tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75422548552756815832024-03-13T00:33:16.310+00:00Campbell's CottageThis blog has migrated to <a href="http://campbellsplatform.blogspot.co.uk/">Campbell's Kingdom</a> Haydn Jenkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13313308149801682891noreply@blogger.comBlogger328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-9200750180964064662017-04-13T09:31:00.000+01:002017-04-13T09:36:30.079+01:00Wild CarNot a Mustang nor a Ferrari, but a skimpy piece of wood mounted on a wheel and a rod of iron racing 50 mph down a Welsh mountain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emrys with a Wild Car</td></tr>
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Getting slate down the mountain from the high quarries of Ffestiniog was a feat of Victorian engineering ingenuity. The power was provided by a wagon full of slate going down to pull up an empty wagon on a pair of narrow gauge rails running the length of an incline. Between each pair of rails was a steel rope, running on rollers, which connected the dependent wagons.<br />
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The Craig Ddu quarry to the north of Manod Mawr had a set of three inclines to reach the road, and a fourth to link with the railway below running to Blaenau. This was the route to market. It was also the quickest way home for the workers after a hard day’s work.<br />
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I asked the late Emrys Evans, who was apprenticed at the quarry in the 1920s how fast cars went down an incline. “I can’t tell you in seconds, but I can describe it as follows. At the end of the shift the men were allowed to place their cars on the track and as soon as the four o’clock hooter blasted from the Oakeley quarry, they were off. Most people started from the second incline. They were able to do these two inclines, run between them, put the car into an empty wagon, and reach the bus stop by the time the bus to Blaenau departed five minutes later. Buses were very punctual in those days.”<br />
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The length of the inclines to the road was 1,800 yards with a descent of 1,040 feet, and the journey, including the connecting sections, was reputedly done in about eight minutes.<br />
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The Wild Car [or Car Gwyllt] was an innovation credited to the quarry’s blacksmith in the 1870s. It ran between the two pairs of rails which were separated by a gap of three feet, and, more importantly, without any obstructions such as the rollers between the narrow gauge tracks. <br />
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The car consisted of very little. A piece of wood about two foot long and eight inches wide, with a “flanged” iron wheel towards the front and a V-shaped iron heel at the back. An iron bar stretched out from the centre of the board across to the other track to provide the balance on the other rail. Speed was controlled with a brake, which consisted of a handle between the driver’s knees that pressed a brake pad against the wheel – heels were also used!<br />
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“There was no driving test as such,” explained Emrys. “You simply sat on the car, pointed your legs straight out and leaned inwards onto the iron cross bar to get a good balance. The key was to avoid going too fast and losing control. When I first started at the quarry I would follow my father down with my feet pressed into his back. But after a couple of weeks I was going solo.”<br />
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At its peak the quarry employed more than two hundred workers. Rush hour must have been quite a sight, and fortunately the occasion was captured in The Quarryman [or Y Chwarelwyr] which was filmed in 1934.<br />
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Just looking at the inclines and the cars makes one think of danger and accidents, and there were many. Inexperience and recklessness were the main causes – unlike tobogganing out of control, there was no soft landing from a Car Gwyllt. A driver’s heel extended to slow his descent could kick slate onto the track and derail the car. Leaning too much or too little could cause the car to overbalance, and a stray foot could snag in the tracks. If you survived the impact you still had the risk of a substantial fall over the edge of the incline.<br />
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Examples of reckless behaviour included riding two people to a car: the combined weight was too much for the brakes, and on one occasion the result was inevitable broken legs. A girlfriend riding on one’s knee was a thrill in more ways than one! Daisy would have looked fine upon the seat of a Car Gwyllt made for two.<br />
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In an attempt to limit the accidents the afternoon rush hour was led by a “captain” whose job was to ensure a steady and smooth descent in an orderly fashion. “But on occasions we would wait until they had gone and see how fast we could go,” said Emrys with a twinkle in his eye.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Killjoy at the front 1900</td></tr>
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Children not yet teenagers would occasionally sneak into the works and take a car out in the evening. Sadly in the 1920s two of them were killed as they collided into a slate wagon.<br />
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The cars were private property, and each carried the initials of its quarryman owner. Some of them had detachable brake handles which would be removed to prevent them being taken by anyone else. Second-hand Ceir Gwylltion (plural of Wild Cars) would exchange hands when a worker retired or moved on. A new one could be ordered and bought for ten shillings, and Emrys’s father built his son’s first one.<br />
