where art collides philosoperontap

August 28, 2025

socks

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:45 am

Nice cheery waitress at breakfast this morning. She is in the right job. A bit of a contrast with last night’s waiter at dinner. Totally lacking in personality. They must find it hard to get staff. Not only had a personality deficiency but lacked attentiveness. Never mind. We had a good time anyway.

This morning we are off to Knaresborough for a shufty but not before THG has had her fix of Betty’s. We had also planned to nip in to M&S as a 20% discount code had magically appeared in THG’s inbox just as I discovered that the last pair of socks I thought I had were actually too small for me and belonged to the woman in my life. M&S sell socks yanow.

Fortunately I was saved from the experience as a pair of green socks rolled out from underneath my bag as I was zipping it up. There is a god. Reality is I don’t need more socks at the moment. Whenever I open the cupboard a pair of socks falls out as there are so many piled in there. The game is to catch the socks before they hit the bedroom floor. They are all nicely paired. Natch.

August 27, 2025

spacious suite

Filed under: diary — admin @ 10:05 pm

V nice night out with the Fordyces. Starr Inn The City. It was warm enough to sit out on the terrace. Moving on to Harrogate today. After breakfast.

Harlow Carr. Nice morning out. The arrival of rain hastened our exit. THG bought a box of Fat Rascals from Betty’s as a prezzie for our friend Deb who we are seeing tomorrow. Arrived at Hotel du Vin as the rain restarted. Room not ready so we sat in the car for a while until it eased off and then headed into Harrogate. 

Mahoosive queue for Betty’s which I don’t understand. We found a nearby caff called Jenny’s which had no queue and where lunch was half the price. I was given a v cute tiny jug with just enough vinaigrette for the otherwise dry salad garnish that accompanied my tuna sandwich on white. THG set off for shops, charitable whilst I failed to gain entry to the locked St Nicholas church and returned disappointed to l’otel where our room was by then ready. We shall never find out the names of past vicars of St Nicks nor the list of last Sunday’s hymns. Doubt they were on display anyway.

Our suite was spacious with two baths and two side by side rainfall showers. No doubt v handy. Refreshed we met Ian and Lisa in the bar for refreshment before moving into the restaurant. A nice evening was had by all with restraint being shown by not ordering a second bottle of red. Nice enough chateaubriand. Seignant.

Now back in’t room watching Grimsby v Man U with the mariners ahead by two goals to one in torrential rain.

August 26, 2025

with a little help from a star sign

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:03 am

A pleasant rain is having a relaxing effect whilst simultaneously cooling and watering the empire of THG. The lake will not need topping up by hosepipe today. It isn’t a job I do every day anyway and as an interim measure and until a permanent irrigation system is put in place I was considering running a pipe from the base of one of the greenhouse waterbutts. Although it has on occasion felt like it, this is not Southern California.

All is calm in the house. The sound of smashed avocado on toasted sourdough filters through the kitchen door. Really this is the sound of iron on porcelain. The implements of breakfast. Avocado makes no noise. The noiseless avocado, coming to a kitchen near you.

The bright red fruit on the nearest apple tree to the house feel as if all they need is one vigorous shake for the whole lot to drop. I did imagine one of us holding a sheet underneath while the other shook the tree but it is too early for us to harvest them yet. We need to get Hannah’s wedding out of the way before engaging the cider making process.

Gemini add three more paragraphs that are in keeping with the first three:

We also have the brambles that have provided a great harvest already this year and still look like they have more to give. Not a job for the faint-hearted though, as despite wearing protective clothing the thorns still manage to get through. I’ve ended up looking like a contestant on Robot Wars after wrestling them into submission.

The vegetable patch is thriving. The runner beans are reaching for the sky, and the courgettes are producing more than we can eat, leading to a delightful culinary challenge of finding new ways to incorporate them into every meal. It’s a good problem to have.

Out beyond the garden, the fields are a patchwork of green and gold, waiting for the combine harvester to make its annual pass. The air is still, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant woodsmoke. It feels like autumn is just around the corner, bringing with it the promise of crisp walks and evenings by the fire.

