A LOOK AT AUTUMN

Last night I sang Brahms' Requiem with The Stratford Upon Avon Choral Society in Holy Trinity Church. It was a magnificent experience and thoroughly enjoyable. I was hoarse from rehearsal in the afternoon but some how with the aid of some pastilles, I was able to find the "noise" from somewhere. Apart from Bill & Win, who didn't particularlly enjoy it, everyone else had a great evening. Hedi and Birgit enjoyed it a lot as it was sung in German.

After staying up until 1p.m. with Franz and Jackie who came home for wine and supper, we went to be exhausted.

This morning we took a long walk over The Welcombe Hills and blew away the cobwebs. The trees are still very beautiful and haven't yet lost their leaves. The colours are so lovely.

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I think the photographs are a few days too late for me to have captured the full impact of the beautuful colours that we have enjoyed. However, I think for 19th November they are remarkable. At home I have taken a few of the garden, which looks more like October as the leaves have remained on the branches for such a long time.





The shots of the sunset are stunning. This was 5th November, before the bonfires and fireworks!









































This is Emily and Katey showing off the box we made for The Samaritans for them to deliver to disadvantaged children in Europe. They chose to pack it with goodies for a girl ages between 10-14. It was good fun shopping for all the little bits and pieces. The girls put some of their own money into the project as well, so that was all good and we passed on the box to a friend of mine at Slimming World who is collecting them.

I also thought you might like to see the Halloween party pictures. Caroline was here too and Birgit and her sister Susann with her son Julian, who is 10. It was a great success. The children loved all the games including the ghost version of "pin a tail on the donkey", where the entrants had to pin on a mouth.








Back in Sptember we had a new gas fire as the flu had been condemned by the Gas Company, with whom we have a maintenance contract. The answer was to have a fire with a balanced flu, meaning that a whole had to be made through to the outside wall. We are really pleased with it as it gives a very comfortable heat and a lovely glow. It also reveals the cornish slate on the 20 year old fireplace, which was previously covered by the monstrous black fire that previous sat on it.


















Looking Back Over Autum





Sorry about any gaffs in this publication but it has taken ages to do.

A Surprise Visit

Just when we were settling down about 4p.m. to discuss our meal and what was had happened during the day , as you do, the 'phone rang. It was Gitta. She is the niece of Judith Stolz, our friend in Sindelfingen. Gitta and Judith are quite close in age. Gitta's mother is Judith's sister. I know, I find it very difficult to remember the relationship and find it most confusing, especially as they look like sisters. Gitta was in Warwick and travelling around the country with her husband Jürgen in a touring van and wanted to visit and say hello, so naturally we invited them for a meal. At the time, I hadn't the faintest idea what it would be but hey-ho, that's what I do. I had 2 hours to get it all ready.

We first met them when we visited Germany many 10 years ago and they invited us to their home for a barbecue. It was pay back time, so I got in the car and dashed to Tesco's. Melon, salmon with butternut squash, courgettes and leek, green beans and a lemon butter sauce, all followed by pineapple in Malibu and coated with a drizzle of Cadbury's Bourneville or raspberries and creme fraiche (half-fat of course). Everything went well in the kitchen and by the time they arrived, we were on stand-by.














They arrived in the tourer which was parked on the drive, having agreed that there was some serious drinking to be done, so they would stay there overnight. It was really compact and reminder us of the "Autoscraper" of similar description that we encountered on holiday one year. Those of you in the car at the time, will remember the story.
















The evening went very well and of course, I was able to practice my German. Although Gitta's English is excellent, Jürgen hat kein Englisch. Colin was rattling away in English, naturally with lots of expletives and sentence packers, which would never be understood by the non-native speaker. However, they kept smiling and laughing and seemed to have a thoroughly good evening. We heard the news of Judith and Reiner and Joshua and Hannah and of course their own children Sara and Simon, who we met when they all came and stayed at "The Piggeries" in Wootton Wawen. Simon is now working and Sara is in China on a work programme with her University. She is there for 6 months in Beijing but not enjoying it. She hates the food and finds the language difficult. Not many people speak German and even though Sara's English is even better than her mother's, she can't find anyone to speak it

The next morning we had breakfast together before they set off to re-visit "The Piggeries" and then on to London. Whilst we ate, Gitta called Sara. We all sang "Happy Birthday to her for her 22nd birthday. She was so emotional and cried because she is so unhappy. It is such a shame. Gitta said they may go out there for Christmas but probably, by then, she may have settled down. She was only 3 weeks into the programme. She sent us this picture by e-mail. She has certainly grown into a lovely young lady.

We waved goodbye and thought how wonderful it had all been to see them again and how much easier it is to do it all when they have arrived with their own beds!!