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The Craig Ddu quarry is thought to be the only place where Ceir Gwylltion were used. “The inclines were ideal,” said Emrys. “Not too steep as to be impossibly dangerous, and without long flat stretches that would make the effort unviable.”<br />
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The practice continued until the quarry closed in 1939, reopening for only a brief period towards the end of war to supply slate for repairing roofs bombed in the London blitz.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-29206489016540589202016-08-10T17:29:00.001+01:002017-03-12T08:39:56.419+00:00Campbell's Platform in Country Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you flick through this week's Country Life there is an article about little known stations titled Pulling the stops out. It's all about remote request stops, most of which were introduced in the 19th century, unlike Campbell's Platform, which is a comparatively recent innovation.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-12527893861082619152016-07-27T21:18:00.001+01:002016-07-27T21:19:28.969+01:00This morning we walked up Moel Dduallt, which is dwarfed by Moelwyn Bach. Moel means hill, sometimes a ‘bare’ or ‘bald’ hill, thus Moelwyn Bach translates to the Little White Hill; but ‘hill’ just doesn’t do justice to the craggy cliffs in front of that 710m peak.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ridge of Moel Dduallt looking towards Portmeirion</td></tr>
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As for Dduallt, that translates to Black Hill or Black Hillside; so does Moel Dduallt mean the (bare) Hill on the Black Hillside? Doesn’t seem to fit with Moelwyn being the White Hill. It's also far from 'bare' with lots of trees on the south side, albeit the oaks are a bit bonsai, particularly those in the firing line of the south westerly winds.<br />
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Maybe the ‘black’ comes from the profusion of ripe bilberries. We picked enough to turn our breakfast cereals purple for the next few days. <br />
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Whatever the meaning of the names it was a beautiful walk with stunning views.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-58439146237353725092016-07-17T19:51:00.002+01:002016-07-17T19:51:39.601+01:00Hippy SheepIt's been a tough summer for the sheep; wet fleeces, and still no date for the shearing. Farmers are running late. You can't gather sheep off the mountain when the clouds are down. But they seem in good spirits, as if at Glastonbury.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'If you're going ..... to San .... fran....cisco. <br />Be sure to wear ...... some bracken....in your hair'</td></tr>
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On a positive note, and possibly connected with the above average precipitation, there is a bumper crop of bilberries. Yum!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-64793788553624503332016-07-15T07:53:00.001+01:002017-03-12T14:12:21.162+00:00Full Steam Ahead - BBC2 on the Ffestiniog The first episode of this new 6 part series will be on BBC2 at 8pm on Thursday 21st 'EXCEPT WALES'. Sometimes these regional variations can be very frustrating, so we will be watching a little later on the iPlayer.<br />
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The TV crew were filming on the Ffestiniog and at Llechwedd for 3 days in mid February with lots of rain. Here's the intro to the series.<br />
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<i>Historians Ruth Goodman, Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn bring back to life the golden age of steam and explore how the Victorian railways created modern Britain.</i><br />
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<i>The introduction of steam railways in the early 19th century changed Britain in a way no one could have predicted. This episode explores how they created a domestic revolution, changing the way we lived, from the houses we lived in to the food we ate.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a nice photo - nothing to do with the TV!</td></tr>
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<i>In the middle of winter and the team arrive at the Ffestiniog Railway in Snowdonia to find out how millions of tons of slate were moved down the mountain. This is the slate that covers roofs in every corner of the country and all of it was moved by rail.</i><br />
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<i>Underground, Alex experiences the brutal conditions faced by miners in Llechwedd quarry who would have endured 12-hour shifts suspended from iron chains. It's an exhilarating ride down the narrow winding track aboard the 'gravity train' with the whole crew hanging on to the brakes all the way.</i><br />
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For more details of the series <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07lpm6c" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">click here.</span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-76350404959385024202016-06-14T20:57:00.000+01:002016-06-14T20:57:00.278+01:00Sheep in the Rain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Many of this years young lambs have had little exposure to heavy rain and today came as a bit of a surprise. This one was looking very stoic.<br />