Thanks Gemini. Not too bad although most of the fields have already been harvested and the allotments out the back of our house don’t really qualify.

Did the NRM in York. This is always the first on the agenda when we come to York. Then drove around to the hotel. Traffic chaos not helped by the fact that google maps wasn’t aware that the city council had closed off the road to the Grand Hotel and forgot to tell google. What should have been a thirty second detour around the block took ages.

When we did finally arrive I left the car keys with the bellman and checked in. Room not ready. No problemo. We were early. THG strolled off to Duttons for Buttons and I tracked down a branch of Blak Bear barbers where Sinead did a job on my increasingly unmanageable mop.

After that I met THG in the M&S caff. I had wandered in on the off chance of finding a suitable shirt but came away empty handed. They didn’t do it for me although it was pleasing to note that I had gone down two collar sizes from my historical maximum. I think I’m just going to take the easy route and go back to Chesters in Lincoln. He can order something in for me.

August 25, 2025

A minimalist bunch of keys

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 8:39 am

Today is a Monday. Yay (rhymes with Monday). Must be a day of poetry and romance. I imagine. Not sure any more poetry will be forthcoming though but we are planning on doing things together this afternoon. Mainly moving one of the freezers from next to the garage door into the utility room. It will make it a lot easier to access bags of frozen peas and ice cubes. I daresay other things as well. Frozen fish for example.

My golf clubs are moving to the space vacated by the freezer which will make it a lot easier to tidy the rest of the garage as you might imagine 🙂 The only thing about keeping the golf clubs in the garage is that I don’t keep a garage key on my keyring which I like to keep minimalist. Front door key, Anne’s spare car key, the Total Fitness fob and similarly the Coop fob. I’ve never understood the big bunch of keys concept. It would make sense to have the fobs on phone apps but I’ve never got round to doing it. I assume it is possible.

Latterly whilst the workshop was being built/renovated we’ve been using the front room and conservatory for storage so the golf clubs have been happily living next to one of the sofas. That is a state of play unlikely to remain acceptable to THG who runs a tidy ship (and garden). Today the clubs move to their new home by the garage door. Right next to where they used to be. Tidier.

On the wireless the bloke doing the weather forecast billed today as the last day of summer. Hurricane someone or other is lashing its tail bringing rain to some parts for the rest of the week. Hopefully the harvest will by then have been safely gathered in. We have had a good summer. I am minded to watch the Dad’s Army episode where they help Godfrey’s friend bring in the harvest. There is also a big football game on the telly. Nuke-arstle v Liverpool. Shud be gud. It was noted by THG that it clashed with University Challenge but the wonders of modern media tech means that we can watch both. Yay (rhymes with Monday).

Three twenty and the jobs for the day completed. Can’t add “ahead of schedule” to that as there wasn’t a schedule but I’ve received the metaphoric pat on the head/cursory acknowledgement that that’s the lot for the day and am now chillin on the deck with a cold drink. The weather, as foretold, is luvly. Poifect.

The garage has had a bit of a makeover. Not a complete makeover but a sufficient swing on the tidyometer to warrant postponing the rest of the job until after Hannah’s wedding which is starting to come to the fore of management thinking. All I need to do there is buy a shirt and practise my speech. After all, we don’t want to have to use notes do we? I also need a haircut which is planned for when I am in London a week on Tuesday. I am actually desperate for a haircut but it is all about timing innit.

Now playing Stubby Kaye, Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat. One of the all time musical greats. 

Will do some packing in a bit. Not much to do. Just taking a short three centre break in Yorkshire. Will need to brush up on my Yorkshire thanose. Need to be able to make myself understood and similarly know what the locals are saying when they ask me what I’d like for a starter etc. I wonder what’s Yorkshire for poppadoms.

August 24, 2025

Duttons for Buttons and the moving of the salt

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:02 am

Duttons for Buttons is the name of a shop in York that sells, you guessed it, buttons. What’s not to like? Also, and I’m going to have to tell you this because you’ll never guess it right, we’ve moved the salt pot to be next to the pepper that we keep in the mortar and pestle. I like to freshly grind my pepper in small quantities.

