. The major risk of an intermittent posting history is, I suppose, that the audience gets bored and wanders off to the delights of X/Twitter, which is itself it appears, in danger of becoming somewhat intermittent. I'll accept that risk: I am not in search of a large and committed fanbase. I am writing this mostly so that I can hopefully read it in my rocking chair in a few year's time, when I can't remember what I did yesterday andI have lost all handwritten diaries!  If both of my other r...

  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=636688317474065 I have been invited to attend this interesting local literary festival. Looking forward to reading a little of my novel there. Remember the novel?  Don't be afraid to post a review on Amazon ...... https://www.amazon.com/Bell-That-Never-Rang/product-reviews/0473615150/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_btm?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews ........and its available on Kindle too! The festival itself as a fantastic experience. I particularly enjoyed the the writing experience organised by Pipand Emma of Poetry Pause. Check out their wonderful podcast     - a recent  edition, which reviewed the entire year other phenomenal output, included a  review of our foot steps along  journey on the writing trail: https://poetrypause.libsyn.com/poetry-of-wales-festive-dedications-and-review-of-the-year I did ashort reading to set the trail up but then became engrosed in Emma's challenges to absorb and channel the emo...

The logistics were getting a little strained! My van was by now some fifty miles to the north of me. I sat in the pub with my phone and notebook and worked on a recovery plan. It was a lively pub, with some excellent conversation available. I had a great chat with Mick, a guy who had worked on fight scenes in many movies and had trained Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, de Niro and a few others in unarmed combat. Seven thirty the next morning found me at the local bus stop, having left my bag with my new friend. Three hours, three buses and £9 later and I was back in Knighton. Thankfully I remembered last minute to take the van keys out of my rucksack! I drove slowly south again, meandering through country roads, sometimes getting lost. Offa's Dyke is by far the most direct route around here! It was after 2pm when I finally collected my bag from Mick. The plan was now to position the van ahead of me, hitch back to Pandy and walk back to the van. I found a convenient rest area, parked up, ...

I wandered into Hay in the late afternoon to stock up with enough food for the next two days. The streets were deserted! Situated in the bottom of a valley, Hay on Wye was now experiencing a temperature of around 38C, which I am prepared to admit is pretty hot for Wales! I posted my useless camping mat and a few unnecessary layers back to Roose Ferry, which lightened my load a little. I then purchased 5litres of water as Dan had already informed me that nearly all the creeks up in the Black Mountains were dry. Net result : about 2 Kg more than I arrived with. I left Hay about 6.30pm, as it was cooling to about 35C, and I climbed rather slowly up in to the foothills. It wasn't too long before I picked up a slight mountain breeze and by 8.30pm I was on a 400 metre 'peak', surrounded by sheep and ponies! There was convenient rock, probably left by a glacier, which I used for a table and springy heather to sleep on. I cooked the sausages I had bought in Hay and ate them with ri...