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All the sheep seemed to freeze, as if in a trance, and all were pointing the same way. I suspect they had their backs to the wind and the worst of the rain.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-82290964231925621922016-06-12T08:27:00.003+01:002017-03-12T14:27:09.397+00:00Chicken of the Woods - forager's hors d'oeuvre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are three oaks near the house that host a bracket fungus called Chicken of the Woods. They fruit every other year in June and are unmistakeable, bright orange beacons.<br />
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They grow very large, possibly weighing up to a kilo? But if you leave them too long, they dry out and become too tough to eat.<br />
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This particular one is on the farmer's land so I asked permission to help myself to some.<br />
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I propped my ladder against the trunk, climbed up and snapped off the lowest bracket. Back in the kitchen I sliced it into strips and fried in butter for 10 to 15 minutes with pepper and a smidgeon of salt. Then a squeeze of lemon.<br />
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It was delicious and the texture a bit like chicken breast. An excellent forager's hors d'oeuvre. It's the sort of luxury you'd be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for at Harrod's Food Hall!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-11269888732202124062016-06-10T13:54:00.001+01:002016-06-10T13:54:49.103+01:00Redstart nest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I heard the alarm call of anxious birds and there was Molly, staring at the stone wall below, where hungry young redstarts were waiting for lunch. The nest is several inches inside the wall.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-55269598296591948942016-06-09T20:50:00.000+01:002016-06-09T20:50:04.622+01:00Badgers at Campbell's<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recent guests Karen and Dick spent a fortnight at Campbell's. They love their wildlife and appreciated the abundance of Redstarts and Warblers plus the constant cuckoo of the Cuckoo(s).<br />
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Some nights the cottage lawn was ablaze with white light to attract moths. And on many nights they placed a trail camera by the badger sett. These are some of their photos. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-35965126679304157662016-06-06T21:46:00.003+01:002016-06-06T21:46:57.616+01:00Goat ButtsThe young billy has been flirting with the chief billy’s mate, and she’s probably his mother. The chief billy is none too pleased and the head banging is headache ferocious. After he’s seen off the young pretender, he goes to his mate, stamps his foot and she snuggles up to him.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-89590098088060326682016-06-05T22:37:00.003+01:002016-06-05T22:37:38.128+01:00Molly BallWelsh volley ball secret training camp in Snowdonia.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-79074394925866790852016-06-04T20:18:00.004+01:002016-06-04T20:18:50.776+01:00Gardener's World!<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gbp43QQHKE/V1MpUHk1FNI/AAAAAAAAGJY/w3XshDl4RZMaec5DJhBGbImBLOV-wpeDgCLcB/s1600/BBC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gbp43QQHKE/V1MpUHk1FNI/AAAAAAAAGJY/w3XshDl4RZMaec5DJhBGbImBLOV-wpeDgCLcB/s320/BBC.jpg" width="320" /></a>Talent scouts must have been admiring our gardening efforts? Why else would we be appearing on Gardener's World?<br />
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We were just visiting Bodnant, talking to one of the volunteers, when the cameraman copped us. Viewers from Kent and Buckinghamshire were quick to say they'd seen us.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-22404801725080152322016-06-03T06:35:00.002+01:002016-06-03T06:35:42.424+01:00Sky's the Limit?Safety guidelines say to fly below 400 feet but in this part of Wales the RAF flies down to 250 feet and even less for helicopters. So I'm not being too adventurous. Here's the bird's eye view take 1.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-71639269232172163142016-06-01T07:14:00.003+01:002016-06-01T07:14:32.257+01:00Goats being goatsThe goats have been enjoying the fine summer weather and are spending time on the bank below the railway; a good place to munch some oak tree leaves. This is the view from the bathroom window:<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-34607688059444821062016-05-27T08:06:00.003+01:002016-05-27T08:06:52.138+01:00Laburnum Archers - not a new radio soap<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Laburnum Archer</td></tr>
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What comes after Chelsea? It’s the North Wales Festival of Gardens with 22 of the region’s gardens putting on a fantastic show including Bodnant of course. As we walked into the garden there was a sign to say the BBC were filming and that we were to inform the staff if we positively did NOT want to be seen on Gardeners’ World.<br />
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We called in to see the Laburnum Arch, thinking it might be in full bloom, but it was 7 to 10 days away from that. What was in full bloom was a brightly coloured Laburnum Archer. This new species, identified with a badge on the lapel, was one of the 23 seasonal volunteers recruited to ‘manage’ the 3,000 visitors per day who want to see the arch in June. And that, volunteering, is the theme of the episode of Gardeners' World due to be shown on 3rd June.<br />