Now I can already hear the “uhuh Tref what’s such a big deal about that”. After all salt goes with pepper just like love and marriage and horse and carriage. Ish. Well the salt has always been up on the shelf next to the garlic  pot. Not for any particular reason. It’s just always been there.

The salt pot is not yer typical pot with a hole in the top out of which pours salt when upended. Provided the salt isn’t too damp, obvs. Neither is it a grinder that is suitable for flakes or granules (?) of sea salt. No it’s a white pot with an open front that contains a little wooden scoop for spooning out quantities of salt as required. In our case currently Halen Môn or Anglesey Sea Salt. 

I often don’t bother with the wooden scoop and simply resort to a finger and thumb as typically one doesn’t need much salt. It only gets used on tomatoes, chips, asparagus and barbecued corn on the cob. I do eat other foods and very rarely have chips at home. Usually when THG is away. With a bit of steak. Seignant.

So anyway I am now going to have to get used to the salt pot being in a different place. This won’t be as big an issue as blokes might think as it will be next to the pepper which as you already know pairs well with salt.

Breakfast this morning will be brunch. There is no rush. I will need the pepper but perhaps not the salt, fwiw. I have a sausage in mind together with a couple of bits of bacon, one unsmoked and one smoked, and a slice of sourdough toast. I noticed a bottle of Mr Vikki’s brown sauce in the fridge which will do nicely.

There we go then. And I’ve only just sat down. At the kitchen table which I didn’t mention earlier but quite relevant considering the nature of my earlier discourse.

My “problem” now is that being only eight thirty (ey em) it is too early to start preparing the brunch which won’t need much in the way of sorting. I’ll just stick the grill on and pop a slice of bread in the toaster. I used to always fry my bacon which I still consider to be the best mode of cooking but cleaning up afterwards is a little more hassle than grilling. Probably only a phase I’m going through.

THG has already polished off her two banana pancakes with maple syrup and home grown raspberries, made a tour of her garden empire and is now sitting in the snug with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I have poured my tea.

This is all life as we know it. A start to a Sunday morning repeated all around the country, ish. Not everyone has a garden, likes banana pancakes and makes fresh coffee but ya knowworramean.

We have an exciting day ahead of us. The annual hog roast at the Burton Estate Club. The weather is, I believe, going to perk up a little just in time for the do. I did for a while yesterday afternoon don a jumper. My pink LONAP sweatshirt to be more precise. Should not be needed today although I will leave a fleece in the car just in case. THG has volunteered to drive which is good as it can be a very boozy afternoon and she doesn’t mind staying off the pop.

This morning I have more tidying up to do in the workshop. Having moved all my boxes of tools, screws, nails and miscellaneous bits of hardware onto the racking it is clear that it now needs properly sorting out. For example the storage boxes that only have a few nuts and bolts, miscellaneous nails and screws are going. The red one I’ve had since we first got married and is no longer suitable for use in a modern workshop. Storage tech has moved on. I want to be able to see what’s in a compartment without having to pull out the drawers.

The act of doing all this sorting in the workshop is very relaxing. It’s a bit like standing at a photocopier. Not done that for many years but I seem to remember it as being relaxing. The rhythmic whoosh of the copier. Nowadays I just scan something at my desk and print it from my computer screen. Fishing is the same.

There is also work to be done in the garage. Lots of stuff on the shelves that could well be chucked. Quite a few Christmas decs that we don’t need. I have no idea how we collected so many artificial trees. They never get used. I don’t even know if the lights work. Much of this has to be done under the watchful supervision of THG who is the ultimate arbiter of such issues and she goes to church on a Sunday which as you know is today so it will probs be a job for the morrow. Hooray for Bank Holidays.

I only recently realised that Monday was a public holiday as I had suggested to someone we could meet for lunch in town but they couldn’t make it. Happened with two different people. Now I know. Every Monday should be a holiday. And Tuesdays etc. When I worked full time I always thought we should celebrate every public holiday in Europe. The world even. And then chuck in a few saints days that might not be a holiday anywhere but should be. As it is I only work a three day month which is probably the same.

