SUMMER VISITORS - Sept 2013

Every summer, this area of Wales sinks under the weight of seasonal visitors. The roads become busy and we experience traffic jams (they may only be 5 cars long - but here, that's a jam!) Once September arrives, the land rises out of the sea a little, hampered only by the holidaying pensioners benefiting from the late summer sun.

We have had the privilege to meet some of these lovely people.

Sitting outside a local pub, we were joined by a group of 7 laughing ladies. They were celebrating the 70th birthday of one of their members and were clearly enjoying their holiday together. They had arrived at the pub via a long walk and were contemplating an easier return route. I convinced them that if they walked back, the calories put on during their generous meal helpings would be burned off and eating their meal would therefore be guilt-free. This re-motivated them and they started back on a different but potentially longer route back, which we also took. 

We soon caught up with three of the party who were resting on a bench relatively close to where we had parked, while the remainder of the group had called into a golf house to enquire about prices. The ladies on the bench had realised that their 2 mile walk was over ambitious and politely asked if there was any chance of a lift as their hips were 'playing up'. I told them that we only had room for two. While they were deciding who of the three were most in need of a lift, I jokingly suggested that one could sit in the back of the pick-up. As I walked towards the pick-up, all three joined me. I asked if they had decided which two would be taking a lift. "Oh, no, we're all having a lift" said one. I explained again that we only had room for two. "You said one of us could sit in the back" came the reply. I explained that I didn't mean it. It would be uncomfortable and dirty. Especially for smart ladies with dodgy hips! This didn't deter them. In fact they seemed quite thrilled at the idea.

I was beginning to wonder why I hadn't chosen this fun option myself, but instead, not wishing to see any of them suffer, I opted to let them all have a comfortable ride, while I walked and Will picked me up a few minutes later having dropped off the ladies - who, by the way, hadn't informed the rest of their party where they were!


On our way home. along our narrow lane we were met by a man and a small girl wearing her pyjamas and a dressing gown. They were blackberrying. (OK, so he wasn't a pensioner - nor were they necessarily visitors, but they could have been!) They were accompanied by a cat. As you know - nothing odd about that here! As they stood back to let us pass, the cat nonchalantly sat sphinx-like in the middle of the road without a care in the world. So the man picked it up out of our way. We expected him to hold the cat and stroke it soothingly, but no. He hurled it at a great height over the hedge!! Clearly not his cat!


On another occasion, I was stopped by 'Skateboard Man'. A middle-aged man with a skateboard tucked under his arm, and headphones around his neck. 

(My apologies Mr Skateboard Man if you are reading this and you don't consider yourself middle-aged!). He wanted to know the quickest route somewhere. I asked him if this was by foot or car? Silly question! By skateboard of course! I gave him directions after first discovering that he travels the country by skateboard, covering a good 50 miles a day! Good for you Skateboard Man!

Variety is the spice of life!


Next blog -  errrm? Running out of stories!

ANOTHER VISIT TO THE NEIGHBOURS TODAY? Oct 2013

Another visit? I think not!

You want a closer look?

I think my visit to her can wait 'til another day!





Next blog - Summer visitors

ANOTHER UNEXPECTED GUEST - Sept 2013

Our nearest neighbours in both directions live across a couple of fields, one is a two minute walk via the road, the other 15 minutes including a trek up a steep muddy track. A quicker route to the latter is across the fields through our newly repaired side gate.

 

On a recent visit to this neighbour, I met a man who lived in our house as a child during the 70s. He told me that his parents converted the house back to living accommodation after it had spent many years housing cattle. He remembered a donkey living in what is now our lounge. His family knocked through something like 13 fireplaces before managing to expose what we assume is the original inglenook fireplace, now housing our log burner.

A week later, as I was about to go through the gate to visit the same neighbour, an unfamiliar couple strolled up the drive. The man told me he used to own our house in the 80s. It transpired that he bought it from the family of the man I had met the previous week. As I showed him around his old home, myths I had created in my mind quickly morphed into the not-so-romantic-reality.

I had read that centuries ago, people in poor Welsh houses used rocks as furniture. I had therefore convinced myself that a stone jutting out of a wall at an annoying shin height (fondly known as the 'Cerys Seat' - named after my 3 year old niece who likes to sit on it) is a centuries old seat. I often pondered over the thought that in days gone by, many a Welsh bottom could have perched on that rock whilst chewing on a goat shank!

My visitor put me right. He had exposed the stone in the 1980s, while opening up a doorway in the thick stone wall!  :(

The Cerys Seat

I also assumed that a stone pond in our 'courtyard' was centuries old. I now discovered that it was made from the stones taken from said doorway. Pah!

Pond now housing plants

In raising a roof last year, an old beam was removed. In order to keep it on view, we re-used it to hold up the stairs and to minimise the bouncing of the upstairs floorboards. I told my visitor of this and he informed me that he had originally put the beam in the house and that it had originated from the old granite crushing building after it closed following the closure of the quarries. My myths, like the granite, were further crushed.

Apparently the neighbours also have a beam from the same crushing building.

And what of this 18 inch high milepost/tombstone lurking in the corner of the kitchen?

I forgot to ask! I'm free to dream. There is nobody here to tell me otherwise. My (very nice) visitor lives far away in Mexico and is unlikely to return for a very long time - if ever again!

Next blog - Another visit to the neighbours?