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Below is a reminder of what the arch looks like during a quiet moment.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-19016753809290073952016-05-26T19:39:00.000+01:002016-05-26T19:39:00.737+01:00What a shot!I always thought I’d be able to use a shotgun but had never put it to the test. It’s never too late to learn. Sue treated me to a beginner’s session with Bob at the Bob Valentine Shooting School outside Llanbedrog.<br />
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After a thorough safety briefing I marched out onto one of the fields where, poking out of the far hedgerow, was a clay pigeon trap. Bob took out what looked a bit like a simple TV remote, pressed the eject button and up went the clay. Another button altered the direction and another altered the steepness of the flight.<br />
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Three times we went through the motion of aiming at a clay flying towards me, following it to the point where it slows and starts to veer away, and firing without a cartridge. Then it was ear defenders on with live ammo. Missed the first. And the second. Maybe hit the third. Then a purple patch.<br />
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We then switched to a clay flying left to right so the shot needed to be some way ahead of the target. Three different techniques were practised with mixed success.<br />
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Finally, for a confidence boosting finale, we went to shoot some clays that emulated a teal flying steeply off a pond. They accelerate quickly to a point where energy and aerodynamics are overtaken by the forces of gravity and they become sitting ducks so to speak, 20 metres in the sky. 6 exploding clays in a row. What a shot!<br />
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If you’ve not tried it before and would like to have a go I can thoroughly recommend Bob Valentine. <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiL0OexsfjMAhUDIcAKHRS4B-4QFggdMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theshootingschool.com%2F&usg=AFQjCNELVTx_F2kAC6L0o6vV6YInrzqPXg&sig2=Mh-ctMdJyNt1-gf4bXkYrA&bvm=bv.122676328,d.ZGg" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Full details on his website</span></a>. Thanks Sue and thanks Bob. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-86042061131202689262016-05-20T14:10:00.001+01:002016-05-20T14:14:41.393+01:00Quarry Explorer<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy0UwpfHmJE/Vz8MQ_HeCUI/AAAAAAAAGIQ/Ux4S5njoTsALH4OE649go2b2MUNDjtUnQCKgB/s1600/P1060114s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy0UwpfHmJE/Vz8MQ_HeCUI/AAAAAAAAGIQ/Ux4S5njoTsALH4OE649go2b2MUNDjtUnQCKgB/s320/P1060114s.jpg" width="320" /></a>All aboard! onto a military 4 x 4 truck and up, up, up, for a quarryman’s eye view of Blaenau and beyond. Congratulations to Llechwedd on the opening of yet another innovative attraction - Quarry Explorer.<br />
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It’s exciting if you go for just the ride and the views but much more so being combined with the history of slate mining. As you are driven around, eight of you either side of a bench on the back of the truck, it is easier to understand the scale of the workings and the hardship endured. It was a tough life and our guide, with a microphone and portable speaker, told us the story.<br />
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This new offering costs £20 and lasts about 90 minutes – a wonderful introduction to the world of slate. Full details, including excellent aerial film, on the <a href="http://www.llechwedd-slate-caverns.co.uk/quarry-explorer/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Llechwedd website</span></a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-27867859041339933492016-05-06T08:18:00.001+01:002016-05-06T08:18:56.672+01:00Stone Walling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other day I thought I'd tidy up a few stones. A potentially ten minute chore became an exhausting rebuild of the stretch of retaining wall outside the cottage front door. As I toiled away, Sue shared encouraging comments, such as <i>'no-one will notice'</i>.<br />
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Personally I think it is fantastic, aesthetically pleasing and much less likely that a stone will fall on someone's foot. It's also a great habitat for wildlife - I carefully placed a torpid slow worm back into its section of wall.<br />
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Sue says our regular guests will see that the front door has been painted (her job) but otherwise it's all the same. So PLEASE - on your next visit, don't forget to comment on the wall!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-11227709066169634032016-05-04T22:07:00.001+01:002016-05-04T22:07:58.022+01:00Goat gang reunitedFor many weeks the two kids and their mums have been separated from the rest of the goat gang; presumably because little goats can’t jump over fences. But tonight we saw the extended family of eight enjoying a ramble together. They were settling down, in the field beyond and above the veg patch, when something spooked them. This is how they went:<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-91203869603516499422016-04-24T12:49:00.002+01:002016-04-24T13:29:01.210+01:00Spring in my Pillow<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Too tired
for Match of the Day I took myself to bed; lovely fresh bedding, washed that
morning and dried in the sun. Surely my dreams would be filled with thoughts of
spring and summer to come. Bluebells starting to bloom, swallows returned, first
cuckoo heard … <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I lay
down my weary head, the buzzing sound of a honey bee went from laid back to