Right. Bacon and sausages don’t cook themselves yanow. Ciao bebes.

August 23, 2025

the fishing gnome rescue

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 8:52 am

A quiet start to the day. Granola, yoghurt and strawberries with, when I get around to making it, another cup of tea. THG is off to the park run and I will, in due course, start clearing the space in the garage that had been taken up by the bench in readiness for moving the plastic storage crates currently stored in/filling up the conservatory. All go innit?

Was a slightly unusual day yesterday as we were greeted with the sad news of the passing away of a good friend. Chris Weston was one of our much loved camping buddies (well mostly motorhomes and campervans but we still call it camping) and had been ill for some time. It still hits hard when things like this happen and our hearts reach out to his wife Karen.

It significantly affected our crowd and we all got together in the Waggon & Horses in Branston for a couple of hours or so of intensive consoling with some bright (gaudy) shirts on show in memory of the lad. The intensive beer drinking that goes with such an event meant that when we got home we had to change our eating plans from chicken on the barbecue to a quicker to assemble beans on toast with sausage and bacon. There will be more drinking in his memory before we are all done. We are now having the barbecued chicken tonight.

Fairly still out in the garden. Just the smallest movement in the apple trees. Looking like a good crop this year, albeit smallish fruit with a significant amount of pruning needed over the next winter.

In other news it was noted that our fishing gnome had strayed too close to the edge and fallen into the lake. I have no idea whether there was wildlife involved in this incident but the lake had to be dredged and the gnome fished out. THG has made his seating position more secure which will hopefully avoid a repeat of the “accident”. I’ll have to put a sign up warning people not to get too close to the edge as the water is deep, if you are a gnome.

Might also stick a trail cam down as it will be quite interesting to see what wildlife is attracted to the water. I’m not expecting wildebeest or lions and their ilk but the occasional fox and hedgehog maybe.

Somewhat zonked now. Busy day on the tidying front. We moved umpteen plastic storage crates into the space in the garage formerly occupied by the bench. V tidy. Bit more left to do in the garage but it is definitely heading in the right direction. A load more books sorted to take to Oxfam. Even used my workbench to saw some MDF to put under the crates on the garage floor. Hitting the road running 🙂

THG was watching Who Wants to be a Millionaire with Clarkson so I stuck my headphones on and am listening to some tunes. You don’t need  to hear Clarkson to be able to join in the quiz. Got a few right but didn’t know who wrote the Batman stories.

August 22, 2025

Golf was totally sh!te

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 8:21 am

Golf was totally sh!te yesterday. Ajax took all the money. Ah well. We do it for the craic not the high quality sport. Coops joined us for the back nine just as we finished on the ninth.

Woke up to bad news this morning. Chris Weston, who was the only social member of our little golf society, passed away. He had been unwell for some time and we had planned to go and see him this afternoon but too late now. The Westons were part of our camping crowd and his death will have an impact on us all.

Today is going to be busy as I try to get the workshop sorted. Got to finish assembling the racking and then start moving stuff into place. We were going to be away in the campervan this weekend but it was cancelled as Chris’ health deteriorated.

August 21, 2025

A grand day out in London

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:46 am

A grand day out in London yesterday. Did have a bit of sorting to do when we arrived at the restaurant as someone was sat at our table. I’d booked a table for five in the window for one pm and a different five people had rocked up at twelve thirty and plonked themselves down. The waitress just assumed we had turned up early. Fortunately she was able to move them to another table downstairs. Downstairs is no good. No windows. Turned out ok in the end. My steak was a bit on the tough side but a good time was had by all. 

Busy busy busy today. Got a carpet fitter coming at ten to put down the vinyl flooring in the workshop. Could have done it myself but figured that for the sake of a few quid we might as well get it done professionally. After that we can start making it look like a workshop. Exciting eh? Don’t worry, pic to follow.