A Week in Pembrokeshire

Having kept a diary of the week, I have decided to share some of it here:-






FRIDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER We arrived at 5p.m. and decided to take a walk to stretch our travel weary legs
From the flat, named Ty Isaf (Lower House), we walked across the fields, beyond the garden wall.

Woods stretched for miles and beyond that we could see the coast but we couldn't find a way through until we realised that we had taken the wrong path. To go through the woods at this time would have been a little foolish as it was beginning to get dark. We returned to the flat, unpacked and watched a wren flitting in and out of the clematis on the garden wall. The dragon beside the pond looked friendly enough and being the national emblem of Wales was in the right place providing a focal point to the garden pond.
The garden is interesting with many stone ornaments and unusual features. A "Monet" bridge leads the way across into open fields and the duck pond, although dry, acts as a chicken coup.









At the other end of the garden, a blue shed adds interest to the five bar gated entrane to the "paddock"There is certainly plenty going on here. It is very rural.












SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER
We awoke to the most beautiful day.
It was just perfect for our planned walk to Dinas Head. The house is in the village of Dinas Cross and the projectory of land beyond it is a local beauty spot. We parked the car at Cwm Yr Egwlys and sat on a bench beside the beach and listened to the locals having their Saturday chatter. The church was blown away in a storm in bygone years and the remains are standing to commemorate the occasion.

We set out on the walk, well equipped with our boots, rucksack, water and bananas After about 2hours we were rather tired and debating (or arguing more like) whether to turn around and go back or cut back across the top of the Head. The short cut paid off and we arrived back through the woods and some wonderful
scenery.



It had been a fantastic day so far and decided at this point to treat ourselves to afternoon tea in Newport and a visit to the Craft Fair. We picked up the dress for my doll which I mentioned earlier and a little wooden monkey jigsaw for Ewan. (I must put it in the post tomorrow). Back at Ty Isaf we sat in the remaining sunshine on the patio with a G + T and the proverbial glass of whiskey for Colin whilst we undertook some light reading.

SUNDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER

Cloudy skies left us in some doubt as to the weather for the day and whilst we sat in bed with a cup of tea making some executive decisions about what to do, a sparrowhawk settled on the wooden support outside the window. The curtain was closed but we could see him very clearly from about 3 yards through the chink in the side of the curtain. Actually, he was a female. She preened herself and was quite delightful to watch but before you could blink an eye , she had swooped down and collected our little wren that we had been watching so busily feeding for the last 2 days. Nature can be so cruel but that is what is is all about I suppose. Live and let live! We did the traditional Sunday breakfast and then packed up for an outing to Fishguard and Goodwick. The weather was improving rapidly and whilst we had a coffee and a look around the tourist centre we felt the warm sun on our backs again.

We moved on to Strumble Head, where there is a very picturesque lighthouse and a viewing point from where we saw the porpoises swimming. There was an abundance of heather and naturally, bees, butterflies and moths. We stayed there quite a while and enjoyed the view, before returning to Goodwick where we walked out along the breakwater and back for more excercise.

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MONDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER Fresh, breezy with mixed sun and rain we decided to head for the garden centre (fancy that?) at Penrallt. It was large and had many interesting things for us to look at including a new bird feeder that we could fix outside the dining room and another bird bath. (We must have the cleanest birds in Stratford - this is the third one). With autumn now showing her colours we decided to buy a few daffodils as we are in Wales (the national flower) and a few tulips, cos I like 'em. The water feature department gave us an idea for our latest garden project, which we mapped out on a napkin in the cafe whilst we ate lunch. The weather had taken a turn for the worse at this point, so we decided to go inland and look at some of the eating places. The lanes were narrow and windy, rather like Devon, but there was more visibility than Devon. We came across a candle workshop run by a Swedish lady who had been there for 30 years. There were rather a lot of candles to see and we came away with a new one for our hearth (as we shall be having a new fire). It has a slice of agate stone in it which glows when the candle is lit - very efffective. On the return journey, we came through moorland and there were many sheep grazing in the mist which had gathered by this time. They are such silly animals and just wouldn't move off road. It was a miracle we didn't return with a dead one in the boot. The hotel we were looking for was so remote that we thought we should never find our way home if we were there in the evening and it was dark. We decided to eat locally. TUESDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER Another walk planned for the morning but first, lets get a bearing on where we are going to have lunch. It would be our main meal, so we wanted something tasty and healthy. We were recommended to one place, only to find that it closes on Tuesdays, so we took pot luck and tried the Doctor's Court in Newport. They would be open when we returned, so we got going along the edge of the estuary. Canada Geese were stacked up along the water and making a tremendous noise too.