frantic. It sounded very close and angry. I took the pillow to the spare
bedroom, emptied it from its case, turned the case inside out, and there was
the bee. That could have been a nightmare!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sue strongly
denies any suggestion of retaliation for snoring. <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-53192373450465372772016-04-15T16:19:00.000+01:002016-04-15T16:19:00.712+01:00Canada Goose As we walked in the hills above the railway we stumbled across a Canada Goose, nesting on an island. Totally still, with neck and head laid low to the ground. Even when I walked around to the side, it didn't move or change its gaze. Good protection from hungry foxes.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-1790994334562000982016-04-11T12:42:00.002+01:002016-04-11T12:42:44.622+01:00Our Good SamaritanFor an Italian themed dinner with neighbours Ann prepared canapés, I did carpaccio, Ian rolled meatballs, Marie served cheesecake with flutes of Amaretto and Ann topped it off with petit fours. The food, the setting and the company were excellent, but one story stood head and shoulders above the rest. Or should I say hand and arm?<br />
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One of our neighbours is Denis, retired from the London fire service and well used to emergencies. At this time of year, the field in front of his house is busy; lambs racing around, weary ewes trying to get a break and pregnant ones keen to get on with it. Most manage an unaided natural birth, but some need the ministrations of a shepherd. <br />
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As Denis admires the view, he sees that one is lying on its side, with wriggling legs, up in the air!<br />
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A phone call to the farmer; no answer. A phone call to the next farmer; also no reply. A third call, to the retired farmer, was answered by the farmer’s wife who said <i>‘If you do nothing, the ewe and the lamb will die’</i>.<br />
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Denis had seen the farmer at work and knew roughly what to do. Rolling up his sleeves he inserted his right hand, but that hand was too sore for any serious probing. So he took off his watch and tried the left hand. Somewhere inside should be some legs or something else to pull out, but it was beyond his reach.<br />
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Professional help was needed and eventually the farmer at the far end of our lane was contacted and, picking up his bottle of fairy liquid, agreed to come and assist. On arrival he looked at the ewe with her legs in the air and asked the would-be rescuer if he’d been fired from the fire service? Did he always stick his hands up anyone who called for help? <br />
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<i>‘That sheep’s not pregnant, it’s fallen over and can’t get up.’</i> He grabbed the sheep by its wool, rolled it onto its feet and off it ran.<br />
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Each time he walks down the lane our good Samaritan neighbour gets a strange look from this ewe. I like to think I would have been as willing to ‘lend a hand’ and not just walk on by. If nothing else, I am sure that within a couple of weeks, the story will have brought a smile to hundreds of shepherds across North Wales.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-50146455536793453792016-04-02T11:41:00.000+01:002016-04-07T13:21:15.890+01:00Baby Goat Gets Playmate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Four weeks ago (5th March) the baby goat in the background was born and has been wandering around the bottom hairpin with its mum.<br />
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The good news is that it's now got a playmate - not sure where this one came from. Neither of the mums were supervising, at least not in my sight.<br />
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A couple of times in recent weeks I have seen a second female on the other side of the fence, on the inside of the nature reserve. Maybe that was the other mother and this young one has now made its way through that fence.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-58728825782897350462016-03-28T12:20:00.001+01:002016-03-28T12:20:41.317+01:00Kid Goat Day 23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Day 23 and the kid goat is doing fine, following its mum around and grazing. A short distance away was another female goat which called out a warning when she spotted me.<br />
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For the moment the kid and its mum continue to stay around the bottom hairpin bend but it won't be long before wire fences become passable and then their range will extend and they can rejoin the rest of the gang.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7542254855275681583.post-66862696191508612382016-03-27T17:52:00.003+01:002016-03-27T17:52:50.866+01:00Easter? Friday was good but ....<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTP8ipuJVsU/VvgPRoXXQMI/AAAAAAAAGEo/wWLO21PGMvQDrrhKHoYt5BRVQy-5AbDNg/s1600/IMAG0288s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTP8ipuJVsU/VvgPRoXXQMI/AAAAAAAAGEo/wWLO21PGMvQDrrhKHoYt5BRVQy-5AbDNg/s320/IMAG0288s.jpg" width="320" /></a>.... Saturday and Sunday have been windy, wet and cold. No good for gardening. At least I got the potatoes in on Good Friday. In 90 days, on 23rd June if all goes to plan, we should pulling our first earlies.<br />
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In between the rain and hail it's been OK for walking. Got a very cheery wave from today's after lunch train to Blaenau.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0