This pm is if it’s Thursday it must be golf. Not everyone can make it but we should have three of us there. We do sometimes have up to six of us which makes it quite a lot longer a round. At the end of one summer we played the top course as an eightball. We were last to tee off so didn’t hold anyone up. Problem was it got dark before we managed to finish. It wasn’t helped by the fact that on one hole we played down the wrong fairway and ended up playing a couple of holes twice. Then we took a short cut to the eighteenth where I then appeared to have lost my ball. I stuck another one down but when we got to the green found that someone else had played mine by mistake. I just played my first ball from where it lay on the green. He he he.

Very autumnal feel out there. Still shorts weather but I have a fleece on in the shed. I like the way that nature eases us from summer into autumn. This year we have a few outdoor bits that still need doing before the full force of winter arrives. One of the potting shed windows needs replacing and another needs a new sill splicing in. At least it’s dry. I should be able to finish off putting away the gazebo. Need to wipe the bird poo off the canopy first! The biggest question is will the canopy fit in the pocket of the bag? It looks as if it is supposed to but not sure I’ll be able to pack it up compactly enough. Soon find out innit.

August 20, 2025

Ee five on the oh seven thirty

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 7:30 am

Ee five on the oh seven thirty London bound express. Not yet left the stayshun. I’m looking forward to me bacon roll. Hopefully they will bring the tea in a timely manner. It is a bit annoying if you’ve finished the bacon roll and have nowt to wash it down with.

They’ve printed new menus, I note. Same food. The menu does tell me that in twenty twenty five we are celebrating two hundred years of train travel. Reminds me that we are off on a jaunt to Yorkshire next week and will be stopping by the railway museum there. They have a research library there that THG wants to visit. Her grandad was a fireman on the railways and she is hoping that they will have a record of this. Whenever we’ve been there in the past the library section has been closed.

So today is my annual jolly day out in town whereby I meet some pals and we indulge in a longish lunch. Need to be back in Kings Cross to catch the sixteen oh six. The restaurant is near Green Park tube station which is just a few stops away so we shouldn’t have to rush.

I’ll be v early into town. This is deliberate as it gives me time to buy a shirt and get a haircut. However I am back in early September so that may be better timing. Needed for Hannah & George’s wedding on the thirteenth. If I had the haircut today It would be long again by the thirteenth.

In theory I have to do some work and had kind of planned to do this on the train down. Weelave to see. I find it hard to get motivated these days. Once I get going I’ll be alright.

The train is leaving the stayshun…

August 18, 2025

Monday yanow

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:18 am

Monday yanow. The clock on top right hand side of my monitor says Mon therefore it must be so. Got to force myself to do some work today but not until I’ve been for a swim. Typically leave to go to the pool at around eleven or ten past.

Bit overcast today and you feel that it is threatening to rain. Obvs I’d be happy were it so but the metoffice computer says no which means it might well now rain. I particularly need it to be dry this pm as we want to pack away the gazebos whilst we have Hannah and George still here. They are cooking us a wedding anniversary meal tonight. Tomorrow we are celebrating thirty seven glorious years of marriage. Not yet decided what form that celebration will take. Maybe even beans on toast and an early night 🙂 

We have done a lot of eating and drinking over the past few days. What’s more I have my annual long lunch in town to look forward to on Wednesday! I some time ago set a “tradition” rolling whereby I meet a bunch of mates in London in August for a serious business discussion over lunch. August was always a dead month anyway. Half the population goes on holiday for the first two weeks and the other half for the second two. Means you could get sod all done in August so I then started to take the whole month off.

Did rain a bit but all dried off now. Met Ajax in the pool and had a good catchup. Sue was at a Body Balance class. Cup of tea afterwards.

August 17, 2025

fishing gnome

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 10:36 am

Sitting on the deck after breakfast and a down feather floated in front of me. It showed no interest in landing so I reached for my camera to catch it on video. It chose that moment to drop into my empty tea cup. Missed another photo opportunity. Had I been wearing a pair of specs with inbuilt camera I’d have caught it and the bytes would now be streaming in front of you as you read this post.