Colin found an old boat and reviewed it but decided not to put in an offer.

It was an easy walk and very pleasant. The sun was out now and we made our way around the coastline to a beachside coffee shop called Morwellan, where we stopped for a beverage and cake. It was a super place and Colin was interested in the menu for another day.

The views across The Porrag were stunning. We carried on walking as far as we could before the terrain got a little steep for Colin and very rough for us both. The walk back through the back lanes was just as pleasant passing the most fantastic properties. Everywhere in this area is property that you would want to buy. The hedgerows are full of blackberries and rosehips. The little ginger and white cat met us along the way and stopped for some friendly attention. He was blessed with an extra claw as we have previously seen with Angela's cats.

We arrived at the Doctor's Court about 1.45p.m. and went down to the cellar to eat lunch. It was great. Beef Bourgoinonne (spelling?) and fresh veg., followed by speciality puddings. Of course, we managed a bottle of red wine as well, so we were well set up for the remainder of the day. The Castle was worth a visit we thought, although we knew that it was not open to the public.
Climbing up through the town we walked our meal down and reached the church but could not find a closer way through to the Castle. It looks impressive on the hill and now has windows fitted and is obviously inhabited. The churchyard was crammed full of gravestones. They obviously don't believe in cremation here. The lady whose headstone is pictured here didn't have a very happy Christmas! She died on December 25th. The castle is in the distance. I hadn't realised the date until I got home. Before we returned to the flat I visited an art gallery and craft shop but I wasn't impressed.






WEDNESDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER Wow! The wind was howling
around the flat. We were warned something like this was on its way. Our plans to go to Cardigan or Cilgerran are shelved. I wrote Postcards and Colin read is paper and enjoyed the relaxation. We decided to take a trip to the coast and watch the sea from the car, calling at the Post Office to deal with the postcards en route. At Newport sands, we sat and enjoyed the view and the stormy weather. It wasn't raining, just a hurricane!. There is an old Lime Kiln there which was used to convert the limestone to lime for agricultural use. Colin decides that to-day is the day to eat at Morwellan (the little restaurant where we had coffee yesterday). I was streaming with cold and my nose was bunged up, so I was happy to relax with my baked crab and salad with chips while Colin had a steak with all the trimmmings. Another bottle of red wine and we were well happy. We decided to go back to base an get a couple of hour sleep and see if it made the cold any better. It certainly did the trick. I fell asleep in the chair for 2 hours!


THURSDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER Our last full day and we decide to take a run to Cilgerran Castle and Cardigan. It is a bright sunny day and as it goes along it is getting hotter again. Cardigan is a quaint town, very hilly but nothing that made us want to prolong our stay. We did have a walk around the indoor market where I found a lady selling peel off stickers for my card making. A break for Coffee, a slice of Barabrith (welsh fruitcake) and a visit to the loos, once we had found them (it took ages), then we were off to Cigerran. An 11th century ruin it has been the view that Turner, the artist painted so well. I could understand why when I saw it through the trees. It is a truly wonderful sight. We parked at the bottom of the hill and walked up the path, through the woods to the entrance. From the ramparts, again the view was stunning. It was difficult to imagine how people lived in those times. If you can zoom in on the pictures you can read some of the history dating back to Norman times.

We met a couple from Coventry who had their 1st baby in June. A littlke boy called Ruskin. Obviously, we thought of Ewan and talked about him to the parents and asked questions on his progress. I think they were impressed on our knowledge of 3 month olds.

It took some time to return to Newport as we had left home without the map or the sat.nav., so we floundered around the lanes and had to take a few detours. It was all very pleasant. Back in Newport we stopped off to buy some local sausage to go with the bacon that we had left. It made an excellent supper back at Ty Isaf which Colin cooked whilst I packed the case and such like business. Whilst we were busy, a storm started to whip along the coast. It was amazing after such a lovely day. The gale was tremendous. A loud bang on the window made me turn and I saw a Ring Ouzel stunned but not injured. He had been blown into the window by the storm and sat there for a few minutes before taking off again. It was the first time I had seen one like this, although Fraser reminded me that he thought we had previously seen one. I am not convinced now that that was one. This one definitely was a Ring Ouzel. We relaxed before bed and thought that we had had a most pleasant and relaxing time and would definitely return to the area and this flat when possible.

FRIDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER

An early breakfast and then a case of throwing it all in the car to come home. The journey seemed much longer this way. The weather was poor and we were in and out of floods. Glad to be home at 4p.m. after our 5 hour journey (with a couple of short breaks).

I hope you've enjoyed this little report of our week. We seem to have done a lot of walking and eating. However, that's what it's all about. It has certainly done us good.