The lake has begun to attract woodpigeons that stand on the stony edge and lean right down dipping their beaks fully in the water. Woodpigeons ain’t my thang. If I’m patient enough maybe a kingfisher or two might drop by. They would be disappointed as the lake is not (yet) stocked with fish but that’s not my problem. 

In reality I can’t see me getting any fish for the lake although I do like the concept of sitting on the deck while dangling a rod and line into the water. Not really interested in catching a fish but the act of fishing is very relaxing. Perhaps I’ll get meself a cheap fishing rod for the purpose. We’ve just flogged a load of fishing gear on Facebook Marketplace! No rod though. THG suggested I invest in a fishing gnome which sounds like a good idea to me. I looked and there are loads to choose from. Watch this space.

I think I’m going to start collecting the windfall apples. It’s a few weeks yet before this year’s zoider making session commences but the apples are coming down in serious numbers. We haven’t yet started on last year’s batch. My cider adviser Adie tells me we do that the same day as making the next lot. We will this year also be able to use apples from the tree at the bottom of the garden. This was inaccessible last year because of all the logs around its base but the log pile has now been tidied. That tree produces nicer eaters.

August 16, 2025

all about shelves

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:27 am

Cooler morning but still nice enough to sit out on the deck before breakfast. I topped up the lake yesterday by discharging the not insubstantial dregs from the bottom of the defunct water butt into it. Waste not want not. Does make me realise that lakes, if they have no natural flows of water (ie rivers) running into and out of them do need maintaining. This is fine but special care needs to be taken with this during what are becoming the traditional long hot summers we always think we remember from our childhood but now appear to be reality. If I ever get around to putting in an irrigation system for the borders then an additional feed into the lake would seem appropriate. 

THG and George are off Park Running this morning and I have delayed a decision on breakfast until after my sojourn on the deck. We have all the gubbins in for a full English but I’m still quite full after a very good steak supper last night. A cut down full English is where my thinking is currently at. A solitary sausage, a brace of bacon and a slice of sourdough toast. No egg, shroom, beens or tomayto but I’ll say yes to a glass of milk which for me is part of a full English, cut down or otherwise.

Removed the masking tape from around all the electrical bits in the workshop this morning and will pop out to Wickes for a small tin of white satin paint in order to do the woodwork. THG needs some as well for a paint job she has in mind for elsewhere in the hoose so the fact that I won’t need much for the workshop won’t result in wastage. Our recent clearout saw the disposal of a load of old tins of paint, long since dried up. I’m not saying they haven’t come in handy for the occasional touching up job but they are now gone. Gone I tell you.

The main tasks for today however are the completion of the installation of the replacement water butt and the erection and cleaning of three gazebos that will be stored out of the way discretely in the corner of the workshop, on the left behind the door. We don’t use them v often but they are handy to have when we have friends around for a barbie or similar. This is the case for both wet and sunny weather. I will at some point have to invest in a new stainless steel fire pit as our kadai firebowl had rusted itself to a state of uselessness and was disposed of in the skip that has now thankfully been removed from our drive.

Looks like the apple harvest will be early this year. Lots of bright red fruit dropping already. They do seem to be a little on the small side though which is a result of the dry weather we’ve had and me not getting round to thinning them out which does make a difference. Next year…

Hannah has joined me on the deck which is v nice. A bit of dad and daughter time.

Actually I’ve just moved in to the shed from the deck as my phone told me there was rain around. There are two ways a phone can be used to tell you this sort of thing. One is to look at a suitable app eg the MetOffice, other apps are available. The other, which is how I found out on this occasion, is because it is easy to see raindrops when they land on the screen. I was prompted to look because I thought I felt the occasional drop but couldn’t be totes sure.

Inside the shed I’ve taken the opportunity to look at my various posters with a view to deciding which ones are staying and which ones are going to be moving into the workshop. It would appear that my posters are mostly either travel related or something to do with music. A decision has been made to move the travel ones and keep the music. The reason for the change is because I happen to have a variety of framed prints and maps that need to go up on the wall. I’ve been holding off doing this because I didn’t want to put holes in the plaster but the time, I can tell you, has now come. Otherwise I’ll be ending up with more pictures propped up on the floor than on the wall. I think I’m going to invest in some new picture hooks while I’m out buying the paint. Makes sense innit.

The other news from yesterday is that my new steel shelving unit arrived. It doesn’t look like a shelving unit right now as it is contained in two flattish cardboard boxes. Heavy flattish cardboard boxes. The downside of the flattishness is that I will have to assemble said steel shelving unit. I don’t normally buy things that need assembling but on this occasion it makes sense as it would be an impractically large object to “post”. Also I am assured that the assembly process involves no bolts or screws and as such should be relatively straightforward. I’ll find out on Thursday which is when it moves into the workshop.

Thursday is the day the vinyl gets laid which is the trigger for moving the bench into the workshop which will actually make it look like a workshop. I might put the shelving  unit up first as the bench currently has a load of plastic tool boxes underneath it which would be better on the shelves.

Gotta go. I am now officially hungry and a small English with a glass of milk beckons.

August 14, 2025

No golf today

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 8:31 pm

Up even earlier today. Five fifteen. When yer awake yer awake. I’ve decided to join the Dyfed Family History Society fwiw. I used to be a member but stopped because their website really only helped as far back as the first census of 1841. Now I’d quite like to get my hands on their “Monumental Inscriptions” database but you have to be a member and fork out twelve quid a year to access it. Don’t worry, I won’t rush into such a monumental purchasing decision.

I’m not overly optimistic that their database will provide me with much info but it’s worth a punt. When I visited a few cemeteries in Carmarthenshire earlier this year I drew a blank on many of the gravestones I had hoped to find. Before 1800 they were few and far between. It isn’t that the graves weren’t there. It’s just that the headstones tended not to survive. Fingers crossed that the DFHS will come up with the goods eh?

Another eventful day ahead. Dropping off a load more books at the Oxfam Bookshop in the Cornhill at nine, popping round to the Smiths to look at their kitchen extension, a visit to Fosters on Monks Road for some steaks for the barbie on Friday, a swim, supply run to Waitrose and at four o’clock Mark the joiner is coming round to look at a few bits of work we need doing. All go innit. I even have a conference call at one thirty. Just remembered that one. No golf today. Everyone else is away on holiday. Plus it’s too hot, man.

August 13, 2025

Greek adventure

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 6:19 am

The house pongs to high heaven this morning. Darryl the plasterer came at the end of play last night and put some bitumen type paint down on the new workshop floor in preparation of putting down the insulation and plywood. Can’t see that it will have dried by the time he comes this morning, especially as it is supposed to have a second coat before he starts work but we shall see. I am not the expert.

It’s going to be the hottest day so far of this particular spell of fine weather. The media are calling it a heatwave but they like to be a bit on the dramatic side innit. I don’t envy Darryl having to work in it though. We will be glad when the work is finished. At least the skip went yesterday. When I got back from the pool it had been replaced by an electrician’s van. All the electrics are now sorted, at least in the workshop.

Up at five thirty as is quite often the case at this time of year. Best time of day. Have come out onto the deck to enjoy the early morning feel. There is that light misty feel to it although it’s not really mist. Hazy. Still slightly damp.

Reminds me about the time I slept on a beach in Greece. I had hitchhiked from Bangor with no real idea of destination other than a cardboard sign emblazoned with the words with St Tropez. I had just finished my first year at uni and wanted to do something with the summer. I walked to the edge of town and a few days later believe it or not ended up in St Tropez! St Tropez was too expensive. I think I must only have had a couple of hundred quid for the whole trip, if that. So I left St Tropez and at a roundabout outside the town bumped into someone going to Greece. Seemed like a good idea so there I went.

I can’t remember the stitch that found me kipping on the beach but I woke up at dawn, partly due to the nuisance of the insects, and strolled into a village where I bought some bread and jam for breakfast and then stuck my thumb out. It took me six hours to get a lift during which time the sun rose higher and higher and I ended uop having to hug a wall to stay in the shade.

I did eventually get a lift off a guy who took me a good distance and dropped me off in a layby. I stuck my thumb out again but before long a police car rolled up and a fierce looking Greek cop with dark glasses and a gun got out of the car. Ey oop I thought. However he ignored me and proceeded to pull cars over in a seemingly random way. Omg I thought again. Who the hell was going to stop to give me a lift with the cop car there. Nobody.

It got worse. Next up three green buses pulled in and out poured a load of soldiers in uniform. I now couldn’t even see the road! I sat on the kerb to contemplate the sitch when a squaddie stopped to talk to me. He understood the awkwardness of the situation and had a chat with the cop who proceeded to pull in the next car and asked (told) the driver to give me a lift. Fair play to him. I must dig out my diary of the trip and digitise it.

Back to the present I’ve now moved inside the shed because insects were beginning to take an interest in me on the deck. I am an insect magnet. Avon Skin So Soft for the win. Also it is all of a sudden nearly twenty past six. Time to make the tea…

August 12, 2025

the great weather god Brian

Filed under: diary — Trefor Davies @ 9:02 am

There must surely be someone called Brian working at the Met Office. If not a Brian then there will definitely be a John. Anyway if you believe in the great weather god Brian the temperatures today are going to be up to thirty degrees Centigrade. This is v hot for around ere and I’d like to suggest that your best way of surviving this extreme heat is to not consider doing any manual work. I certainly won’t be.

Really the sensible thing to do is to find a nice bar with a deck looking out between colourful flowery bushes (pick your own brand) onto an azure bay bordered by ivory beaches and palm trees. Stay in a shady spot but drink lots of liquids to keep you hydrated. Watch exotic birds flit in and out of the shrubbery in front of you.

I was thinking particularly of Jambe de Bois on Pigeon Island in St Lucia. John and I came across the place by accident. We had been dropped off at a private beach by the boat from the Hilton in order to do some snorkelling. The snorkelling turned out to be great with hundreds of fish swimming around us near the reef.

After a while we strolled up to the lookout point to see whether any men of war were coming into sight and then continued around the island until we found the bar and decided we could go no further.

This weather reminded me of that place. I would go back were it not for the fact that google says it is temporarily closed (fingers crossed it reopens) and that there are lots of other places to go and see in this little ole world of ours. It isn’t quite as close as Skegvegas or Maybo. It must be said that the only advantages that Skegvegas has over St lucia is the fish and chips but I couldn’t see me wanting British stye fish and chips in da Caribbean, man.

It is currently quite cloudy but in Brian we trust. As I speak I am taking tea on the deck, between the shed and the lake. The lake needs plants which we plan to source from a garden centre called Waterworld or similar on the Wirral. It’s a long way to go and buy a few plants but we are going anyway sometime in the autumn, when the worst of the Lincolnshire summer heat has abated, and will find it convenient to stop by. They also have a caff, natch.

My day is mostly mapped out. A few admin type bits this morning followed by my now customary swim. Did a PB of 51 mins front crawl yesterday. It’s a tradeoff between how long do you want to stay in the pool versus getting a good amount of exercise. I am certainly feeling the benefits especially with the strengthening of the hips although it isn’t going to stop me needing the other one done, planned for 28th October.

Kristian the electrician has moved his slot at ours until this afternoon which is fine for us though he will find it a bit warm. 2nd fix. I was in there this morning opening the windows and am thinking that the steel shelving could go on the left hand side as opposed to the right which has been my initial thinking. I’ll only really know when the floor is down and we move the bench into place. It will all happen next week, if it is the will of Brian. 

I will need to build an extension to the bench. I have some scaffold planks in mind that should do the job. When it comes to benches size matters. Pondering putting some metal sheeting in the corner as a place where I can let sparks fly. I’ve got a little used grinding wheel, picked up for next to nothing in Lidl years ago, that rarely gets an outing. Its time has come 🙂  Those kitchen knives won’t know they’re born.

In the meantime the cathedral bells have heralded the hour of nine, I have finished my tea and will now move into the shed to do that admin job. 

Ciao amigos.

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